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Bakuman [バクマン] #1
Bakuman, Tome 1: Rêve et réalité
Moritaka Mashiro, surnommé Saïko par ses amis, est en 3e année de collège et ses dons pour le dessin lui ont permis de remporter plusieurs prix. Il est amoureux en secret de Miho Azuki mais n'ose pas lui révéler cet amour jusqu'à ce que son ami, Akito Takagi, force le destin. Takagi est le meilleur élève de sa classe, il écrit également des scénarios et souhaite que Mashiro les transpose en manga. Celui-ci refuse dans un premier temps, mais il se voit obligé d'accepter une fois qu'il se trouve devant la belle Azuki. Quant à elle, Azuki rêve de devenir doubleuse de films et de dessins animés. Si Azuki et Mashiro réalisent leur rêve, ils se marieront, mais d'ici là ils ne doivent plus se voir et communiquer uniquement par e-mail...
La lente ascension pour réaliser le meilleur manga jamais édité commence !
La lente ascension pour réaliser le meilleur manga jamais édité commence !
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
221 people are currently reading
9290 people want to read
About the author
Tsugumi Ohba
364 books2,846 followersTsugumi 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 744 reviews
March 14, 2023
This manga wins the prize of being the one I hate the most. Let me express why through a few quotes which are drawn directly from the text. These are not jokes.
"Azuke isn't calculating, she's just being a girl in the natural way. How do I put it. Azuki naturally knows that 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 a girl won't look cute if she's overly smart"
"The reason that she's thinking about becoming a voice actress is she naturally chose a dream that many girls have nowadays, and she's just trying to enjoy her life fully as a girl".
"That's right, she knows what it means to be a girl. She knows by instinct that the best thing for a girl is to get married and become somebody's wife. ...and until then-no even after she's married she'll remain graceful and polite"
"No matter how cute a girl is, you can't really like her if she's utterly dumb, right? The same goes for the opposite. Iwase is pretty good looking, but she's not very likable, is she? She's the smartest girl in class grade-wise, but I don't like how she takes pride in that. That's why I actually think she's dumb".
In case you were worried that men were also bashed in this story, don't be, because "Men have dreams that women can never understand". Conveniently, they are also free to be academic without seeming snobby. They can take pride in the things they do well and they don't need to worry about being graceful and polite.
I hate the message in this book so much I wish I hadn't begun collecting it for our library, despite its popularity and the several requests for it by tween boys. There is nothing to be gained from young boys or girls reading a message so blatantly sexist and demeaning towards women. I can only hope the majority of them are smart enough to see through this. I won't ever be able to look at Death Note again without thinking about how much I hate this. Rage.
Objectively, though, the art was very good. The story was slow and repetitive with little humor but an unceasingly optimistic tone in the face of darker elements such as suicide.
"Azuke isn't calculating, she's just being a girl in the natural way. How do I put it. Azuki naturally knows that 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 a girl won't look cute if she's overly smart"
"The reason that she's thinking about becoming a voice actress is she naturally chose a dream that many girls have nowadays, and she's just trying to enjoy her life fully as a girl".
"That's right, she knows what it means to be a girl. She knows by instinct that the best thing for a girl is to get married and become somebody's wife. ...and until then-no even after she's married she'll remain graceful and polite"
"No matter how cute a girl is, you can't really like her if she's utterly dumb, right? The same goes for the opposite. Iwase is pretty good looking, but she's not very likable, is she? She's the smartest girl in class grade-wise, but I don't like how she takes pride in that. That's why I actually think she's dumb".
In case you were worried that men were also bashed in this story, don't be, because "Men have dreams that women can never understand". Conveniently, they are also free to be academic without seeming snobby. They can take pride in the things they do well and they don't need to worry about being graceful and polite.
I hate the message in this book so much I wish I hadn't begun collecting it for our library, despite its popularity and the several requests for it by tween boys. There is nothing to be gained from young boys or girls reading a message so blatantly sexist and demeaning towards women. I can only hope the majority of them are smart enough to see through this. I won't ever be able to look at Death Note again without thinking about how much I hate this. Rage.
Objectively, though, the art was very good. The story was slow and repetitive with little humor but an unceasingly optimistic tone in the face of darker elements such as suicide.
October 25, 2014
Bakuman is about the universal story of artistic creation, as experienced through two high school boys trying to become manga successes. Like every high school student, Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are under enormous pressure to achieve high grades to get into a “good” university then onto a “good” job – but both are uneasy with the prospect of becoming faceless, miserable salarymen.
Mashiro loves to draw and his uncle was a moderately successful manga artist with a gag comic, while Takagi has dreams of becoming a famous manga writer, but he can’t draw. The two eventually team up and set about feverishly creating manga.
This is probably one of the best books I’ve read about the act of creation. And it’s by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, the creators of Death Note, so it not only feels genuine but also insightful into what goes into making a hit manga series. Perhaps most importantly, they don’t pull their punches on the reality of what that means.
They throw out stats of how few manga creators make enough money to live off on and how difficult it is for anyone who isn’t a bona fide genius to break through with the element of luck playing a large part in achieving what they’re after. Hence the title of the series: Bakuman: a conflation of Bakuchi Manga or Gambling Manga – you’re gambling when you’re creating because the odds are so heavily stacked against you to succeed but you’re still trying anyway.
But our heroes soldier on regardless of the stats, taking up Mashiro’s now-deceased manga artist uncle’s studio to create. It’s in this space that we see the real behind-the-scenes of a manga series. Boxes and boxes of unused drafts, storyboards, and rejected final pages that his uncle amassed over his short career, highlighting the fact that for every book published, there are at least 10 others that no-one will ever see that the artist had to make before getting accepted.
That and the uncle’s premature death from overwork underscores how much effort goes into creating these comics and what kind of commitment is required to get to the top – essentially sacrificing everything else in order to become good. Bearing in mind our main characters are high schoolers, it’s really refreshing to see a pair of driven, passionate creative young people pursuing their dream in a totally non-cynical way. It’s inspiring and their enthusiasm is infectious.
