Bakuman.

-----------------------------[THIS IS A 1ST SEASON ONLY REVIEW]---------------------------

Bakuman is the story of two boys who just met and one of them (Akito) that had a particular interest for manga saw the other one (Moritaka) drawing and understood that he had a good talent for drawing and then after convincing Moritaka both of them chose the mangaka life .. At first I found this sypnosis a bit ugh .. And well I was somewhat wrong.. There were alot of stuff they´ve done right and other that werent badly done but left alot to think .. Of course all the questions of the 1st season were answered in ... the 2nd but since this is a review about the 1st season and not the all franchise I am going to say what felt wrong and what was good.

To me the story wasn´t anything outstanding .. if anything it was quite simple with a slow paced start that from 19 on turned out really fast and started to be amazingly enjoyable but to get there you need to get trough the ughh and zzz stuff if you know what I mean .. This however was a good decision by the creators since this is a shounen and its normal that its going to have a really weak start.. While I took 4 months to watch the first 19 eps I took 1 and a half week to watch eps 19-25 the 2nd season and the first 4 eps of the 3rd season.. crazy isnt it? .. Well I was sort of expecting something like this .. The direction was good .. the drama and the comedic moments are really well balanced I was amazed by the perfect execution and it made it one of its best parts of the show.. The art for this show is very simplistic, comparable to Danshin Kokousei no nichijou or Gintama, the animation (character movements) were done well and the expressions were really funny.. The sound was particulary good with very fitting soundtrack wich brought the scenes to life, the Openings arent anything special but one of the endings is especially good, the 2nd Ending by Takahashi yuu I have it in my Mp3 ..

The characters were probably the weakest link .. Since this was the introduction they focused more in the story than in the characters.. some of the relationships seemed very forced especially Akito and Miyoshi who looked like they were dating because they were best friends with Moritaka and Miho respectively .. The relationship between Moritaka and Miho was over the top awkward and with a big level of social retardation that made it cute somehow, the only character who jumped to my eyes was Niizuma wich was at first just a goof but he is also very calculative and serious wich makes this contrast very appealing to me.. Hattori looked like one of those characters who usually turn into assholes midway trough but thankfully not..

Has I was saying the first 19 episodes were really hard to get trough so it kind of turned me off however the last 6 eps were really entertaining and they were the key to the 2nd season wich was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G .. I can give this ALL franchise a SUPER HIGH PRIORITY since its really amazing.. The 1st season only flaw was its slow paced who might turn off some people, the incossistent and forced relationships, and the lack of character development.

The way they present the life of a mangaka and how the manga is made is very good and they know how to expand the information field without giving away any questions nor plot holes..

The dialogue was also quite flaired and boring wich together with the slow paced story was quite unbearable .. But altogether Bakuman. is a worth watching franchise

Bakuman is one of the most disappointing shows I have seen in a long time.
Bakuman started with a great premise but unfortunately dilutes itself with the god awful romantic sub-plot and poor character development.

The show tried way to hard to be mainstream, just like the protagonist who tries to create a mainstream manga, which I think is its biggest downfall.

Our protagonist who at first gave up on the idea of becoming a mangaka and rejected his friends offer on working together with him, quickly changes his decision when he finds out that his crush wants to become a ... voice actress. Then he sets a goal of getting the manga serialised and get an anime done by the time he is 18, just so he can marry the girl.
Now you must think they must really like each other and have a long relationship between them, nah, our MC and his love interest have only talked to each other two times, by two times I mean they have only spoken two lines to each other, their only form of communication is mail. They come of as penpals rather than a couple. Now this wouldn't have been a huge problem if the story hadn't focused on them like it does.

The show could have been a lot better if it had focused on the hard ships faced by a mangaka realistically, the stakes never seemed to be high.

Bakuman could have been a really great show if it had been a seinin instead of a shounen. It seems that the creators compromised on the original idea just to expand its demographic.

How anyone could give this anime above a 6 is beyond me. My review is primarily based upon the first season, as I have dropped it mid-way through season 2. I also have not read the manga.

I don't write reviews often, but this is the first time I've felt so betrayed by the scoring this anime has gotten on MAL. Now, I wasn't expecting an action packed shounen. I read the description, and I thought it was a unique and original approach to the genre. Watching the adventures of two boys striving to become famous mangaka was, for me, both realistic and inspiring.

Needless to say, ... I was sorely disappointed in the execution of the story. The pacing was agonizing slow, and there seemed to be no real progression. Although I understand shounen requires buildup, this was atrocious. It was nauseating to have to sit through each episode, hoping that the next would be better. I kept telling myself to just wait it out... just wait it out.

