Bakuman. - Reviews

Wow, where to start

First of all let me begin by saying this Anime is written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata who made Death Note and unlike some of the other works that have been produced since this Manga/Anime has the special sauce too.

Now I don't even need to choose my words carefully, most of you will just go get it and its probably the right thing to do.

But before you do you need to know this Anime is a completely different kettle of fish, there's no L here folks.

Bakuman has no fight scenes, no Shinigami and more astoundingly a complete lack of deception and mystery - it tells the tale of a middle school student with great artistic talent unsure of his future, and his years top student who wants to forgo a comfortable salary in favour of making amazing written works and getting payed for it and follows their story as they attempt to become top Managka serialised in Shonen Jack (rofl)

Rather than try to do a good job of the synopsis myself here is something someone else prepared earlier that covers the main points.

"It's a simple enough story: Apathetic but supremely skilled artist Moritaka Mashiro is asked by wannabe writer and star academic Akito Takagi to collaborate on a manga together. Moritaka turns him down cold—his uncle was a mangaka and the pressure killed him—but Akito is one persistent SOB. He gets Moritaka to commit to at least considering the offer, and then turns the fact that Moritaka's crush Azuki is an aspiring voice actress into an incentive to commit to the project as a whole. Moritaka one-ups him though, when he proposes to Azuki on the spot—on the condition that the marriage take place when his manga gets animated and she gets the lead in it—and, to everyone's astonishment, she agrees."

I have to admit when I read that synopsis I don't quite see a 5 star story but everything just works, the mixture of drama that actually has bases in reality rather than dreams combined with generous helpings of humour will see this story take you over.

This is an Anime that you will want to watch in one weekend, the idea of putting it off will frustrate you because the characters are so real (a great feat given many will not relate entirely to some of the decisions characters make, westerners especially) and that the story never fucks around with beach episodes and shopping trips, there isn't a sign of a Yukata anywhere too which is a refreshing change.

The animation is excellent and the sound choices are great too, they both suit the story and whats happening at that point in time perfectly and it really helps the story shine through.

Expect to see a shit load of references to Naruto, Bleach, One Piece and Dragonball too, the editorial department at Shonen Jack's walls are covered with murals of these Manga heros and true to life Shonen Jump magazines (rebranded Shonen Jack) are littered everywhere which adds to the realism.

Anyway I will wrap this up before I start to ramble as its hard to tell you about this Anime, you just need to watch it.

I have been disappointed with nearly every Anime I have seen in the past couple of months but this and Beelzebub have made my month - watch it and try your hardest not to ruin the second season by thrashing the entire Manga like I did.

 

Story:

In my first impressions blog for the fall season, I wrote this about Bakuman.

“It's an anime about writing manga adapted from a manga about writing manga. Great, just like all those musicals about performing musicals! Anyway, despite its cliché subject matter, this show has potential, mostly drawn from the fact that the manga has received largely positive reviews.”

This review is meant to rectify some idiocy on my part. Publishing internet blogs is both a curse and a blessing. The curse comes from the fact that one cannot take back a previously written statement that has been trumpeted to anyone willing to click on a link. The blessing comes from the fact that one can examine the fallacious beliefs of one’s prior self and hopefully write another piece that proves that former notion wrong.

The story of Bakuman is not cliché. Unlike the “musical about a musical” analogy, there are very few manga about writing manga (the only one that comes to mind is Doujin Work, which I haven’t seen and seems to take a different angle to the story anyway, as doujin and Shounen Jump are at polar ends of the manga publishing industry). Also, unlike musicals about musicals, writing an entertaining story about…writing is quite difficult. Being a freelance writer myself (who has yet to have his debut), I know that the majority of writing is simply sitting in front of a desk/computer and struggling to come up with new ideas in the ocean of triteness that is modern media. However, Bakuman manages to dramatize the mundane, which is a quality shared by many of my favorite anime. Sure, there are love interests thrown into the mix, but interestingly enough those plot points drive the story from the background. The center of the narrative is the writing process itself, which I found intriguing as both a writer of fiction and a fan of anime and manga. The pacing was excellent, always leaving the viewer begging for more at the end of the episode and rarely getting bogged down into boring filler.