There is a romance element to the story, besides the romance of artistry, and that’s Mashiro’s crush on Miho Azuki, one of his classmates. But this isn’t a romance manga, and the crush is actually another aspect of the creative process. Because, as anyone who’s written a novel, or done anything creative will know, there’s a love of doing the thing inherent in the creator but sometimes what pushes the artist on and on is the focus of someone you deeply care for, and creating that thing for them. Ie. you’re probably creating something that’ll be seen by more than one person but that one person in your mind is the person you’re creating it for – they symbolically represent the entire audience but you only see that one person in your mind.
Bakuman is maybe the first book I’ve read that actually addresses this aspect of creative drive outright. It’s crudely the same principle of the carrot on the stick for the donkey, with Miho as the carrot that spurs Mashiro, the donkey, onto becoming a manga success. Once he achieves this, she’ll marry him, she says, though Miho sees something in Mashiro and knows she’s got to offer him something to accomplish the thing that’ll make him most happy: becoming a manga artist, not being with her.
Except it’s more than simply getting the carrot (I know I’m labouring this metaphor!) because Mashiro doesn’t know it yet but that’s not the point – in the short term it might seem to be, but the long term goal that he’s not fully aware of yet is what he’s really striving for. Though he needs the possibility of marrying Miho to get him on his way. It’s tricky to explain but I’ve gone through something similar, also at that age, so this book has a lot of resonance for me!
Bakuman Volume 1 has its flaws: Ohba references Death Note far too much in the script – it’s cute at first but gets old fast. Also, to be fair, anyone who’s ever contemplated writing a book/has written a book is likely to be aware that this requires an enormous investment of time and effort, so being told that here is a bit redundant.
Though you do learn certain things, like that there are numerous reference books totally made up of backgrounds to copy into your comic, and, if you’re a younger reader thinking about taking the plunge, it sets out the challenges ahead of you in a clear, though not necessarily discouraging, way.
The best thing about this comic about creation is that it’s so earnest, optimistic, and exhilarating about creating something, anything, that its likely to spur on anyone who’s thinking about becoming a writer/artist to do it. It totally captures the energy of being a teenager who’s just discovered the joy of art and the boundless possibilities it presents, hardships and all – and then impresses that upon the reader, whatever their age. What a fantastic book!
Mashiro loves to draw and his uncle was a moderately successful manga artist with a gag comic, while Takagi has dreams of becoming a famous manga writer, but he can’t draw. The two eventually team up and set about feverishly creating manga.
This is probably one of the best books I’ve read about the act of creation. And it’s by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, the creators of Death Note, so it not only feels genuine but also insightful into what goes into making a hit manga series. Perhaps most importantly, they don’t pull their punches on the reality of what that means.
They throw out stats of how few manga creators make enough money to live off on and how difficult it is for anyone who isn’t a bona fide genius to break through with the element of luck playing a large part in achieving what they’re after. Hence the title of the series: Bakuman: a conflation of Bakuchi Manga or Gambling Manga – you’re gambling when you’re creating because the odds are so heavily stacked against you to succeed but you’re still trying anyway.
But our heroes soldier on regardless of the stats, taking up Mashiro’s now-deceased manga artist uncle’s studio to create. It’s in this space that we see the real behind-the-scenes of a manga series. Boxes and boxes of unused drafts, storyboards, and rejected final pages that his uncle amassed over his short career, highlighting the fact that for every book published, there are at least 10 others that no-one will ever see that the artist had to make before getting accepted.
That and the uncle’s premature death from overwork underscores how much effort goes into creating these comics and what kind of commitment is required to get to the top – essentially sacrificing everything else in order to become good. Bearing in mind our main characters are high schoolers, it’s really refreshing to see a pair of driven, passionate creative young people pursuing their dream in a totally non-cynical way. It’s inspiring and their enthusiasm is infectious.
There is a romance element to the story, besides the romance of artistry, and that’s Mashiro’s crush on Miho Azuki, one of his classmates. But this isn’t a romance manga, and the crush is actually another aspect of the creative process. Because, as anyone who’s written a novel, or done anything creative will know, there’s a love of doing the thing inherent in the creator but sometimes what pushes the artist on and on is the focus of someone you deeply care for, and creating that thing for them. Ie. you’re probably creating something that’ll be seen by more than one person but that one person in your mind is the person you’re creating it for – they symbolically represent the entire audience but you only see that one person in your mind.
Bakuman is maybe the first book I’ve read that actually addresses this aspect of creative drive outright. It’s crudely the same principle of the carrot on the stick for the donkey, with Miho as the carrot that spurs Mashiro, the donkey, onto becoming a manga success. Once he achieves this, she’ll marry him, she says, though Miho sees something in Mashiro and knows she’s got to offer him something to accomplish the thing that’ll make him most happy: becoming a manga artist, not being with her.
Except it’s more than simply getting the carrot (I know I’m labouring this metaphor!) because Mashiro doesn’t know it yet but that’s not the point – in the short term it might seem to be, but the long term goal that he’s not fully aware of yet is what he’s really striving for. Though he needs the possibility of marrying Miho to get him on his way. It’s tricky to explain but I’ve gone through something similar, also at that age, so this book has a lot of resonance for me!
Bakuman Volume 1 has its flaws: Ohba references Death Note far too much in the script – it’s cute at first but gets old fast. Also, to be fair, anyone who’s ever contemplated writing a book/has written a book is likely to be aware that this requires an enormous investment of time and effort, so being told that here is a bit redundant.
Though you do learn certain things, like that there are numerous reference books totally made up of backgrounds to copy into your comic, and, if you’re a younger reader thinking about taking the plunge, it sets out the challenges ahead of you in a clear, though not necessarily discouraging, way.
The best thing about this comic about creation is that it’s so earnest, optimistic, and exhilarating about creating something, anything, that its likely to spur on anyone who’s thinking about becoming a writer/artist to do it. It totally captures the energy of being a teenager who’s just discovered the joy of art and the boundless possibilities it presents, hardships and all – and then impresses that upon the reader, whatever their age. What a fantastic book!
