BAKUMAN

Well, this is my first review , so sorry if it's not good.

I started reading Bakuman, because I'm a really big fan of Death Note and when I realize that it's the same author and artist I decided to read it. Beign honest I was really amazed that both stories (Bakuman and Death Note) aren't alike. So if you didn't like Death Note you can give a chance to it.

The story is about Saiko, a middle school student that decided to write manga and Mashiro a classmate of him , that accepted to draw for him after the promise he made with Azuki(the girl he's in love with). Mashiro's supposed to make a manga that will turn in an anime and she has to play the role of the heroine. With this the whole story starts... I really like the way how the things develope, because new characters start appering all the time,some love dramas are set up and new rivals that are funny and amazing ,but the most I liked was that while you're reading you learn how a manga it's create and how difficult and tiring it's making one and thanks to that I can appreciate even more the work of the mangakas.

The art it's not really amazing, but I think it fits the story, I mean Bakuman it's a comedy and with this art, each scene it's even more amusing. I can say that I was laughing quite a lot all the time, so I think that choosing this art was really good.

With this story Tsugumi Ohba shows us that is a great author because is able to do differents kind of stories and really interesting ones.

FIRSTLY! This Manga is NOT SEXIST, despite what many famous reviwers and the Wikipedia article say. If you think that then you are disregarding the reality that mangakas live their lives for fantasy so if some of the women seem overly concerned with finding love (3 very small side characters) then it is because fantasy is their world not because the authors don't believe in rounded women.

I am writing this review mostly to resond to that ridiculous accusation.

This manga is amazing! To take a story that is basically only about writing manga and turn it into a battlesque manga that constantly keeps you on your toes takes an author fan and beyond what most are capabale of. Expect no less from the author of Death Note of course.

The art is spectacular also. I didn't think the ending scene had the punch it should have but I think that was a calculated descision on the part of the creators who comment on their industry throughout their 10 volume work.

Read the manga for the art, an unexpected story and most of all for the characters who are HILARIOUS! Particularly EIJI I love him he is just the strangest individual who is sooooo weird and clever. Every scene with him in it has dynamic movement built into it.

If you care at all about manga this is a love note to the industry and to the people who enjoy this medium, be they writers, editors, aritists or readers. To be obsessed like every character in this story you have to be a little weird but as most readers will tell you that is a pretty accurate description of us.

Its a slice of manga life done but two men who have helped define the industry. Not to be missed.

the reason i like this manga is because it has a sence of awsomeness to it..... in the fact that it is a manga about making manga. i love manga and have wanted to create one for quite some time but am not good enougth and lack in confidence. i started reading this manga and it showed me that anybody can become manga artists and the basics of creating manga. i am ruiting for you Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. i am also a big fan of Death note and am going to this years cardiff international comic and anime convenstion EXPO as L, Lawliet. i look forward to any works that you publish in the future. this is an amaizing Manga, one of the best.

The Manga (Japanese Graphic novel) Bakuman by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
(Creators of the smash hit Death Note) seems to go against the Status Quo of today’s fantasy aligned world, it explores not a world of fantastic fiction with monsters and magic as is most common these days, but in fact explores the world of Manga and the creation of it from the perspective of two seemingly ordinary school students Moritaka and Akito who wish to become Manga creators. The artist of Bakuman Takeshi Obata states that he was nervous about the series because of the lack of fantasy. Even though it lacks the fantastical craziness associated with much of today’s Manga it has various intertextual references to many other Manga series which seems to be a genius device which hooks the reader and reels them in almost instantly. I usually only read fantasy and so before opening the book I was unsure of what to expect, after reading just two pages I couldn’t put it down!
As well as being enjoyable it is actually somewhat didactic- that is it teaches you of how to create manga, exploring the tools and challenges of the trade as well as actual examples to further inspire and teach you.
As I both enjoy and love manga and are also very artistic Bakuman is a Manga that feels as though it relates to me directly and I’m sure anyone who remotely likes Manga or the associated art process of Manga would thoroughly enjoy it’s fun and inspirational plot as well as it’s hilarious in depth characterisation and of course the awesome artwork which brings the story to life.
I recommend this to all manga fans teen+

"Im really stuffled about the notebook thinggy"

Bakuman is a really good manga (Author: Ohba Tsugumi
Artist: Obata Takeshi).. ill take my guess here but I think the story focused on the author and the artist seems kinda like the real life of the real author and artist Tsugumi and Takeshi.(That's a guess... if you think that too.. click helpful :P)

