Bakuman.

About Bakuman.

Here is what Bakuman. (バクマン。) is about, retold in plain terms: a comedy, drama and romance anime by J.C.STAFF (2010). The premise: Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are pretty much foils of each other. Mashiro, an average 9th grade student but talented artist, and Takagi, an overall advanced 9th grader and aspiring writer.

Further in, after great convincing, Takagi convinces Mashiro to join him in becoming the greatest mangakas Japan has ever seen. Takagi, with his gift of writing, hopes to become a successful mangaka, and Mashiro, with his gift of art, hopes to marry the girl of his dreams, Azuki Miho.

With comedy at the core, timing, character chemistry and running gags decide whether it lands. Voice work is led by Atsushi Abe as Moritaka Mashiro and Saori Hayami as Miho Azuki. It will appeal most to viewers who want something light between heavier series. With 25 episodes in total, there is enough room for the story to develop.

Production & Appeal

Production sits with J.C.STAFF, which means the visual identity of Bakuman. follows that studio's craft. The comedy focus matters here: timing, character chemistry and running gags decide whether it lands. A 7.9/10 score points to a dependable, well-liked series. Voice casting, including Atsushi Abe as Moritaka Mashiro, adds to the appeal for fans who follow seiyuu. Released in 2010, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.