April 4, 2011
Bakuman sucks. I mean, at the beginning of the thing the author states how women are useless attachments to men, only making good wives and polite damsels in distress -- and if you're a smart woman and you know it, you're an obnoxious brat who will never ever get a man. And I used to think book burnings were ridiculous.
June 18, 2018
This is a semi-autobiographical story by the pair that gained fame with Death Note, depicting how they started working together. While I did not like the characters themselves, I thought the art and storytelling were both above average, especially when you consider that basically nothing is happening except two teen boys going to school and talking about their work plans.
And it is *work*. Really hard work that takes a lot of commitment! I'm not sure why this pair was so set on working hard immediately rather than, as they briefly discuss, getting into good high schools and maybe going to college as a back-up plan; however, I do gather from this and a manga I read depicting manga production from the editorial side that once one breaks into the field it is a demanding monthly schedule and not something normally done in addition to a day job the way writing novels is.
I liked the inclusion of the storyboards.
(Already agreed to get married later, but still too shy to make eye contact.)
This is the second manga I read this week that mentions Tomorrow's Joe -- which sadly does not seem to be available in English.
And it is *work*. Really hard work that takes a lot of commitment! I'm not sure why this pair was so set on working hard immediately rather than, as they briefly discuss, getting into good high schools and maybe going to college as a back-up plan; however, I do gather from this and a manga I read depicting manga production from the editorial side that once one breaks into the field it is a demanding monthly schedule and not something normally done in addition to a day job the way writing novels is.
I liked the inclusion of the storyboards.
(Already agreed to get married later, but still too shy to make eye contact.)
This is the second manga I read this week that mentions Tomorrow's Joe -- which sadly does not seem to be available in English.
February 12, 2013
I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to continue on with this series! It's nice to be reading manga again.
October 23, 2015
Average 14-year-old Moritaka doesn't expect anything out of life. His classmate Akito semi-blackmails him into helping Akito with his dream of becoming a manga artist, re-awakening a desire that Moritaka had forgotten.
The thing about this manga is that it's very, very, VERY Japanese. It is very interesting to see the process that Japanese manga goes through--certainly Americans don't get a lot of information about that and manga fans will be interested to know how it differs from the American scene.
But so much of the story is based on uniquely Japanese things, I feel that it's just boring. For example, at 14 and in their last year of middle school, the boys have to take entrance exams for high school, which can determine their future. So when at 14 Moritaka decides he wants to be a manga artist, he has to make a big announcement to his parents and grandfather and get their approval. Which just seems...weird.
Most annoying, and what really jolts me out of enjoying this, are the boys' attitudes.
That's right, they come right out and say that the obligatory love interest is the perfect girl because she's average and feminine and that those smart girls--ew, who wants those?
The reason this manga attracts attention are the names behind it: it writer-and-artist duo that also did Death Note. Like Death Note, it's written well and have nice, detailed art. However, like Death Note it also has an overabundance of type--the wordiness worked well in Death Note because the characters of that series were playing mind games and had to think out everything. However, this series is lighter, and it really needs to work more on SHOWING and not TELLING.
The thing about this manga is that it's very, very, VERY Japanese. It is very interesting to see the process that Japanese manga goes through--certainly Americans don't get a lot of information about that and manga fans will be interested to know how it differs from the American scene.
But so much of the story is based on uniquely Japanese things, I feel that it's just boring. For example, at 14 and in their last year of middle school, the boys have to take entrance exams for high school, which can determine their future. So when at 14 Moritaka decides he wants to be a manga artist, he has to make a big announcement to his parents and grandfather and get their approval. Which just seems...weird.
Most annoying, and what really jolts me out of enjoying this, are the boys' attitudes.
[Akito on why Azuki, the main love interest, is actually smart and a good person:] Azuki naturally knows that 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 a girl won't look cute if she's overly smart
[...]
She knows by instinct that the best thing for a girl is to get married and become somebody's wife, and even after she's married, she'll remain graceful and polite. And she does all that without calculation, so she's a hundred time smarter than Iwase, the girl with the best grades in class.
...Iwase is pretty good-looking, but she's not very likable, is she? She's the smartest girl in class grade-wise, but I don't like how she takes pride in that. That's why I actually think she's dumb.
That's right, they come right out and say that the obligatory love interest is the perfect girl because she's average and feminine and that those smart girls--ew, who wants those?
The reason this manga attracts attention are the names behind it: it writer-and-artist duo that also did Death Note. Like Death Note, it's written well and have nice, detailed art. However, like Death Note it also has an overabundance of type--the wordiness worked well in Death Note because the characters of that series were playing mind games and had to think out everything. However, this series is lighter, and it really needs to work more on SHOWING and not TELLING.
May 28, 2013
I've read manga and enjoyed anime for a really large part of my life, probably close to 25 years now. The last few series I've tried though, have made me start to think that I might be growing out of it all, which I suppose happens and can be sad but our tastes change as we age so I assume it's not all that uncommon to suddenly enjoy different things instead.
With that being said though, I think I was just picking the wrong stuff. Bakuman has reminded me of why I've always enjoyed this medium. I love art, I love Japan, and I love a great story with characters I can relate to.
I've read the entirety of the Death Note series, which was also written/drawn by both Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, so I was definitely curious to see if they could come up with another smash hit together, especially since Bakuman is entirely fantasy-free.
Well, I loved this first volume, a lot. If you've ever been interested in the manga industry at all, you'll get a kick out of all of the insider info that these two mangaka provide. And they don't make up a fake publisher either, which is doubly interesting, so I'm assuming we're getting to see what really goes on behind the scenes at Shueisha, which I find fascinating. Weekly Shounen Jump, the Tezuka Award, various real manga series are all name-dropped, and while this might seem like it's just that—name-dropping—I think it really adds to the authenticity of the story: which is two young men wanting to become manga writers.
With Death Note, Ohba and Obata were known for creating multifaceted characters with deep back stories and super intense story-lines with many twists and turns, and you wouldn't think they'd be able to recreate that sort of atmosphere in a slice-of-life type manga, but somehow they've done it.
I'm so excited that these two mangaka have brought me back to feeling something towards new manga, when at the most I've just felt apathy. And while parts of the story are a bit over-the-top (I mean, really, what manga doesn't have those parts?) I still really enjoyed this first volume in its entirety. Can't wait to continue on and see how these two young men fulfill their dreams.
