[Tyto]

Bartender's manga goes over a couple of the same general events of the anime, but without the episodic plots and with a single linear plot in its place: it ties most of the characters together into one big chain of acquaintances. The big difference is that in the manga Sasakura Ryuu does not have a bar in Japan, his own personal bar is in Paris, and he's just visiting Japan for the time being, so all events take place in other bars or miscellaneous locations. It also makes a point of focusing much more on the characters themselves as opposed to just the events of the bar itself, obviously given that there is no single bar like in the anime. This is in part because while the anime makes heavy use of a 3rd party narrator's voice, the manga distinctly lacks that, so naturally by having all the story take place through dialogue between characters rather than dictated through narrative, it gives off a much more personal feel to all the characters. The manga takes a much more slice-of-life approach to the story telling.

Reading the manga with the Bartender anime OST and rainymood.com running in the background has been my preferred atmosphere and makes for a fun experience.