Bakuman, Vol. 20

Bakuman [バクマン] #20

by Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata

Ship from July 4, 2012.

Genres: Manga, Slice Of Life, Comics, Fiction, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shonen

180 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2012

About the author

Tsugumi Ōba (Profile in Japanese: 大場 つぐみ), born in Tokyo, Japan, is a writer best known for the manga Death Note. His/her real identity is a closely guarded secret. As stated by the profile placed at the beginning of each Death Note manga, Ōba collects teacups and develops manga plots while holding his knees on a chair, similar to a habit of L, one of the main characters of the series.

There is speculation that Tsugumi Ōba is a pen name and that he is really Hiroshi Gamō. Pointing out that in Bakuman the main character's uncle was a one-hit wonder manga artist who worked on a gag super hero manga, very similar to Gamō and Tottemo! Luckyman in all aspects. Also that the storyboards drawn by Ōba greatly resemble Tottemo! Luckyman in style.

Reviews

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I pretty much read all 20 volumes right in a row, and I almost never marathon-read series. I can easily say that I was a bit obsessed. I think more than anything this series is one of the most clever manga that I've read in addition to the fantastic art and characters. I am so happy I read it, and it will honestly help me read manga more critically from here on out. Definitely recommend this!

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Perfection. This ending wasn’t surprising or unexpected but what the series has been steadily building to since that very first chapter. Journey before destination. And what a journey it was! I loved seeing everything these characters went through: their struggles, their drive, their emotions and love for each other and their fellow creators as well as the ones they loved the most. I’m so glad I was able to read this entire series!

[Miss Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'd like to be that classy lady who doesn't make speculations about authors' personal lives based off their work. i'd like to be but i'm not because gossip is super fun and lbr, nothing i say here is ever going to reach ohba or tsugumi in any way, sooooo

anyone else wondering if the whole drama attached to ending reversi was influenced by death note? 8D? because i think it's sort of universally agreed that the series just wasn't the same after l died so i can't help suspecting that maybe ohba's working through some resentment there. we'll never know probably but it's fun to guess

i appreciated the kaya love this volume btw, girl did not get anywhere near as much acknowledgement as she should've this series. the way they did it was super cute too

also i should probably comment on mashiro/azuki but tbh i am really not convinced that a romance built on idealizing each other is likely to work out so i vote for not thinking about it too closely and accepting the cute. wooo, happy ending. 2.5 stars

[Lila Cyclist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Antara puas, lega, dan sayang jika manga kesayangan ini harus berakhir. Tapi seperti Reversi, manga terakhir duo Ashirogi Muto yang berhenti ketika di puncak, meski tema cerita ini memang harus berakhir dan sepertinya cukup lengkap menggambarkan kehidupan mangaka.

Puas karena semua duo sensei TO-TO mengakhirinya dengan manis.

Lega, karena hampir semua karakter muncul di lembar-lembar terakhir tankoubon ini, di saat saya hampir lupa para karakternya, saking lamanya jeda membaca volume terakhirnya :D

Sayang, karena yah, jarang-jarang saya bisa menyelesaikan satu manga dari awal hingga akhir :D Dan saya sayang pada semua karakter disini. Dari mulai para karakter utama, duo Ashirogi Muto, Kaya (ikut terharu ketika Mashiro memberi ucapan terima kasih padanya), para mangaka dengan karakter unik-unik (paling sayang pada Eiji Niizuma, si jenius sinting, juga Kazuya Hiramaru yang sableng, dan para editor yang begitu memperhatikan anak didik mereka, terutama Pak Hattori-sempat sedih ketika duo Ashirogi ini sempat berpisah dari editor saytu ini.

Layaknya menonton dorama, ketika satu dorama hampir berakhir, rasanya pengen kembali mengenang awal-awal menonton. Demikian juga dengan manga satu ini. Teringat saat-saat Takagi menemukan Mashiro dengan coretan gambar si cantik Azuki, hingga lamaran Mashiro jika nanti mereka mewujudkan mimpi mereka satu hari nanti. Awww...sweet banget.

