Categories: booksPop Culture

Bakuman。 (バクマン。)

Bakuman。 (バクマン。) is a a shōnen manga written by Tsugumi Ohba (大場 つぐみ) and illustrated by Takeshi Obata (小畑 健). The series follows talented artist Moritaka Mashiro and aspiring writer Akito Takagi, two ninth grade boys who wish to become mangaka.

In essence, Bakuman is a manga about making manga. It follows a rather flat and predictive narrative, documenting the trials and tribulation of the youthful duo as they work towards fulfilling their childhood dreams.

Without much action and drama, it is hard to imagine this manga to be a hit. Nonetheless, it is. I am one of the fans.

I am reading the Chinese-translated versions. Currently, I am at book 11. Moritaka and Akito have already stepped into the working world at this point They are working as full-time mangaka for JUMP magazine and have a few published manga under their belt. However, they have yet to achieve theirr dream of creating a best-selling manga and are still working hard towards it.

I love to draw. Since young, I have always been fascinated with the world of comics and manga. My childhood aspiration was to be a mangaka too, but having read Bakuman now, I realised how far-fetched that was. Being able to draw is just one part of the equation, a mangaka also needs to be able to create compelling stories and characters that can captivate readers.

The two main characters in Bakuman

Bakuman’s appeal probably lies in the fact that the two main characters resonates the real-life trials and tribulation of the manga’s co-creators.

Takeshi can draw extremely well, but was unable to meet with any commercial success without good stories. Tsugumi Obha was able to fill this gap. Bakuman is their second collaboration. The first was Death Note which was a very huge commercial success, both in Japan and worldwide.

Bakuman is a good read for aspiring artists and writers. As the manga has lots of long conversation balloons, I would recommend the Chinese-translated version to those who wants to improve their Chinese. 🙂

Technorati Tags: 大場 つぐみ, tsugumi ohba, shonen manga, bakuman, バクマン。, 小畑 健, takeshi obata, mangaka, bakuman review, bakuman manga review, moritaka mashiro, akito takagi, death note, aspiring mangaka, bakuman chinese, bakuman chinese-translated

alvinology

Alvin is a marketer by day and blogger by night. He is a 100% geek who spends too much time surfing the web.

Recent Posts

Explore a Galaxy of Stories at Singapore’s First Star Wars Pop-Up Library by NLB

The Force has officially landed at Changi Airport Terminal 3. In celebration of its 30th…

48 mins ago

Thai Supermarket Celebrates SG60 with Street Eats, New Food Kiosks & Irresistible Deals

Singapore’s “Little Thailand” just turned the heat up a notch. This August, Thai Supermarket at…

3 hours ago

Xing Yue Xuan Debuts at Resorts World Sentosa with Elevated Cantonese Dining by JUMBO Group

Xing Yue Xuan opens and is one of the latest additions to WEAVE at Resorts…

6 hours ago

PUMA and Temasek Polytechnic Celebrate SG60 with Sneaker Design Contest Showcasing Youth Creativity

In celebration of Singapore’s 60th birthday, PUMA has teamed up with Temasek Polytechnic (TP) to…

19 hours ago

Hennessy x Jackson Wang Limited Edition Collection Celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival 2025 in Style

This Mid-Autumn Festival, Hennessy reunites with global icon and longtime brand ambassador Jackson Wang to…

22 hours ago

GODIVA × LABUBU Icy Delights Collection Arrives in Singapore

This summer, premium chocolate meets playful imagination as GODIVA and LABUBU join forces to launch…

1 day ago