A review by absentminded_reader
Bakuman., Volume 1 by Takeshi Obata, Tsugumi Ohba

5.0

First of all, the art in this series is top notch. I am often in awe at the competence of Takeshi Obata. Secondly, the characters are engaging. The transition of the main character, Moritaka, from slacker to dedicated mangaka was handled convincingly by Tsugumi Ohba. The story may not appeal to everyone, however. This is a drama about two middle school boys who decide to become manga professionals. Sometimes the technical details of the craft can slow the narrative down. For a graphic artist such as myself, however, I found the story engrossing. Even informative.

The romance between Moritaka and his love is a bit twee for me. I can't relate to boys being unable to talk to girls, but I know they exist. I didn't feel the romance detracted from the story in any way. Also, there were two sections of the volume that I felt were culturally insensitive to women, but they served as character definition so I gave them a pass Overall, good read. Can't wait for volume two.