Oya, saya sempat menyediakan hati saya jika ternyata nanti di voting seiyuu untuk anime Reversi yang terpilih bukan Azuki. Maklum, sekian banyak dorama manis di tengah, pahit di akhir hahahaha... Tapi ngga mungkinlah jika seri ini berakhir demikian. Dan memang berakhir bahagia. Saya ikut bahagia. Saya bahagia mengenal seri ini yang membuat saya yang semula tak begitu mengenal dunia manga, jadi mendapat banyak pengetahuan baru seputar manga, para mangaka-nya serta pernak pernik persaingan di dunia manga. Huhuhu... Until me weet again, Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba. Otsukaresama deshita....(menjura)

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for the entire series, which I rate it 5 stars.

Bakuman is the follow up work of the Death Note creative team, which is composed of writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata. However, in my opinion, I believe this is the better work.

Bakuman is the story of two teenagers breaking into the manga industry and they going to do it in their own unorthodox way, just like this manga. This manga is so unlike the usual ones. It's not a battle manga, which is the most popular and successful manga genre. Yet, it's like a battle manga because it has rivals, training montages, and other tropes of the genre.

The creative team is firing on all cylinders. The writer creates a genre-bending work and gives Obata-sensei a massive and appropriate canvass to flex his extensive art range, give us the best artwork of his career. The entire story is dense yet light, because it is full of ideas and concepts, like the other manga titles of the main characters' rivals. I wouldn't mind those spun off.

The story is engaging and funny, and gives the fans a satisfying ending. I only wish they included an epilogue to help the reader decompress after reading the last few volumes because it gives you a massive sensation of "finale high".

Aside from the killer story and the amazing art, this manga gave the reader a new way to appreciate and enjoy manga.

[Sinta Nisfuanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

oke, walaupun Hiramaru nongol sejenak, tapi suka dengan penutupnya yang MEMUASKAN!

[Tyler Wanden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series started off a little slow, but I ended up loving it. The artwork was great, the writing was great, and it’s definitely a successful follow-up to Death Note. Death Note is like a mainstream cult-series, but Bakuman is accessible to a much wider audience.

Manga can get expensive, and luckily I was able to check the entire series out from the library. That being said, if you’re looking for a quality series to invest in, I highly recommend Bakuman. It’s a manga about making manga, so if you like reading manga, then you’ll probably like this manga. Does that make sense?

It started off a little slow, but once the colorful supporting cast of characters was introduced, I really got into the series. It could be a little text-heavy at times, but I appreciated the explanations about the manga industry. It’s a series that successfully blends comedy, drama, and romance. A romamedy, if you will.

Since a lot of the scenes take place in the Weekly Shonen Jump Office, there are references to actual manga series like Bleach and One-Piece. Most of the stories within this story are fictional though, and it’s interesting to see the creative ideas that the protagonist duo of Mashiro Moritaka and Akito Takagi, pen-name Muto Ashirogi, can come up with.

Though there isn’t a lot of actual romance in the story, the childhood romance of Mashiro and Miho Azuki is the fuel for its plot. In their third-year of middle school, Takagi finds Mashiro’s notebook in class and sees his beautiful drawing of Miho. Mashiro gets embarrassed, but rather than teasing him for his crush, Takagi asks Mashiro to team up with him to create manga. With Mashiro as the artist and Takagi as the writer, this duo embarks on an epic journey to become the best manga creators in Jump.

Before they begin though, Mashiro confesses his love to Azuki, an aspring voice actress, and says that he wants her to voice the heroine of his manga when it becomes animated one day. She confesses that she loves him too, and once their mutual dream becomes reality, they can get married and be together forever. The catch is that they can’t see each other until that happens.

Mashiro and Miho’s relationship is great. They support each other and motivate each other to work hard to reach their goals, even when their best friends fail to understand how they could have such an “abnormal” relationship. It’s definitely old-fashioned, but it’s charming. Especially when we learn that Mashiro’s uncle, a struggling manga artist, literally worked himself to death trying to do the same thing with the love of his life! Mashiro becomes highly motivated to achieve everything in life that his uncle was never able to.

The manga artists and editors are all interesting characters, and I loved seeing them continually pushing each other to reach new heights. There are a lot of rivals for Muto Ashirogi, but they all help each other out when personal issues arise.

