How closely does the getBackers anime follow the manga? [Archive]

Dessa

August 16th, 2006, 08:56 AM

Heheheh... the anime ROUGHLY follows part of the manga... but it jumps around. A LOT.

Now, bear in mind that I've only read through volume 14, and haven't watched the series in a while, but here's how they stack up, as I remember (minor changes are in each storyarc). This also goes by the anime, since I don't remember all the little stories in the manga:

1. The anime has it's own first story, which introduces Natsuki. I like the way they introduce her (she needs them to get back a cat charm from her mother that was stolen. Afterward, she gets hired by Jean Paul).

2. The thing with the old man and his daughter was in both.

3-5. Ah, the introduction of Hevn, Himiko, Akabane, and Maguruma. The anime cut out the "test," but otherwise was fairly accurate. Oh, and this also marks the last time you see Maguruma in the anime, also.

6-8. Shido, Kazuki, and Madoka's introduction. Fairly accurate to the manga, but since the anime skipped the first time that Ban and Ginji met Ryuudou Hishiki, it was a little weird (at least for me).

9-10. Clayman and the Sunflower. Again, fairly accurate.

11-25. Mugenjou and IL. Introduction of Makubex and a bunch of other characters. The basic story was retained in the anime, but when I was reading the manga, I noticed a LOT of stuff that was mentioned (usually not out loud, but in thought bubbles) that wasn't in the anime. Like stuff about Himiko's past.

26. Honestly, I thought this was filler, until I saw it in volume 14. It's the monkeys and the hot springs. Honestly, I liked it a little better in the anime, since there was more. There really wasn't enough in the manga for an entire episode, so they fleshed it out more.

27. Not in the manga at all, at least not through what I've read (and volume 14 starts a new storyarc, so it would have to be after that).

28. Honestly, I don't remember this episode. But reading the description from the DVD, I don't recognize it out of the manga, either.

29-33. This is the stuff with the Venus de Milo. MAJORLY changed. The Miroku siblings are now the Miroku brothers. Just Natsuhiko and Yumihiko. And, IIRC, you NEVER learn anything about Natsuhiko and Ban's past.

34. Haven't seen this in the manga, but it might show up.

35. Same

36. This has Himiko background, but again, I haven't seen it in the manga (on the fence on if this one is likely or not... depends on how the manga expands on Himiko's past).

37. I love this episode. I don't care if it's manga-based or filler. The guys are on vacation, and Natsumi and Emishi take a case. It's hilarious.

38. I honestly thought this one was filler as well, but it's not. However, it is from volume 11, right after the IL stuff.

39. Funniest episode in the series. I highly doubt it's in the manga, though.

40. Given as this is follow-up to episode 26, it could be in the manga, but I haven't seen it yet.

41. Hevn-centric episode. Could be in the manga.

42. Paul-centric episode. Could be in the manga.

43-49. Last storyarc in the anime. From what I understand, the storyarc itself doesn't exist in the manga, but is drawn from bits and pieces of other storyarcs. It works fine in the anime (if a bit too fast-paced to end by 49), but from what I've heard of the manga, it's nowhere near what it should've been.

I'd suggest sticking with the manga, and maybe just watching the anime for fun, but not using the anime to replace the manga (besides the fact that the manga is still going).