Bakuman 14 – 18
And the drama always starts because of the girlfriend…
~I have realized from this month long break from posting on Metanorn that I do NOT have the enthusiasm for ANYTHING without Bakuman in my life. When I marathoned the episodes that I had missed, this giant surge of energy came over me and I ended up getting started on this MASSIVE recap post as soon as I could. So because of Bakuman, and its Enthusiasm Injections that I can’t live without, I’m officially BACK. I’m going to apologize beforehand if my writing seems a little weird or dull; it’s because I’ve been writing essays every week so…yeah. Now onto Bakuman because you do not KNOW HOW MUCH I’VE MISSED THIS SHOW.
Starting with Episode 14, many plans go awry as Eiji, already set out to be serialized in the next issue of Jack, creates a whole 64 page chapter to his series, ‘Crow’, instead of ‘Yellow Hit’. Then our boys decide on creating mainstream manga, which Hattori thought didn’t suit them, in hopes of getting published quickly. Hattori tries desperately to get rid of the mainstream manga idea, but the duo insist. It’s just then when one of the editors gets a call from Niizuma’s editor, saying they’re bringing Eiji over. He comes and the rivals finally meet each other, yet it turns out Eiji is a fan of their ‘Money and Intelligence’ manga! Hattori has Eiji write his names right in front of Saiko and Shuujin to try and dim their hopes of making it with mainstream manga, but even after the genius finishes his name in less than thirty minutes right before their eyes, they are unmoved. He finally tells them that if they can’t convince him that they’re cut out for mainstream manga in six months, then he’ll step down as their editor. With their usual enthusiasm, they accept the challenge.
Meanwhile, Azuki is up for another audition for a late night anime, but isn’t confident enough in her looks or singing. Yet after hearing from Kaya how hard Saikou and Shuujin are working, she decides to do her best and audition. Azuki ends up getting the part, which causes Saikou to be a little impatient.
While the others are hard at work on their dreams, poor Kaya is left alone, and in an attempt to have her own dream to accomplish, decides she’ll become a writer writing cell-phone novels (YOU GO GIRL). The boys manage to create a battle manga for a competition, but don’t even make it through. While the editing department has faith in them, Shujin feels more pressured than ever to create something amazing and unfortunately ends up with writer’s block (the ULTIMATE evil). Meanwhile, Niizuma’s editor goes to Hattori asking if Saikou would want to be an assistant for Niizuma during the summer. He gives Shujin a call first, who gives his permission, and then calls Saikou. He accepts hoping to learn something for Niizuma. On his way home, he ends up catching a glimpse at Shujin kissing Kaya!
Saikou goes to Niizuma’s place the next day and meets his other two assistants: Nakai, a professional assistant who once tried becoming a manga artist himself, and Fukuda, who’s also trying to get serialized and has the same editor as Niizuma. After introductions, Saikou goes over to watch Niizuma, who suddenly realizes he’s there as his assistant. He humbly lets him watch him draw, and they even discuss how his second chapter was pushed to fourth place. Saikou has hope that his series won’t drop any further, however Fukuda tells then that Niizuma be canceled in six months because of his next chapters. The two discuss Crow with Niizuma and give him advice. Niizuma suddenly announces that he’ll rewrite Chapter five before the deadline, with the help of Fukuda and Saikou. The two convince him to start creating names and hold meetings with his editor, as well as help make Chapter 5 more interesting.
After checking up on Niizuma’s next chapter and his sudden progress, his editor leaves after a tense discussion with Fukuda about the order of series in Jack, which also leads the three youngsters to have their own conversation of how they would make Jack. They all manage to get back to work while Niizuma comes up with another character. He pulls out a few old notebooks of manga he did back in elementary school, and tells of how he ended up drawing manga because of living far from friends. It sparks up memories for Saikou of how he drew manga a lot back when he was a kid as well. He suddenly announces he’s going to stop being Niizuma’s assistant and get back on track to being serialized. Once at home, he flips through old notebooks and finds a mystery manga that he made. He calls Shuujin about it, but Saikou gets a bit irritated over Shuujin spending so much time with Kaya. He messages Azuki, who’s replied message gives Saikou back his enthusiasm, and if Shuujin doesn’t give him a name in two days, then he’ll make his own manga~!
