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.
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: BAKUMAN。 バクマン。 More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 20
Chapters: 176
Status: Finished
Published: Aug 11, 2008 to Apr 23, 2012
Theme:
Otaku Culture
Demographic:
Shounen
Serialization:
Shounen Jump (Weekly) Statistics Ranked: #2432 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #56
Members: 179,580
Favorites: 11,101 Resources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 61 / 63
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Jul 9, 2010
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
...
Apr 19, 2012
Anyone who has ever written a novel, drawn a picture, made a movie will tell you the creative process is fraught with blood, sweat and tears. It requires courage to put your name out there, trusted friends who will give you honest critique and advice, and a relentless dream to see your vision through. Courage, friendship and dreams... so why did it take so long for someone to realize the creative process could easily be turned into a manga for Shounen Jump? No worries, because now we have Bakuman, a manga about writing manga that fits the ticket in spades
Following the story of Moritaka "Saikou" ... 
Nov 14, 2008
Bakuman is a pretty unique story. I've never read or heard of any other story like it.
Story: The story starts out in a weird way. It gives you the feeling that it's going to end up like another typical Shounen series (lame main character who mysteriously gets an interesting life with all kinds of fantasy and supernatural aspects), but that will change quickly. After a quick reference to the author's previous work (Death Note, ever heard of it? :P), we begin to learn the basis. Mashiro is just your average 9th grader, but when he accidentally leaves his notebook in school, he ends up ... 
May 27, 2015
I could write a ten page review about this series, but I won't. Here are just a few things to note:
-This manga is about manga. -It's by the creators of Death Note. -It is WORDY. This is great if you want to prove to your friends or family that manga can have the same merits and require the same brainpower as an actual book, but not good if you are like me and you want to finish your manga as quickly as possible. -There are lots of characters in this series. This is good, and it provides a lot of material for fanfiction writers and shippers, but ... 
Jun 4, 2009
It looks like Obata and Ohba struck gold again. After the phenomenal success of Death Note, the duo came up with Bakuman, a manga about making manga. While this series is a whole lot different than Death Note, it still maintains Ohba's style of intelligent writing coupled with Obata's masterful artwork(Come on, the guy's gotta move to seinen already). Bakuman's plot isn't really groundbreaking, but the storytelling is one of the best in current shonen manga nowadays. The manga shows us how writing manga for Jump works, how hard it is to even get published, how it is even harder to stay serialized in Japan's
...
Dec 9, 2008
Whenever someone shouts 'Takeshi Obata!' at you, you'll scream 'Hikaru no Go!' at him, whenever someone screams 'Ohba!', you'll scream 'Death note' and ofcourse, you'll tell him about Bakuman, a great manga from the same artists who made famous manga like the one I told you before.
Bakuman is a great manga, I'll tell you 'bout the story, art, characters and my personal enjoyment: Story Bakuman tells the story about two boys(Moritaka 'Saiko' Mashiro & Akito 'Shujin' Takagi) who wish to be mangaka. Where Takagi is a award winning student as wel as a beginning novelist there is Mashiro who's just 'an ordinary kid' who always wanted to ... 
Mar 18, 2014
Bakuman is a manga... about manga. And romance. It tells the story of two teens as they aspire to become mangaka in Weekly Shonen Jump.
The plot, for the most part, is a very well-written and well-thought-out one. Ohba manages to keep the story interesting, and I really enjoyed observing all the problems that Mashiro and Takagi encountered and how they overcame them. I imagine that the creators of Bakuman had some of the exact same problems that Mashiro amd Takagi did earlier in their career as well. Some of you may disagree with me on this topic and say that the problems were ... 
May 3, 2010
AKA The manga by the Death Note writer-artist team about... a writer-artist team trying to conquer the world of shounen manga. LOL!
Quick Overview: Shujin (writer) and Mashiro (artist) decide to team up in middle school. They share the same goal, of getting published in Jump, coming in #1 in the popularity polls, and having their work made into a anime so that Mashiro's childhood sweetheart (a would-be voice actress) can play the title role. As in Death Note, the story is fast-paced, especially compared to other shounen manga - after the first three volumes, nearly three years have passed! Writing: ... 
Aug 23, 2009
Overall
Bakuman is a manga, which story is about the dreams of two tyronic, young boys and the difficulties they plunge into on their way of achieving them. Being a mangaka seems easy to them from the beginning, even though they are tentative and hesitant about it, they decide to give it a try and the first try's success motivates them to keep going. The two main characters both seem to have the potential, skill and passion to become mangakas, but would it be that easy to break through this business and make living of it? Sleepless nights, missing school, depriving themselves from the carefree life ... 