I guess I could understand some of the sexist criticism for this series, but I don’t think it’s as much of an issue as some of these other reviews make it out to be. Miho isn’t just some object of Mashiro’s dreams- the two of them are in love and they support each other, and she works very hard to earn her place with talent in a surprisingly looks-driven industry. The worst display of sexism in this series is a depiction of the voice actress/idol industry, which I’m assuming is accurate.

Kaya, Takagi’s wife, seems to be the main target of sexist criticism, but I really liked her and thought it was an amusing direction for character development when she went from being a hot-headed tomboy to a supportive housewife. She didn’t give up on her ‘dream’ just to see her friends happy- she never had a dream and she just wants to help others achieve happiness. There’s nothing wrong with that, though I will admit that they show her cleaning the studio more than a few too many times.

One of the main reasons I enjoyed this story so much is because it’s inspirational. I felt like I was there with the Mashiro and Akito from the beginning, and it was a lot of fun to watch them grow as creators and ultimately achieve their dream. Even more so with Mashiro and Miho- the last chapter, where they finally fulfill their promise to one another, almost felt unreal (I mean that in a good way, it was a very fitting ending for them).

It wasn’t mind-blowing or innovative, and it went ran a bit long, but overall this was a really good series. So 4 stars it is (I gave the last volume 5 since it was a satisfying conclusion, but I gave the other volumes all 4’s).

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how I feel about the ending. It's really just... exactly what I expected. But I guess throughout the whole series, you know that it's eventually going to end in them getting an anime and a marriage proposal.

[Conejo Literario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estuvo bien el final. Predecible, pero divertido.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series! The mix of themes was perfect! I would 100% recommend the series to other people! I loved the art, the characters have so much personality, so many different conflicts too! Character development was awesome and it was a wonderful series overall!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga series is about the trials and tribulations of a manga artist and a writer pursuing their dreams in producing excellent mangas. I took back what I said just now, it went on a very right pace, not sure 'right' is the word though! I'm very happy that I picked up this manga series. When I first heard of this manga, I kinda despised it(what a stupid mistake I made!), because I never thought a manga about mangakas will be that great! It was very popular at that time. Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata are famous mangaka and writer who wrote the famous Death Note series. I never read that too, because it has a darker setting and the drawing style is not to my liking. However, I did found myself craving for another shounen manga. I'm reading some of the mainstream battle manga like, One Piece, Gintama, Beelzebub and so on. I delve into the more heartwarming shoujo manga like, Nodame Cantabile, Gakuen Babysitter, Natsume's Book of friends, Principal, Hirunaka No Ryuusei and the list goes on. The most recent hot-blooded manga that I started is Haikyuu, but I got a bit bored with sports manga because *cough* my manga senses *cough* knew the sports manga trend which is quite predictable and I hate the trend, so I stopped Haikyuu for a while, finding a right time to get back into it. However, I decided to read Bakuman online in a whim, expect nothing, and of course in no time, I was really into it, I can't stop, and since this series has ended, it made me want to finish it in one setting. There are a total of 176 chapters in it, this is nothing compare to One Piece but still... I loved it, I even bought the last volume in physical copy.

So now, I would like to talk about the things I like in this series.
The plot doesn't feel like stretching out at all, it was quite fast-paced and packed with plot twists. The setting too really intrigues me, as a manga fan, I always wanted to know more about the manga world and Jump company who produced the most popular mangas of all time. The editors played a huge role in publishing a manga. It was very detailed as to letting the readers know the process from drawing, publishing, questionnaires and lastly being produced into anime. I'm very impressed. They revealed us a lot of controversies that not only happen in this manga field but also in movies and books. I can totally relate to most of the situations as a reader and audience.
I loved the rivalry and the friendship of team Fukuda and Eiji, and of course the bromance between Mashiro and Takagi which make them Ashirogi Muto. Their determination to achieve their dreams, their talent and sincerity really touched me.
The characters are really flashed out. Each mangaka has their own personality and most of them are adorable in a way. My favourites are Niizuma Eiji, Takagi Akito and Fukuda. The best part is I eventually love all of these characters. Azumi Miho is one of the strongest and powerful female characters by far. She was not in all the volumes or chapters but her impact on Mashiro and in the final volume is so great that she leaved a very strong impression in readers' minds.
Of course, since this is a manga about manga so, there are a lot of meta-mangas in it. Most of the mangas are very good, and a lot of references on the famous mangas that are still on-going now.