With that being said though, I think I was just picking the wrong stuff. Bakuman has reminded me of why I've always enjoyed this medium. I love art, I love Japan, and I love a great story with characters I can relate to.
I've read the entirety of the Death Note series, which was also written/drawn by both Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, so I was definitely curious to see if they could come up with another smash hit together, especially since Bakuman is entirely fantasy-free.
Well, I loved this first volume, a lot. If you've ever been interested in the manga industry at all, you'll get a kick out of all of the insider info that these two mangaka provide. And they don't make up a fake publisher either, which is doubly interesting, so I'm assuming we're getting to see what really goes on behind the scenes at Shueisha, which I find fascinating. Weekly Shounen Jump, the Tezuka Award, various real manga series are all name-dropped, and while this might seem like it's just that—name-dropping—I think it really adds to the authenticity of the story: which is two young men wanting to become manga writers.
With Death Note, Ohba and Obata were known for creating multifaceted characters with deep back stories and super intense story-lines with many twists and turns, and you wouldn't think they'd be able to recreate that sort of atmosphere in a slice-of-life type manga, but somehow they've done it.
I'm so excited that these two mangaka have brought me back to feeling something towards new manga, when at the most I've just felt apathy. And while parts of the story are a bit over-the-top (I mean, really, what manga doesn't have those parts?) I still really enjoyed this first volume in its entirety. Can't wait to continue on and see how these two young men fulfill their dreams.
July 7, 2021
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.
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.
June 18, 2017
Wow I loved the references to other manga, especially this teams manga, Death Note. There was one thing about stereotypical masculinity that was a little iffy for me, but overall I really loved this first installment. On to the second one!
July 15, 2018
Bakuman is a story about two high school boys who decide to create manga together. It's from the same guys who did Death Note, which I thought was stupid as hell, so I was glad to find out that Bakuman is a better story. The creative process is really cool to see in detail, and all the inner workings of Japanese manga publishing provided an interesting insight into the industry. Unfortunately, the book also features a REALLY annoying and cheesy romance storyline, and the two protagonists often spew various sexist remarks which... wasn't great, let's just say. If you check out other reviews here on GR, you'll see more detailed examples, and that is a 100% valid criticism that bothered me, too. Maybe it's the cultural difference between Japan and the West, maybe it's just the 14 year old boys' worldview (due to their lack of, y'know, brains), but the fact remains the same — this manga pushes some really sexist shit on its readers. So yeah, that and the annoying romance are the biggest threats to my enjoyment of the series so far, but I am willing to give it a chance and check out the next volume. I would much rather just have a story about two guys nerding out and creating manga together, though, because that's where Bakuman truly shines.
March 18, 2016
I got to about 80 pages and got frustrated. That's when I started skimming. I tried really hard but I couldn't take it anymore. This manga was strong on the heteronormativity and anti-feminism. It was rude and degrading to females and I really couldn't take it anymore after 106 pages.
May 15, 2016
Bakuman is one of the closest things manga has to a YA novel. Sure, plenty of mangas focus on teenagers, but this is one of the only one I've seen that are focused on exploring characters and what it's like to be a teenager. A YA reader myself, that makes me far more comfortable with the manga, more like it's close to home. Combined with the fact that Tsugumi Ohba, the same person who wrote Death Note, was responsible for this one, I knew, going in that I'd love this. It helps that I also liked the anime. That's always a useful indicator.
Probably the best part is the characters. The characters here are just as human and multi-fractured as they were in Death Note, but with more of a contemporary touch. The characterization here doesn't have the same morbid and serious tone as Death Note; Ohba allows himself to have a lot more fun here. That makes the characters a lot more appropriate for the genre. I was worried that Ohba wouldn't handled that transition well when I went into the anime, but I was pleasantly surprised. It couldn't have been done better. Moritaka is a very realistic and relatable protagonist, as was Akito. We don't see a lot of secondary characters in this volume, so those are the only two that are properly fleshed out, but Ohba is still definitely skilled at what he's doing.
The artwork is pretty good as well. I'm not an artist, so I have very little insightful to say here, but I will say this: I feel like Obata's style is more suited to fantasy than to contemporary fiction. The drawings aren't bad - the character designs feel appropriate, and whatnot - I just feel like there's missed potential for Obata. That said, I still enjoyed the artwork - I could always tell what was going on, and Obata did a great job of capturing the characters and their emotions.
And, of course, I can't forget the story. The premise of manga about making manga is fascinating, and Ohba's milking it for all its worth. Not only do we get information about how manga is made (the rough drafts of the story provided at the chapter breaks were particularly interesting), but we also get lots about the boys' attitudes of going into the manga business. We see how Moritaka is worried about making money, about having a good life and doing what he loves at the same time, which will ring true to anyone who's ever thought of writing for a living. It certainly did for me. You'd think this story would get kind of slow, but the pacing skills we saw in Death Note haven't abandoned Ohba. He does a great job of moving things a long so that we see just enough of things to keep an interest, but not so much that the plot drags and we get bored.
So why the four star rating you ask? The misogyny. The goddamned misogyny.
Alright, so it's common knowledge that Death Note is pretty sexist. There's that infamous "You're just my fiance now" scene, the only important female character is fueled by her love for a boy... you probably know about all that. However, Death Note never got as bad as this. Take a look at a scene that I thought I was hallucinating as I first read it:
Holy fuck. I mean, holy fuck.
So, apparently, to be smart as a girl, it's not about having actual intelligence or making good grades. No, to be smart as a girl, you have to do what's expected of you as a girl, so that boys will like you. That's what's really smart; just do whatever it takes to marry a good man. And if you're like Iwase, who actually makes good grades and tries to make something of herself, she's dumb, because she's not sucking up to men.
That is extremely sexist. I don't think I've ever seen anything that offensive to women that was professionally published in this century. It's possible that Ohba doesn't actually believe this, and he's just writing it because it's what teenage boys would say, but teenage boys wouldn't say that! I am a teenage boy - nobody I know actually believes that, and if someone said that to me, I'd probably hit them.
