In volume 8, the young boys are now in college, where they run into a classic debate. A former classmate wants Takagi to write prose stories instead of manga because “novels are a higher form of literary expression”. This challenger, Iwase, is quite the achiever, writing an award-winning literary novel while maintaining straight A’s in school. While trying to impress each other, she and Takagi argument whether recognition or sales are much more important, plus the value of entertaining people through their work. It’s a argument numerous comic fans will be familiar with.
Iwase is an interesting figure, especially because she seems to have a need to compete with Takagi, even though he praises her accomplishments in her chosen field. turns out she has a crush on him and wants to replace his girlfriend. (A motivation that, to this reader, came out of thin air, because Takagi is not particularly desirable.) This is much more fodder for those upset by the stereotypical female roles in this manga, because Iwase is yet another one, the ultra-competitive ball-breaker. Yet I can see why this new plot was included, because a rival for Takagi’s devoted girlfriend Miyoshi offers some relationship drama as well as wish fulfillment for the young boy readers. (If Takagi can have girls both stunning and brainy combating over him, then anybody could.)
The problems the various manga creators face range from the understandable — Takagi and his editor want to make sure the comedy story has enough jokes — to the oddly (culturally) specific, as when miss Aoki has to draw not just peeks of underwear, but panty shot poses that the young boy readers will find appealing. (Apparently, there are panty shot angles that they don’t enjoy. I’m not sure I believe that.) So her editor works to get her an assistant specializing in “drawing butts and panties”. What a job description. I thought this couldn’t get any creepier, until later in the book, they interview one candidate in a sequence that has to be read to be believed.
Aoki’s work is one of three strong contenders to get a new series running, a challenge Takagi and Mashiro are devoting themselves to as well. but that’s not the only competition this volume, as the relationship problems keep spiraling out of control. between someone using Mashiro and Azuki’s pure romance for manga subject matter and Azuki getting involved in the problems with Miyoshi and Takagi, everyone’s in love trouble.
Ramping up the personal sacrifices and emotional involvement makes this much more than just a manga about making comics; it’s a story of teenage life, trying to follow your dreams in every area. I’m finding it disturbingly addictive and surprisingly funny — although part of the humor is me laughing at how silly some of the boys’ self-rationalizations are. They’re not making smart decisions, but that’s part of the entertainment, viewing them learn their lessons as they grow up.
This is a very dense work, which makes for a lot of value in these cost-conscious days. numerous things happen, there are exciting twists in every chapter (a relic of the story’s serialized origin), and the art is outstanding in how numerous different ways conversations are dramatized. Panels are typically two people talking (or worse, one person on a cell phone), with lots of dialogue to convey, and it’s a sign of Takeshi Obata’s skill that they’re still expressive, even with less than an inch of space for the face.
The best part about this series for me is how all these young manga creators, Takagi and Mashiro and their friends-slash-rivals, are still helping each other out even though they all want the same prize of magazine serialization. Their editors want them to avoid talking to each other and just focus on the competition, but the kids have a new vision of how to create, one that involves respect for the skills of others and a much more open, modern approach.
Share this:
Twitter
Facebook
Tumblr
Related Posts:
Bakuman volume 9As with any addiction, in some cases I’m scared to talk about the hold Bakuman has on me. I called the series one of my best Manga of 2011, due to how much I delight in and anticipate reading it, but I well know that it also has flaws, mostly relating to its…
Flower in a storm volume 2Because of the need to wrap up the series rapidly in this second and final volume of the series, the flow here is choppy, but there’s still plenty of home entertainment in its escapist, action-movie take on romance. In the first chapter, we meet Ran’s organized fiancee Rinko, who was picked…
Bakuman volume 10Even though they have a relatively successful series under their belt, due to various problems in previous volumes, the young boy creators are once again struggling to develop a manga story that will be picked up by Shonen Jump. In a way, this is a reset, bringing Bakuman back to its…