Bakuman.
Bakuman。

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Bakuman had a Slice of life subject, the main characters Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi's dream was being the best mangakas in Japan, but it was a shonen manga so the execution of the story was not very realistic after all, but the emotional side of the story, things like Taro Kawaguchi were used so well that you look over some of the over the top parts of the story.

Hiramaru sensei was my favorite character. Hiramaru sensei and his editor Yoshida's comedy rutin was hilarious most of the time. Nakai sensei was really funny as well, i was really cracking up as Nakai sensei ... got really round because of the pizzas, he ate as the story moved forward. I think the relationship between Mashiro and Miho was something only a Japanese would think normal, pure and wholsome. HA HA It was something i didn't understand, everyone in the manga was so moved by how Mashiro and Miho didn't see each other in their 8 years releationship because of their promise and how ''pure'' it was... Japanese people really have a weird understading of ''pure''... HA HA If you have a girlfriend and if you do nothing with her, it is such a ''pure'' relationship for Japanese people... HA HA This is what i understand from the manga. Then again what is the point of having a girlfriend, if you do nothing with her ???? HA HA I don't know how much of the manga's story was from Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's real life, but as far as Obata said there was alot of reality in the manga.

Eiji Nizuma was a really funny character as well. Story never went back to Shiratose character, i wonder if he could make it as a successful mangaka... And Nakai sensei didn't really have a conclution, i wonder if he could get in shape and find a wife. HA HA

I remember seeing ads for this one in my other shonen jump mangas growing up so I figured I'd give this one a shot. The premise really resonated with me. I loved writing stories and even now I still draw my own comics. So I got the first volume and gave it a shot.
And yall I was SO BORED. There was just nothing really going on. The plot was super slow, none of the characters were that interesting, and just overall it didn't captivate me the way other manga has. I will say the art style was really nice; very crisp and gorgeous detail ... work.
I'm not trying to bash this in a mean way. I've heard a lot of people talk highly of the manga and the anime adaptation is well. Maybe I just didn't go into with the right headspace. So if you do like the premise and go in knowing it's gonna take a hot minute to get going, give this one a shot! It just isn't too my taste.

Bakuman is a series often given recognition as a realistic tale that explores the manga industry in-depth. If we're to take this as its core premise, then the manga is a fundamentally flawed one.

To explain why, the first volume's premise alone captures the core faults of its story with this supposed "realistic" story having about as many plot conveniences as a fairy tale (obviously, minor spoilers ahead). The protagonist, Moritaka, decides to pursue being a mangaka in order to win the affections of his school crush Miho. On its own, that's not bad, but then plot conveniences and contrivances pile themselves together one after another. ... Not only did Moritaka's uncle leave him a manga studio in his will to give him a jump start, but Miho's mother used to also be in love with Moritaka's uncle. As though that wasn't enough, Miho reciprocates Moritaka's feelings but, instead of actually dating and having a relationship like a normal person, she puts in place the prerequisite that they'll get married only once Moritaka has one of his manga adapted into an anime and she can star in it. So, what part of these events and character interactions sounds realistic? If you said none of it, congratulations, because you'd be right.
After that, the plot is just Moritaka working towards that goal. There's at least some attempts to not make the plot entirely straightforward with Moritaka's goals becoming closer to that of doing things for his own passion as a mangaka rather than a contrived promise, though not enough to make his character any more engaging, especially with how reliant the series can be on references during some character moments. The manga at least helps explore many aspects of the manga industry when it comes to things such as popularity polls and the like, though what information the manga conveys is mitigated by its plot having the illusion of the characters struggling in such an industry despite still doing fairly well and never reaching any true low points. The general tone of the manga can feel overly optimistic in the manner many Shonen works are lambasted for, with the majority of the cast parroting the idea that "creating manga is so cool!" and naysayers being shown the error of their ways, such as the female novelist who decides to break into the industry.
The one element of the plot that did seem realistic is at its conclusion where the one work of Moritaka to be given an anime adaption is the one with the most generic premise and execution of its ideas, which strikes true in how most manga/anime consumers would rather see similar premises being repeated than have something innovative. This idea, however, does seem a bit contradictive coming from Ohba and Obata when considering Death Note was their breakout success and still remains both the most popular and innovative of their works.

As for characters, we've already gone over Moritaka and aside from him, there's not much else to speak of. Most of the characters are fairly one-dimensional and don't really have much to make them interesting beyond being mouthpieces for commentary on the industry, with some such as Miho having nonsensical motivations for reasons already stated.

For art, it's decent as expected of Obata, but the shift from the more realistic style within Death Note to one far more typically cartoony, simplified and exaggerated hurts the series rather than helps as it would've at least superficially sold the idea that this was a grounded story meant to be seen as realistic.

Overall, if wanting a great insight on the series, it's better to read a book dedicated to learning about the creation process of manga and anime rather than wasting time on a story that fails hard when it comes to capturing the realism necessary for such information.