Bakuman

[Dark Dragon]

This episode was very nice. It's probably my favorite episode so far.

It's great to see that Saiko and Akito are becoming good friends on top of working with each other. Usually a partnership can break down easily if one person feels that the other is holding them back.

The punch scene was great. I didn't really have a strong reaction the first time i read that scene in the manga, but it was much more effective here and i actually cheered out loud when Akito decked that punk.

As for discussions, it's something that hard to have with this particular series right now. The story really just involves the two of them working hard and occasionally run in hurdles and working pass it. There really isn't much to discuss since most of the cast are still missing. Characters like Hattori and Nizumu Eiji have been introduced but they don't really have a solid presence yet. I think that once the series gets to the point where the two are more involve in the manga world, there will be much to discuss.

[MFauli]

I dont really know how I should feel about them failing the Tezuka-award again. Sure, the manga-business is hard, but Mashiro´s drawings looked more than solid. And it´s just turning out to be filler in that the next time they´ll make it 100%. too predictable. Take Kirino for example, that´s how you do it, suckers!

:/

[shinta|hikari]

I think the drawings aren't bad (in fact, they look great), but they do not match the preference of the target demographic. His art looks seinen oriented, not shounen, which is what Jack publishes. There might also be room for improvement when it comes to drawing movement or designing scenes, since Mashiro used to draw sketches, not manga.

[Kraco]

Yeah, there's no indication it had bad graphics (except for the armchair expert scumbag's stance). They were obviously good but the competition had even better, in the jury's opinion.

The best scene was the punch, no doubt of that. Made even better by the fact Akito is supposed to be a smart guy in everybody's eyes, not any punk.

[MFauli]

But I didnt like how BAD the anime made this guy to come off to be. It´s like...on the one hand you have a manga drawing prodigy....on the other hand you have someone that isnt as talented AND he´s an asshole. I´d prefer to see more middle ground, you know, a person that tries hard, but just isnt that good, and doesnt brag with his amateur-drawings.
How the anime handled it made it feel again like a punch into the audience´s face, like "just get the fuck out if you arent already a pro! dont ever try to use a pen again!".

[shinta|hikari]

I didn't see it like that. It would be another thing if a serious and hard working person gets shamed and fails, but since it was an asshole, the message is quite different. It is basically saying that half-assed arrogant jerks will get owned.

[Kraco]

Indeed. This guy deserved nothing but that punch. He had personally never risked and given his everything for any (manga related) goal, yet he had the impudence to attack Saiko publicly, using somebody else's achievements (Eiji's) against him, as if they had any relation at all to his own untested skills.

[Archangel]

Episode 9 had some bulshit pacing, they actually stretched half a chapter into a whole episode

It's planned to have 25 episodes and the manga is already over 100 chapters, what the fuck are they thinking?

[Dark Dragon]

[GG] Bakuman 09: MU - Torrent

[MFauli]

ok, stuff I noticed:

- a girl beating a man just like that isnt funny. were roles reversed, it´d cause outrage.

- I seriously question Tagaki´s story-writing qualities if he produces THAT many different multi-page stories in such a short amount of time. I´m sorry, but if you want to create a truly great story you have to stick with it and work on it, improve it if necessary. And these aren just short concepts, they´re, as I mentiond, many pages thick. A truly great story doesnt come by that easily. In that way, Mashiro´s drawing skills are much more believable at this point.

- Nizum is mental, retarded, crazy, you choose it. His portrayal is too unrealistic.

[Ryllharu]

- I seriously question Tagaki´s story-writing qualities if he produces THAT many different multi-page stories in such a short amount of time. I´m sorry, but if you want to create a truly great story you have to stick with it and work on it, improve it if necessary. And these aren just short concepts, they´re, as I mentiond, many pages thick. A truly great story doesnt come by that easily.

Uhh...I have no such problem doing the same. I do it all the time for D&D, and I've got a bunch of ideas on top of that in the other genres. Belting out a five-page concept is nothing. That's like an essay for an exam. Maybe the time it takes to actually write it out, but if you've got a vivid imagination, they come pretty easily.

Not all of Shujin's ideas are good either. Saiko rejects a lot of Takagi's ideas because they don't really grab him or don't work in manga format. Takagi is a creative guy with a vivid imagination, and he obviously likes writing for fun. Given his suspension, he had plenty of time, though I can't imagine how sore his wrist got.

