It was almost to be expected after Obata’s last few projects, which were little more than average: he teams up again with the writer of ‘Death Note’. Their new manga series, ‘Bakuman’ is just starting in Weekly Jump, with a first chapter of 58 pages.
Obata and Ohba do the only sensible thing in their situation: they come up with a story that is completely different from ‘Death Note’, but allows for occasional ‘Death Note’ references to keep the fans happy. ‘Bakuman’ is about two boys trying to become mangaka, which could become the perfect basis for a lot of self-ironic reflections on the authors’ own careers. The first chapter does have a bit of talk about what a tough job it is even for established authors, which does sound like Obata’s own experience with ‘Ral Grad’, the (rightfully) cancelled ‘Death Note’ successor. But these parts are not particularly funny, nor are they revealing anything new about the business, unless you are completely new to Weekly Jump manga.
I don’t feel ready to review this manga after only one chapter. I will wait a few chapters more to see what kind of series it will become. The first chapter was a little uneven and left me unsure what I thought of it or expected of it in the future.
It was a little boring, too. A lot of time was spent on showing the main character be depressed, pessimistic and disillusioned about his future. It took until the last ten pages for him to perk up and declare his intention of becoming a famous mangaka. That scene suddenly made the manga look like a comedy or even a parody. I’m just not sure if that was intended. After fifty pages of depression, I cannot take the sudden burst of optimism seriously at all. But ‘Bakuman’ isn’t funny enough to be a comedy, and that’s mostly because of its protagonist, who is dull as a brick, and who somehow made ME feel depressed about life halfway through the chapter. If the second chapter will have more of him angsting about the future, I’ll probably quit reading this manga for mental health reasons.
So far: average shonen manga about a boy who wants to follow a dream and become the best in his chosen profession. Biggest problems: very slow pace, lame emo main character. The artwork is nice, definitely more lively than ‘Death Note’, with a more interesting character design. Not sure what to think of the romance aspect yet, but if that isn’t a parody, I’ll barf.