Although I understand the characters endeavors contain setbacks, they were very linear. There were no suggestions for an alternative route (really, you can't think of any other place or company to start other than Shonen Jump?). There was nothing refreshing after their failures... you just grit your teeth as they try the same thing again. Bring in a school event, or take them to an art exhibit in Tokyo... ANY change of scenery for pete's sake.

If there was anything worse than the story execution, it was the character dynamics. The main character is an unappealing narcissist with literally no redeeming qualities. Luckily Takagi and Miyoshi provide something light and refreshing with their quirky natures. Miho makes me want to jab my eyes out with how two-dimensional she is as the main characters love interest. How is this anime fit to be called a romance, when there's more romance between the side characters than the main one.

Moving on, the art was mediocre for its age, and the animation was far from amazing. The sound and music isn't anything significant to make notice, as it leaves little to no impression on the viewer.

Story: 6
Art: 5
Sound: 2
Character: 1
Enjoyment: 1
Overall: 5

I have never been so disappointed about a shounen/romance anime with a rating above 8 before. Don't waste your time.

Story: 6/10. In my opinion, I think the romance parts of Bakuman hold it back from being a genuinely interesting show. When Bakuman focuses on the mangakas and their development process, the story is a solid 8/10. However, when we get to the romance aspects of the show, I find myself begrudgingly hanging by a thread as I'm bored to death by the same conflicts and problems.

"Azuki and Saiko don't want to talk to each other! Let's remind you of this every episode, pretend we're gonna do something to advance it, but then end up at square 1 again!"

Honestly, I think the biggest gripe I ... have with the romance is that I simply do not care. It's not necessary, and it feels out of place and is given too much screen-time when the show could instead focus on its strength of being a tale of two kids trying to make it as mangakas. Literally, the basis of Azuki and Saiko's relationship is formed on a whim in episode 1: both have superficial crushes on each other and say they're gonna get married, and that becomes Saiko's final push to wanting to become a successful mangaka. It's such a contrived reason and feels forced. Saiko already has a good reason; the show could've just went with him following his uncle's dream. Done. You don't need two motivations for your main character, especially when one of them is genuinely good and well-done and the other is contrived, bland and underdeveloped.

Takagi and Mitsuyo's relationship is somewhat better, but Mitsuyo herself is a pretty annoying character that really doesn't contribute anything on her own; she's just there to remind us that Azuki and Saiko don't talk to each other.

All in all, when the show turns its focus to romance, I can barely consider it a 4/10. When it turns to the manga portions, it's a good 8/10; so I guess averaged out, the story comes out to a 6/10.

Art: 7/10. The artwork and animation is consistent, but I felt there was no charm or depth to it either. Everything is colorful and nice, but also bland and forgettable.

Sound: 7/10. Great opening and ending, but unmemorable OSTs.

Character: 6/10. Bakuman is truly an oddity, in that the characters range from being horrible 1/10s (like Azuki) to genuinely great 10/10s (like Takagi and Nizuma). So I guess I could meet halfway and give this a 5/10, but we do see more of characters like Takagi and Niizuma towards the latter half of the show, so I'm fine with giving this an extra point.

Enjoyment: 7/10. I did binge this show, so I don't think it's necessarily bad. It just wasn't fantastic, which is a darn shame because it really could've been. When Takagi and Saiko are in the process of coming up with ideas, writing names and manuscripts, getting put down but rising back up, etc, the story is fun to watch and you really want to see what idea they'll come up with next. It's also really instructional to watch how one goes about getting their manga published into something like Shounen Jump, and the struggles and hurdles they have to overcome both on the personal level and business level: just for this knowledge, I think Bakuman is a truly special show. But the amount of times I had to force myself through a pretty boring episode or part to get to that stuff made it painful.


Overall: 7/10. Bakuman could've been an outstanding show, but instead it's one that has great moments and an equal amount of bland moments. I'm really upset because this show could've been an easy 9 or even 10/10 if it didn't botch its characters and their relationships, and tried going all out focusing on its strengths. The show really should've canned its romance, kept it to a minimum or actually have tried to write interesting relationships (especially with the main romance); since this romance is the centerpiece of the show, it really detracts from the experience when you're not invested in the character's motivations and just want to see the process of making manga and climbing up to success.

I would've given the show a 6/10, but at around episode 17 or so the show starts moving away from the Azuki+Saiko moments and starts getting into some interesting manga stuff with Niizuma, and an interesting separation occurs between Takagi and Saiko. That made me want to keep watching to see how things resolved. I'll probably watch the second season, and I'm hoping the show decides to put way more attention on the mangakas and competition.

