If you draw then it's just what ever comes out, don't copy a style or think your stuck doing just one or the other Dx. I've always liked A nice mix of the two were the people are still visually pleasing but the anatomy is more real.

both^^

I personally think the best is when people typically draw like a blender between the two. i do that and most other artists i know it's the same thing. the differing factor between each artist's style is what are the proportions of the two ingredients. some it's more realism and others it's more manga or cartoonish style per say.

now there are those who don't fit in that or have alot of one ingredient, these people we call masters and we look to them for insperation.

lol..
in manga, exact proportions, eye posittion, eye size.. hair and such don't really matter that much.. as long as it seems right..

realism is harder cause exact shading and details are important.
I prefer a fantasy drawing style...I use mixture between manga-ish and realism on the computer.. (like my signature..).

its a matter of taste I guess =].

I personally like a cartoon-ish realism (if that makes sense) in terms of art quality or talent. When it come to art I enjoy though, often I find something that isn't masterful to be just as great as something done by someone very talented. This is because a simply style can be made amazing if there is a lot of thought behind the work, like a social message or if it's simply a characature or comic.

Like a lot of other people have said: it depends. Although I think it depends on what the story is, and what is supposed to be conveyed. Yes, personal oppinion plays a hand, but honestly, I barely notice art styles. I simply notice whether I think something looks good or not.

. . . Although, if you ignore the story aspect and are talking about simply pictures themselves, my preferences do tend to lean towards a more anime/manga style. Although Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee, and Invader Zim aren't exactly considered "anime." What can I say except that Jhonen Vasquez is amazing?

The best drawing style is one that is the artist being themself and not trying to be like something else.

realism is alot harder to draw

I think the best drawing style is person's own unique style.

My style is more animeism/mangaism (:D) because anime was the one that made me draw.

The repetition with "There is no better style... blah blah blah" responses is overwhelming. XD

I'm thinking the question was more of a, 'if you had to choose between the two, which style would you most likely go with?' type of thing. o _ o; For the sake of being able to participate in this discussion:

I myself prefer the anime/manga style, I just find it more fun. That's not to say that realism art is bad though or not fun, I appreciate all styles and forms of art~ I just tilt a little more towards the anime style. o _ o;

Originally Posted by Akichii

What is the best Drawing style? Realism or manga?

lol. because those are the only two styles right? ha ha. there are so many styles of drawing its pretty much impossible to judge. And out of those two, it's like apples to oranges. Manga is a relatively new style if you compare it to realism. And there are arguments over even the definition of what is manga.

tl;dr Really i think there is no real answer, only personal ascetics and opinions. Me, I personally value something that has expression, since cameras are common, realism is not as impressive as it was in 1600's.

Originally Posted by mishi-hime

Me, I personally value something that has expression, since cameras are common, realism is not as impressive as it was in 1600's.

Hah, never thought I'd see someone else say this. I think every time I talk about art with a friend of mine, I have to bring this up because they always complain about their high school art teacher complaining about "anime style" and wanting my friend not to draw with it, though she (the teacher) is ok with allowing "cartoon style"... :?

Anyway... I prefer to draw and look at stuff done in anime/manga style compared to most other styles, I find it more fun and interesting to draw and look at. Usually a lot more colorful and lively than most other styles I've seen.

Originally Posted by Philosophy

Hah, never thought I'd see someone else say this. I think every time I talk about art with a friend of mine, I have to bring this up because they always complain about their high school art teacher complaining about "anime style" and wanting my friend not to draw with it, though she (the teacher) is ok with allowing "cartoon style"... :?

Well I think that the problem with that is simply that people of an older generation (ie some art teachers) did not grow to appreciate anime, so they do not see it the same way as they would "western style" cartooning. In contrast, I do know other art instructors who appreciate anime at least to a degree.

People, such as myself, who grew up with anime one way or the other have at least a little bit of appreciation for the art of anime. However, I remember when I applied for the Art Institute of California, one of the questions I was asked (over the phone) was basically 'what can you draw?'.
I answered honestly: realism, cartoons, and some anime. The advisor was glad to hear that I could do more than just anime for the majority of those who call in say that anime is all they do. A lot of American cartoon industries are not searching for anime.
[edit] I'm sure that even American animators are influenced by some anime. I can see it in their character development sometimes, but if you want to do strictly anime...go to its origin, Japan.

BOT:
I also believe that the original poster of this thread should have re-worded her question to "Which would you prefer?" because, in essence, neither is better than the other. (unless you are biased of one over the other)

I find that anime/manga can be interesting and lively to look at, but a lot of it just looks the same to me. All aesthetics and no life behind it. I'm not saying that western cartoons aren't any different, but if I were to choose between realism and manga, I'd go with realism. Without the fundamentals of realism (knowledge of basic anatomy etc.) why even bother with anime?

A combination of the two.
I loooooove manga and I loooooove realism.
I think a combination of the two is best. :)

But, both are good on their own too. It would depend on the piece and purpose. Sometimes, I prefer realism... as not all manga artists catch my eye and impress me. Meaning, there are some artists I don't like. Ha ha. But the same hold true with realism. I really like the realistic pieces, but sometimes they look... fake and stiff. It's nice to through in the manga look to change things up a bit.

I guess it really depends on the viewer, the mood, and the artist. I know on some days, I'm all for manga. On other days, all I want is realism. It changes all the time.

I will admit though, I hate abstract art. So I will always prefer these two over abstract art. ;)

My teacher in school said the best style in the world is your own. At that point our personal styles were being realized and refined. The World has yet to see them. Manga and realism as been done and seen over a million times. The fresh is always the best.

Realism, I think. Ha ha. But that's just meee. :P

The best style is YOUR OWN style. When you're starting out it's good to use aspects of other people's art as references, because that's how we learn: by imitation. Eventually, with a lot of very hard work, you'll find your own style, and THAT is what is best. Plain old manga and plain old realism are nothing. They're just stepping stones. Personally I love a blend of both.
Now, if you're going into the art world as a profession, they're not going to like either one. And no matter which you draw, people are going to tell you to draw something else.