Bakuman Volume 15 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Moritaka Mashiro may have been an average high school student, but he liked to draw and was good at it.  Akito Takagi, an aspiring writer, convinced Mashiro to join him in creating manga, and the boys achieved success by getting their manga published in the magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump.  After having two series cancelled, this duo, which works under the penname, “Muto Ashirogi,” created its longest-running hit, PCP: Perfect Crime Party.  Do these young men have what it takes to make it in the manga-publishing world?

As Bakuman, Vol. 15 (entitled Support and Feeling) opens, the controversy surrounding rookie manga creator, Tohru Nanamine, and his series, “The Classroom of Truth,” is resolved.  However, Nanamine’s star assistant, Takuro Nakai, starts more trouble.  Once a rising star, Nakai, basically talked his way out of the manga publishing business.  Now, he wants to settle a score with manga creator, Miss Ko Aoki, but the man who loves her, fellow creator, Kazuya Hiramaru, wants to protect her.

Then, the news media puts a spotlight on PCP: Perfect Crime Party.  But is it the kind of attention Muto Ashirogi wants?  And will it affect Akito?

THE LOWDOW:  I reviewed the 14th volume of the Bakuman (stylized as Bakuman。) manga last week.  After reading Volume 15, I can assure you that Bakuman is still really, really good.  I still want it to be my “best comic book of the year.”

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for great comic books will want to read Bakuman.