Bakuman. English Sub & Dub

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 setup: 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.

Soon after, 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. The run is 25 episodes in total, so you know what you are signing up for.

Production & Appeal

J.C.STAFF is the studio behind Bakuman., and its direction shapes everything from character design to motion. Because it leans on comedy, timing, character chemistry and running gags decide whether it lands. At 7.9/10 it earns a solid reception, a safe pick for fans of the genre. On the casting side, Atsushi Abe voicing Moritaka Mashiro gives the lead role a recognizable voice. Released in 2010, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.