Despite of the love for this manga, I have some issues with it too. The main issue is I think female characters were treated quite badly, this kinda irritates me sometimes. The females' emotion were oppressed sometimes, and I think mostly it's because of the targeted readers of this manga is male readers and the stereotypes of women's status in Asian coutries are still very strong, so that's why it doesn't put women in a very positive light.

Overall, it was a great experience. It really put me in a mood of chasing dreams and also picking up some of the legendary mangas that I haven't read like, Fullmetal Alchemist. All in all, 5 stars for this volume and 4.5 stars for the whole series. I will try to collect the whole series and re-read it again in the future. Definitely recommend to all the manga lover out there and people who wanted to try reading manga! and I forgot to say, this is one of the best mangas I've ever read! Legendary!

[Jesus Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bakuman 20
Sobre el volumen final.
Tensión y Emoción al límite al inicio, con lo del escándalo de Miho-Saiko, y lo de la audición para el papel. Me gusto el cómo Miho decide afrontar el problema.
De nuevo una discusión sobre alargar el Manga con una segunda parte, un nuevo villano, Deathnote de nuevo???
Al final, pues era lo esperado.
Por ahí ponen pequeños recuadros sobre qué ocurre con varios mangakas que han salido, el niño del perro no sale, y pobre Iwase.
Buen volumen final
4.5
Sobre la serie
Lo del mundo de las publicaciones y el manga, está muy bien, las explicaciones del género de peleas, las estrategias para subir en las encuestas, cambios, mundo editorial, muy interesante.
Lo de la competencia entre mangakas, a veces interesantes, a veces divertido, en otras demasiado forzado.
Si algunas veces es un tanto misógina la actitud a los personajes femeninos, al fin Japón tradicional.

El romance de Saiko-Miho, durante el 80% es demasiado meh, en serio que suena hasta tonto eso de ni verse, ni hablarse, con mínimos mensajes, casarse con alguien que ni conoces, pero creo que con los dos últimos volúmenes, al menos en sentimiento te lo crees.
Lo otro es que excepto Takagi-Kaya, del grupo de mangakas principales, todos sin parejas de cualquier tipo, raro.
3.67 star

[Hesa Kaswanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well educated manga. Bakuman would tell you how the mangaka run their activity, accomplish their dreams, and how to rise from the deterioration. I really liked how this series started and ended. At first sight, i said it would be a great story, it's mangaka life! My dream! Plus the Takagi Akito character that so cool, smart,and great. It's really rare to see what Takagi had in his character which i only could see it again on Yoichi Hiruma's character. And it ended in a sweet scenes, even i didn't shed any tears, it was sweet.

I really like how Tsugumi Ohba told what manga effect on kids. Dreams. I like American Football because i read Eyeshield21, i like basketball because i read Slam Dunk, i want to be a mangaka more and more because i read Bakuman. Dreams! Ohba really know what is manga, how to made it, how to know its good or bad, how to know manga peripherals. Great manga! Marvelous!

[Hollowspine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe that it's the last volume of Bakuman. The story of Mashiro and Takagi had me hooked from the very beginning, at first it was would they produce a series, would they beat Nizuma, what could they come up with next! Then, slowly, would Mashiro and Azuki ever get together?

It was fairly romantic for a Jump series, which is a bit surprising. Most stories, even in SJ do have an element of romance to them, but this was the first one I've ever read where it was a major part of the plot. Sure, there were 'battles' and characters did 'level up' but it was done so originally and creatively that the romance plot really shone in the center of it all.

I don't care much for romance, but given how shy the two protagonists were, it wasn't a problem. I enjoyed their 'pure love' relationship, as it charged them in their respective challenges.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy to have finally finished this series! This last volume was great and I was happy with how things ended. It was a predictable ending, but it's what I'd been waiting for!

This series overall was very enjoyable and a great insight into the manga industry, but it definitely could have been about 5 volumes shorter. Some of the storylines were unnecessary and just made the series drag.

The major issue that I had with this series (and what made it less enjoyable overall) was how incredibly sexist it was. The way that the majority of the women were portrayed or treated was demeaning and offensive.

