Review: Bakuman Volume 1

By MisledYouth 1 year, 5 months ago

Death Note is one of my favorite series. If there were a series that I could blame for solidifying me as a nerd/geek/otaku (I prefer being called a nerd), it would have to be Death Note. It had such an intriguing plot, thought up by Tsugumi Ohba; and the artwork, done by Takeshi Obata, was just amazing. I had heard of a new collaboration between the two of them on a new series called Bakuman, but with the closing of scan sites like OneManga.com, I never had a chance to check it out. That is until recently, when the first volume was published by Shonen Jump.

Bakuman begins its story with a junior high student named Moritaka Mashiro; an average student that knows he’s just going to grow up to have an average life. He spends a lot of his time in class drawing sketches in his notebook of people around him, specifically his crush, Azuki Miho. One day Mashiro arrives home only to realize he has forgotten the notebook with his sketches. When he goes to retrieve his notebook, his worst fear is realized when the smartest kid in class, Akito Takagi, is holding his notebook. Fortunately, Takagi has an interesting proposition for Mashiro.

Takagi had been observing Mashiro from the back of the class for quite some time. He knows that Mashiro draws constantly and that he has a crush on Azuki; he also believes that Azuki shares the same feelings towards Mashiro. Ultimately, Takagi believes that by working with Mashiro, they would be able to become mangaka (manga writers/artists) and not end up living ordinary lives. Mashiro is reluctant to give him an immediate answer, so Takagi gives back the notebook and tells him to think about the proposition.

Later that day, Mashiro gets a call from an excited Takagi who tells him to meet up with him as soon as possible. Takagi is planning to confess something to Azuki, but Mashiro has no idea what it is. When they arrive at Azuki’s place, Mashiro confesses to her that he plans to become a manga creator; he also divulges the fact that Azuki is working to become a seiyū (voice actress). Mashiro then turns the spotlight on a bewildered Takagi, who in all the adrenaline and excitement, says that he will be drawing the art for their manga. Before leaving Azuki’s residence, Takagi makes a bold move; he makes Azuki promise him that they will get married when their dreams become a reality.

All this happens in the matter of one chapter, and the first volume has seven chapters. If you want to find out what her answer was and what happens to Mashiro and Takagi, you will need to get a copy of Bakuman yourself.

Personal Opinion: The story does not deal with surreal events like Death Note did, which is fine with me because I enjoy reading stories that are more realistic and could actually happen. Though there is not a lot of action going on, there is a lot of story, drama and character development. What really makes Bakuman so great is Takeshi Obata’s artwork. The pages where Mashiro and Takagi are making their confessions feel so intense due to Obata’s drawings; they made me feel like I was in the moment with them and feeling what they were feeling. Overall, Bakuman was a good read; I look forward to the next book and the upcoming anime adaptation that comes out this fall.

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