I really hope the sexism doesn't keep you from reading this manga, although I suppose I understand if it does. Despite what I just said, this is actually a really good manga, with interesting characters, great artwork, and a good story. However, I do like the anime better than the manga - the story feels more complete, the artwork is a little better, and it makes the conversation I quoted above a lot less painful (although still not great). Nevertheless, I still recommend this manga, even in spite of its flaws.
A new and improved version of this review can be found on my blog.
Probably the best part is the characters. The characters here are just as human and multi-fractured as they were in Death Note, but with more of a contemporary touch. The characterization here doesn't have the same morbid and serious tone as Death Note; Ohba allows himself to have a lot more fun here. That makes the characters a lot more appropriate for the genre. I was worried that Ohba wouldn't handled that transition well when I went into the anime, but I was pleasantly surprised. It couldn't have been done better. Moritaka is a very realistic and relatable protagonist, as was Akito. We don't see a lot of secondary characters in this volume, so those are the only two that are properly fleshed out, but Ohba is still definitely skilled at what he's doing.
The artwork is pretty good as well. I'm not an artist, so I have very little insightful to say here, but I will say this: I feel like Obata's style is more suited to fantasy than to contemporary fiction. The drawings aren't bad - the character designs feel appropriate, and whatnot - I just feel like there's missed potential for Obata. That said, I still enjoyed the artwork - I could always tell what was going on, and Obata did a great job of capturing the characters and their emotions.
And, of course, I can't forget the story. The premise of manga about making manga is fascinating, and Ohba's milking it for all its worth. Not only do we get information about how manga is made (the rough drafts of the story provided at the chapter breaks were particularly interesting), but we also get lots about the boys' attitudes of going into the manga business. We see how Moritaka is worried about making money, about having a good life and doing what he loves at the same time, which will ring true to anyone who's ever thought of writing for a living. It certainly did for me. You'd think this story would get kind of slow, but the pacing skills we saw in Death Note haven't abandoned Ohba. He does a great job of moving things a long so that we see just enough of things to keep an interest, but not so much that the plot drags and we get bored.
So why the four star rating you ask? The misogyny. The goddamned misogyny.
Alright, so it's common knowledge that Death Note is pretty sexist. There's that infamous "You're just my fiance now" scene, the only important female character is fueled by her love for a boy... you probably know about all that. However, Death Note never got as bad as this. Take a look at a scene that I thought I was hallucinating as I first read it:
Moritaka: Azuki isn't that smart, is she? She seems to study a lot, but her grades are just above average.
Akito: She's probably just pretending to study.
Moritaka: Pretending?
Akito: The real dumb students are the ones who take perfect notes in class, ask the teacher questions, study at home, but still get low grades. [...] Azuki isn't calculating. She's just being a girl in a natural way.
Moritaka: Huh? I don't get it. Explain.
Akito: How do I put it? Azuki knows naturally that a girl should be graceful and polite, and because she's a girl, she should be earnest about things and get average grades. She knows by instinct that a girl won't look cute if she's overly-smart. [...] The reason she's thinking about becoming a voice actress is she chose a dream that many girls have nowadays, and she's just trying to fully enjoy her life as a girl. She doesn't feel any pressure like we do about our future and whatnot.
Moritaka: Because she's a girl?
Akito: That's right. She knows what it means to be a girl. She knows by instinct that the best thing for a girl is to get married and become somebody's wife, and until then - no, even after she's married - she'll remain graceful and polite. And she does all that without calculation, so she's a hundred times smarter than Iwase, the girl with the best grades in our class. No matter how cute a girl is, you can't like her if she's litterly dumb, right? [sic] The same goes for the opposite. Iwase is pretty good-looking, but she's not very likable, is she? She's the smartest girl in class grade-wise, but I don't like how she takes pride in that. That's why I think she's actually dumb.
Holy fuck. I mean, holy fuck.
So, apparently, to be smart as a girl, it's not about having actual intelligence or making good grades. No, to be smart as a girl, you have to do what's expected of you as a girl, so that boys will like you. That's what's really smart; just do whatever it takes to marry a good man. And if you're like Iwase, who actually makes good grades and tries to make something of herself, she's dumb, because she's not sucking up to men.
That is extremely sexist. I don't think I've ever seen anything that offensive to women that was professionally published in this century. It's possible that Ohba doesn't actually believe this, and he's just writing it because it's what teenage boys would say, but teenage boys wouldn't say that! I am a teenage boy - nobody I know actually believes that, and if someone said that to me, I'd probably hit them.
I really hope the sexism doesn't keep you from reading this manga, although I suppose I understand if it does. Despite what I just said, this is actually a really good manga, with interesting characters, great artwork, and a good story. However, I do like the anime better than the manga - the story feels more complete, the artwork is a little better, and it makes the conversation I quoted above a lot less painful (although still not great). Nevertheless, I still recommend this manga, even in spite of its flaws.
A new and improved version of this review can be found on my blog.
June 17, 2016
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
First off, I want to say that I LOVE the art and character designs. They're really phenomenal, and I can't praise them enough. I think that Takeshi Obata is quite possibly the best manga artist out there.
I also think that the story is cute...to a point.
But the issues with this series so far are hard to overlook. First of all, the story's not really all that interesting or gripping in the way it's told. The plot feels so very slow. I know that realistically, deciding to become a manga artist/storyteller is a process, and it's fun to hear about it from authors who can speak from experience. But this is fiction, and in fiction you have to trim the fat. It felt like this volume dragged the process on forever. The subplots involving Azuki and her mother didn't really feel relevant to the story and just added to the meandering pace.
But the worst thing is how blatantly sexist this volume was. Understand, I am NOT the sort of person who goes into things looking for any sort of discrimination. I'm a little willing to let things slide if the story is good, or if it's just a few characters who act discriminatory. But in this world, no truly smart females seem to exist, and only males are shown to be able to aspire to greatness. To have the two main leads have a really long discussion about how women are 'smart' if they play dumb, how they ought to know their place as good, quiet wives, and claim that the most intelligent girl in the class is 'snobbish' because she takes pride in her own accomplishments...that's really just awful. And very much a double standard. Goodness knows the male characters are encouraged to be proud of what they do...
