Nov 19, 2010
The Manga (Japanese Graphic novel) Bakuman by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
(Creators of the smash hit Death Note) seems to go against the Status Quo of today’s fantasy aligned world, it explores not a world of fantastic fiction with monsters and magic as is most common these days, but in fact explores the world of Manga and the creation of it from the perspective of two seemingly ordinary school students Moritaka and Akito who wish to become Manga creators. The artist of Bakuman Takeshi Obata states that he was nervous about the series because of the lack of fantasy. Even
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though it lacks the fantastical craziness associated with much of today’s Manga it has various intertextual references to many other Manga series which seems to be a genius device which hooks the reader and reels them in almost instantly. I usually only read fantasy and so before opening the book I was unsure of what to expect, after reading just two pages I couldn’t put it down!
As well as being enjoyable it is actually somewhat didactic- that is it teaches you of how to create manga, exploring the tools and challenges of the trade as well as actual examples to further inspire and teach you.
As I both enjoy and love manga and are also very artistic Bakuman is a Manga that feels as though it relates to me directly and I’m sure anyone who remotely likes Manga or the associated art process of Manga would thoroughly enjoy it’s fun and inspirational plot as well as it’s hilarious in depth characterisation and of course the awesome artwork which brings the story to life.
I recommend this to all manga fans teen+
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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