[Amanda Setasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yup. Cute fluffy ending. I called it.
This manga could've ended in about 10 volumes.
I felt like the series dragged on a little too far. The beginning and the end were definitely enjoyable though.

[ギーカミ BOOKMARK°S · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review for the entire series:

FIRST THIRD (vol 1 ~ 8):
● Really exciting, you get to know the characters and learn a lot about how Shonen Jump and the manga industry works. Even the dynamics and narrative feels "organically emergent". What I mean by that: It doesn't seem too much orchestrated or the world/plot moving around to fit the needs of the story of our protagonists, but more like different characters with different ambitions/dreams/agendas rubbing off against each other metaphorically. Just like a good story should be.
● Obviously, the characters are immature in the beginning, as they are still teenagers, so you get the whole teenie-school-drama package with all its dreamy idealism and cringe reality (some of which is preserved until the very end). But I really enjoyed that aspect which is tied to the romantic aspect this series is embedded in.
● How gender roles are portrayed is at times off-putting: According to Akito, Azuki (the girl our protagonist has a crush on) pretends to learn and deliberately gets worse grades so she doesn't seem "too intelligent" and thus look more attractive to opposite gender…

A girl should be graceful and polite… And because she is a girl, she should be earnest about things and get average grades. [...] She knows by instinct that the best for a girl is to get married and become somebody's wife.

Even if he deems her really intelligent for that matter, his logic/statement still is stupid.
Another instance follows right after: His mother doesn't want him to become a manga artist, but when she tells his father, he responds to her "Let him do it. Men have dreams that women will never be able to understand. This manga is barely passing the Bechdel test, with at least the women Iwase and Aoki being a bit less men-fixated. And it's kind of a shame that Kaya is “discarded” into the a housewife, psychological-cheerleader and cleaning lady role.
One could argue that my judgement is partially so critical due to a cultural discrepancy, as it could be interpreted as a pretty accurate depiction of Japanese society (at least or especially for the older generation). And let's not forget this series was first released around the 2010's. I don't want to start a discussion about the political correctness of propelling conservative ways of thinking through media targeted at youth, though, so let's just leave it at that.

SECOND THIRD (vol 8~16):
● You still learn a lot stuff about the making of manga and get behind the scenes impressions of the business, which is cool. Sometimes it was even a bit meta, as the characters explained different techniques or e.g. how backgrounds and effects are drawn in manga, which makes you a lot more attentive and sensitive to them.
● While we're at that topic, I really have to commend Obata-sensei for the high quality of the layouts and paneling, apart from the pristine drawing of characters and background. I loved how he made use of all differents kinds of techniques and played around with how the characters are positioned on or overlapping with the other panels! It's not overloaded with text or gimmicks either, everything stays simple to read, you intuitively guess the order in which you have to read the speech bubbles right most of the times. Even perspective/composition and the degree of blending comic-stylization with the realism of a Slice-of-life graphic novel follows suit. Emotion is rendered just as appropriately, of course you get your comically-overproportioned and flat shaded comedic moments, but in critical/important scenes the artwork goes the extra mile to feel rather touching and refined.
● My biggest problem was this section, because of two reasons:
Firstly, the horrendous pacing and the feeling of everything becoming repetitive, dull and dragging on.
Secondly, the whole (mini-spoiler, that's more mini that a mini-skirt) panty-shot discussion and inclusion. Don't imagine a too sophisticated debate. This climaxed in the questionable (again mini-spoiler)in-lore story of underaged girls having "Panty flash fights", which even got praised by most characters, them all being dudes ofc .. :/

LAST THIRD (vol 16~20):
● After the lowest low of the previous chapters, things eventually picked up again, and my motivation to continue reading was rekindled. You get some payoff and conclusions of character arcs, which were all more or less satisfying and then, after some last struggles, the grand finale. Nothing too mind-blowing or plot-twisty, just a satisfying happy end.

CONCLUSION:
If you can look past the dated portrayal of some female characters, you're pretty good to go. Like many slice of life/sports/competitive-scene manga stories, there is a mid-section that feels a bit stale. But for hopeless romantics, the corny setup pays off when you finally get to the end.
Standalone I give this volume 5/5, but as a series it is a solid 4/5.

