I feel ambivalent with these mediums. I do tend to prefer reading novels nowadays. Yet there is something within me that feels satisfied when I notice a subtle detail within the graphic medium. Also I'm a graphics whore. Feelsbad. If I have to read one more Jade and fairy like descriptions....
Novel > anime > manga Novels are more detailed, you can understand the characters waaaaaaay better. I actually haven't been reading mangas for too long but I already feel like stopping reading it for once. It's just so... shallow? I like to understand characters and their attitudes, so mangas get me very frustrated. Maybe you can say it's my imagination's fault but it's not that I don't like to let my imagination work, I like "concrete evidences". That's why I prefer animes over mangas, they're more detailed
O really? And have you actually read - or even looked at - the original One-Punch Man manga? It looks like something scribbled by a kid in school when they were s'posed to be listening to the teacher. The remake is much better, but it reads like, and looks like, a script for the anime anyway, image by image. One-Punch Man is an example of a manga with such a faithful adaptation that its anime is basically a fast slideshow of the manga panels.
Visual Novels trample anything else, lol. Because they have strong points of all mentioned. It is basically a novel upgraded by music, voice acting and art. Sometimes it have animated scenes as well. Plus often you can influence the story with your decisions, which means interactivity which any other discussed medium lacks.
As someone who reads comics, novels, manga, manhwa, manhua, webtoons, anime, etc... I say that this is a pointless comparison because what is important is the plot, the story in general, if the story isn't good than whether it is novel, manga, etc... it will be stupid, true adding images and illustrations does make things better but a stupid story will probably end up using the illustrations as fan service and to me that doesn't make the plot any better as such, as I said, this is a pointless comparison
I will not say which form is of better quality, but I will say this! Visual novels are novels, web comics, and anime packed with or without 18+ content! Thus, visual novels are the superior choice to this matter, should one be bored of the three or one of the forms that visual novels portray in detail (information logs), art (accessible CG), and music (playable soundtrack). Read again to know I have made no contradictions at all. Defend yourselves, for I shall grant you swift passage to Valhalla!
I would pick anime for an action story For romance, I would pick a novel so I dont see the ugly lolis Manga if there is no anime Hahha the web comic IS the original. So your point is moot and defeated. The original format can be crap eg One Punch Man. https://im-gur.blogspot.com/2019/05/one-punch-man-original-vs-remake.html
But it's still the same format you can say it's a wed comic to me it's still a manga = wed comic it's the same thing it's not a novel or other form of media it's still pictures with word bubbles the fact that he fixed it up doesn't matter. when overlord got published the author added stuff to it as well but it was still a novel the format didn't change so I don't count them as different. remember when you create a story you optimize it for the format you writing it in when you adapt it you have to change alot to fit the new format and you usually lose something in the translation.
Just admit that you are wrong. One Punch Man is simply an anomaly. The exception to the norm. There is a reason @Westeller chose it. It is a perfect example as to why you should not make blanket statements. Also, I will correct another thing, you should say "adaptation" instead of "translation". Web comic =/= manga Webnovel =/= light novel. I recommend that you educate yourself. The " web " can be replaced with "rough draft". And most times the web version is very different. Take Overlord some characters did not exist in one version. You cannot you say it's not different unless you never read both versions
BUUUUUT Manga = You're fine with a good artist and layout that gets you into the story. Anime = add fillers to and rush to the end with a quicker ending and less of a story. Sometimes will have ends that doesn't count like Black Butler and Blue exorcist. *Compared to manga and novel. Buuut, there are always exceptions. Novel = you're fine as long as you have a good writer and visualization skills. All these really depend on a good creator and story tho.
But I'm not wrong if I want to combine wed and light novels as one category i can and I'll do the same with wed comics and manga. Even the Op did so I don't know what your problem. So how about you stop being an ass and go away.
A picture speaks louder than a thousand words A video speaks louder than a hundred pictures. That is the norm but reality can be cruel especially when you have anime that are simply long commercials to promote other mediums. The above only works for true adaptations which are becoming rarer due to cost.
At least in my eyes, I would consider web comics, manga, manhwa, and manhua to all be different things. They all have their unique characteristics though some are more similar than others. I would also consider LN and WN as different things as well. Saying WN are rough drafts is a bit of an exaggeration since there are many writers that didn't turn their WN to LN and thus ended their stories as is. Also, would you say that anime and cartoons are the same? Of course not. But, in my op, I was categorizing them by their literal mediums. First was the words medium of novels. Second was the 2D non-moving mediums of manga(or mhua, mhwa, since there is no word to categorize them since saying they are 'comics' could be rude), and third was the 2D or 3D moving art of animation(I was lazy in saying anime since there also was donghua). I did not include cartoons since there aren't many that are adaptations that could be compared to comics and novels. I think this is an okay way to put them together. Please correct me if I'm wrong in any way.