Mar 23, 2012
I firstly noticed this manga one year ago, when I was 14 and dreamed of being a writer. The similarity of my dream and the dream of manga`s protagonists made me to read this manga.
Both professions - mangaka and writer, are extremelly difficult. Yes, you may distribute your working time as you want, but the work... It's quite unimaginable. It might make tired even adult and well-tried man, no need to speak about children. But here they come - Mashiro Moritaka and Takagi Akito. They are so young in the beginning of the story - just like me, but they are fighting the difficulties in order ... 
Apr 3, 2015
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 ... 
Feb 13, 2012
Life is fulled with all types of hardships, getting into college, finding that special someone, or searching for the job of your dreams. Bakuman is a candy coated child friendly reality around the world of manga publishing and the like, where the obstacles are only shonen cliches.
STORY: What does Bakuman do that is different from any other shonen battle story? The conflicts? No, Bakuman is just like any other shonen fight series, only with pens and ink instead of swords and magic. The Characters? No, there's a variety of quirky characters, but the majority of them can easily be classified as typical archetypes like the ... 
Dec 9, 2008
Takeshi Obata makes a new manga? Yay I totally loved his stuff since Hikaru no Go
The scenarist is the same than in Death Note? Why not, after all, the first half of it was excellent It's about wanabee mangaka? Yaaay, I loved G Senjou Heaven's door on the same subject! So, havin'heard all this, I waited impatiently for the release of the first chapter. BUT, I was like, totally disappointed by the first ten chapters, with boring storylines, flat characters, and, moreover, some crappy and boring love story that the authors felt compelled to put in the plot. It becomes better after chapter 12, partly because we see less ... 
Jan 8, 2014
Dude let's write a manga about writing a manga!? Something so wrong had never turned out so right. If you've only read a couple of manga before your not going to understand this so go read something else.
Story ----- It's about two guys writing manga, the obstacles they face and how they overcome said obstacles. Sometimes chapters do focus on other fictional mangaka and the manga they have in the works which is really cool because some of the manga make me wish these were real. Bakuman shows you process of getting manga published and of manga getting canceled, it also shows you how stressful it is ... 
Feb 9, 2010
From the makers of the popular series Death Note, Obata Takeshi and Ohba Tsugumi once again sets forth to a new work of a totally different package.
Regardless on how dark-themed their previous work is, they manage to enliven its fans by shifting to the lighter genre. Bakuman welcomes us into a fresh concept. Its comical profoundness blends well on how solid the main theme is. Basically, it tells a story about two boys who dreams to be mangakas and are willing to give their best shot to be successful in the future. Moritaka Mashiro, who handles the art, commits to his crush, Azuki, that as soon as ... 
Jun 27, 2020
So I finished reading Bakuman some years ago after watching the anime. Currently I am re-reading it and I am 18 volumes in. Because I have lots to tell about this, I would like to offer a review for others to read! This review is including the plot of the first chapter. So if you value not to get spoiled on this, please look at another review or read the first chapter before reading this review!
Bakuman was created by the illustrator/story author duo Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba who worked before on a manga called Death Note and who later worked on Platinum End. Bringing ... 
Jul 6, 2009
The story of Bakuman is pretty obvious really... It's a story of two manga lovers trying to make their own anime. But it has a nice twist, or many twists even. With a variety of colourful characters, and a bit of (somewhat strange) romance, Bakuman still manages to stand out.
--Story: 6-- As stated before, the main story is fairly obvious. And in my view, it is not the most enjoyable part of the manga. Even so, many manga readers can relate to the situation the characters are in, which will definitely draw some aspiring mangaka in. --Art: 10-- The style of art in this manga is very distinctive, ... 
Jan 29, 2020
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 ... 
May 24, 2013
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 ... 
Jan 3, 2015
It's all about a professional dream, and there's nothing amateur about how the Obata and Ohba team go about crafting this series either. There is little leeway for Bakuman to cut around the common "It's a manga about manga" description, and that's all right - but that doesn't do justice to a Very Good score of 8, does it?
-Story- The premisis of Bakuman is uncommon at least, and unprecedented at best. Two best friends trying to achieve an unrealistic dream despite the very real cost of losing out to the harsh world of propriety and stability? Cliché start. Any otaku could have seen that coming. But ... |
