Bakuman Volume 9 manga review
Bakuman Volume 9
Authors: Story By Tsugumi Ohba
Art By Takeshi Obata
Distributor: Viz/Shonen Jump
American Release Date: Feb. 7th, 2012
Format: Traditional Manga/ 192 pages
Genre: Shonen, Comedy, Slice-of-life
Publisher Age Rating: T (for Teen)
Personal Review Rating: B+
Similar Series: Kingyo Used Books, Solanin, Yawara!
Synopsis:
Vroom! Tanto comes up for serialization and guess what, the boys managed to create a Gag Manga that has potential, it got selected for Jump. The wedding bells start ringing and Akito and Kaya see their future together beginning to take form. The stress on Akito is not just the marriage, but his oldest rival also got her manga serialized. Aiko Iwase teamed up with Eiji Nizuma to create a hit called +Natural. It is the talk of the town and places a lot of pressure on the two young artists.
When Akito goes to meet Kaya’s parents and discuss the marriage ,her father turns out to be someone of great interest. Not only to Akito but also to his partner Moritaka. There is a history there that comes as a big surprise to everyone and proves what a small world it really is. Kaya’s parents approve of Akito and everything is on for the big day. There are just some big issues to get past before they can really begin to enjoy the happy occasion.
The New Year’s party for Jump artists doesn’t go so well for the boys and they find themselves being snubbed by their old editor Mr. Hattori who just so happens to be the editor for Iwase and Nizuma. This bothers them greatly and it finally comes to a head at the wedding. With the boys feeling the pressure and learning that maybe the Gag manga is not the right vehicle for them. They make a move that shocks everyone and could be the end to their careers.
Commentary:
Bakuman is stepping up and showing us a level of complexity that it began to reveal in volume 8. I am finding it much easier to believe the story even though there are still some plot points that do come across a little melodramatic and hyper dynamic but they are just as entertaining and do add a bit of flavor to the story that helps move it along and keeps the overall focus on the boys and their monumental task.
I did appreciate that they came to a solid decision with this volume. There was a lot going on and to move through so much in just 192 pages was refreshing. There has always been a solid pace and time does move rather quickly with this series. Two years has past and there is a sense that these boys lives begin to take on a much more mature level of understanding. They are both ready to become husbands, accepting the role and responsibilities that come with maturity, but they still hold onto some of that persistence that is most present in youth.
There was also another aspect to this volume that kept me smiling and it was the way that their friends conspired to make them understand their mistakes and realize that there is so much more to their abilities. For example, the way Hattori and Nizuma work to motivate the team by creating a worthy opponent. The rest of their friends wanted to just try and make them feel better about what they are working on but the truth needed to come out and they knew it all along.
Overall Grade: B+
Bakuman continues to please and grow with age. The overall development of these young men show the possibilities that lie before them and what can be done with the right effort and talent. There is also the edge of reality that not everything is easy. The one detractor is that they are always in that “all or nothing mode” and at every turn there is another obstacle to stop them in their tracks. Even with the over the top melodrama, I still found this volume to make great strides in getting us to the final deliverance.
“In the Radius”:
I must still refer your to Yawara and Kingyo Used Books as the obvious choices as other options.
You can pick this up at Right Stuf.
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