EDIT: Now that it's been a few days after watching the show, looking back I decided to lower my score back to a 6. I don't think this series was worth the time investment, especially when I think of the imbalance of romance and stagnant characters to the actual writing of manga. Also, I didn't mention this prior, but I realize Mashiro is a pretty bland protagonist in his own right, and Takagi was really the only spark of life in their duo.

I'm really conflicted between giving the show a 6 or a 7, so I guess my final verdict would be something like a 6.5/10, but rounded down because I don't think I'd recommend the show to anyone really. Romance lovers would probably hate the ingenuine main romance, and people who come to see the manga parts of the show will begrudgingly trek through the romance bits to get a sliver of good content. All in all, I don't really know who the show appeals to; if it focused on one area specifically and did it well (all romance, or all manga), I'd definitely give it a 7 (or even an 8,9 or 10 since it could've done much better). But as it stands, I consider the show a 6/10.

Part 1 English
Part 2 Bahasa Indonesia

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Today, we're talking about Bakuman, an anime that's about as exciting as a toothbrushing competition.

The premise is simple: two high schoolers team up to become manga artists and achieve their dreams of being published in Weekly Shonen Jump. Sounds thrilling, right? Well, let me tell you, it's not exactly the adrenaline-fueled ride that you were hoping for.

Sure, there are moments of tension and drama, but for the most part, Bakuman is a slow and plodding anime that's more concerned with the inner workings of the manga industry than anything else. It's like watching paint dry, but with more characters and ... less excitement.

That being said, the characters are likable enough and the animation is decent. And if you're a die-hard manga fan, you might get a kick out of the behind-the-scenes look at the industry.

Overall, I'd give Bakuman a score of 6.7/10. It's not exactly a thrill ride, but if you're in the mood for something slow and contemplative, it might just be the anime for you. Just don't expect to be on the edge of your seat.

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Hari ini, kita akan membicarakan tentang Bakuman, sebuah anime yang seexciting perlombaan menggosok gigi.

Premisnya sederhana: dua pelajar SMA bergabung untuk menjadi artis manga dan mencapai impian mereka untuk diterbitkan di Weekly Shonen Jump. Terdengar menarik, bukan? Nah, biarkan aku memberitahumu, ini tidak terlalu terdorong adrenalin yang kau harapkan.

Tentu saja, ada momen ketegangan dan drama, tetapi sebagian besar, Bakuman adalah anime yang lambat dan menjemukan yang lebih memperhatikan kerja dalam industri manga daripada yang lainnya. Ini seperti menonton cat air kering, tapi dengan lebih banyak karakter dan kurang kegembiraan.

Meskipun begitu, karakter-karakternya cukup disenangi dan animasinya layak. Dan jika kamu penggemar manga sejati, kamu mungkin akan merasa terhibur dengan pandangan di balik layar pada industri tersebut.

Secara keseluruhan, saya memberikan skor 6.7/10 untuk Bakuman. Ini tidak benar-benar perjalanan yang mendebarkan, tetapi jika kamu ingin sesuatu yang lambat dan reflektif, mungkin ini bisa menjadi anime yang cocok untukmu. Hanya saja jangan berharap untuk tegang.

NOTICE: This review covers all seasons of the show.

Bakuman is a fairy tale about two high schoolers, as they try to become famous mangaka. And I say “fairy tale” and not “story” because it is very ideal and easy-going. The problems these guys face are detached from reality; not that different from the boys reading fighting shonen full of juvenile ideals. I mean, how does this premise sound to you when you read it out loud?

“The girl I love and have never spoken to, agrees to marry me as soon as I make my first anime series before I am even 18 years old. My ... parents, who were against me becoming a mangaka because it is a crappy profession, agree to let me do it because I really want it. My uncle was a famous mangaka and I now get his workshop full of manga and equipment all for free. My sweetheart’s best friend happens to love my best friend too. My sweetheart’s mother happened to love my uncle too, so it is DNA telling me that I deserve to have her. Also money or school exams are never a problem.”

All that and several more are what alienated me from the very first episode; there is no real conflict in the show and everything plays out conveniently. Those who are actually affiliated with manga-making will most likely laugh with how unreal the whole thing plays out. Real life is a lot more challenging than what the anime shows you. But I guess all that are trivial if you just accept the fact you are watching an unrealistic story about some cartoons who want to become famous by drawing more cartoons. It is after all a shonen story about teenagers striving to become the best in their field; not that different from your run of the mill sports or superpower manga they love and mention all the time.

