I think the story is wonderfully presented, the key to success for this series lies with the execution of the plot rather than the plot itself. It's well paced and has elements of everything. Not only will this series teach you a little about the manga industry, but it goes into great detail with a very strong and not quite as unique an idea as it is well presented under lining romance plot keeping the series going ahead. Aside from this, it also has the same elements of a non-mainstream 'battle' manga, in the form of authors competing against each other. It becomes really fired up as the two protagonists of this series work their fingers to the bone to come up with the best stories and characters they possibly can.
Quite a fair few of the episodes leave an air of suspense, an excitement for the next episode. There's not so much of this in the first series since it's setting the scene for the next two seasons of the show, but it really does let you get to grips with the primary characters, that are easy to relate to, you can really emphasize with them. If that doesn't float your boat, there are loads of animé and manga references too, that're used in a serious context.
I love the art for this series, the character designs are brilliant and bring back some of that Death Note nostalgia; you can really see some similarities when it comes to how expressive the characters are, or the weird ways in which some of the more eccentric cast move. I think the backgrounds are well designed and match the series perfectly.
I think the OST for this series is good; fitting and at times astonishing when it comes to the wide range of situations that you'll see in this series, setting the tone for the suspenseful scenes, the dramatic scenes and the passionate scenes. Bakuman really knows how to nurture the nostalgia lobe of the brain with its good selection. I'm not sure what to think of the opening and ending for season one, the opening comes across as more romantic than anything else, which I didn't really like since the romance plot is only one part of the story. I wanted something a little more upbeat, a little less serious.
One other thing to comment on is the voice acting. When I read a manga first, I always wonder what the voices for the characters are going to be like in the animé. I'm usually disappointed by the choices but I couldn't find a single thing to complain about in Bakuman. All of the voices match the characters perfectly, the cast is spectacular and none of them bore me to tears. They're so emotional and real; they give the characters a lot more personality.
You can always trust the writer of this series to know how to write characters with personality. Sure, there's the occasional one that pales in comparison to the rest but what you'll find in Bakuman is a cast of characters that you can actually care about. All of the authors are unique, some of them more eccentric than others, and the animé pays a close amount of attention to all of them. It's not just the authors either! The editors themselves slam their heads together, always trying to better themselves and their authors. There's so much tension between the editing department and the authors at times, it's enough to make you grind your teeth together.Just wonderful and excellent characterization. I admire how interesting is when this series throws together two completely contrasting characters, the dialogue is intense and the amount of serious humor is incredible.
It's a very enjoyable series with 'good' everything, good enough to make you enjoy the entire product to a very high degree. In all honesty, I preferred the manga for this series but the animé doesn't lose out on anything. I think it helps if you pace yourself while watching it, because the suspense in each chapter or episode really paid off a lot more back when it was being released chapter by chapter or episode by episode. It had a strong effect on me, and made me want to see the next part so much more.
I highly suggest this to anyone who liked Death Note, even if it's not within the same genre. I wonder what these two will come out with next; I think anything they make will be decent. If there's one thing you can expect out of this series, it's consistency.