My only complaint is that while the series did seem to reach a conclusion by the end of season one, they had the obligatory hook for season two, which left some important things unresolved. But of course, that just makes me wish to watch season two all the more!

Animation:

“The animation was a little less than expected from J.C. Staff, but it wasn't at the level of eyesore.”

This statement is probably the least idiotic of the ones I made six months ago. Having just finished Toradora, I had high expectations for J.C. Staff and this anime. While this was not at that caliber, the animation was far from terrible and certainly above average. The character designs were pleasing and varied. The backgrounds seemed well drawn, and the animation was fluid. It just seemed to lack the detail and atmosphere of some of J.C. Staff’s other works. These elements were drawn more from the characters and plot than the animation itself. Still, I’d upgrade my statement towards the animation from “not at the level of eyesore” to “above average, but not amazing.”

Sound:

Interestingly enough, I did not make a statement on sound. The OP/ED tandem was mediocre, and the OP grew tiring after a while. Neither of the EDs really stood out, but if I had to pick one, I’d say the second ED was better than the first. The music in the middle was forgettable as a whole, but it certainly served its role of moving the story along during the montages and other extended passages of time with little dialogue.

The voice acting was similarly adequate. No one really stood out to me, but no one was particularly poor. I’ll give Nubihiko Okamoto credit for portraying Eiji Nizuma in a unique and memorable way, but other than that, everyone served their roles on par. As a whole though, I’d call the sound above average, as there are usually gaps and weaknesses in the final mix. There were none here (except for that darn Koogy song…seriously).

Characters:

“The characters were, as with P&S, polar opposites, which could either create an interesting dichotomy, or fall into trite clichés.”

The characters did not, thankfully, fall into trite clichés. In fact, unlike with Panty and Stocking, they were quite dynamic throughout the series, and by the end, the pair grew closer together and formed a single unit. The protagonists were likable, but not ivory towers that could do no wrong. They were human in their weaknesses and their reactions to the world around them. The characters identified with the viewer, but were different enough so that their lives were anything but boring.

I was most impressed with the supporting cast. I liked how the different rivals that were introduced had very distinctive personalities. Also, I enjoyed the fact that none of the rivals were portrayed as particularly “evil” and that the viewer sympathized with their dreams as well. This seemed to depict the reality of the characters’ relationships well, as in real life one would love to see all his friends succeed, even if that dream is impossible in competition. Sure, there were a couple of characters I didn’t like, but I was overall pleased by the cast of characters.

Overall:

"It really depends upon which version of J.C. Staff decides to show up, the ones that brought us the wonderful Toradora! or the ones that brought us...the ones that brought us...

I can't even say it.

I predict that my rating for Bakuman will be a 3 out of 5.”

Well, six months is a long time to follow a series, and I firmly believe that I have matured both as a person and as a critic in the last six months. Bakuman quickly grew to be one of my favorite anime of all time. All of its components were rock solid, and its unique brand of realism was very appealing for me. I recommend it particularly for anyone who is interested in how the manga industry works, but generally to all fans of manga and anime. If one is serious about how one’s favorite works are created, there is no greater dramatization of that process (that I know of) than Bakuman.

Bakuman was a fresh and originl Anime to watch, as well as very inspiring.

Everyone  has dreams, What makes our dreams so worthwhile are the sacrifices we make and the things we gamble to make them true. At the beginning of the story Akito Takagi  declares his dream of becoming a mangaka to Moritaka Mashiro, despite having perfect grades and great future ahead of him. he convinces Moritaka to  confesses his love to his long time crush (Miho Azuki)and asks her to marry him when he becomes successfull in serializing a manga and having it made into an anime. the two promise not to date untill the both reach their respective dreams. Thus the story begins  and the characters confront many obstacles as the struggle to make their dreams come true.

