Yes, the art really matters. But sometimes, I get so into a story that I try to ignore the art, which imrproves over time anyways.

for me art does matter..but sumtimes it depends on the storyline..for example, crayon shin-chan (the art is not good at all but the storyline rocks!)..honestly, i'm a bit prejudiced when it comes to manga with bad art..unless the story's really good, i won't read them..

Art definitely matters. I read Air Gear, and even though it vaguely makes sense, the art keeps me coming back

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Yeah, that's with me too.. I mean, if Tenjou Tenge didn't have awesome art, I'll admit I wouldn't be touching it..

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Even though I know that manga IS a graphic medium after all. I'm surprised I was one of only 6 that voted no...
OK I admit good art is a definite plus. But for me, good art alone doesn't cut it. OH!Great is a perfect example of good art and horribly disgusting storyline. I mean a 6 year old hallucinating from fever can write better than that.
For me, as long as the art is not a handicap in understanding the story, I'm ok with it. And I think that people learn to draw better with time, they can also recruit better assistants or whatever, and there is also computer help (it did great with Gantz).
Good examples of improving art (and that where probably already mentioned) are Ah! My Goddess (the difference between the first chapters and the current one is amazing), Angel Densetsu (even if the art was plain horrible at first, he improved to average later, and the author is now behind one of the most successful current manga Claymore... so giving him a chance was a good thing I think)
So as long as a story gets successful enough and runs for long enough... art is bound to get better. But the longer a crappy story runs... the crappier it gets.

On the other hand... I do admit hatting the horribly elongated feminine silhouettes of the male characters in the average shoujo. (I still read the interesting ones though)

i don´t really care about the art, i mean if the art is good then it´s enjoyable, but if the art sucks, as long as the story is good it´s enjoyable too. But... even if the art is good if the story sucks it isn´t enjoyable for me.
About Oh Great!, i think his works are interesting at first, then he messes up amazingly with the story and it becomes from a good manga (art+story) to a manga with good art.
For the people that avoids a manga simply becouse the art doesn´t look good, you are seriously losing the chance to read quite a bunch of good manga.

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Art matters of course, its truely about half of a comic/manga.

Good stories are much better found in books, i wouldn't read mangas/comics just for the story.

If bad art interrupts the flow or feeling of the plot and you have to struggle to read it, then its a big minus.

yes if its hard on my eyes i dont even really bother or lose intrest really fast.

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not always, but it helps.

you should expand on that. If art doesn't matter all the time, then why read a manga? The point of a manga is to express things through art rather than words, to show how beautiful a girl is, how badass a guy is, how fearsome the enemy is or how gruesome the scene is. The point of art is to express a thousand words in a single picture which means bad art is like a poorly composed essay/story.

For me, the art does matter a lot because that's usually how I get interested in a manga, but if the plot is good or it's really interesting, then I'll read and give it a try.

If the plot is simply awesome, I don't care if the art is not that great, but with a mediocre plot, a good art is needed.

But seriously, the mangaka is at least supposed to know how to draw, or hire someone that knows.

Example: My name is Zushio I know it is supposed to be funny, but the art is just god d**n awful.

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THIS POST DOES NOT EXIST......IT'S ALL IN YOUR IMAGINATION

Call me superficial (which in real life I'm not) but I'm really having hard time reading a manga that is drawn poorly..
Lets take Ouran high school host club- hillarius, but the art is really a let down at first~.~
The art in Elfen Lied, don't care how people said it improved (doesn't seem to me) I couldn't read the manga because of it.. those mise faces..

But at boy princess I found the story so cute and interesting that I kept enjoying it even despite the strange art..

But still.. No matter how good the story gets, it must have the art to support it.. Isn't it the idea of manga?.. a drawn story.. It's not a book..

I guess, it depends..
Still, a great manga isn't great without the art...

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I'm quite the art connoisseur, so it does matter. Some art can draw me to a story that normally I wouldn't put a much a priority on, also a book won't be as eye catching or enticing for me if it has bad artwork. When I get really good art I read it twice; once for story and another to admire the art. There are time though where I will try to ignore the art quality if story is done really really well.