Speaking of manga, the show is not afraid to mention actual names of manga and even some vague reasons for why they were so successful. It is also full of tips around becoming good in the field, so on a very basic level it does help someone to know how it feels like to be a mangaka. It also helps the average Jump Shonen fan to have a sense of familiarity with what is going on in the story. But beyond all that, Bakuman is still a rather shallow slice-of-life show, with stereotypical characters and superficial conflicts which are resolved with cop-outs.

Down to it, it is an otaku-oriented series. It will mean a lot less for anyone who is not an anime-fan, and chances are he will see it as nothing more than yet another school romcom or something. And why wouldn’t he; a big part of the show has to do with one of the protagonists being a shy wimp who can’t even look at the girl he likes without getting a heart attack, and the other one being an indecisive four-eyes who loves to be beaten all the time by his tsundere platonic girlfriend.

As for those who already are deep in the hobby, chances are they will like it a lot just for mentioning the thing they like. In fact, it’s not a stretch if you see the entire show as propaganda around the bright side of manga-making. And it works if you don’t try to see the whole thing as realistic. The characters are all lively and their goals seem plausible under the light way everything is presented. All you see them doing is studying for awhile, then taking part in silly school romances, then they draw some manga, and then they take them to some director to approve them or not. Sure, it all looks understandable and acceptable if chicks love you even if you spend most of your time drawing cartoons instead of having fun with them, and if the publishing company is just a few blocks away from your house. Oh, and of course if you have a fully equipped professional workshop for free.

I would be fine with all that if at least the stakes were high, but they weren’t. Do you know what will happen if they fail in their goal to be mangaka? Here, let me tell you.
“Oh no, my story didn’t get published; I guess I will now need to find a different, better paid and more secured profession.”
Sounds a lot less thrilling than in a fighting shonen where defeat means you get killed or the world gets destroyed, doesn’t it?

Also, the romance part is completely retarded. Why are the girls interested in these boring losers? They are hot enough to have anyone they like. And why is there even romance in this story if it’s not really moving forward in any way? It’s just there for teasing you to keep watching, but it otherwise might as well be absent from the plot, as it doesn’t offer anything. I mean, they try to make it sound like the boys are going to have sex if they succeed, but it’s not like they would never attempt to be mangaka if they weren’t promised sex. They do it because THEY LOVE IT! Not because they want money or girls. In fact, this is not a job they would choose if they wanted money or girls. So in all, the romance is a useless extra, that was initially added for teasing the viewer into expecting something to happen. But as it always happens with anime romances they don’t go anywhere, and are just standing in the way like annoying fillers. Heck, being dumped by their girlfriends ends up being the only way to offer development in this otherwise useless aspect.

And I might as well add how it lasts way longer than it needs to. The premise didn’t deserve three seasons, because watching people making manga is a lot more boring than reading them. The novelty wears off faster than you think, and the cool ideas for manga they have at first are soon replaced with generic stuff we see all the time. That is why most viewers gave up on it in the second season, and the animators skipped a lot of chapters in the third one because they knew it got tiresome and nobody would stick around for more. This wouldn’t be an issue if they had removed the useless romance, but chances are if they did the manga this anime was based on wouldn’t be given the greenlit. Otakus love cute girls on the cover and half of them wouldn’t bother to buy a single volume if it was just dudes. So, ironically enough what ruins the show are the very stereotypes of the shonen demographic, in a story that claims to be about creativity… by using the same shit everybody uses so that his manga won’t get the axe in a dozen chapters.

So is Bakuman a good show? For an anime which deals with manga-making it is definitely the best… because there is hardly any competition. There are other anime with a similar theme, such as Doujin Work and Comic Party but they are short and silly. Bakuman definitely stands out, it is full of references to famous anime, and provides some tips for the rookies to know what is going on behind the scenes. Other than that, it is nothing but an unrealistic romcom, with simplistic characters and an easy-going plot that outstays its welcome.

For every Japanese teenager who wanted to write a manga, here’s the shounen version of that! So, yeah, this is basically a show about teenage boys wanting to be manga-ka. But, in order for this to be accessible, the idea of art is sidestepped. In Bakuman, creating manga, shounen manga at least, is basically a series of popularity battles, with the ultimate goal basically being voted #1 in the magazine that they run in. There’s some lip service paid to alternative manga, but the question of art never really comes up. Which is both damning and myopic in equal measures. This is probably the most ... innocent thing I saw all year, too. The romance, at least the main one, is so ridiculously “innocent” that it almost becomes like this weird abstract concept of what a first love should be. Which again ties back into its relatively idealized take on its characters, emotions and their milieu. Regardless, this is still heaps of fun.

copied/pasted from my blog: www.thenextthingblog.wordpress.com

I’m always been in love with Death Note. It literally changes how I perceive life. Even after so many years, the overwhelming experience watching it still lingers within me. So when I heard that Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata are doing another story I was more that delighted. I was dying with so much anticipation.

