Depends, but the majority of the time it's the author.

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-GGpX

I run Illuminati-Manga. You're welcome.

I was really, really curious to know, but didn`t expect the vote to be split so close.

As for me... Author of Noblesse vs. Artist of Noblesse T^T TOO DIFFICULT!
But any other time the Author definitely wins, though I DO still judge a manga by its cover :/

I agree.
Greatly drawn, pathetic story.....wouldn't touch it.
Good story, looks like drawn by a monkey......wouldn't touch it.
The fact is that they need to match each other well. They both are what makes the series.

This poll brings up interesting points. If you think about it, there aren't many mangaka who are masters of both storytelling AND art- most mangaka tend to be good artists, but their stories are not exactly the best. Of course, art is probably more important to a media that is very visual like manga, but an absorbing story is always a plus! I think it's wonderful when a really good manga artist teams up with a fiction author to create premium-quality works- although this is probably harder for them to do and doesn't happen very often.

It's hard to say. There is a story which I hate so soo much and then there is another story which I mostly like. I later realized they were written by the same authors but with different artists.

From that point on, I avoid anything written by that author but I may also tempted to try it if the artist for a future series is a favourite of mine.

I guess from my answer, I would care more about the author. Care more and remember more to avoid reading more of their stories.

The author, of course. The story is the basis of everything, without it is just pretty pictures. That can only take a manga so far.

Compare Death Note to Blue Dragon: Ral Ω Grado.

Not even OBATA Takeshi's art was enough to save Blue Dragon, which was a flaming turd of a manga. It's true his art only made Death Note into a better manga, but I think most of us who enjoyed it would have read Death Note no matter who illustrated it.

Authors and artists, both of them matter.

In the end, though, the most obvious tie-breaker is the author, since we're talking about an illustrated story, not a storied illustration.

Author gets my vote.

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ミレニアム・マ スター１８

"Doesn't matter"

For me, I don't really care. So long, it has good plot (characters and content), and good enough drawings, I'm happy. But, then again, I haven't read many manga series with a different artist and author...

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I'm lazy.

Don't really care, i will know if i like a manga after i read it.

I mean, look at Hiramoto Akira (both for the art and the story), you can't tell if you would like something just because of who's working on it.

only exception been that Naoki Urasawa is god.

Author, without a doubt. No matter how many pretty lines and sparkles and stunningly-detailed backgrounds you have, none of them matter if the story is a doddering failure. Art can be expressive—indeed, it can bring a good story to life and give it more impact than mere words might have had—but it needs the story before it can come to life. Art without story is a picture book, static and without direction. Story without art is a novel at worst and literature at best.

Good art helps a lot if one wants to bring an excellent story to the very pinnacle of excellence, and I don't want to underestimate the expressive abilities of art, but I still think the author is significantly more important.

I certainly don't have anything against eye candy/scenery porn/whatever—I'll take it when it's offered and love a good story even more for it—but I can adapt to strange or simple art styles for an excellent story (MIURA Noriko's works, for example). I can't ignore a stale, cliche-ridden story for pretty art, though.

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Plot and the direction of the plot are undoubtedly important, but at the same time, this is manga. As tactics already pointed out, we look at AND read manga, and in my opinion, if the vessel for an author's story is inadequate, the work as a whole becomes unanimously lacking, to which the author might as well have written a novel.

I agree the author is important; I don't for a single second believe an author is any more important than the artist. That's practically a flagrant denial of what manga is.

I also feel the criteria of what constitutes "bad art" is completely subjective. My definition of "bad art" is art that doesn't express the mood or breathe life into the plot. People complain that the art of Usagi Drop is "bad"; I say it sets the tone for the plot perfectly, and expresses things better than some "technically better" art I've seen.

Comparatively, I'm not too fond of the art in Shikabane Hime, because I feel it woefully projects the intended mood. The drawings themselves are pretty good, I guess, but it just doesn't do anything for me as far as enhancing the plot. I don't know... I can't help but think the author's vision exceeds the limitations of his own ability to draw, creating discord. (Maybe it gets better, I only read to volume two.)

Better example might be Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, where the visually appealing novel art was used for the anime, but I feel the manga art is several times more expressive, despite being a "little sketchy". I dropped the anime, but I'm still reading the manga - both present me the same story. You be the judge: Manga - Anime

Uhh... I guess long story short, if anyone's only 'reading' manga, start looking at it too. Like a movie, half the plot is driven by what you see, and it's a HUGE slap in the face to the artist if anyone thinks only the author's feelings are what's being transposed in the plot. Just like writing the story itself, the ability to translate ideas into coherent pictures also requires a talent that can't be faked. Why would an author seek an artist in the first place?

Ohhh, don't get me wrong. Obviously the shitiest plot ever can't be saved by good art, like SWOT, Love Yume Mix or Nana Mix!, but excellent art can certainly make a mediocre plot like To-LOVE-Ru more appealing. Would YOU read TLR if it had Open Sesame's art? It's all relative, and frankly, shitty plots are probably easier to get past most editors, who are in all likelihood looking for raw drawing talent first and an award-winning plot second.

i dont care about the art AT ALL, i have no trouble reading a manga with "crappy" art as long as the story is good(e.g. river's edge)
i would appreciate it if the art is nice but when i look for manga to read, pretty art is not a requirement and i definitely wouldnt drop a manga with a good plot for the art

For me, the author and the artist are equally important. I chose "doesn't matter", but not because I don't care about them, but because in many cases although the author dictates the general storyline, the artist has chosen to partner with that author for a specific reason. If I love a collaboration between an author and artist, I generally love other works by the author and other works by the artist.

this x1000
where is the 'like' button...

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I wouldn't choose not to read a manga because I disliked a previous work, but I will choose to read a manga based on plot, not art. I appreciate good art, but I don't let 'bad' art put me off a good story. banana fish is my favourite manga, and its art is criticised (though personally I like that everyone looks different and isn't a bishie). The plot is amazing enough that the art doesn't matter. I've never read a manga where the art is amazing enough that the plot doesn't matter.

Ultimately I care more about the author, but this is within reason of course, manga is a visual story afterall, and an art style which fails to set the scene, the mood, the emotions, is ultimately going to be a lacklustre and confusing read. I suppose it comes down to your definition of art. To me, at doesn;t have to be beautiful to be good, but it does need to convey it's meaning and message to me without the need for words.

Maybe there should be a "Both should be good" option.

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The pen is mightier than the sword...and considerably easier to write with.