Story 8
    This is the first season and the plot moved along smoothly, the ending was both satysfing and left us waiting and wanting a second season. the Protagonists through trial and error learn to sharpen their craft as they get ready to tackle the manga world.   
    I really liked the originality of the plot, no annoying love triangles,  a successfull romance that is not too cheesy.  humor was well done and was woven into the plot and did not seem forced. there weren't any annoying ecchi or fanservice either. a refreshing breather indeed

Art/Animation
     Maybe it was because I did not have the HD version of the Anime but the art did not appeal to me much. not to say it was bad, I enjoyed the characer designs, especially the main character. For some reason i couldn't bring myself to aesthically like the main heroein,  I don't know why I felt her annoying tomboy friend was actually preetier than her.  I don't know if that was intentional or not. bassically what i am saying is that the art did not stand out, but it was acceptable, it is really the story and charater development that draw readers in. despite that i still think it was well animeated, fluid...

Characters 9.
    A high score is given because of the likability of the cast of the characters, whether it is Takigi's boldness,  Moritaka's determination. the surprising feminess of tomboy Miyoshi, The ecentricness of geniou mangaka Eiji Nizuma, and some others. almost all characters were well written and had great chemistry with each other. The two main characters go through development as their bonds and determination are tested.
Maybe not everyone  picked up on it, but I peticulary like how Asagi's personality seem more bold, almost like a different person when she is texting. I thought that was a nice touch and made her feel more realistic.

Overall  8
    Overall it was very enjoyable to watch, and very inspiring. I'm sure that many of us who had unfinished goals, or projects couldn't help but feel encouraged to keep working on it, I know I did. I recommend  to everyone,  even people accustomed to battle animes, they  might be surprised to see how fun this anime is to watch.

Close your eyes and imagine i'm sliding my han....Oops sorry,my bad lads wrong script..I meant close your eyes and imagine for a second that the creators of Death Note met once again and decided to collaborate on an anime called Bakuman with a . at the end for some reason..

"Aha",you might say,"why should i bother,it will be the same shit all over again"...And that's exactly what i thought at first..And i couldn't be more wrong,which incidentaly has never happened since 1985 or so..

No,as it happens they are also capable of mashing our brains with other kind of stories as well and this anime is the living proof for it.And surprises keep on coming if you stop and think that Bakuman is an anime adaptation of a manga about a duo whose goal is to make a manga with the aim of eventually getting an anime adaptation..How freakin' nuts is that?

As for the story?Well it's the story of Mashiro Moritaka who after his beloved uncle's death-who was also a mangaka-was left in a dark place,battling with crippling depression and no cares for his future even though he is a brilliant artist.What he does instead is spending his time fantasizing about Azuki Miho,a girl he has a visible crush on and not only that..He also paints some pics of her and that to be honest is kinda creepy..One fateful day,he forgets a notebook containing his drawings of her in class and when he goes back to get it he sees Takagi Akito,his classmate and the top student in the school,waiting for him holding his notebook.Takagi agrees to keep Mashiro’s secret,on the condition that they'll team up and make a manga..Pretty straightforward and almost down to earth if you think about it.

As you can see the connection with Death Note is just in names only cause the whole concept is totally different,it's more lighthearted.This is-in my mind-an anime targetted mostly for those who read manga,and more specifically Shounen Jump where Bakuman was actually first serialised.In the anime itself it's being referenced as "Jack" and it's a weekly publication in Japan with a variety of manga including Naruto,One Piece and Bleach among many other titles.Having your work portrayed in a magazine of this caliber then is a big deal.And one thing that stood out to me was that many of those anime where also making an appearance here which struck me as a bit of an advertisment exercise.

Another thing that stood out to me in a very bad way was the romance part of Bakuman.Who in their right mind goes to his crush's house to tell her that if they achieve their dreams they'll get married..No previous interactions involved that would excuse such a remark..And get that...She responded in a positive way..Which ultimately means that either there are people out there crazy enough to go through the ordeal of marriage cause reasons or that the writers were being idiotic on purpose..That there for me was one of the very first shortcomings and one that came close to ruining a big chunk of my interaction with the characters themselves.