There’s a long review coming………

About the STORY
After watching anime and reading mangas for more than a decade, I learn to truly appreciate the people who create such magnificent creation. Mangakas are the ones who give birth to them. You can even say that they are the main reason why I ... am so fascinated with animes and mangas. So even before watching this series, I definitely admire them. However, watching this series makes me understand mangakas in whole different way. This series shows the weight and gravity of making such a creation. It is very much knowledgeable because it is shown in details. From how one story is given birth to how it is polish to serialization and to being adapted into an anime. But more importantly, the story is about dreaming and having a goal. You will learn that things would not usually go your way, not by just pure effort. A little gamble and pure luck is needed also. This is what I love with Ohba’s story. It is not just entertaining or being interesting but rather, you can definitely learn something from it.

About the CHARACTERS
The characters are very much realistic. Their characters are something that we could really relate to in real life. It is very inspiring not only to aspiring mangakas but with people who have their own dreams as well. Though, I think that the relationship of Saikou and Azuki is really weird yet somewhat original. I think it is not a great option not to meet until making their dreams come true. I know a lot of people who does that and by the time they are at the peak of their careers, they already forgotten why they’ve dreamt in the first place and its already too late. Yes, love comes with different forms but still. I also think that getting your dreams come true in a very short time is somehow unrealistic. I mean it’s really hard making dreams come true and worst; they sometimes never come true let alone make them at a very short time. I believe anything in haste makes waste. Let me just mention, that the character of Nizuma is very likeable just like L in Death Note. For some reason, the mangakas love to have a certain character that is weird yet so genius. They are also the ones who inspires other characters.

About the ANIMATION
The illustration is somewhat different from Obata’s usual artwork but the touch and trademark is definitely visual. I just love how Obata gives life to the characters.

I am not Japanese but I am very much aware how popular Shounen Jump is. Almost all of my favorite animes has been serialized by Shounen Jump so I have a vague idea how the magazine works. But after watching this, I learn a lot. This series shows how the Shounen Jump works and that is very knowledgeable. However, as far as exciting is concern, this series is lacking so much. People who would really relate to the story are mostly from Japan and very few with other nationality. What I’m trying to say is that internationally it would be hard for viewers to comprehend the details of the storyline and plot. Even I, who have knowledge with it, had a hard time comprehending the storyline. It is pretty much interesting but it also has the tendency to get so boring.

Wow! It was quiet hard giving comments considering this is about Mangakas. Learning about them in a whole different way, makes the review pretty hard.

This review is for all 3 seasons, also might not be spoiler-free.

Before I had finished my first watch-through Bakuman became my favorite anime. Being relatively new to anime—the shounen-like plot patterns still held some novelty, as did the passage of 10 years over the course of the show without major skipping. The main thing I took from the show was this idea that the highest good to pursue in life is having a dream and conceding nothing towards achieving it, which resonated with me at 19 years old, and still to some extent does at 24. The show left me with a feeling like ... no other anime before it, a burning motivation and excitement at the notion that I could grab onto some dream and work really hard at it and achieve greatness. The problem is I hadn't ever seen a sports anime, and the other problem is that I don't think that dreams are really what's at the heart of this show anymore, I think what Bakuman actually communicates is that the highest possible good in life is self-sacrifice for an indifferent employer... and viewed from this perspective the show loses much of its charm.

This theme is well exemplified, I believe, in a sequence towards the end of the third season in which Shiro goes to his elementary school 10 year reunion (weird concept from a western perspective), already at this point a fairly successful mangaka. He is treated as a minor celebrity by his old classmates when he first arrives, but then they quickly lose interest and begin planning fun trips and group activities. When an invitation is extended to Shiro he declines saying essentially that his 100+ hr a week schedule could never allow him to. He leaves early and meets Shuujin, they look up at the night sky agree that they are glad they chose their path instead of being normal. When I first watched this scene I saw a choice between frivolity and art/greatness, where sacrificing the former for the latter is clearly virtuous. On second viewing I saw a choice between relationships and the bottom line of your employer, in which case I think sacrificing the former for the latter is gross.