EIJI PIC SPAM! (Because he’s my newest favorite character XD)
And others…
That’s a lovely compliment…
(TAKAGI WHAT’S WITH YOU AND BOOBS?) It’s hard not to watch with them being that huge…
Is that sooooooooo?
I’m sorry Mashiro looks too CUTE here ;3;
A little TOO close…
End thoughts: (Seriously though, what’s with Takagi and Kaya’s boobs?) Oh wow, let’s see, where do I start with this HUGE recap? Right now I can tell you that Eiji is my new favorite character in Bakuman, if you couldn’t tell already. I don’t know whether it’s because they’re showing Takagi less, and Eiji more, but I’ve been fangirling over Eiji since Episode 14 when the guys finally met him 8’D At first he felt like that really, really, REALLY weird kid you kind of stay away from (but secretly want to know), and I thought he’d be really cocky and mean once we got to see more of him. Yet after finding out he was a fan of Saikou’s and was nice to him, and finding out a bit about his past, I’ve come to absolutely ADORE Eiji. I find him so cute! Plus he’s such a unique character, and extremely enthusiastic to give us that extra boost of ENTHUSIASM INJECTIONS! (Gosh I miss those…)
It looks like Bakuman maybe FINALLY picking up its pace a bit since they do have about five-six episodes left. Then again they were green-lighted for a second season, so I don’t expect it to be epic-ly fast. I’m glad we finally a get a little break from the usual make-another-manga-and-turn-it-in-to-Hattori-and-see-what-happens kind of episodes. A little mix of Azuki, a larger mix of Eiji, and some sudden events, it’s getting a lot more interesting. What’s killing me though is the fact that now Kaya and Takagi’s relationship is kind of getting in the way, and is making Mashiro a bit mad (JEALOUS really). When he said if Takagi doesn’t give him a new name soon that he’d go on his alone, I almost cried |’D I was at my desk like, “NOOOOO YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE! WHAT ABOUT DOING THIS AS A TEAM?!”. I may know some spoilers about the series, but it still doesn’t stop me from getting all emotional about this. The thought of them separating makes me sad! I’ve gotten so used to them being all enthusiastic together, that once they aren’t together, it’s very odd and sad for me ;A; I do have to admit though, the little arc with Mashiro as Eiji’s assistant was fun~. Eiji filled that enthusiasm gap, and the three younger guys all together make a hilarious trio. I also loved Fukuda’s insight on manga and such. I was so memorized, saying to myself ‘I never thought of that!” xD
Of course, I can’t end this post without fangirling about Kaya and Takagi’s KISS SCENE! I did NOT expect that at all in that episode since nothing much really went on (until the end of course). IT WAS SO CUTE! *spazzes* Mashiro accidentally seeing them kind of killed the mood for me though. I was flailing my arms about like a crazy fangirl, and then Mashiro has to ride up on his bike and glimpse, and I put my arms down, thinking to myself, “Ohhhhh, this isn’t going to be good.” It seems as if that little moment set off this chain that’s leading to this new drama in Bakuman. Uwah, all I hope now is that nothing causes them to separate and that they’ll make something great soon!~
Preview:
It looks like things may go bad for Shuujin as Kaya is pushing him away for something, and he’s still on his writer’s block. Will Saikou end up going on solo?! NOOOOOOOOOO! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BROMANCE? Until next week then~!
About Hoshi
A tired, over-dramatic 20 year old college student who likes manga and cheesy Korean boy bands. Prone to succumb to laziness and refuse to work for hours on end.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Everyone wants ENTHUSIASM INJECTIONS!!! I am so glad that the anime has picked up. I actually stopped watching in the middle and switched to manga and I have to say that’s so much better but I can’t diss J.C. Staff for screwing up anime because they have been really faithful to the source.