He's not dumping the equivalent of Dostoevsky, Heinlen, Herbert, Tolkien. etc. out in his free time or while scratching one out in class.

[MFauli]

First, his concepts look quite thicker than "5 pages". Secondly, I just dont buy it. You cannot create a truly good story if you keep rushing out crap. And since he didnt just write 20-30 one-page summaries, but multi-page concept stories, it comes off as being rushed to me.

At least, if we assume that Takagi is not the single best writer in the whole world, that just doesnt work. Dont get me wrong, thinking of a basic concept for a story is easy. "Middle-aged guy wakes up, finds himself surrounded by robots, later is revealed that he himself is a robot", bamm, there you have a 5-second concept from me, enjoy. Now, even bloating this up to a whole page would be okay. But spending the time to go on for 10-20 pages and just THEN realizing "uh, its shit"?

No, you keep brainstorming, then you find a theme, followed by a more detailed hook for the story, then you try to create one or several lead characters, you set important points within the story, what it all leads towards, and if you´re good, that story will be great. What you don´t do is rushing out to write 10 or more stories a day, each a 10-20 page concept, and afterwards decide "ugh, thats crap". That´s ... anti-skill. You just keep going until you´re lucky enough to enjoy what you wrote. Consequently, it gives off a message of "I didnt really care about the story I created from the beginning".

So, if you arent arguing that Takagi is Dostowesky, Heinlein, Herbert and Tolkien combined into one writing-deity, I cant see your point.

[Dark Dragon]

Nizuma isn't retarded, mental or crazy. None of those terms fit his character portrayal since he already showed that he is serious and to the point when he needs to be. Eccentric is the word you're looking for and I have met some people who are almost as random as he is. I don't think his character is unrealistic at all, maybe exaggerated to some extent but still very real.

The size of those manuscripts is exaggerated in the anime, in the manga all you see is small panels with 2 piles of different names and most of them doesn't look to be very long. This is the last page of chapter 10 so there should be no spoiler.

While that scene has a comedic tone, it was more of the intention of coupling the 2 together. What Takagi did was pretty shitty and he decided that he would accept the punches. Of course there would be outrages if the roles were reverse, that's just public perception. It was also exaggerated since she only punched him 3 times, that's hardly qualify as a "beating".

I want to clarify that while this show is suppose to be "realistic", it's still a manga/anime at heart. That means the author will sometimes exaggerate certain details for effect and if you keep nitpicking at every detail, it'll definitely negatively affect your enjoyment of this show.

edit: [gg] Bakuman 10: MU - Torrent

[RyougaZell]

GG Messed up Oda-sensei's name and wrote Ota...

[animus]

Wait so Saiko's dad's full name is Mashiro Masahiro? Lulz.

[Dark Dragon]

Wait so Saiko's dad's full name is Mashiro Masahiro? Lulz.

And his uncle is Mashiro Nobuhiro, his grandpa certainly has a very interesting naming sense lol.

[shinta|hikari]

Why is it so strange? It's pretty common to have similar sounding surnames and first names, even in other countries with different languages.

[Buffalobiian]

gg - Episode 11, 12.





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Saiko and Miho's relationship still seems really fairy-tale-like to me. The sheer idealistic nature of it makes it hard for me to back it up 100%. On the other hand, Takagi's and Kaya's seems much more realistic and sensible.

I feel sorry for Iwase. However arrogant she came off as in the beginning, she never really did anything bad for us to dislike her. I would like to see her again, but if she comes back to check on Takagi, then it would mean she never moved on after losing her rival - which isn't exactly a scenario I'd want to see her in neither.

[Kraco]

It certainly is fairy tale like, but I find it pretty amusing. Just like I find amusing the moments when Kaya suddenly thinks Takagi's being really cool. I'm not sure if both are or aren't due to the influence of having read (and believed to an extent) this story is chauvinistic...

[MFauli]

I agree about the relationship and have to add that I dont care one bit about that part of the story. Fortunately, their manga-business has reached a really nice pacing now. I still think the beginning was too rushed, too "easy" to get in, but starting with ep 11 I can ignore that. And Im really excited about their battle with Nizuma.