Draw. Draw. Draw. Write. Write. Write. Wouldn't you go insane if you did this all day long? I'm amazed at what mangaka's go through just to put a chapter out there. I also want to be a mangaka but you know, I just don't have the inspiration and the story telling down. I can draw but only stiff illustrations and most are just sketches. These mangaka's work their butts off just to make their manga last a little longer. Then you also think of a gimmick to make your manga rank higher in the polls. What a busy world manga is. No wonder Taro Kawaguchi died from work exhaustion (well, a lot of Japanese people die from over work, no joke.)
Story so far: The story starts when a middle schooler Moritaka Mashiro (Saiko) was confronted by a classmate of his; Akito Takagi (Shujin), about both of them being mangakas. Shujin goes to convince Saiko to draw for him. Unknowingly, Shujin cooks up a plan to make Saiko become a manga artist. After the execution of the plan, Saiko is now determined to be a mangaka and is now aiming for his work to be in an anime!
Bakuman Volume 2: (Story by: Tsugumi Ohba/Art by: Takeshi Obata) continues as our two heroes schedule an appointment with an editor inside a popular manga publishing company. They submit a final draft and they received praise from the editor. The thing that is holding them back is school, and the editor knows that but doesn't want them to be in a tough spot every day. So, the editor let's them go with confidence that they can do better in time. In the meantime, an aspiring mangaka comes into play as he gets to do a series early on. This aspiring mangaka will play a big role in both of our protagonists' career.
They work on a new story and submit it to Mr. Editor and he decided to submit it for the Tezuka Awards. The results, however, were disappointing and this leads to Shuujin doing an act worthy of a suspension. Fortunately, the suspension isn't all that bad as Shuujin gets a girlfriend during this. After graduating, the two work on a new story and it gets published in Akamaru Jump. It doesn't end well but it paves more ways for their dreams.
Art: Well, it's shounen with a lot of tricky details. I can't believe this is a weekly series as it has a lot of complicated details and a lot of screentones. I guess with a lot of people around you can achieve a very good and throughout time, make that very good into an average (if you can understand what I'm trying to express.) Some characters from Death Note make an appearance in this series.
Mr. Editor looks like a human version of Ryuk.
Story: I find the story quite interesting as it shows us how hard a mangaka works just to put out a single chapter each week. Shuujin and Saiko don't even have a serialized series and they're having a difficult time just getting through one draft. Also, we get to see more of their love life; Shuujin x Miyoshi and Saiko x Azuki. I love a story about young love because their relationship is the ideal one. When you think of Mashiro and Azuki's relationship, you see a pure love but it's almost impossible to have that kind of thing going on.
What'd I say? Pure right?
The story telling is okay because it doesn't solely base the story in being a mangaka but dreaming about being a mangaka (with the details of journey to becoming one, including the people they meet.) We don't just see the making of a manga, we see the making of a relationship too, that's why it's not boring and is really addicting to read.
Characters: For Saiko: I think his character is childish but mature at the same time. He wants to work towards a dream rather than taking the time and releasing a big hit. That's the childish part of him but the mature part is that he has a secure attachment to Azuki. In psychology, there is an attachment style where the person isn't jealous, isn't doubtful and completely trusts their partner and that attachment is called a secure attachment. He completely trusts Azuki's words that when they meet their dream, they'll get married and that is a mature thing to do. For Shuujin: He's the straight man in a comedy duo, the one who gets to slap the idiot (Saiko.) I like how they developed his character. He's not only book smart but he's people smart too. He knows how to drawn in people because he's calculating the person who he's gonna converse with. Shuujin is too much like Light Yagami in character (it's as obvious as the day and also, Shuujin doesn't have a God complex so yeah.)
No punchline here. You get a kick line though.
Both characters are relatable to almost everyone. Saiko is most likely relatable to the people who are awkward with girls but is really a gentleman with a pure heart. Shuujin is relatable to those who are a bit lazy but have the brain-power to do finish a task as fast as possible (*ahem*) Overall, I like all of the characters because they're like real people except for when they act cartoony.
Bottomline: It's a must read for those who love manga and for those who are curious about the work that goes into a manga. I love it because of the hope that it conveys through it's story. It also shows how hard it is reaching for a dream. It's not as easy as finishing early and hoping it's passable. The joy that is collected throughout the journey toward that dream is what makes the dream worth the difficulties you've gone through.
Here's a kicker!
Addicting Level: 8/10
Hopefully you've enjoyed this series as I did. Thanks!
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