Bakuman 3
Release date: 6th October 2012
Studio: J.C Staff
Hit shounen series Bakuman is back for its third series this Autumn and wastes no time in getting back into the story of Ashirogi Mutou.
For those who have never watched Bakuman before this is a penname for the mangaka duo Mashiro Moritaka and Akito Takagi, an artist and a writer who have teamed together since school in order to rebel against the futures expected of them make their dreams come true. They’re joined by Miho Azuki, Mashiro’s childhood sweetheart and an aspiring voice actress, her outspoken tomboy friend Kaya Miyoshi, a handful of rivals-turned-friends in the manga industry and a few loyal editors. The series has so far provided both an enjoyable shounen drama with a goodly dose of comedy and romance as well as providing an interesting insight into the world of manga, anime and story-writing. It’s not hard to see why it’s so popular, particularly when you realise the original manga is by Tsugumi Ohba, the creator of the insanely popular Death Note, and serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump.
So far, the third anime series does not seem like it’s going to disappoint. The story is picked up instantaneously which means we can’t tell you too much in case you’re only now thinking of starting the show from the very beginning but you can rest assured that everything is still moving as fast as in previous series. A recent rival strengthens her resolve to outdo the duo through any means possible and there’s plenty of enthusiastic and determined drawing going on, something which is hard to believe can be dramatic and engaging until you’re watching this anime.
This first episode is ultimately about romance, which is nice when two of the main characters are incredibly awkward around each other in almost every episode. This doesn’t change but things are looking more promising for Mashiro and Miho so let’s hope that maybe this series will see them acting as a real couple, or as normal teenagers who are mutual sweethearts.
Bakuman is all about going up against all the odds to achieve your goals, no matter how ambitious, and so the romance of this episode will probably be eclipsed by the fast-moving competitive plot that existing fans are used to. This episode sees some appearances of both rivals Aiko Iwase and Eiji Nizuma but is largely focussed on the usual four. We look forward to meeting all the others again soon!
The new opening is “Moshimo no Hanashi” by nano.RIPE (see below!) while the ending is from seiyuu group Sphere and named “”♪Pride on Everyday”. Both are as motivational and easy to listen to as all the previous, fitting for the plot and accompanied by nicely styled animation.
All in all, the first episode is as promising as possible and a nice reintroduction to characters and a setting that should have been much missed.
Good: Lovable characters, a surprisingly gripping plot, plenty of laughs and a healthy dose of romance too.
Bad: Could be seen as somewhat slow and confusing if watched before any of the other episodes. We suggest starting at the beginning!
Rating: 8/10
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
