First Impression: Bakuman

Bakuman is one of the anime that I really want to check out. I read the manga but kinda dropped it after a while. Although the plot is awesome and I love Takagi, I was at the point in my life where I can't handle anything that has romance in it. I was okay with Takagi's relationship but when it comes to Mashiro and Azuki, that was too much. So I dropped it, with an intention of picking it up again when I'm less of an emotional tard. Unfortunately life kinda get the better of me and I never got the chance to read it again.

So I was very happy when I learned that they are going to adapt Bakuman into an anime. It would save me a lot of times actually. Thank you JC Staff.

(c) akishima kei

Bakuman is about Mashiro who has quite the talent in drawings. He is pretty much kinda gave up on his dream and almost gave up on the love of his life too though. This of course changed when Takagi approached and asked him to be his partner. Takagi got the brain and all but he can't draw even if his life depended on it. Mashiro, of course, declined Takagi's proposal right away. His uncle was a mangaka so he knows how one would struggle to make a living as a mangaka. It's either you made it or you don't. Since his uncle passed away as an unsuccessful, he thought being a mangaka can't secure you a stable future.

But Takagi won't give up just because Mashiro said no. This is why I love him. And in all honesty, the only reason I like Bakuman in the first place is because of Takagi. He has that personality that I want to jump and molest. He said he doesn't have the look but I beg to differ. Oh and that megane. I have a fetish for megane...

Anyway Takagi take matters into his own hands and pretty much playing the match maker for Mashiro and Azuki. Although he's man that talks a lot, his action was louder too. And he knows exactly what he wants and determined to get it no matter what. Very admirable.

Thanks to Takagi, both Mashiro and Azuki got the courage to confess to each other. Mashiro even proposed to her and surprisingly she said yes though they should never meet again until both of them are successful (LOL sounds pretty much like my story. ROFL). Like I said, if it wasn't for Takagi, Mashiro will be a loser and wallowing in self-pity for the rest of his life.

I have covered about Takagi. Lets talk about Mashiro a bit. I think he's a wuzz. He just phailed to appeal to me both in the manga and in the anime. I blame it on personality or could it be that I pretty much has a clear idea of what kind of character that I will consider likeable. Hmm, maybe I'll write a post about it. Then there's Azuki, the timid shy girl. The kind of girl that I don't usually get along well with. The one thing that I like about her is that she's very determined and does not give up easily. Next week we are going to meet her best friends who I really like when I read the manga. So far that's the main four characters for these first couple of episodes. Then we will have a more interesting character who I really look forward to.

Aight the first OP kinda WTF? I thought I was being punk'd. LOL then I remember that it's from the manga that Mashiro's uncle did. The real OP came after that. I am going to reserved my opinion until I have heard it a few times. The ED sounds better than the OP though. It is catchy and it just has that certain quality that will definitely grow on me. As for the seiyuu, Mashiro just sounds so familiar because his seiyuu, Atsushi Abe, does Touma. Satoshi Hino did a good job with Takagi.Takagi is some one with a lot of expression and so far I think Satoshi kinda nailed those parts.

The art was meh at best. Because I just completed To Aru Majutsu no Index, which was also produced by JC Staff, I immediately compared these two shows. Bakuman is so below the par and it kinda sad and irony if you think about it since this story is about manga and anime but they are not excelling in the art department at all. Having said that, they did get the character designs right to a T. I was glad that Takagi looks like Takagi.

In terms of enjoyment, it was so-so. I wasn't that excited but not really bored by it either. I will continue to watch this and when it comes to the part where I dropped the manga, then I know I'll be hooked.

art & animation 6/10
story 8/10
character 7/10
sound 7/10
enjoyment 6/10
overall 7/10

Posted in: bakuman, first impression, jc staff, NHK, satoshi hino