[Subodh Garg · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

I finished Bakuman, the series by the duo Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. It is a simple story about a boy (Moritaka Mashiro) in his third year of middle school deciding to become a manga artist on the persistence of his friend (Akito Takagi). Takagi will write the stories while Mashiro will do the art. Together, they tell their ambitions to his crush (Miho Ayuki), who aims to be a voice actress and decide to get married if and when she gets to voice the heroine of their series. A simple premise, but one that allows for myriads of twists and turns. They begin their manga journey with the pen name Muto Ashirogi.

This is a review of the entire series. Please keep that in mind.

The authors introduce various other mangakas with the most important being Eiji Nizuma, Ashirogi Sensei's biggest rival, a 15-year-old manga genius. They face various hardships along the way, from writer's block to unrequited confessions; from copycat imposters to tight deadlines; from all-nighters to hospital stays. It is a heartwarming story which will motivate you to fulfill your own dreams. The ultimate Shonen Manga.

The authors accomplished everything they set out to do. I cannot think of a single thing to improve in this masterpiece. It is short and concise (only 176 chapters), with no redundancies or detours. It also teaches the readers the grueling discipline required to be a mangaka, the hopes and dreams attached with it and the ins and outs of manga publishing. The Editors and the Editorial Department play as much of a role in the story as the mangakas. How the manga and the artist are tied together and how can gleam an insight into the author's psyche by reading their works. How to deal with success and imposter syndrome. How to actually write an engaging manga and what happens when you actually succeed in your dreams. This and so much more is presented in such an engaging manner in the series.

Heartily recommended to everyone. Can't wait to read more!!!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

AHHHH the finale!! so happy to see how far mashiro and takagi have come <33 and I really love what takagi said about manga and life being the same ((or was that in book #19??)). in summary--this series is funny and entertaining and exciting and has good art and amazing, hilarious characters, and is all about the creative process and the competitive industry of getting one's creation out there, and it's inspiring and just a really fun, good read!!

obviously, there are some things that I don't necessarily appreciate/approve/like,, but I find that most of those things are something that while I would critisize in real life, in this book, I'm going to let it be bc the authors might just be writing it as it is. eg, how artists and editors are trying to include pictures of girls' underwear in the manga... not something I'd appreciate ever irl, but pretty sure it's realistic about manga, so..! and I saw some reviews saying that the writers treated Mr. Nakai too kindly for the jerk he was,,, unfortunately, I gotta agree that I didn't like him either *sigh* there were also parts of the story that would be quite unrealistic/dumb in real life (eg, agreeing to marry your crush whom you'd only sAt nEXt to iN sCHooL and neVer eVen sPOkeN wiTH) but it made for interesting drama and a fun story, so I'm overlooking all of that bc I'm smart enough to know what works in books but doesn't work in real life lol

BUT all that aside...
if you want to read a good manga series, HERE IT IS.
all the love for this story, and sure as crow am I gonna be reading the authors' other series, death note.

ps,,, eiji nizuma is still the best character, love him to pieces.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is the final one and primarily deals with the two main characters finally achieving their ultimate goal. The drama that parallels the creator's own struggles trying to end Death Note early is fascinating to me, and creates some good drama and tension.

But really this whole volume feels like a fun, light, heartwarming victory lap. And I'm here for it. We get a final check in with the extended cast, and we get the promises finally fulfilled from the very beginning. It's a fun, cheesy, but earned and heartwarming ending to a great series.

I really loved Bakuman reading it the second time, it's held up as much as I had hoped it would. Yes it has some dated ideas, and plenty of melodrama, but it's all well done. It's huge cast is endearing, wacky, and fun. It's art and paneling is easy to follow and flows well. Despite being a series that is dialogue heavy, the art still pops and adds a lot. It's at it's best with it's looks behind the scenes in creating manga. It's a love letter to the creative spark in all artists and it's positive and heartfelt story was lovely.

[Child960801 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brings us to the long anticipated end: an anime where Mihu does the voice of the main female character.