The story rides over the lives of the mangakas(who wrotes manga). Ive never read a manga like this before, which is all I could say is this is an Epic Manga.
I am not gonna compare it to their previous manga called "Death Note" because every Otaku knows that it is already in the History Hall.(the Epic of the Epicness)

As I think what I could say about this Manga.. It starts you off with Mashiro's Uncle.. a Legendary Mangaka. Who got a history of falling in love with a Girl, which currently in that time is sending letters to each other, coping for their shy love, no one ever commit to say their feelings. Rather than that, they feel the love from the letters they send and receives. One day, That girl got engage to a man which name is still unknown and she sends a letter to Mashiro's Uncle. After that, In Mashiro's mind, he knew that his uncle commited suicide because of depression, while the others think that its because of overworking(never sleeps untill the work is done).

Mashiro is your typical 9th grade pupil who draws the face of the girl he likes.
suddenly, he forgot his notebook where he kept all his drawings, while Takagi(the obsessed pupil) found the notebook where all the drawings where kept. He then proposed to become partners of each other and become the best Mangakas in Japan.

The story is really Epic.. Climax is everywhere... Love is in the Air... Excitement is so near.. Humour is spread.. Truth is revealed.. everything is awesome..

please do mind to read this manga...

“Beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword”. (Baron Lytton Richelieu)

PLOT: -

Bakuman can be divided in to two main parts, “The Dream” part and “The Romance” part. Ohba has blended these two things perfectly to produce a great series. The Dream part focuses on the journey of Mashiro and Takagi as mangaka and their efforts towards achieving their dream [i.e. creating a manga which gets and anime]. The Romance part focuses on Mashiro and Azuki’s relationship.

Over the years, one unofficial rule has developed i.e. to be on the successful in WSJ, you must do a mainstream manga or something which is beyond exceptional (e.g. Gintama). If Ohba and Obata had just gone for a series which served as a manga tutorial, it might have failed in WSJ but they created a perfect formula which allowed them to create a non-mainstream series having the key shonen ingredients (dreams, friendship, romance, rivalries, hardships etc). Thus creating a series where there’re battles for World Domination, but the weapons aren’t swords but pens and the stage isn’t some fantasy world but the top of manga industry.

The general pace and development of plot is quite good though it tends to dip at times and becomes slow and repetitive. The main reason behind is the setting of the plot. As it is a well known example from the industry that there isn’t any fix time for a manga to get an anime adaption (i.e. you can get an anime with your first manga, and you might not get one even after writing dozens of manga). Due to this element, this series can drag for years and can also be wrapped up in a couple of chapters. Hence a consistency is hard thing to maintain.

CHARACTERS: -

As mentioned above, the cast of Bakuman is pretty much Jump like, spirited youths aiming to make it big, strong rivals, cool and mature grownups to guide them, and some who serve the purpose of comic relief. The exception is the lead character Mashiro, who doesn’t appear to be a traditional Jump hero, hence a good change.

Character Development is a strong feature in this series. And you’ll see characters maturing and growing up slowly and steadily. Ohba has planned out his cast really well, hence there are hardly any unnecessary characters and everyone plays his/her role efficiently.

ART: -

Overall art of this manga is really good and perfect for such a series, something expected from Obata Sensei. Since Bakuman is a manga with heavy content (extra text), it is important to show it in such a manner that readers don’t get a feeling that they are reading a book and hence getting bored. Obata has done a great job in this regard. The panels, dialogue boxes are made in such a way that the reader doesn’t get bored from reading all the explanations and text.

CONENT:-

Bakuman is among the best manga in terms of the content that is published in it. It is like an encyclopedia on manga especially WSJ. Hence there’re a lot of explanations, references, details and information related to the manga industry (manga in general, magazines etc). All this informative stuff is showed in such a manner that reader enjoys it and doesn’t get bored of it.

Target Audience: -

Regardless of taste in genres and demographics, Bakuman is a series for every manga and anime fan out there.

Tips while reading: -

Since Bakuman has quite detailed information about manga and manga industry, do try to search for real life examples (such as questioners, character polls, oneshots appearing in WSJ, and news related to the industry) else one can easily forget these details.

Bakuman: What better theme to center a manga around then....manga? This idea may seem ludicrous at first (and for the life of me, I have no idea how Tsugumi Ohba sold this idea) but it works. It works well, to say the least. Without further ado, let's delve into the story:

The story is centered around Mashiro Mortitaka, nephew of a late gag manga artist who committed suicide. During school, Mashiro passes the time using his artistic skill to admire Azuki Miho. One day, he realizes he's leaves his notebook at school. When he goes to retrieve it, it's there that he comes face-to-face with Takagi Akito, a quiet boy who sits in the back of the class. Takagi, who has seen Mashiro's sketches of Miho, hands the notebook back to Mashiro while hinting at the reciprocity of his feelings. Just before Mashiro can take the notebook, Takagi offers an intresting proposal: "I want you to write a manga with me". And so the story of love, ambition, and - manga - begins.

