Are you also a Naruto fan? Did you also love to watch shows like Dragon Ball Z, Doraemon, and Shin-chan as children? Of course, these are the shows that we all enjoyed watching as a child. But did you know that there is a specific name for these shows and that they are more than just cartoons? They come under the category of Japanese animated version of comic series. Yes, you read that right. They are nothing but an adaptation of a cartoon novel. They are typically called by the name of "anime." In Japan, the word animation is popularly called anime, and the books and novels from which the stories of these TV shows are taken are called "manga." 

For the love of reading

If you are a book nerd who prefers books over TV series and movies, you can read the comic versions of similar shows on the internet. A site called mangadex has a complete ocean of Japanese comic series, books, and novels of different categories that you can read online. Mangadex have something to read for all age groups; the stories on mangadex can range from romance to fiction to drama to fantasy. You can check out yourself to find more.

But before we get any further, let us first understand the basics of Manga and anime.

Difference between Manga and anime

The most common misconception among the general population is that they are the same thing, but it is not so.

Manga = Readable Format

Manga, in particular, refers to only the printed counterparts of comics, cartoons, and graphic novels that are originally published in Japan.

Anime = Animated Format

Anime, on the other hand, refers to all forms of animation that are created and published in Japan. But more often than not, an anime show is only the animated version of the most popular comic series that was originally sold in printed format but later on got adapted into cartoons, and TV shows that we see on the television or internet.

Adaptations

Contrary to popular belief, nothing like an anime show can be converted into a Manga. If a particular cartoon or a TV show was originally produced in the animated form, then it can also be converted into a readable comic version for the public. This will depend on the popularity of the show. Although most commonly, the readable parts of Japanese comics get converted into watchable parts, if the anime is popular enough and in public demand, then it can also be taken into a Manga adaptation.

But people from all over the world get confused between the two words and use them interchangeably. More than half of the world population thinks that Manga and anime are synonyms for the same word, meaning these words are used to refer to any kind of Japanese cartoon, whether it is in watchable form of readable form. This can be misleading, especially for the people who are genuinely interested in Japanese arts.