I enjoyed rereading this series this year (and reading some of these volumes for the first time). There are problems with the work -- for example, how the female characters are portrayed and treated through out; the fact that everyone idolizes Mihu and Mashiro's relationship, when it seems like the most ridiculous thing ever; some parts get a little preachy, especially talking about the sacredness of the author/editor relationship -- but over all, I found it pretty incredible, especially how they were able to keep the tension going and so on when it just about people writing and drawing stories.

[Nathan Ponnan]

I've been reading this manga slowly for the past yr or so and now that I've finally completed it, it feels weird being dissociated from it.

It's not the best manga out there but it's definitely a must read for anyone who really wants to know about the manga industry. It is also quite text heavy, which is kindof necessary for this story. I anzio haven't quite decided what to rate it. I've I sit down and ponder on the review, I'll arrive at something

Proper review will come in a while ... so many to catch up on ... just not enough time

[Montserrat Esteban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado como acaba esta serie. Nos demuestra que si te esfuerzas puedes conseguir lo que quieras

[Mylène Cz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

[Davide Bug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bellissimo mi viene da piangere

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lloré, lloré, lloré y seguí llorando.
Qué hermoso final!!!! Dios!! Mejor imposible!! Gracias por tanto Tsugumi Ohba y Takeshi Obata, no tengo palabras para describir la inspiración y la alegría que me generó este manga!!!
Sin nada más que decir... Your love~♡

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My current all time favorite manga series, one of the well written and drawn series out there

Finally after more than a year of trying not to read the scanlation version of this series, I've bought and read all the English editions of the tankobons and I am really happy to read such a good series. I read this in one sitting dying to finish and get my thoughts about it. Man, I might say it almost made me tear up, I know it is not a serious drama/slice of life manga but it kinda hit home. Your first love sticking with you to achieve both of your dreams, working hard to be with that someone, and all the silliness in between. The ending was not that great but I like it in its own weird way. The dialogue in the entire series from volume 1 up to the end is always superb, even if some of the characterization is somewhat lacking in other people's taste.

Since the brilliance of Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom Ohba and Obata delivered a really good story. Where challenges are met and never giving up to the "dream" no matter what, sacrificing a lot just to be there. You might think it is selfish but I do believe it is a good human nature to achieve you dream no matter what. I know that Mashiro and his Uncle had similar situations and one awkward coincidence of falling in love with the daughter of his Uncle's true love, achieving success in what you love and never letting go of your childhood love to me is priceless. A lot of people in real life dismiss the idea of never letting of your childhood love for when time comes it will never work out. Well there are people out there even when separated never let go of that love for they work hard just to be with that special someone, meeting challenges head on and triumph over hardships.

I am looking forward to another great series by this great writer-artist duo who created two different but equally satisfying read. I highly recommend

[Steven S · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Penutup yang memuaskan"

Setelah bergulat sepanjang ini, akhirnya Bakuman sampai pada akhir kisahnya.

Tidak ada yang bisa saya katakan, selain memberi dua jempol untuk "kisah seorang pasangan yang berusaha mewujudkan mimpi dan cinta mereka". Saya menikmati cerita yang disajikan komikus Death Note ini, soal naik turun layaknya hidup. Bagaimana mereka berjuang dan tetap saling dukung.

Di atas semuanya itu, saya kira apa yang ingin disampaikan sang komikus adalah "ingin hidup yang sukses, salah satu cara menggapainya adalah dengan kerja keras."

Wrap up.
Dari semua seri Bakuman. Mungkin agak subyektif juga. Namun dua volume favorit saya adalah di volume 18 dan 20.

Dua volume diatas memang memberikan cerita yang menegangkan sekaligus membahagiakan. Hahaha.

Jadi, kamu tim Eiji atau Muto Ashirogi?

(END)

[Aca · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤

It was Azuki's time to shine in this one and it was beautiful. The ending was satisfying, but I would for sure like to see an epilogue.

This manga is very amazing with cute and happy and nerve-wracking and sad moments. It's easy to connect to the characters and feel for them. The plot is also very gripping.

The variety of manga ideas is incredible, so imaginative. Honestly, I would love to read almost every of the manga various characters are working on.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes manga, because this is a manga about manga, it can't get any better.

❤

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a good series. There were some over-the-top arcs that I could have done without (Nanamine), and the sexism was irritating at times. I enjoyed following Takagi and Mashiro's story despite the flaws in the series itself.