The meaning title "Bakuman" has never really been announced, but many devoted fans believe it to mean fighting (baku) manga (man for short). Bakuman is a story about love, passion, and ambition, which can seem blind at times, but beautiful at others. Bakuman may be a story but also gives the reader many insights on the world of a mangaka and just how difficult and stressful it can be. This manga is classified as a shounen genre, and I suppose it should be. Instead of monsters, characters fight against deadlines. In the place of training, they search for new ideas. There are heros, and there are villans, which is an incredible feat for a story like this, although I'd expect nothing less from the author of Death Note (yes, both are his works). The story is smart, brash, brave, heartwarming and deserving of a genre of its own.

The art, if you've read Death Note, starts out with almost the same style (as the artist is the same). Backgrounds are dark and lines are a bit thick, and each panel retains the same dark mood until you get a few chapters in, where it makes a transition. The art becomes more casual and character expressions are lighter, almost comical. Overall though, the art is amazing (the first line of this paragraph should've explained that). The artist himself, Takeshi Obata, is an extremely experienced artist who has worked on many works.

The character development is great, but is slightly slow to start with. Characters remain static after introduction, especially at the start of the story. From there, you learn about every character. Each character and mangaka's personalities are polished until they shine. As previously stated, a huge theme in this book is about ambition and resolve. The question that is often given to the reader is whether or not a character will stick to their ideals and their resolve. This, of course, is not always true, and sometimes you see characters that change for the better, and some for the worse. But don't misunderstand. This is a shounen manga. And the battle that is waged is not only physical, but emotional too. There's a fight in each character that is a true joy to watch and cheer on.

Overall, this manga is absolutely wonderful, despite what some may call a short ending (although I believe that the ending was as long as it needed to be to serve the purpose of the story). I truly enjoyed reading this manga, and anyone who has an interest in simply learning a bit more about the medium you love, or simply searching for a great story should not hesitate to pick it up.

If I was asked why Bakuman is such a good manga, I wouldn't be able to give a single answer to the question.

Simply put the story is a nice slice of life with added elements of rivalry and overcoming hardships but Ohba and Obata, the duo that brought us Death Note have truly made it a case of "the pen is mightier than the sword."

Sure Bakuman might not be as shonen as Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Toriko etc. (all of which it has to compete with since it's serialised in the same magazine) but way the story, the characters and the artwork mixes is just pure synergy.

I can't say you'll be hooked from the first chapter, but after about 20 you won't want to stop and you might even feel inspired to follow your dreams much like the characters in Bakuman are doing on a by chapter basis.

This is the Slice of Life Manga of the 2000's; demographic doesn't even matter.

WARNING: Slight spoilers for Bakuman.

There's this small hill I live in and will probably die in too. It's the hill of people who like Bakuman more than Death Note, it's a very small hill, that's constantly under attack by other people because they like Death Note, and because of that one dude that keeps screaming "DEATH NOTE SUCKS!". We're sorry about that dude, he just gets off on that.

Death Note is a monumental work though, it serves as the perfect balance of mainstream and non-mainstream. It's a bold manga to have in Shounen Jump, being all about mental games and introducing the villain as your Main Character. It's perfect because it can be enjoyed by causal readers, newcomers and veterans alike. So it's only natural that people were hyped to know that a new work from the duo would come out in 2009.
Bakuman at first glance doesn't seem to have anything to do with Death Note, and admittedly it's a completely new experience, far more tame in terms of themes, but inside these pages the mental battles continue.
Bakuman is the story of Mashiro, Takagi, Azuki and their dream. Mashiro and Takagi will one day write a manga that will be animated, and Azuki will voice the main female lead, when that happens, and only then will Mashiro and Azuki reunite and get married.
I guess this is the perfect segway to talk about the problem in Bakuman, which is the romance. It simply isn't that interesting, Azuki and Mashiro's romance is dumb, and it is pointed out time and time again that it is that way, but it's all good and well, because it IS pure. They barely see each other because they want to see their dreams come true. To the manga's credit, it does re-inforce that they do love each other and their support is shown, which helps us keep invested in them as a couple in a way that it wouldn't if this wasn't the case. But the problem is that the romance seems to come out of nowhere. Before the declaration of their dream they didn't really talk, sharing only a glance or two, they didn't knew each other other than physically, but in their first conversation ever they suddenly became engaged. You can't help but think that it's just out of nowhere.