The other thing was the main duo's hierarchy and character traits.Mashiro and Takagi have a good chemistry between them but individually they’re not the most likable of personalities and this is more evident with Mashiro whose competitiveness comes close to becoming obssesive taking people down with him.Takagi is a much more likable character,but for some reason the writers thought it would be good?! for him to take back seat even though he was the one to lead the charge in the first place...As for the female counterparts,Azuki is very much underused-for lack of better words-and i can't help but think that she plays more a plot point rather than an actual,you know,character...Like she should be.I can scarcely recall her being on screen to be honest.As for Miyoshi?Think of her as the classic case of tomboy with explosive anger issues(not really,she just kicks and punches Takagi sometimes)who has no idea what she's going to do with her life and ends up serving coffee to the main duo while they're working on their mangas..And i hate to keep coming back to this but the "romance" thingy between Azuki and Mashiro was unbelievably idiotic..As down to earth romances go this far surpasses in ridiculousness the ones seen in Kanon...And most of you here know just how much i hated that crap.

As for the main antagonist..Let's say he's a genius type of teenager who makes otakus' penises run wild while aiming for the same publication spot as our duo at the same time..Apart from that...How can i put this in a gentle manner...HE IS A FUCKING RETARD.Every single time he hits the screen he does so with animal screams..And i don't mean once or twice,that would be tolerable to some extent...But no,this fuck does it A-L-L T-H-E F-U-C-K-I-N-G T-I-M-E.

Now that doesn't say much about the story as a whole cause everything else is pretty much great..And i do mean great.

In fact Bakuman does its' best when it's going for the story it was supposed to in the first place..The makings of manga.From making the manga itself to the innards of manga industry and i have to say that i was glued to my screen each and every moment because i could somehow relate to these guys and their struggles.Bakuman is by no means,shape or form a bad anime..It's just that it could be much much better and that's a pity if you ask me.Ok i wasn't expecting Shirobako levels of achievement but there were some glaring issues that held it back.

Going to VA's and animation as well as music themes...All very very good.The animation and the music feel a bit old but that has to do with the writers intent of making this feel a bit old school and know what?It freakin' works like a charm and the VA's are there to make the experience even better with their delivery.

To sum it up Bakuman is great as an anime.Sure it could be wayyyyyyyy much better in terms of characters as they seem to lack common sense and in many cases emotion.Like i said it's no Shirobako and i didn't expect one to be honest.There are 2 more seasons ahead so i hope they fixed those issues.

Definitely reccomend it and don't forget that this review was made possible while listening to this tune DADDY ROCK "Raise A Glass"

"Bakuman." - 7/10

Story: 8/10 "Bakuman." offers a fresh and unique perspective on the world of manga creation. It follows the journey of two high school students, Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi, who aspire to become successful manga artists. The story is engaging and educational, providing insights into the manga industry and the challenges faced by creators. It's a motivating narrative about pursuing one's dreams. However, some story arcs may feel a bit drawn out, affecting the pacing.

Animation: 6/10 The animation in "Bakuman." is serviceable but not its standout feature. It's more focused on conveying the characters' emotions and the intricacies of manga creation than on visual flair. Character designs are faithful to the source material, but the overall animation quality doesn't reach the levels of some other contemporary anime. Still, it effectively captures the essence of the story.

Sound: 7/10 The soundtrack in "Bakuman." complements the story well. The opening and ending themes are catchy and set the tone for each episode. Voice acting is solid, with the cast effectively bringing the characters to life. The sound effects during manga creation sequences and dramatic moments add depth to the viewing experience.

Characters: 8/10 The characters in "Bakuman." are its strongest asset. Moritaka and Akito's friendship and creative partnership are at the core of the series. Their growth as manga creators and individuals is well-developed and compelling to watch. The supporting cast, including other manga creators and editors, adds diversity and depth to the story. Each character feels unique and plays a crucial role in the narrative.

Overall: 7/10 "Bakuman." is a captivating anime, especially for those interested in manga creation and storytelling. While it may not boast top-tier animation quality, its engaging story and well-rounded characters make it a worthwhile watch. It provides valuable insights into the challenges and dedication required to succeed in the manga industry. With an overall score of 7/10, "Bakuman." is a testament to the power of dreams, friendship, and determination.