Bakuman 163

The chapter opens with some a debate over whether Zombie Gun or Reversi should get an anime. Both viewpoints are equally valid, and as with the rest of this series, it provides a very interesting look inside the industry.

Heishi makes a very telling remark about Ashirogi Muto, questioning “whether they want to keep on going by this summer.” This could just be a responsible editor-in-chief making sure that an anime adaptation is viable, but it also conveys a possible lack of trust between the editorial department and the protagonists. When viewed objectively, Mashiro and Takagi have been quite selfish and difficult to work with, and Heishi’s potential worries about their motivation to follow through with a series is something to follow.

A rather ironic statement in a series like Bakuman

It’s somehow very surprising to read that the Crow anime ran for seven years. Even knowing how frequently this series progresses time, seven years is still hard to believe.

Ashirogi Muto are so lucky to have an editor as considerate and thoughtful as Hattori. His internal monologue does reveal the concerns he has on behalf of Shueisha regarding Reversi ending too soon, but the fact that he is trying to justify accepting the offer of an anime adaptation shows just how much he cares about the success of Ashirogi. He is more than just an editor to them; he’s a member of the establishment fighting on their behalf.

Just as with most anything else that Eiji does, his reaction to a possible Reversi anime is excellent. The audience is often shown this rivalry from the point of view of Ashirogi Muto, and while there is nothing bad about that, it’s also nice to see it from Eiji’s aspect.

Intense emotion from such a free spirit

What a wonderfully happy reaction from Mashiro and Takagi. Obviously, they’ve both temporarily disregarded the fact that a Reversi anime is only a possibility rather than a guarantee, but their celebration is still nice to see. Besides, Hattori’s warning of “don’t freak out” was guaranteed to fail. The sheer joy they display is almost immediately counterbalanced by Mashiro’s superb facial expression upon hearing the suggestion that Reversi should continue running until the anime ends. These emotions are conveyed so well thanks to Obata’s emotive artwork.

Once again, the relationship between Takagi and Mashiro sets up a unique scenario, this time making each of them argue against their own desires. Takagi, who has long been worried about Mashiro’s relationship with Azuki, is effectively arguing to compromise his own writing in favor of furthering Mashiro’s love life, while Mashiro is fighting his own romantic wishes in order to keep Takagi’s authorial integrity intact. These two have such an interesting dynamic between them.

Almost as if to reinforce how great he is, Hattori again displays loyalty to Ashirogi Muto by cutting through the tension between Mashiro and Takagi with a completely straightforward approach to the anime argument. Hattori is not as vital to the series as some other supporting characters like Kaya, but he’s still tremendously important when compared to other possibilities such as Miura.

Admirable dedication to his authors

The chapter ends with yet another swerve, as Eiji has reasserted himself in the rivalry with Ashirogi by suddenly preparing material for a Zombie Gun anime. The fact that Reversi is so new and that so much emphasis was placed on its major flaw (the dual main characters) meant that before this chapter, it felt more appropriate for Eiji to win this anime battle. After all the buildup in this chapter, though, the story could go either way without any real complaints, but it would still be best if Zombie Gun was made into an anime. Reversi just doesn’t feel like the series with which Ashirogi Muto will achieve their goals of beating Eiji, having an anime, and finally winning over Azuki. Perhaps Reversi could get an anime but Azuki would fail to get the lead female role, but that would feel wrong as well, since Azuki isn’t featured prominently enough in the series to suddenly have a major storyline center around her. The most reasonable outcome would be for Reversi to be denied an anime, for PCP and Reversi to both end, and for Mashiro and Takagi to finally hit upon their masterwork sometime in the next year.

Final Flash: This has certainly been a chapter of sudden and varied emotions. It was very good, even if it was all over the place.

[scanlation by Red Hawk NEO]