Same with Takagi and his romantic partner, Kaya. Now, I really like Kaya, she's a great character, but she and Takagi just start dating just because. Takagi clearly doesn't care much about her in the start of their relationship and Kaya just seems to care about being in a relationship. This seems to be a problem in the girls in this manga.
Their motivations seem to be quite... childish when compared to the male counterparts. Kaya's first dream is to be a writer because Takagi is one, cool, then whe she realizes that isn't going anywhere, her dream changes to just be there for the duo. Okay.
Iwase's whole character arc is that all she does is to be better than Takagi, which she has a crush on because he scores higher than her in tests. And Iwase is portrait as someone who works hard and has talent, but it's kinda ruined by the fact that she does it all to annoy her middle school crush.
And then Azuki, which her dream is the most important out of all the secondary characters, since it's related to the goal of this story, in chapter 2 or so Takagi reveals that she only wants to be a voice actor because that's what young girls wanna be like. It's a whim, like that time you looked at the moon and decided you wanted to be an astronaut and also a dinossaur. Even side characters like the duo's eventual female assistant only talks about wanting to get married. It really hurts the portait of the female characters, with the best written one being Aoki, which is the only one that seems to have a genuine drive to write manga.
The bad thing is that these problems are on full force at the start of the manga, that focuses on Mashiro and Azuki's romance as well as Takagi having to choose between Iwase or Kaya not because he loves any of them but because he said the wrong words at the wrong time.
Once that is out of the way and the manga's attention starts to focus more on... well... manga, things get better. One of the best things that this manga has going for it from the get go is that it's made by Death Note's writers. It's made by someone who not only has had experience with Shounen Jump's proccess and editorial department, but one that had success with an unorthodox manga. Mashiro and Takagi are very clearly extensions of Obata and Ohba, even Takagi admitting to us that he isn't that good with female characters. (But admitting a problem doesn't mean the readers should dismiss it). This means that we're going to experience a lot of the thought process that went into making Death Note.
The manga really kicks off once we get a proper rival, in the form of Eiiji Nizuma, which is basically the Oda-Sensei of this manga, as well as being introduced to Hattori, the duo's editor.


It's really interesting to see them and Hattori discuss about manga and Shounen Jump's methods. The rankings (that becomes to focus of this manga) and all of that. It's because of this aspect that I think that Bakuman was probably a much bolder manga than Death Note. Bakuman exposes Shounen Jump a lot, and of course, by being a Jump manga it probably sugarcoats it a bit, with the editorial staff of Jump being all full of great personnel with great relationships with the mangakas as long as they are respectful too.
But they don't try to hide the struggles that the mangaka suffers nor have any qualms addressing some of the problems that the system had. (Not that it had much effect, since it seems the system is still the same in 2020).
Shounen Jump can be ruthless, canceling manga if they don't give immediate results and cancelling manga if they stop doing results, as well as trying to convince the successful authors to work on their hit manga for as long as they are giving them money.
It's something that's not really hidden, out of the 10 manga that started in Shounen Jump in 2019, the only one that reached 2020 that didn't start at the tailgate of the year was Samurai 8 (by Naruto's mangaka), everything else got canceled after a couple of months. This is the environment that Ohba and Obata worked in and this is the environment that is presented in Bakuman, giving it all the tension it needs, as our duo works chapter per chapter trying their best to stay away from the bottom of the rankings. All the way while Nizuma just ranks on the top 5 immediately.
It's in this phase that we start to get introduced to what will eventually be Team Fukuda (which Mashiro and Takagi are part of), and this is when the series shines the best. These characters are just great, first of all, it includes the best female character in the whole series, Aoki, but also the titular Fukuda, a pretty cool dude who writes pretty cool manga, Nakai, which, to be honest, is the weakest part of this team, gtfo pls, and my boy, Hiramaru.
Hiramaru is the highlight of this series, comedy wise, he's an incredibly lazy bastard that only works because he needs money to survive, but by barely trying he writes classic gag manga that get anime and toy and all that.
Bakuman works on the strength of it's core cast and their friendship/rivalry and how each of them works hard and thinks of ways to overcome the others.

