# Bakuman (2010)

> Two ninth graders, an artist and a writer, team up to become top manga creators in Japan.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/33140

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 75
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, comedy, drama
- Network: NHK Educational TV
- Cast: Atsushi Abe, Satoshi Hino, Saori Hayami, Sayuri Yahagi, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Tomoyuki Shimura, Ayako Kawasumi, Ayumi Fujimura
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1738419/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: earnest, hopeful, playful, warm, determined

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its portrayal of the manga industry and the friendship and ambition at its core.

## Synopsis

Bakuman (2010-2013) is a Japanese animated slice of life series produced by J.C.STAFF and NHK, broadcast on NHK Educational TV, and adapted from the manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Across three seasons and 75 episodes, the story follows Moritaka Mashiro (voiced by Atsushi Abe), a gifted young artist, and Akito Takagi (voiced by Satoshi Hino), an ambitious writer, as two ninth graders who pledge to become the greatest mangaka Japan has ever seen. Mashiro hopes to marry his classmate Miho Azuki (voiced by Saori Hayami), and that goal keeps him pushing through the grind. The engine of each episode is the weekly serialization cycle: drafting storyboards, inking pages, pitching ideas to demanding editors, and racing deadlines while rival creators climb the charts. Set in contemporary Japan, the show mixes earnest workplace drama with light comedy and warm friendship. Its tone is hopeful and detailed, closer to the craft-focused appeal of Hikaru no Go and Chihayafuru than to a battle series. Fans of Hikaru no Go, Chihayafuru and Nodame Cantabile will find resonance here.

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