Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

Story: Tsugumi Ohba (大場 つぐみ, Ōba Tsugumi)
Art: Takeshi Obata (小畑 健, Obata Takeshi)
Genre: Comedy
Serialization: Weekly Shōnen Jump
Publication: Jump Comics, 2008
Status: Premiered August 11, 2008; Ongoing

[ Page 1: Dreams and Reality ]

Best. Proposal. Ever.

LMFAO. That’s what I’m talking about. It’s been a week since this new title from the great Death Note creator duo and it’s so fresh, I absolutely love it. The first chapter was really great in my eyes. We get a little glimpse of Mashiro’s childhood and how his uncle was… well, less than perfect. But fastforward to present time and we have him, the artist, and Akito, the writer and aspiring mangaka. Obviously, these characters seem to represent the author/artist themselves.

Leave it to Obata to be very stylish in his drawings. What I really admire about Obata’s work is that he always gives the characters a lot of great clothing to wear. Great fashion statement. Not only that, but he knows how to draw the beautiful of characters, and Azuki is no exception. I already love her character. She reminds me of Aka from REC although she was already a seiyuu to begin with and was working to become an actress on Audrey Hepburn levels. I find it really funny how those two didn’t even create their manga yet and already determine an anime adaptation. I guess that’s mostly true, but remember how long it took for your other manga to get an anime, guys? Speaking of which, nice little references in the first chapter. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this series.

+ fresh new Jump title
+ brilliant writing from Ohba and the beautiful drawings from Obata

- Does Ohba ever create a story where it doesn’t have to involve paper and pencil?

Despite hearing about a new series coming from Obata and Ohba earlier in the year, this really crept up on me without warning. It was quite the pleasant surprise and I can’t stop thinking about it as of this entry. Simply put: I really freaking love this already. Mashiro, Akito, and Azuki are all gunning for the manga/anime industry and we’re seeing the very beginning of their journey. Mashiro and Akito are already a funny duo and it’s going to be interesting to see how they work together. Obata really knows how to draw his women and looking at Azuki it’s obvious to see that he didn’t hold back. She’s really beautiful. I love her character already and adore her dream of becoming a seiyuu. I’d really like to see more interaction between herself and Mashiro as the story progresses.

One of the things I love about Bakuman is the reactions of the characters. Take the right image for instance, I found that to be absolutely freaking hilarious the first time I saw it and I feel the same even now. I look forward to more situations such as that in the future, especially since comedy was a rare occurrence in Death Note. Another theme I’m looking forward to is romance. The proposal from Mashiro and Azuki’s acceptance was definitely unexpected in my opinion and I’d like nothing more than to see how they grow along the journey to becoming manga and seiyuu, respectively.

Like Youko said, I think it’s pretty obvious that Mashiro and Akito are representations of Obata and Ohba. I look forward to seeing if they add in personal experiences to the story as it goes along. Bakuman is fresh and a more than welcome departure from the duo’s previous work. The main characters introduced so far are all likeable and I can see nothing but potential for this story. I honestly can’t wait to see the second chapter and all the others to follow. There aren’t many mangas like Bakuman that have me in anticipation week after week and even fewer that do it with just one chapter. Here’s hoping for a long and enjoyable run in Jump.