From doing shorts arcs that end at a crucial period of time, to introducing new rivals and villains, to using the color pages to their advantage, each chapter is full of information about how a mangaka's train of thought works week to week, chapter to chapter, series to series.
It's a delight to see the duo evolve too. While at first the idea of a mainstream manga and a giant hit seems impossible, with each one-shot and series they do they perfect different parts that will eventually help them reach the final work.
A final work that seems too similar to Death Note, concept wise. Which in one hand, it does seem self congratulating that this is the work that takes Shounen Jump by storm, on the other, it's really fulfilling to finally see them write the kind of work they've tried to write since the start of the series.

About the ending, one memory I have reading this back when it was being released was being in college and opening my manga reader and seeing that "Bakuman Chapter 176 (END)" note and me and my colleague audibly gasping, which caused the teacher to look at us. I wasn't really expecting to end there, and I got in my head that the ending had been rushed and came out of nowhere, but re-reading it, this is totally not the case. The last two volumes are all building up to the finale of the series, I simply wanted more of it.
All in all, Bakuman has some flaws with female characters and in the romance part of it, but that really doesn't ruin the enjoyment since it's not the biggest portion of the manga, plus, as the manga advances those elements improve as well.
If you're a manga fan and if you're a Shounen Jump fan then this is something that you should read, it's probably not the most accurate in some regards but it does give you a very interesting insight to how a lot of things work both in Shounen Jump as well as inside a mangaka's head.

its a manga about manga. Inception jokes aside, let me explain whats so good about it. Once again, the Obata/Ohba team have have gone against the norm in Weekly Shonen Jump, like they did previously with Death Note. Bakuman is a drama and slice of life, no battles or evil editors or anything, and it is amazing. It starts out where two 14 year old boys decide to make a manga together, with one drawing and the other writing, and it follows them over the years breaking into and working as mangakas in weekly shonen jump. There are a wide cast of characters, including editors and other mangakas in Weekly Shonen Jump. These editors and mangakas are all heavily inspired or outright fictionalized version of real life editors and mangakas in Weekly Shonen Jump. There is a large romantic subplot which, while one of the main points of the story, is still secondary to the life of a mangaka. One of the most prominent things I noticed when reading it was how realistic it was. It is very realistic to the point of almost seeming cynical, and a recurring theme seems to be Dreams and Idealism vs Reality. A common scenario will be one character expressing his dreams and optimistic ideals and another character shutting him down, explaining how it realistically works, which the idealistic character would reluctantly accept. Another recurring theme, or arguably the main theme, was how difficult being a mangaka is. A recurring symbolic motif in the series, since the very beginning, was the ending of Ashita no Joe which, Spoiler alert, ended with Joe dying in the ring, a smile on his face and becoming "pure white ash", which symbolizes dying while doing what you love, among other things. this perfectly portrays how hard it is to be a mangaka due to the amount of physical risk it puts on your body.

Bakuman is veru enjoyable manga for all the manga lovers. Not only does it show how the system works for all the people who don't know, it also demonstrates perfecty the anxiety and hard work mangakas are going through to get serialized and give us theur work. It also gives you the feeling of the mind games and genious characters clashing with each other, same as the Death note, but in a brighter enviroment. If you ever going to read it, be prepared for huge plot twists and big turn around of events

REMEMBER THAT ALL THE THOUGHTS IN THIS REVIEW IS MY TOUGHTS ONLY!!

Bakuman is the story of the 2 boys "Mashiro Moritaka" and "Takagi Akito". Through the series we are following these 2 boys when they try to creat the best manga in japan. Their main goal is to get one of their mangas into an anime.
You could call this a fast summary of the story. I feel like writing more actually would ruin some of the excitment in reading Bakuman.

Story 8/10

Now for the art. The art in Bakuman is really really good, the way they have the pages and chapters layed out is also making some of the way the art looks in this Manga. The expression of the characters is also very good.

Art 10/10

Characters: The most characters in Bakuman is really fitting for the series. They all look like normal people but still they have that little something special that makes charcters remembered.

Character 9/10

Enjoyment: I think that this isn´t something i could say opinions on. Everyone have different kinds of things they like, but I can say one thing, after the first chapter you actually want to keep on reading.

Enjoyment 9/10

Overall:
+ Characters, Art, excitment, expressions and the way they bend their series (i will explain that in a moment)

- Some chapters felt just liked rushed manuscripts, I would enjoy more chapters.

Overall 9/10

Now for the thing i mentioned earlier.
This manga does have 176 chapters and i would really enjoy more of them BUT, This kind of manga is special. I dont get at all how they were able to keep a series like that for so many chapters, they come up with new stuff after you thought it would soon end. This thing is almost turning my 9 into a 10.