I know Death Note is accused of being sexist, and I don't know...the thing about sexism in Death Note is that it isn't portrayed as something good. Light's misogyny isn't shown to be something to aspire to. And the other characters in Death Note seem to treat women fairly well, so I never got a vibe that the creators themselves were sexist, just that they had created a character who was.
This is different.
The main character's mom ends up saying this statement, which is portrayed as a revelatory comment and treated as true and correct by the narrative:
"Men have dreams that women can't understand."
I know it's true in Asia that more traditional roles for men and women are encouraged, but this is a new level I'm not accustomed to...I've seen plenty of awesome portrayals of women in manga (shounen included) before, so I don't understand this, especially given how recently Bakuman came out. Just why was any of the sexism necessary?
First off, I want to say that I LOVE the art and character designs. They're really phenomenal, and I can't praise them enough. I think that Takeshi Obata is quite possibly the best manga artist out there.
I also think that the story is cute...to a point.
But the issues with this series so far are hard to overlook. First of all, the story's not really all that interesting or gripping in the way it's told. The plot feels so very slow. I know that realistically, deciding to become a manga artist/storyteller is a process, and it's fun to hear about it from authors who can speak from experience. But this is fiction, and in fiction you have to trim the fat. It felt like this volume dragged the process on forever. The subplots involving Azuki and her mother didn't really feel relevant to the story and just added to the meandering pace.
But the worst thing is how blatantly sexist this volume was. Understand, I am NOT the sort of person who goes into things looking for any sort of discrimination. I'm a little willing to let things slide if the story is good, or if it's just a few characters who act discriminatory. But in this world, no truly smart females seem to exist, and only males are shown to be able to aspire to greatness. To have the two main leads have a really long discussion about how women are 'smart' if they play dumb, how they ought to know their place as good, quiet wives, and claim that the most intelligent girl in the class is 'snobbish' because she takes pride in her own accomplishments...that's really just awful. And very much a double standard. Goodness knows the male characters are encouraged to be proud of what they do...
I know Death Note is accused of being sexist, and I don't know...the thing about sexism in Death Note is that it isn't portrayed as something good. Light's misogyny isn't shown to be something to aspire to. And the other characters in Death Note seem to treat women fairly well, so I never got a vibe that the creators themselves were sexist, just that they had created a character who was.
This is different.
The main character's mom ends up saying this statement, which is portrayed as a revelatory comment and treated as true and correct by the narrative:
"Men have dreams that women can't understand."
I know it's true in Asia that more traditional roles for men and women are encouraged, but this is a new level I'm not accustomed to...I've seen plenty of awesome portrayals of women in manga (shounen included) before, so I don't understand this, especially given how recently Bakuman came out. Just why was any of the sexism necessary?
June 28, 2015
RATING: 2.5 stars.
I really like the idea of this manga: a look at the manga industry in Japan and about the processes needed to become a manga-ka, but the rampant sexism dulled my enjoyment.
Come on, saying men don't like overly smart women that show it? Saying women know instinctively that they shouldn't appear too smart if they want to "catch" a man and praising the female love interest for being "sensible" and coming across as a mediocre person (pardon, woman) with mediocre grades and aspirations (probably just marrying and being a good wife).
And rambling on about "man stuff" that women wouldn't understand like... following one's dreams for real, because being a manga-ka is a serious dream while pursuing a career as a voice actress - which is the main female character's dream - is classified as a fancy and something not serious (and the female knows it too... she's just passing time until she gets married).
Come on, is this the 60's? Please tell me this isn't the prevalent mentality in Japan! I had no idea they were so backwards (and I'm hoping they are not and that these two authors are just idiots).
I'll keep reading because the idea is interesting (and I've already bought the manga), but really, this made me want to throw the book at the wall. The overall idea about gender roles was so outdated and disgusting I am scared American kids will actually believe this bullshit. Ugh, just... no. Bad authors.
I really like the idea of this manga: a look at the manga industry in Japan and about the processes needed to become a manga-ka, but the rampant sexism dulled my enjoyment.
Come on, saying men don't like overly smart women that show it? Saying women know instinctively that they shouldn't appear too smart if they want to "catch" a man and praising the female love interest for being "sensible" and coming across as a mediocre person (pardon, woman) with mediocre grades and aspirations (probably just marrying and being a good wife).
And rambling on about "man stuff" that women wouldn't understand like... following one's dreams for real, because being a manga-ka is a serious dream while pursuing a career as a voice actress - which is the main female character's dream - is classified as a fancy and something not serious (and the female knows it too... she's just passing time until she gets married).
Come on, is this the 60's? Please tell me this isn't the prevalent mentality in Japan! I had no idea they were so backwards (and I'm hoping they are not and that these two authors are just idiots).
I'll keep reading because the idea is interesting (and I've already bought the manga), but really, this made me want to throw the book at the wall. The overall idea about gender roles was so outdated and disgusting I am scared American kids will actually believe this bullshit. Ugh, just... no. Bad authors.
August 19, 2017
3.5!
I really enjoyed the story, the characters are great! But there is so much sexism in this manga! Not a fan of that aspect, but I enjoyed everything else.
I really enjoyed the story, the characters are great! But there is so much sexism in this manga! Not a fan of that aspect, but I enjoyed everything else.
March 16, 2015
The authors of Deathnote do all of us a favor in creating the behind the scenes story of manga work, manga artistry. Valuable, interesting, funny, gets to the nitty gritty of survival in a "career" that barely ekes out a living for most artists (is this true of most of the arts, that it takes so much dedication and then there is almost no chance with all the competition that you will succeed? I think so). But this is great stuff, and fascinating to read it with Death Note, as I did this week. I need to write more here about this really good story. Sam Quixote's review is the one to read here to appreciate what's going on here.
Finished rereading it for my class and I liked it even more the second time. Good to pair with Death Note, (as it is a fictional story about the making of Death Note!). It's both informative and entertaining about the personal lives (girlfriends) of young manga-ka, the industry, the politics, the ruthless competition.
