Twenty-two years ago, a mysterious seismic event shook the Yokohama district, lifting it miles into the sky and isolating it from the rest of Japan. In the ensuing years, some newborns in this newly formed world began to develop extraordinary abilities, each unique to their personality. These individuals, known as Alters, contributed to turning the former Yokohama into a chaotic wasteland.
Now, as the former metropolis rebuilds itself, the Alters have divided into two factions: those who have joined HOLY, a dogmatic organization aiming to restore order and morality, and those who seek to dominate the comparatively weaker humans. Kazuma, a powerful Alter primarily concerned with protecting himself and an orphan girl named Kanami, stands between these two sides. Suspicious of both camps, he remains unaware that he might hold the key to peaceful coexistence.
(Source: Tokyopop)
s.CRY.ed was published in English as Scryed by Tokyopop from March 11 to November 23, 2003.
The anime does follow the source material up to a certain point. I would say it stays relatively similar until the main protagonist, Fist Man (Kazuma), encounters the child molester (Ryuho). However, after this encounter, the story diverges significantly, introducing multiple storylines not present in the anime or manga, which is quite mind-boggling. If you haven't guessed already, I watched the anime first and just finished reading the manga.
~SPOILERS~
In the manga, Fist Man fights the main antagonist similarly to how it happens in the anime, but the events unfold differently. He definitely doesn't lose an arm, an eye, or get frozen in ice with a dinosaur. There's also no alien invasion—what the heck! The anime delves deeper into the pedophile boy's backstory, explaining his angst and revealing what that artifact is—it only appears for two pages at the end of the manga. It seems like there is a stronger emphasis on friendship in the anime compared to the manga, as the bond between characters is more felt than explicitly written out.
Where do I even begin? First of all, I must admit that I read this right after rewatching the s-CRY-ed anime. If you enjoyed the anime, don't expect anything similar here. Don't get me wrong, it's fun in a quirky, nonsensical way.
First off, the characters, while sharing similar motivations, possess vastly different powers and introduce entirely new, unheard-of characters. It lacks the depth that the anime offers, which is surprising since it's usually the other way around.
I'm not sure whether the manga or the anime came first, but the anime had clear rules, structure, and a fairly coherent plotline. This series felt like an undercooked Gurren Lagann. And I love Gurren Lagann. I did enjoy this manga, but I wouldn't bother buying it. Read it at a convention if you can. Or just stick to the anime.