//Liuz3

What to say about Bakuman by, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata? Other than what the reader already knows, is that it is about two boys aspiring to become manga-kas or otherwise known as manga creators. My favorite characters are Eiji Nizuma, Shinta Fukuda, the dead uncle of Moritaka and Kazuya Hiramaru. I felt that although the artwork, as always, is superb and never dropping quality as the books go on (seldom some mangas do drop in quality, could name a few too but that was not point of review..) so I have no complaints there. I felt the story was mediocre but was kind enough to boost it to fair, due to the fact that anyone with a lot of experience in the manga world could come up with the story. Not the most original of stories, but it was never dry and had some good points here and there, so I can not diss the work too much. The characters were all original, and added dynamics to the story (if it was not for some characters, I might of stopped reading awhile back unless the superb art persuades me otherwise). I enjoyed it immensely, but when I got bored of it, I swapped to a different series until I had forgotten what I had read. Plus, the added storyboards made it feel like you were an editor or supervisor, overseeing the work.
Overall, I think it is a good series for passing time but I do not think that you should read it, all in one go. But I reccommend the series, for those who are interested in the creators of Death note, and for those who are interested in becoming manga artists themselves.

As for a Shounen Jump manga,I´d say Bakuman is something different than the most of the other well-know series of the magazine.Because the focus isn´t on fights,adventures or villains.It´s about competition and dreams,of course,two requiriments for a good SJ series,but still it´s unique,because it talks about how this magazine works and how artists can debut,with comedy and a big spoon of romance,thing we don´t see much there.

Who liked Death Note must see this series.Of course,the style is highly different,but even if you don´t like this kind of story,the references to DN are almost always present.For example,just look at some characters.Didn´t they resemble some boy genius or some chocolover?This manga is very worth of a look.

I just finished reading the latest released chapter and was compelled by it to write a review.

I got to know about this manga from reading about the author and the artist of Death Note. I was very excited to know that the two mangaka would be teaming up again to work on none other than Bakuman.

Having admired the realistic art style of Death Note, I was at first disappointed by the inclusion of less realistic illustrations in some panels of Bakuman. Replacing the realistic illustrations was a stylistically comical art style, which don't deliver successfully at times. Fortunately, realistic illustrations remain in panels where the tone is serious or emotional, and these panels deliver outstandingly - The latest one of these panels being the motivator for this review!

This is certainly a niche-market manga. However, if you've ever wondered what it's like to break into the manga industry, you won't regret picking this up. The idea of following two burgeoning manga artists as they delve into the realm of serial manga publishing may not sound full of suspense or action, but for me it is. Whenever I finish a volume (I've read 5 now and 6 is on its way), I'm gripped by a desire to immediately begin the next one--or if none is available, reread the volume I just finished.

The fact Shujin and Saiko want to be manga artists before they graduate high school adds pressure and suspense to their endeavors, Eiji acts as an arch-nemesis/teacher figure as well as comic relief due to his eccentricities, and Saiko's strained relationship with Miho is far from the typical "leading character romance." There's always something to stress over every step of the way.

I find the pace to be slow, but I enjoy that. It gives the authors time to flesh out the characters much more and keeps me interested in their situation even when Shujin, and Saiko are waiting around for a call from their editor for the 20th time. It's not just the views into the workings of the publishing company Shueisha or the rivalry between all the other budding artists that keeps me so excited to read more, it's the fact that I feel for each character every time something happens to them. This is an overall excellent manga, and I hope people who aren't hardcore fans at least give this series a chance as well.

One of my favorites manga all time and a great master piece by Obata Takeshi and Ohba Tsugumi. Why do i think this a master piece, lets begin with the story in were the main character team up with a guy to make a success in the manga industry, leaving them with a lot of trial and errors alone the way, plus the main character makes a huge promise at the beginning in where it will be one of the biggest motivation for making him a great mangaka or improving to be one. The story has a lot of funny moments making the reader enjoy every characters for the personalities and will have moments in were the tension build around the characters that will make you feel good, sad or question their decision depending on the part of story. The art of this manga is one of the best and more enjoyable to see, in where every detail in the characters is well express depending if is a serious or a funny moment. The characters all with have one thing or another that will make you love or hate about them, their unique personalities are one the best part of this series.One bad thing i may said about this series is the speech, in where there is a lot of sentences in every chapter, but rest assure this one of the good aspect the creators of this story have, like many of his other works and the story is so good that most people don't mine this part it, in fact it will make wanna read more every time a chapter ends. I recommend and give this manga a great score for personals feelings, but nevertheless this is a great story to read for any casual reader or hardcore manga fan, so give it a chance if you are looking something to enjoy for a while.