Finished rereading it for my class and I liked it even more the second time. Good to pair with Death Note, (as it is a fictional story about the making of Death Note!). It's both informative and entertaining about the personal lives (girlfriends) of young manga-ka, the industry, the politics, the ruthless competition.
August 15, 2014
Sexist as hell. No, sorry, hell is less sexist, probably.
February 2, 2020
A journey of aspiring manga artists.
December 21, 2023
this was so fucking sexist
August 5, 2019
I loved every second of this! Romance, art, friendship, heartache, humor... what more could you want?
June 11, 2019
3.5/5.0
December 19, 2017
15 Sep 2015:
Baru terbit & baca sampe vol.11
Baik gambar & ceritanya bikin klepek-klepek~ (^,,^)
____________
Edited ~ 19 Des 2017:
Baca sampai tamat di vol.20 \(^ヮ^)/
Dari volume pertama, komik ini sudah menjanjikan 'pertarungan' ala shounen yang serba lebay-dhuar-dhuar ･゜ﾟ･*☆ sekaligus keromantisan yang terlihat 'mustahil' di dunia manapun juga, kecuali dunia imajinasi bocah kelas 5 SD yang udah nekat pacaran dan saling panggil Papa-Mama~ //marikitamengheningkanciptasejenak
Tapi aku ga bisa membenci semangat pertarungannya yang membara~ Komik Bakuman ini berhasil menjelaskan kepada pembaca yang awam (*guguk memandang cermin*) mengenai bagaimana proses sebuah komik bisa dimuat di majalah, dan seperti apa persaingan antar komik di majalah tersebut, sampai berhasil maju ke tahap berikutnya: diterbitkan sebagai tankobon dan dibuatkan anime.
Karena aura shounen yang membahana tadi, tentunya persaingan di sini digambarkan ibarat bertarung melawan musuh yang super canggih dan bersenjata lengkap -- di komik ini diperankan oleh sang dewa Niizuma ❤
Niizuma adalah tipe 'musuh' yang kelewat mudah dicintai:
Yang paling menyenangkan dari komik Bakuman ini adalah:
- semua (yah, hampir semua^^) berteman sekaligus bersaing secara sehat
- ide-ide cerita komik yang dibuat oleh mereka semua itu bikin penasaran... bikin pengen baca komik-komik karya mereka yang keliatannya menarik banget.
Lalu, soal sub-plot-romance-nya (*sambil melirik seseorang* ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)): mungkin romance yang kelewat ideal seperti ini cenderung di-meh-meh-kan oleh pembaca yang sudah makan asam di gunung dan garam di laut...
Tapi!
....manis sekali~!! b(❤ω❤)d
Dengan begitu banyak tokoh yang berbintang-bintang, yang paling keren adalah Shinta Fukuda (☆ω☆) tukang ikut campur yang setia kawan habis-habisan. Tanpa peduli situasi, kondisi, dan cuaca, Fukuda selalu ada untuk teman dengan gayanya yang gahar bin slengean itu~
Puas sekali dengan terbitan M&C ini!! o(≧▽≦)o Dialog yang bejibun itu enak dibaca dan sangat minim typo (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b Keren! ❤
Akan menantikan diterbitkannya lagi komik karya Ohba-sensei dan Obata-sensei °˖✧◝(^ヮ^)◜✧˖°
Baru terbit & baca sampe vol.11
Baik gambar & ceritanya bikin klepek-klepek~ (^,,^)
____________
Edited ~ 19 Des 2017:
Baca sampai tamat di vol.20 \(^ヮ^)/
Dari volume pertama, komik ini sudah menjanjikan 'pertarungan' ala shounen yang serba lebay-dhuar-dhuar ･゜ﾟ･*☆ sekaligus keromantisan yang terlihat 'mustahil' di dunia manapun juga, kecuali dunia imajinasi bocah kelas 5 SD yang udah nekat pacaran dan saling panggil Papa-Mama~ //marikitamengheningkanciptasejenak
Tapi aku ga bisa membenci semangat pertarungannya yang membara~ Komik Bakuman ini berhasil menjelaskan kepada pembaca yang awam (*guguk memandang cermin*) mengenai bagaimana proses sebuah komik bisa dimuat di majalah, dan seperti apa persaingan antar komik di majalah tersebut, sampai berhasil maju ke tahap berikutnya: diterbitkan sebagai tankobon dan dibuatkan anime.
Karena aura shounen yang membahana tadi, tentunya persaingan di sini digambarkan ibarat bertarung melawan musuh yang super canggih dan bersenjata lengkap -- di komik ini diperankan oleh sang dewa Niizuma ❤
Niizuma adalah tipe 'musuh' yang kelewat mudah dicintai:
Yang paling menyenangkan dari komik Bakuman ini adalah:
- semua (yah, hampir semua^^) berteman sekaligus bersaing secara sehat
- ide-ide cerita komik yang dibuat oleh mereka semua itu bikin penasaran... bikin pengen baca komik-komik karya mereka yang keliatannya menarik banget.
Lalu, soal sub-plot-romance-nya (*sambil melirik seseorang* ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)): mungkin romance yang kelewat ideal seperti ini cenderung di-meh-meh-kan oleh pembaca yang sudah makan asam di gunung dan garam di laut...
Tapi!
