Bakuman?, Vol. 1: Dreams and Reality

I love this book it was amazing im going to buy the second volume and watch the anime. I highly recommend

The year was 2009, and I was looking for some good manga to read because I got kind of tired of Bleach. I found out about this amazing manga called Death Note. I read it in 3 days, and LOVED it. Ohba and Obata (The writer and artist) are geniuses! One year later, I found out that the duo were writing another manga series called Bakuman. I was kind of skeptic about reading it at first, but when I started, I could not put it down. It hooks you in from the very first chapter. The characters seem so real, and they are very well developed. The plot is also very interesting. This story follows the junior high students, Takagi (Shujin) and Mashiro (Saiko), as they pursue their dreams of becoming mangakas (people who make a living off of writing/drawing manga). At first Mashiro is timid to cooperate, but when he confesses his love to his dream crush (Azuki Miho) he promises her that once he becomes a mangaka, they will marry. Mashiro doesn't actually mean to say that, it just sort of slips out, but then it turns out for the better. Azuki accepts the promise, but before they get married Azuki wants to become a voice actress. She also says that they can't see each other until their dreams come true. They encourage each other through texting/e-mail. I don't want to ruin too much, so just read on and find out. I promise that you won't regret it! Rating: 5/5 stars.

When you read the story, you just know that the mangaka duo aren't making any guarantees on the success and happiness of its characters. That lack of a "safe feeling" is what makes this series far more addicting than other Shonen series that cradle me. Also, I've never been a mangaka of Shonen Jump, put the way they portray the inner workings seems EXTREMELY honest and realistic. They go so far as to drop the names of the most famous Shonen mangaka out right now, and even have them currently running in Shonen Jump with our fictional protagonists. At the very least it's the most detailed/educational series I've read about aspiring mangakas so far. I sometimes like to think that I have an understanding of how the world of anime/manga works, but this series has definitely re-educated me. As I read this series I get an overwhelming feeling that this mangaka duo are channeling a lot of their experiences from trying to get Death Note (specifically) published in Shonen Jump. They even reference Death Note (as a series) several times in the first few pages, it's almost as if they want to plant that seed in the reader's mind so they make comparisons as they read on. Also it's interesting to note that the author Tsugumi Ohba is unknown to the public. Ohba's real identity (and gender) is a closely guarded secret. This series is GREAT! It blows away all other series with stories about characters aspriring to make it in the manga/anime industry. If you don't believe me on how great this series is, look at how highly it's ranked in Japan. My little review here is a pathetically small drop in the bucket of all the praise that is out there for Bakuman.

Genuinely the best manga I've ever read. A must buy for fans of Death Note as well. Came in good condition also. Overall 5 stars.

This was a surprisingly great manga. I enjoyed Death Note, but felt that Tsugumi Ohba's sensibility wouldn't transfer to a "behind the scenes"-esque book like this. I was totally wrong! It's well-written and the pacing is almost spot on. Minor quibbles about how exposition-heavy this volume is, but its an introduction so that's to be expected. Great book for any fan of manga and ANY fan of finding out more about how the publishing industry in Japan works.

Back when I once lead a graphic novel club in Memphis, someone recommended this story to me. I must say that at least as far as the first volume goes, it's quite a well-done story. I like the social commentary inside it, especially in regards to how contemporary manga artists are paid compared to voice actors. As a writer myself, I believe that all creatives deserve to be paid more than pennies for all of their hard work, regardless of popularity. For me especially, "Bakuman" really hit close to home. So if you're looking to learn more about the wonderful world of mangaka (both the good and bad), then I definitely recommend this series! :)

It was my first manga ever. Don't have words to describe all my feelings, but will just say that it is a real piece of art. Intesting and motivating story to follow your dreams, beautiful and detailed drawings.. Looking forward to starting the next volume.

Bakuman is perhaps something different in the vein of typical Shonen Jump manga. Unlike the others which all have swords, pirates, ninjas, or other high action fighting, Bakuman instead focuses on kids who have high aspirations to become manga writers or a voice actress of manga and anime. Its pretty interesting for it seems a lot of people who are fans of manga probably would not mind doing the same as these kids and pursuing that dream. That has to be part of the reason why this series is so popular and such an awesome and refreshing series to read. The character interaction is top class and many scenes are great to laugh at. The artists did an excellent job with the facial expressions which I seem to love. The writing is excellent as well and it is great to see attempts at including possibly stories that the writers wished could be made into real series, so it seems to serve as his experimental testing ground for these one shot stories and such. That being said this was a captivating volume with quite a bit of writing and dialogue. Definitely check it out. The only con is that there are not any omakes or other bonuses in the volume (no afterwards, extra random funny scenes). However there are storyboards in Japanese in between each chapter.

Start to a great series, really enjoying the books so far, It's heavy text based and alot of reading, but the writing in it is rather superb and so is the artwork. The characters are likeable and inspiring almost making want to go and just write up a 40 page manga or something. If you are interested in making a comic or manga this is a great read as it provides alot of, I would guess accurate and relevant info in the process making of it. Give it a read online from a scan sight if you arent sure to know if you truly want to read it.

The product is best, it's my first manga and Amazon have delivered it neatly.

Je cherchais un manga plutôt réaliste que fantastique. Le livre en lui-même était propre et bien livré mais l'histoire n'est pas exceptionnelle ...

英語に翻訳された日本の漫画。用途は様々だと思うが 僕は、英語の学習目的で日本語のバクマンと一緒に購入した。 バクマンは、二人の少年がプロの漫画家を目指す話だが 編集者と漫画家が二人三脚で漫画を作り上げていく様子がリアルに描かれている。 第1巻は、二人の少年が出会い、漫画家を目指し奮闘し始める導入の部分で 絵は上手いが目的もなく周りに流れされて生きる真城が、学年成績トップの 高木によって熱烈な誘いを受け、漫画家への道へ引きこまれていく過程が描かれる。 デスノートの作者とあって、この作品も文字数が非常に多く 日常会話も多いので、バクマンが好きなら、英語学習として英語翻訳も 購入してちょっと勉強してみるのもよいのではないだろうか。

Bakuman shows us the story of two young, aspiring manga artists trying to hit it big in the famous Shonen Jump. It follows their triumphs and their many fails. It goes into great detail on the different categories and how to make the best piece of work out there. It is done by the same duo who created Death Note and they do a great job again with this series. Definitely a must if you enjoy slice of life mangas or are interested in how manga artists and writers create manga.