Overall Review: Bakuman 3

Sometimes I really regret not having blogged this series; it's one of the few shounen manga adaptations I'm probably going to remember liking for a long time.

If I were a reader on this site and didn't much care for Bakuman, I'd probably be annoyed that the blogger decided to cover this at the expense of another RRV delay (next week, folks; though I don't know if people really look forward to them or not, so that's just me), but seeing as I am the writer and I do, in fact, care for this series, I don't see it as too awful a trade off. Bakuman is just one of those series that's much better in execution than it is on paper, and I for one actually prefer this anime not just over the manga version, but also over Ohba and Obata's earlier series, Death Note. As interesting as the latter series is (and as popular), I personally feel that it doesn't hold up as well in retrospect, and much of what made it so engaging was toned down in the second half of its run. Bakuman, on the other hand, is a series where I could always empathize with the characters (even past the fairytale romance) and really get involved with the plot. While it's true that I did drop the manga for a while (I'm terrible at following weekly publications), the anime really struck the right chords for me and encouraged me to pick the original source back up. However, I've always preferred the anime version despite that, which I'm aware isn't exactly the most popular opinion to have.

What makes this series so gratifying really lies in its ability to blend the conventions of shounen manga with an unconventional premise. There just aren't many manga interested in exploring the manga industry, nor are there many interested in being informative and gripping at the same time. While Mashiro and Takagi's dreams are rather ridiculous (as shounen dreams usually are), what makes their journey special is how hard they work to achieve them in a real life setting. There's something magical in seeing a child's dream coming true through their own efforts, and watching Ashirogi Mutou climb to the top over the span of a decade is every bit as exciting as watching a battle manga unfold. There's great attention to characterization and development as well, and while the series does have its stumbling blocks (in both mediums), it's nevertheless a viewing experience so intense that it has made me furious, indescribably happy, and depressingly sad over and over again throughout its run.

Bakuman isn't without its flaws either, however. The first season moved at a snail's pace while the last moved so quickly it actually had to cut out swaths of the manga's material (all for the best, too much Nanamine is never a good thing), and I never could get used to the way Kaya is treated, especially by Takagi himself. Occasionally the fairytale romance between Mashiro and Azuki dragged out, or else shounen manga conventions made things less engaging, but for the most part, I feel this was a very solid adaptation throughout.

What I will miss most about Bakuman, however, is not Ashirogi Mutou's rivalry with Eiji or the romance, or even the incredibly interesting real-life parallels and commentary that Outa and Ohba inserted into their narrative, but the relationship between Mashiro, Takagi, and Kaya. "Behind every great man lies a great woman" goes the saying, but while Azuki is the woman behind Mashiro's determination, Kaya is the woman behind Ashirogi-sensei as a whole. She's the support pillar for both boys, the girl who's always supported them to the best of her ability and dedicated her own life to being there for them. She's as important a part of the bromance as either of the actual authors themeselves, though it isn't until the finale that Mashiro finally acknowledges that she is, in fact, as much a part of Ashirogi Mutou as the rest, even if her name isn't included in the Kanji. This is why my biggest issue with the series lies in the mostly carefree attitude Takagi has toward her even after she becomes his wife.

Regardless, the series wrapped itself up even better than the manga did, and it took its time covering the various aspects of the story that needed to be touched on. It's rather saddening to think that after four years of following this series since its manga release, it's finally come to a true end. Like saying farewell to a good friend, it's going to be difficult to come to terms with the fact that no longer will Bakuman lighten up my Saturday evenings with the earnest determination of young dreamers.