From the creators of Death Note, with writer Tsugumi Ohba, and Illustrator Takeshi Obata, the Manga duo brings you the best, most beautiful manga ever created. The reason it is so amazing, is because it narrows down to 2 genres. A beautiful compelling story about love, compassion, goals, dreams, and an in depth look at the creation of Manga at Shonen Jump in Japan.

The story follows Moritaka Mashiro, a kid who has his life all planned out- become a white collar worker, and not do anything interesting. His depression and denial comes from the death of his beloved uncle, Nobuhiro Mashiro (Pen name: Kawaguchi Taro). His uncle was a one hit wonder manga artist who- in effort to get another series, worked too hard, which ultimately lead to his death when Mashiro was little. Mashiro would always go to his studio and watch him work. Mashiro, now a freshman, is approached by Akito Takagi, a aspiring writer, and manga otaku, asking him to create a manga with him. With Takagi writing it, and Mashiro drawing. Eventually, they find out Mashiro's long-time crush, Miho Azuki, is trying to become a voice actress. Mashiro confesses his love to her, and they make a promise. Merry each other when both their dreams come true.

I have only read 17/20 volumes, because i prefer to read the actual prints by Viz instead of the scans. But, in my time of wait each month for each new volume to be released, i have read my favorite volumes again and again because i cannot give enough. Bakuman has rivals, drama, grudges, failures, accomplishments, and in my opinion, one of the the greatest stories ever written. I would recommend this manga to anyone who loves manga, anime, japan, art, drawing, or just good stories in particular. You can't go wrong with this masterpiece.

This is the first manga I've ever completed, and I honestly it's pretty good not only does it have fantastic art, but the characters are great, They're all memorable and have great interactions, however, it's not for everybody, the story is very slow and some arcs aren't great if you're a fan of the death note mangaka and artist than yeah it's ok not as good as death note though, and if you like a slice of life, with a bit of tension than yeah, however, if u don't have the patience for this kind of series than give it a pass.

Shounen Jump. When we think of the famous boy’s manga company, titles such as “Bleach”, “Naruto” and “Gintama” usually comes to mind. Most of which are of the ‘battle’ genre. Bakuman is no different; but instead of picking up their swords to rush off to battle, Akito Takagi and Moritaka Mashiro are picking up their pens to rush for their deadlines. A story of making your dreams come true, fighting for the one you love and overcoming the many obstacles that stand in your way – all of which that can adhere to your typical shounen title. Only that it is not your typical shounen manga.

Death Note duo Takeshi Obata (art) and Tsugumi Ohba (story) collaborate once again to present to us yet unique addition to the manga world: the journey of two upcoming mangakas exploding their way into Shounen Jump; their aim to become the biggest mangakas in their company. The idea itself is quite simple, but it is one that can stretch very far, with many twists, turns, events and new facts learnt along the way. It is obvious that the story is influenced by Obata’s and Ohba’s own past experiences, making the manga all the more amusing to read as you feel as though you’re reading an exaggerated version of their autobiography.

If anything, Bakuman shows off the level of Ohba’s skill. Even people who disliked Death Note could enjoy this because of the complete 180 turn he (or she) has taken since his (or her) previous work. Bakuman is anything but dark and thought provoking, but Ohba still manages to create a catalysed chemical reaction within Bakuman’s world – a near perfect balance between comedy, romance, drama and that subtly blended in slice-of-life quality (which is so rare in Shounen Jump works).

But ‘near perfect’ is not ‘perfect’. The twists and turns that are presented are a little weak in comparison with Death Note (although I would like to make it clear that Bakuman should be considered as a SEPERATE work). For example, the most major turn-of-events you are most likely to get is simple, like the revelation of the reader’s poll results or the introduction of another mangaka. Such twists are to be expected in such a manga though, as there isn’t much to expand on the ‘exciting’ lives of authors and editors. The twists and cliff-hangers, simple as they may be, are effective and exciting nevertheless and to be honest, are much better than the cliff-hangers of other shounen titles (such as Naruto).

Another (minor) nitpick I have with the story is the ‘everlasting’ romance between Azuki and Mashiro. I am not particularly fond of the “love at first sight” cliché, but what further aggravates me is the strength of their love despite there being almost no basis for it. Then again, I guess most teen love is like that. Despite their arbitrary romance it does become one of the highlights of Bakuman, providing some of the sweetest parts and funniest moments.

