What does it take to get me to watch a 75 episode anime twice in a six month period? A very good anime. A slice-of-life show based on the manga of the same name 'Bakuman' will entertain any fan of Japanese culture who wants to know more about the process of creating manga.
The Bakuman anime was originally licensed by Media Blasters, but that company has since gone under. Only the first 7 episodes were released on US DVD, and to my knowledge the license hasn't been reacquired and no legal streams exist. While I will always counsel my readers to only read or watch legal releases, in a scenario where no legal release exists I cannot condemn the use of fansubs (That's how I watched it, so condemnation would be hypocritical in this case anyway).
-Story-
The overarching plot is pretty simple and mostly just an excuse to create a context for lessons about the manga industry. Yes, the romance between Mashiro and Azuki isn't exactly deep and largely serves as a final goal the audience hopes will be achieved, rather than a truly convincing love story (although other characters in the series also acknowledge that their highly idealized relationship is far from normal). Mashiro and Tagaki set out to accomplish their goal, challenges and obstacles are encountered, they deal with them and press on. The highlight of the story is definitely its fascinating looks into the inner workings of the manga industry (when a group of middle-aged men sitting at a table discussing manga submissions actually results in a tense scene, you're doing something right). That being said, without these manga lessons the story would quickly fall to mediocrity, the other elements are just too basic otherwise to stand out. The first season is a bit padded out, the second season is the strongest overall, the third season suffers from a weak opening arc but then races towards the finish line with a feeling of momentum.
-Art-
As a slice of life anime there's a limit to what you can expect (or need) from the animation. Quality is fine, and given the relatively limited movement of the the series ( no 'Attack On Titan' airborne battles here) there aren't that many chances to mess up. There are only a few settings and backgrounds, but given that our characters spend the vast majority of their lives in their studio, at the editorial department, or in school the lack of variety makes sense. Character designs are the strong point of the art, since the cast is large each cast member needs to be immediately recognizable- which this anime achieves. Even if a character only gets a small portion of the screen time you'll be able to remember who they are and how they're important (although characters never seem to age, even though the story takes place over several years). Lots of bright primary colors in the palette, which fits with the upbeat tone of the series.
-Sound-
No major problems with the English dub, but given that it only covers 10% of the series it's hardly worth mentioning. Japanese actors fit their characters well, but not being a Japanese speaker I can't comment on more than that with any authority. The music is generally modern and upbeat but stays out the way, preferring to simply set the mood. While you will definitely recognize several of the tracks by the later episodes the OST never gets annoying. Much like art, the production values are as high as they need to be and not much more.
-Characters-
A series this long simply couldn't remain entertaining if the characters were boring. While character development is relatively simple ( nobody is going to confuse the cast of Bakuman with the cast of Vinland Saga) they do their jobs and keep the viewer watching. The most memorable character is the bombastic Eiji Nizuma, the wildly eccentric genius who serves as the main rival of our dynamic duo. Although he would make a poor main character (he's simply too talented for inspiring artistic struggle and too isolated from the rest of the cast for much meaningful interaction) when he appears his off-the-wall personality is sure to entertain. While some secondary characters seem to exist largely to express a certain view on some facet of the manga industry, they usually have enough personality escape being cardboard cutouts. The cast is entertaining, capable of pulling off enough humor and drama to keep Bakuman interesting.
-Enjoyment-
Here's where I need to state my biases up front. As a man hoping to one day be a published cartoonist, this series is right up my alley, practically tailor-made for my enjoyment, with a couple weak arcs being the only thing that keep me from loving each episode As a result of this, I'm predisposed to rate Bakuman more highly than it might objectively deserve. While I have to concede that a lot of ThatAnimeSnob's plot and character criticisms have merit, from a standpoint of "Do I like to watch Bakuman or not?" I still answer: yes, very much so.
-Overall-
This is a series for anime and manga fans, no question. Although modestly entertaining on its own, it relies heavily on the "look inside the industry" segments that a non-manga fan might only find educational rather than fascinating. For people who are fascinated by the process of making Japanese comics, however, it will be very entertaining (although I also suspect it's a highly optimistic view of the industry). It probably won't change your worldview or teach you deep truths, but it you will be amused.