Anyhow, the current episodes have been great and I love Eiji! Been waiting to see more of him for some time and whatever happens, the bromance will never end! xD
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~Yeah, for a while I got kind of bored and was very, VERY tempted to read more of the manga because it is so much, but I decided not to because I wanted the anime to surprise me a bit xD And yeah J.C staff have been very faithful to the source, almost too faithful though!
NO THE BROMANCE WON’T END! ;3; I HAVE FAITH! XD
POWUH: 1100-1199 and Meta's Evil rice-flour Product with 1137 comments
well atleast there’s some tension now,Show ▼
…
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
Oh really? I knew that’d happen…
POWUH: 1100-1199 and Meta's Evil rice-flour Product with 1137 comments
sneaky hoshi, you opened my spoiler tag :O
POWUH: 500-599 and The Trapolicious Treasurer with 599 comments
I first started out reading the manga but eventually I switched to the anime but I skipped through some dialogue scenes because I just couldn’t handle some of it. It’s not bad over all but like Kyokai, the manga is pretty much better.
Eiji is awesome yeah! And his feathers on his back too haha looks funny but kinda cool. Though he’s really eccentric, he’s pretty cool. Especially when he started to take pointers from his assistants. The small scene he gets in ep19 is pretty funny too.
Somehow, Mashiro is kind of annoying to me sometimes and especially his depression and rush on getting serialized to the point of breaking up with Shuujin. As for Shuujin, he’s actually not bad and Kaya is funny with her violence like when she kicked Shuujin’s butt in the park hah.
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~They put in so much slow, filler dialogue sometimes, it kills me too, but when it gets to more climatic stuff then it gets fast-paced and exciting. Yeah we can pretty much all agree that the manga is better hahaha XD
Oh I love the feathers thing too!! I cant tell you how many times I’ve seen fanart of him with that on, hahaha.
Mashiro always manages to get on my nerves, especially with the stubbornness and rush-to-get-serialized thing. Takagi is just…-sigh- too cool, and Kaya is pretty cool as well. Though she kind of gets on my nerves at some points.
POWUH: 800-899 and Flying Sage with 856 comments
I think Bakuman is a bit uneven. It really seemed to drag for a bit (eps. 9-12, or so), but I completely agree about the Enthusiasm, it exhibits. When the boys are eagerly working towards their dream, the show is quite entertaining. Also, the arc you describe was pretty interesting for showing details about how a team might actually put a manga together. I hadn’t heard about a second season; I hope they give it a bit more funding.
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~I feels like it drags because they literally go an episode equals one chapter basis, and then to make it a whole 30 minute episode, they add in all these silent moments, or filler dialogue. I also think it’s because since they do have a second season, they’re going to save more of the bigger events for the next season. I hope in the second season it’ll be more fast-paced~
POWUH: 1100-1199 and Meta's Evil rice-flour Product with 1137 comments
it doesnt have to move like your conventional anime, this isn’t just a standalone series, it’s a tribute to the manga itself
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~Ahh, I guess you could say that.
POWUH: 800-899 and Flying Sage with 856 comments
I don’t really care if it moves “like your conventional anime”; I’m a big fan of many shows that others have claimed to be much too slow. On the other hand, the producers have to set up a vibe that tells you to relax and enjoy the moment to make it work. Shows like House of Five Leaves worked for me, despite slow pacing, because it was so beautiful to watch, I enjoyed just sort of being a spectator of that fascinating world.
In the case of Bakuman, it seems like the central issue isn’t the interesting world they inhabit, but rather the adrenalin rush of striving to be number one. As such the events, whether they be Shuujin’s writer’s block, or the deadline for a contest submission, become much more important than the characters or atmosphere. If the events come faster, the show is more exciting, but when the events start dribbling out, the show loses its energy.