....manis sekali~!! b(❤ω❤)d
Dengan begitu banyak tokoh yang berbintang-bintang, yang paling keren adalah Shinta Fukuda (☆ω☆) tukang ikut campur yang setia kawan habis-habisan. Tanpa peduli situasi, kondisi, dan cuaca, Fukuda selalu ada untuk teman dengan gayanya yang gahar bin slengean itu~
Puas sekali dengan terbitan M&C ini!! o(≧▽≦)o Dialog yang bejibun itu enak dibaca dan sangat minim typo (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b Keren! ❤
Akan menantikan diterbitkannya lagi komik karya Ohba-sensei dan Obata-sensei °˖✧◝(^ヮ^)◜✧˖°
February 23, 2013
My girls love manga. I've never been too interested, but because this one is dealing with creating manga and a peek into the publishing world of a popular manga magazine, and because a friend enjoyed it, I'm trying the series. I like the art and the inside look - however fictional or non-fictional it may be - of manga publishing, but I don't like the author's attitude toward women - or at least his characters' observations about women (ie. girls know that it is better to be cute than smart and a really smart girls will not try to get too good of grades in school in order to be more cute). It's kind of interesting/funny, as I believe this is "shonen" manga (if I'm not mistaken) which is aimed at boys. So, while there is a romantic sub-plot, the romantic characters have decided not to speak to each other (or even get to KNOW each other) until they have each achieved their respective career dreams and then... they will get married. Riiiiiiggghhht. Perhaps this plot will mature as the 14 yo characters mature throughout the series (let's hope so), but at present, it seems to be a shy, adolescent boy's fantasy of ending up with the cutest girl in school wanting to marry him, but he doesn't actually have to talk to her...EVER. hahahaha!
I'm making my way through the 2nd and then 3rd books in this series, trying to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I must admit at this point, there is quite a bit of doubt. I know, perhaps, I need to suspend my disbelief a bit more to enjoy the story, but quite often I'm finding myself shaking my head.
I'm making my way through the 2nd and then 3rd books in this series, trying to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I must admit at this point, there is quite a bit of doubt. I know, perhaps, I need to suspend my disbelief a bit more to enjoy the story, but quite often I'm finding myself shaking my head.
January 18, 2020
Vraiment génial pour celui ou celle qui veut en apprendre plus sur l’univers du manga. Un manga sur deux jeunes qui veulent faire du manga, l’auteur de death note frappe très fort. Par contre, certains commentaires sexistes , dans notre culture occidentale, (pt qu’ils sont ironiques, mais c’est quelque chose que je ne comprends pas) m’empêchent de donner 5 sur 5 à ce premier volume d’une série qui m’apparait prometteuse d’un bon moment de lecture.
August 4, 2016
Шедевр. У меня все.
April 6, 2021
I loved all the detail about making manga, but I hated the misogyny and toxic masculinity, so I won't be reading any more of this.
January 22, 2019
Around the World in 52 Books:
21. Something borrowed
------------------------
I decided to start reading more manga as my brother owns quite a lot and he has this entire collection so here we go! As for the story, it sounds really promising and I'm really excited to carry on reading. This first one was a bit slow for my taste but I understand it, as it is the foundation of the story. I liked the characters fine, we'll see how they develop, and as for the art it's really simple but I really like it! My favourite part of the story is how inspiring it is and how it encourages you to chase after what you want to do no matter what!
21. Something borrowed
------------------------
I decided to start reading more manga as my brother owns quite a lot and he has this entire collection so here we go! As for the story, it sounds really promising and I'm really excited to carry on reading. This first one was a bit slow for my taste but I understand it, as it is the foundation of the story. I liked the characters fine, we'll see how they develop, and as for the art it's really simple but I really like it! My favourite part of the story is how inspiring it is and how it encourages you to chase after what you want to do no matter what!
Read
October 25, 2011"La serie que reseñamos a continuación es, valga la redundancia, un manga sobre dos chavales que quieren hacer un manga. Bajo esta simple premisa, sin embargo, se esconde una gran historia de sueños de futuro, amistad y afán de superación, de la mano de Tsugumi Oba y Takeshi Obata. El nombre de estos autores os sonará porque son los que nos regalaron la magnífica Death Note. Ahora regresan con nuevas fuerzas y un relato que no es de fantasía (y por esta razón Obata confiesa estar "un poco nervioso"). Pero no hay motivo de alarma, pues la obra vale mucho la pena aunque no haya shinigamis de por medio. Bakuman cuenta la historia de Saiko (Moritaka Mashiro) y Shujin (Akito Takagi), dos estudiantes de secundaria con un sueño: llegar a ser mangakas mundialmente reconocidos. Shujin es una fuente constante de argumentos y Saiko dibuja muy bien; no en vano, su tío Nobuhiro fue mangaka profesional, aunque desgraciadamente nunca pasó de ser un artista mediocre y obsesionado por su trabajo. Por este motivo, Saiko nunca se ha planteado en serio lo de ser mangaka: no quiere acabar con su tío, que falleció de forma prematura. Sin embargo, la insistencia de Shujin y un incipiente romance con la tímida Azuki terminarán por decidirlo a probar suerte en el difícil mundo de la viñeta. Juntos, Saiko y Shujin formarán un tándem demoledor que está dispuesto a trabajar muy duro para hacer realidad sus sueños. Sigue leyendo ---> http://www.eltemplodelasmilpuertas.com"
February 19, 2013
So not for me. You know, I'd really liked Death Note, so normally I would have been all over a manga by the same writer. But Ohba switched gears here, dramatically, going from a dark fantasy with some interesting things to think about to... a light contemporary manga with super-shallow romance? Ok. The main character here has teamed up with a classmate to write manga. I guess we're supposed to be getting something like a behind the scenes look at the process, and I suppose it isn't inaccurate. It just isn't terribly insightful. There's nothing in here that a regular reader of manga wouldn't have already known or guessed at, so there's nothing really learned.
And then there's the shallowest of shallow romances, between the main character and a girl at school he's never spoken to. In their first "convesation" (if you can call it that) he announces that he'll write a manga and asks her to voice the lead if it ever gets made into an anime... and then they'll get married. Until then, they'll only speak by text and email. And he doesn't get her email or phone number to text her. So how exactly is this supposed to work? I guess we're supposed to be impressed by the "purity" of their feelings. I'm just bored by the concept, and think it should be doomed to failure.
Frankly, the whole book was boring to me. What a shame.
And then there's the shallowest of shallow romances, between the main character and a girl at school he's never spoken to. In their first "convesation" (if you can call it that) he announces that he'll write a manga and asks her to voice the lead if it ever gets made into an anime... and then they'll get married. Until then, they'll only speak by text and email. And he doesn't get her email or phone number to text her. So how exactly is this supposed to work? I guess we're supposed to be impressed by the "purity" of their feelings. I'm just bored by the concept, and think it should be doomed to failure.
Frankly, the whole book was boring to me. What a shame.
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