Running throughout the series is this idea that what is best is what is profitable, the best manga is the one that has the most viewers and sells the most volumes, the best mangaka is the one who works the hardest and makes the most money for the publisher. Niizuma isnt a genius because he produces great art, it's because he produces profitable manga quickly and is working all the time. Ashirogi is essentially the same, what made them great sometimes, especially towards the beginning, is Takagi's story lines being complex and mature, and if that was really the thing being explored and developed throughout the course of the series I think it would have been a lot more interesting, but the real thing that ultimately makes Ashirogi great is that they are both willing to sacrifice everything for the job. Whether it be education, mental or physical health, relationships, really anything that isn't manga. But the point I am trying to get at is what is being strove for is not an artistic achievement but a commercial one.

In most respects Bakuman is unexceptional: The plot meanders often falling into long periods of "you placed x in the rankings" -> "we have to work harder". Most side stories are boring, especially Azuki's. The relationships between most characters feel shallow and can mostly be summarized through phone conversations consisting of "I saw you placed x in the rankings, congratulations, but I'm are gonna work harder and beat you!". The romance central to the plot is based on too much magic and pixie dust and on re-watch I was no longer capable of buying into it whatsoever. The character designs are fairly distinct and stylish, but for a show with 75 episodes the lack of different locations and character outfits felt claustrophobic/repetitive (though there are a few exceptions, Mashiro wearing the same striped shirt for 10 years bugged me for some reason), the animation is nothing special, but that isn't surprising for a show with this length and with so few (if any) flashy set piece moments. The OPs and EDs left no real impression, but the re-use of a very limited number of background tracks got tedious (I could happily go the rest of my life without ever hearing the "montage of hard work" track ever again).

I am perhaps more harsh here than I should be on my former favorite anime, this likely stems from how highly I once rated it and my frustration at the magic of it's first viewing being lost, but I waited 75 episodes for that magic to return and it never did, all I got was something bordering on a propaganda piece about how you should sacrifice everything to work hard for someone to make more money off you... and maybe that says more about me at 24 vs 19 than it does about Bakuman. 6/10

Covers season 1 and 2

J.C. Staff, check. Director Kenichi Kasai with previous slice of life and romance anime work such as Honey and Clover, check. Even the writer and illustrator combo of Ohba Tsugumi and Obata Takeshi, the guys behind Death Note, bring past success to the table.

Bakuman features two kids that want to create a hit manga that will eventually be created into an anime. No doubt this is a nostalgia trip story based on the creator’s as they made into the manga creation industry. The director’s influence from previous work makes its’ mark known here ranging from the pastel colors and pallets to ... the late 90’s character designs. Much of the anime besides a duo’s goal to become great mangakas is the romance sub-plot of the duo with their female counterparts. Their love story is a major motivation for Bakuman.

The bromance between Mashiro and Takagi is something of a spectacle, while the story revolves around the motivations and actions of Mashiro. His drive to create a manga to become a hit anime in order to fulfill a non-sensible love struck promise kind of falls into a shounen type anime clashing with shoujo characteristics. Much of the other characters are second nature to what Mashiro himself does ranging from stubborn illustrations to overwork itself. Most of these issues tackled in Bakuman says much about the state of the industry itself. Bakuman clearly clashes with ideals and ideas of what romance is and was and even the characters themselves get called out for it during the journey. While the romance is there for good story intentions, it often feels over used and misguided for the real story being told.

Bakuman is strongest when moving away from any sub-plots and focuses on the core, making a hit manga and the struggles that come with it. Season 1 hits this quite well. However, as the series continues from there is where it seems to slow to a crawl. Sure, waiting on weekly rankings to see where they stand or even waiting to hear back from the board if their manga will make it into the magazine makes for a tight intriguing watch. Unfortunately, character motivations and choices battle with the incredible realistic tone on the industry. It is well done in most aspects, but a realistic pace and portrayal may not make the best entertainment in the long run. That’s what hurts Bakuman the most, not the unrealistic fantasy dream of romance in the sub-plot.

There is no doubt Bakuman comes with frustrations while watching. Also, there is no doubt the third season culminates into something worth the effort, if dying to see how the duo winds up with their manga success. This series is unique and is at least worth the effort of giving a good try.

Bakuman is a super realistic lens into the life of mangakas, and considering the fact that the people who made Bakuman is also an artist/author pair -just like the main protagonists-, I wouldn't be surprised if this anime was a remixed story about their life after making Death Note, which is hinted at in season 3. With 3 seasons and 75 episodes, Bakuman is obviously pretty long for a realistic work, and if I were to rank them from best to worst: 3, 2, 1.

When I first got into season 1, I was touched with how wholesome the story was, especially with the main ... protagonists being wholesome middle schoolers who are filled with dreams and guts. There was no way that I wouldn't like the characters, whether it be the mangakas or the editors.