Being a story about making manga in one of the most successful franchise, Shounen Jump/Shuiesa, it is no surprise that you would learn volumes about the industry, and the process of making manga. Each and every little trivia learnt has become one of the many delights of reading Bakuman; especially because of the depth it goes into and relevance it has to the entire story. Bakuman has very heavy dialogues; it is not like the other battle manga where most of the chapters are full of action.

The setting is anything but claustrophobic, as some would think it to be. It differs all the time, from their studio to even the zoo and sometimes to all over town when trying to trail a person (yes, I’m serious here). One time Mashiro simply enjoy a Christmas party round his friends’ house. This all adds to the slice-of-life aspect to the manga which I have enjoyed tremendously.

The colourful cast of Bakuman has a very wide range in terms of age, personality, shapes and sizes. One of my favourite things about the characters and story is that it does not solely focus on Takagi and Mashiro’s quest to become the best but shifts its focus onto other editors and authors stories and involvement throughout each chapter. These fluid transitions of focus are matched by Ohba’s skill of juggling all the character’s personalities and making it well balanced.

Again however, women seem to be the victim of misogyny by Ohba. Most of the women portrayed in Bakuman are either stupid or stuck up, with the exception of Azuki who lacks so much personality she is basically just a pretty face. As of late however the cynicism to women does lighten, you could call it character development, especially with girls such as the female mangaka Aoki realising her faults and struggling to change.

Although the cast is fun to read about and likeable, you can see how some of the characters are ‘copy and pasted’ from Death Note: we have the quirky antagonist where the line between friendship and rival is often blurred; the stuck-up and prideful female classmate and bouncy love-struck girl for Takagi. Even Mashiro, the primary lead is lost in the quirk-filled and humorous cast. Nevertheless, the fact that the cast is as wide as it is compensates for this; it almost feels like it’s a hustle and bustle – just like how mangakas and editors lives are.

In addition, Bakuman’s ‘slice of life’ aspect is played mainly through the characters own growth and development. Interestingly enough, Bakuman starts off with two 14 year-old boys but as of recent chapters follows two 20 year-old college students. Yes, they grow! Not just in height but as people too as they take on other challenges in life such as marriage. They literally grow before your eyes.

Ohba’s charismatic story and characters are equally matched (once again) by Takeshi Obata’s excellent art. His style in Bakuman has changed since Death Note to better suit the lighter, more shounen tone of the story, but it still retains that high level of detail and clean cut edge in his drawings. Obata does exhibit a weak point when it comes to drawing female characters though. But his weakness is another artist’s forte; even though I have just classed it as a weakness it is still so good, that it can exceed another manga artist on their best day.

I was also surprised at how well Obata can employ comic drawings as well as serious ones. His silly gag drawing actually evoked some hearty laughs from me (of course it was Ohba who wrote them up – who knew both of them could be so funny?). Close ups and tones are all very well used to create an atmosphere or effect of the moment – be it funny or serious. Or seriously funny. Or a serious funny. Okay, okay, I’ll stop.

Obata’s style at panelling makes each chapter a joy to read. He does not allow each panel to restrict his drawings, which is a personal favourite aspect of his panelling of mine; how the drawings themselves come out of the box and extends further. Of course, this technique would have been meaningless without Obata’s fluent artistic skills.

I think the main problem with Bakuman is its reader’s expectations. Unfortunately, it is overshadowed and constantly compared to by its predecessor, Death Note. But Bakuman is just as entertaining and unique as its authors’ previous work and is just as wonderful a read in its own right. As a reader of both works it is quite obvious that there are some influences, the most notable ones lay in the characters; however there is one definite similarity between the two: they are no ordinary shounen. Yes, Bakuman may have the formula for one (Childhood love? Check; Rivals? Check; Quirky characters? Check; Hot girls? Check) but it still displays a lot of characteristics not found in Shounen Jump’s works: Growing up, multiple character storylines, excellent character interaction and life in general. Most importantly, the arcs are never dragged out! (Here’s looking at you Bleach).

If you do read Bakuman, read with an open mind and forget about Death Note, for it is not every day we get a work like Bakuman and for it to be ridiculed or downplayed because of its origins would be a sad waste of an excellent work like this. For its genre it is probably the best out there with charm and charisma practically oozing out of the pages.

Every week Mashiro and Takagi are closer to realizing their dream, and every week we are there with them in their exciting journey. We explore the world of mangakas, editors and voice actors alike and to all that are close to them. So as they grab their pens to rush for that deadline I shall be rushing to the store to grab my copy of this week’s Shounen Jump.