Fortunately they managed to sidestep that problem with the Eiji arc. There was some good chemistry between the young artists, so it was fun just having them together in a room.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
I haven’t read the manga but I heard the anime is really slow, like amazingly super dooper slow towards the manga (which doesn’t sound good if they aren’t gonna continue the anime after season 2 in this kind of slow speed) That means I have to switch to manga….
Oh how it KILLS ME to keep quiet about Ep 19 and what happens! xD But I’ll do it for those who hate spoilers. ^^
I really like the development of Eiji, his such a cool character (might be my fav~) And omg I feel the same way too Hoshi! I thought Eiji was gonna be this cocky kid who was really good but it was the total opposite, his a fan of Mashiro’s Money and Intelligence manga and wished for it to be serialized! While on the other hand, Mashiro and Shuujin were thinking negative of Eiji, saying stuff like his playing around blah blah blah (this made the whole bad guy good guy act turn around) xD Oh Shuujin and those boobs… LMAO! It seems our Mashiro-kun is getting anxious about the whole relationship thing with Miho~ I wouldn’t blame him, I’d probs feel the same if I was to wait till my dreams were fulfilled before I could go out with the girl I like and marry her :S
I’ve never read or seen To-love-ru… is it good guys? xD
Sometimes I wonder why Mashiro and Takagi are so simple minded and stubborn at times (I know what happens in Ep 19 so I can say this) But a main stream battle manga is just not there thing and I totally agree with Hattori-san. It’s a bit reckless and also look at Takagi! His mind blocked cause he’s gone with Mashiro’s words and is basically forcing himself to write something good before the deadline. :\
And YES!!! It was getting so dull without the weekly ENTHUSIAM INJECTIONS!!!! xDD *injects a full 5 doses* OOOOOOOO~~~~~~~ OOOOOOOHHH YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHH~~~~~~!!!!!! I’m PUMPED UP!!!! (Time to do homework) Ja ne~
POWUH: 1100-1199 and Meta's Evil rice-flour Product with 1137 comments
to love ru…is ecchi, but cute, and a little bit of lol, second season better than the first, but there’s little underlying plot, and rito is way tooo lucky…he has everyone after him
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
Alright… I can see where To love ru seems to be heading towards… O_O I’d rather stick to my daily schedule, got too much anyways…
Might even have to forcefully drop a few T_T
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
(LONG LONG, COMEMENT IS LONG LOL XD But I love it)
~UWAHH don’t tell me anything, I’m going to watch it on Sunday, my time @___@
Yeah Eiji is just so odd and unique, you can’t help but find the guy incredibly awesome! And I totally get how Mashiro is feeling as well. I know it must be hard for your friend to be with his girl, and you can’t, but sometimes I just wanna say ‘SUCK IT UP!’ because it annoys me |’D But I understand so I’ll be nice…
EXACTLY! When they brought Hattori that manga about the angel, I was like, “IT’S. NOT. GOOD.” If I had to review that manga, I’d probably get very harsh on it >>; I know exactly how Takagi feels, trying to write something a certain way and just getting completely stuck; it sucks! I say they need to go back to their original style because this mainstream manga stuff is killing me |’D
YEAHHHHHHHHHHH ENTHUSIASM INJECTIONS BEFORE HOMEWORK~!!! *3* The only way you can have fun with homework LOL!
POWUH: 1100-1199 and Meta's Evil rice-flour Product with 1137 comments
Tofu SPOILER TAGS!!!!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
I didn’t spoil anything xP
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
EPIC FACE!!!!! (too bad I can’t put it into this comment, would of been awesome) xD
POWUH: 1100-1199 and Meta's Evil rice-flour Product with 1137 comments
YAYAYYAYAYAYA I THOUGHT YOU DROPPED IT, now catch up to epsiode 20
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
~There’s no way I’d drop this; it’s too fun XD
Yeah I’m working my way up there to Episode 20…