In addition, every single work that Ashirogi Muto submits for the magazine contests are absolutely amazing. I was in awe with hearing about these great story premises, but I would be disappointed again and again when I find out that their stories fail. But this is to be expected because what is a story without challenges?

However, I ended up feeling that the great works that Ashirogi Muto have been coming up with in season 1 have all gone to waste. If they are barely mentioned later on, were they even relevant to begin with? Thus, I dropped Bakuman for an entire year until recently. Writing this review after finishing season 2 and 3, I still believe that they used their bad story premises -in my opinion- later on and allowed all the good ones to go to waste in season 1.

Because season 1 was so disappointing and also too realistically slow, it was really hard for me to get into Bakuman, but I think it was worth it in the end. Although it continues to be realistically slow, the seasons do get better and better.

Bakuman is an anime that take a realistic look at the journey to becoming a successful mangaka. I can certainly see this being rather highly rated but for me it fell far shorter than i expected. My two biggest problems with this anime were its lack of good characters and story, which ultimately made me drop with anime 16 episodes in.

While Bakuman is realistic in technical aspects and probably from a mangaka's view, this does not make it a good story. The first few episodes had a strong start focusing on the skills and requirements needed to make good manga. Unfortunately after that the ... story just keeps repeating itself. "Our protagonists make a manga that ultimately doesn't win an award or rank high enough so they start making a new manga". Rinse and repeat.

As well as this i find that almost all the characters are bland and boring. Even our protagonists have this problem and Mashiro's arrogance just makes him unlikable. Top that off with a bland and pretty much none-existent romance and you can see how this hinders my enjoyment. The saving grace to this is the character of Eiji Nizuma, who is the best character in all of the anime. He is an eccentric mangaka who seems to embody the creativity needed for such a tough job. He has the kind of passion that you wish you had.

That is the final and probably most glaring problem i have with Bakuman; a lack of passion. Not from the author but simply from these characters. The Manga they make seems to focus on the art and there is little focus on making good stories, characters and character arcs. We get a little gimps of a story that is mildly interesting and we never see it again. That lack of passion and creativity is what really got me, Bakuman was a technical view of a creative industry without the focus being on creativity.

Review based on 2 1/2 seasons (I am currently at Season 3 Ep 17). I will keep it short:

When its a Battle Shounen with Manga(ka), Bakuman is a great 10/10 series. Whenever the focus is solely on Mangaka trying to improve and compete with each other, I greatly enjoyed the series and learned a lot about the Manga Industry, specifically the works of big Shounen Magazines like Jump. This is also when the character drama is at its best, since they are carried by the story. I also greatly enjoy that we don't have "a bad guy" but a bunch of rivals trying to compete ... and get better. Great stuff!

However, the enjoyment greatly drops down to 4/6 or even 1/10 when the series shifts to romance, which sadly plays a bigger role than expected. Most of the romance is badly written and the premise of the main-couple is downright frustrating, though it does get better in Season 2. My favorite characters are all side characters that don't get a lot of development, while really frustrating and irritating cast members get way too much spotlight (I am talking about you, neckbeard-Mangaka.)

Also, one arc made me rate the series down from 7 to 5: The one where the series tackles overworking. This is such a big problem in the industry (and Japan itself) that I cannot really forgive a semi-positive potrayal of a Mangaka pushing their mental and physical health to maintain weekly serialization. The editor who rightly opposed that practice was framed as the bad guy, and I truely cannot grasp the lack of conclusion. The lesson should've been "you should take better care of yourself" and not "draw in the hospital to show your resolve".

All that said, I think Bakuman is great to watch for the insight into the industry & the Battle Shounen part. Sadly everytime the focus shifts away from Manga Bakuman was becoming increasingly frustrating to watch.

*THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In the midst of watching seasonal anime i said to myself: "Lets venture into the highest rated anime shows on MAL and watch some of them". I ended up picking Bakuman because i remember watching Shirobako and having people tell me:" You should watch Bakuman, its waaaay better". I didn't really like Shirobako, so my expectations were pretty high for this.

STORY: 6/10

The story is about these 2 dudes ( Mashiro and Takagi) wanting to become mangaka's. Mashiro wants to become one to get himself a wife and to follow in his uncle's footsteps. Takagi wants to become a Mangaka because ... he hates his mom (LMFAO). The story is amazing in explaining what life as a mangaka is. It deeply explains the struggles and even the fun of making manga, even talking about some stuff i did not know. But this is pretty much all there is to compliment. Actually, them explaining how hard it is to become a mangaka hurts the show. Yeah, i understand, he is working really hard. I understood at about the 47th time you told me. I just think the story ends up being really bare-bones and kinda boring. The "MC does everything for this girl" cliche really annoys me and i can't really find anything else here. It gets better by the end but not by a lot.

