I do talk a lot about Bakuman on this blog. But I don’t think if I ever talk about the Bakuman manga even though I read the manga first before the anime came out.

Despite reading tons of manga, Bakuman manga has a special place in my heart simply because I can relate to Takagi’s and Mashiro’s struggle when it comes to making their dream comes true.

There’s no doubt that the Bakuman manga serves as a pep talk for me throughout my author career. But that’s not my initial reason for picking the manga in the first place.

What Bakuman manga is all about

Here’s the synopsis of the manga that I take from MANGA Plus website.

Moritaka is hesitant to seriously consider Akito’s proposal because he knows how difficult reaching the professional level can be. Still, encouragement from persistent Akito and motivation from his crush push Moritaka to test his limits!

For some reason, I find that the synopsis for the Bakuman manga sounds vague to me.

I bet that I won’t even bother to pick the manga if I’m relying solely on the manga’s synopsis.

What attracts me to Bakuman manga in the first place

If the manga synopsis does‘t sound interesting to me, what got me to pick the manga in the first place, then?

Well, my reason for picking up the manga has a lot to do with the person who did the art for the Bakuman manga, Takeshi Obata.

For those of you who don’t know, Takeshi Obata is the one who did the art for Death Note manga. While I do have an on-off relationship with the Death Note manga, his art was so prominent to me that I picked the Bakuman manga without even knowing what to expect.

It was only then that I discovered that the manga is about how to become a mangaka. And not to mention an in-depth explanation of how the manga industry works.

What I didn’t expect when I read the manga

To be honest, I already expect that everything being said in the manga is true to some extent. At least when it comes to how the manga industry works.

Even Naruto mangaka, Masashi Kishimoto admitted during his Q&A session that everything portrayed in Bakuman manga are true. The only thing that he finds unrealistic about the manga is Mashiro and Takagi being able to get their major debut while still in the high school.

Another thing that I don’t expect to be true is the relationship between Hiramaru and Aoki. Sure, it’s nothing unusual for Hiramaru to marry Aoki considering that he was head over heels with Aoki when he met her for the first time.

But to think that the love story is based loosely on how Hunter x Hunter mangaka, Yoshihiro Togashi marrying Sailormoon mangaka, Naoko Takeuchi is something that I don’t expect.

Okay, I don’t know if Togashi sensei has a sports car and proposing Takeuchi sensei when they were on a Ferris-wheel. But hey, at least we know that the story about a mangaka marrying another fellow mangaka is indeed true.

Who should read the Bakuman manga

If you’re an aspiring mangaka or manga writer, it’s obvious that Bakuman manga is what you should read since it gives you a glimpse on how the manga industry works.

But if you’re just curious about the manga industry, this manga can be a good read too.

Where to buy Bakuman manga

I’m currently reading Bakuman manga on MANGA Plus website. Just to let you know that only the first three chapters and the last few chapters are only viewable on the website.

But if you want to give the manga a try before you commit to the series, you can read the manga right here:

Read Bakuman manga on MANGA Plus

If you find the manga to be interesting, you can get the manga as a digital manga or in print right here on Amazon:

Buy Bakuman Vol.1 on Amazon

Fancy the idea of binge-reading the manga? Well, now you can do that if you opt for Bakuman Complete Box Set. You’ll save a lot more when you buy the box set instead of buying an individual book.

You can buy the box set right here on Amazon:

Buy Bakuman Complete Box Set on Amazon

Prefer to read the manga in Japanese? Well, the manga does contain furigana. But it can be a difficult manga to read since the manga tends to have a long explanation about certain things.

Still, if you’re looking for a challenge and the manga seems like a perfect fit to you, you can get the manga in Japanese at CDJapan:

Buy Bakuman manga in Japanese on CDJapan

Over to you

What do you think about Bakuman manga? Will you give it a try? Let me know in the comment section below.