Bakuman

Bakuman is a manga about two high schoolers trying to create their own manga. It was created by the same author + illustrator duo responsible for Death Note, and in the first chapter alone their are multiple references to the popular series.

Having read the first chapter, It seems like Bakuman isn't like your typical Shonen manga or anime. Normally when I think of Shonen I think of manga like Bleach or Naruto, manga with lots of fighting and big anime tiddies. Bakuman has a more similar tone to something like Durarara, so far it seems more subdued while still carrying the typical tropes of the Shonen genre (high school aged characters, and love interest, etc).

So far Bakuman really reminds me of an anime I'm watching right now called Keep Your Hands of Eizouken. Eizouken follows the story of three high school girls who want to create anime. Similarly to the main characters of Bakuman, the three protagonists of Eizouken all play different roles in their group (producer, director, and animator). This isn't a subject matter I've seen frequently, so I wonder if Keep Your Hands of Eizouken was influenced by Bakuman. Also, if you haven't checked out Eizouken yet I seriously recommend it for any artist, the animation is 👌👌👌.

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