ART: 6/10

It's kinda ironic. The anime can't shut the fuck up about art but its art really isn't all that special. There's nothing to really say here, it's very basic. A lot of people say the animation fits really well with the show. I don't really see it. You can pretty much get the same quality of animation in any decent slice of life anime. But Bakuman cant even compare to other anime that came out in 2010 (K-on for example).

SOUND: 7/10

It's ok, not great, not bad either, i don't really like the EP or OP but that's mainly because personal tastes. The voice acting is ok, some of the characters are casted really well ( like Takagi, Niizuma and Fukuda). Nothing much to say here, its a 7 ( which means OK-GOOD for me)

CHARACTERS: 8/10

The best thing about this anime by far. The show focuses on the characters a lot, and because there are only like 7 recurring it gets to tell and show us a lot about the characters. It feels like we know almost everything about everyone but it is pretty obvious that each character has more to them. There are some bad things, for example Takagi's reason for becoming a mangaka is pretty dumb. Also Niizuma is a pretty bad "rival" (but a pretty good character). Overall, i think the characters is one of the few things this show does right and it deserves high props for that.

ENJOYMENT: 6/10

I'm being very generous with a 6 here, its closer to a 5 but i have to admit that the ending was done really well and it kept me hooked to the show for the last 3 episodes. Other than that, I have to say this show is really, really boring. I don't know if it was an artistical choice or J.C. staff ran out of money but everything happens in 4 different locations (the meeting room, their studio, school and Niizuma's studio). The whole show is just the MCs going: "WORK, WORK, WORK" and sometimes an intermission happens, so they can remind us of other character's existence or tell us some joke that usually falls flat.

ENDING STATEMENT: I have to say, Bakuman really looks like a one trick pony, only being able to talk about life as a mangaka better than everyone else has done before. But focusing your whole show on one thing eventually becomes boring because you aren't really doing anything else. In the end, I will only watch one season of Bakuman, and I can't say i recommend this anime to anyone.

OVERALL: 6/10

I had high expectations after the first episode, and I like how the technical part is explained, but after some good ideas at the beginning, there is no action, no surprise, nothing really happens except the two guys writing and drawing, then meeting with the editor, getting excited over a phone call, rinse and repeat.

The art is plain bad. I skipped to the last episode of season 3 and the protagonist always looks the same. I thought "he should be 18 by now, so maybe he didn't change so much. I was wrong, he is 24, and still looks like he was 14. Oddly enough, ... the manga and the anime inside the anime actually look better than the anime itself. Movements are not realistic, body parts are too big or too small, and physical appearance of some characters change so much that I could not recognize them at first sight.

There are some good points, some characters are very good, but the bottom line is: 25 episodes is just TOO MUCH, the story is going nowhere, and then you try to introduce new characters and suspense when it's almost over? We all know it's all good in the end, there is no real suspense if it starts in the middle of episode 24, sorry. You had 23 episodes for that, and still couldn't find anything better?

And I'm supposed to watch 2 more seasons?
And the guy will drive a Ferrari (out of nowhere) in the last episode?
No, thanks, I skipped to the last episode of both and the same nothing kept happening, so I am Ok with this.

Overall pretty mediocre for such a high rated anime. The beginning seems promising but it soon fumbles and drags on till the end. Mashiro is one of the most unlikeable MCs. His character is way too arrogant and narcissistic for you to empathize with his journey. Takagi is another generic sidekick with no personality of his own other than being an MC asslicker. Takagi is supposed to be the main writer here and yet you see Mashiro often going off on his own, lashing out against his only "friend" for the most foolish reasons. Except for a corny childhood fantasy of a future marriage, there's ... no real passion driving their day-to-day grind to become a mangaka. The side characters are as generic as the main ones. There's not a hint of 'comedy' except for a few sequences involving Kaya who's probably the only normal character in this show. Their kiddy romance is forced. Takagi and Mashiro both have awful personalities to even get girlfriends, let alone marriage proposal.

While the concept was fresh, there's not enough deep dive into how these "geniuses" managed to juggle both school and a serious career like that of a fiction writer/mangaka that requires full time attention not just physically but also mentally. Even coming up with solid ideas takes months of brainstorming unlike what is supposedly happening here. The editor Hattori is way too unrealistic/kind for them to grab hold of in one go. I don't even want to comment on what's happening with their forced eccentric "genius" character Niizuma. The op/ed songs are again very dull and hence very fitting for this anime.