Bakuman

[xkrazydog]

when you read enough manga you can always tell the difference i can picture the face of people that have only read american comics figure out what they thought was a girl turned out to be a guy

Not something to be proud of and another example of bad writing:
The characters who succeed tend to be good looking whereas the ones that dont (the other assistant, nakai, etc.) look physically unappealing. I'm actually kind of disappointed in OBATA now, because of this. He can design characters far better than this, but that kid is just the label of "look i'm pretty and pretty generic" and seems just a bishounenized Near from Death Note.

[Hunterkirizaki]

My favorite character(2 volumes in) is their editor. XD I just love his attitude.

[d2k]

My favorite character(2 volumes in) is their editor. XD I just love his attitude.

i love his very awkward look

[blankd]

when you read enough manga you can always tell the difference i can picture the face of people that have only read american comics figure out what they thought was a girl turned out to be a guy

!!!!EXAMPLE TIME!!!! Just because other manga series have indecipherable male/female character does not make it acceptable nor a "good" design aspect of the style. In fact "reading enough manga" just makes the lack of design seem even more amateur. Barring "trap" characters of course who are intended to have their true sex be revealed as a twist or some other narrative device. !!!!EXAMPLE END!!!!

Now, in Bakuman, many of the "young" males have exactly or otherwise the same face as each other. And almost all the females DO have exactly the same face when not having a "gag moment freak out." The only characters who have variety would be the male "adult" characters. Now if there were more variety in body types, this could compensate for a limited face-design types, but almost everyone who is young has the same lithe figure (save for females who MAY have different chest sizes, I don't know, I'm not exactly paying attention).

And what do American Comics have to do with Bakuman? Actually I wonder why or if Bakuman will or has referenced any American comics?

[Randumbz]

I thought it was female, but then they started calling the kid a he. c_c Anyone else think he was a she?

when you read enough manga you can always tell the difference i can picture the face of people that have only read american comics figure out what they thought was a girl turned out to be a guy

I read this manga once called genkaku picasso and i knew the main character was a guy, but he looked so much like a girl...it was kind of scary...

[sarydactl]

when you read enough manga you can always tell the difference i can picture the face of people that have only read american comics figure out what they thought was a girl turned out to be a guy

Not something to be proud of and another example of bad writing:
The characters who succeed tend to be good looking whereas the ones that dont (the other assistant, nakai, etc.) look physically unappealing. I'm actually kind of disappointed in OBATA now, because of this. He can design characters far better than this, but that kid is just the label of "look i'm pretty and pretty generic" and seems just a bishounenized Near from Death Note.

As pretty as she is, Iwase tends to not succeed. As odd-looking as he is, Hattori is a very good editor. All of the editors in general are very realistic. At first impression, I thought Eiji was rather ugly, though he's my favorite character because of his eccentric personality. And I'm pretty sure these two don't qualify for #1 bishounen.


I am rather disappointed in the writer for the demoralization of the women roles. They are all simply there to be a pillar of support for men, and when they are first introduced it is always in the context of men. Iwase must prove herself to a man, and the characters look down on her for that tenacity, and the writer plays up how crazy this woman is to pursue things like a 'male' would. The female writers are referred to collectively as 'the jump girls', separate from the male writers. When men interact with them, they always consider how to treat a woman. It is certainly Japanese culture, but that is also certainly not an excuse.

Despite this unfortunate bit, it is one of my favorite series, probably only beaten by The World God Only Knows.

[tsubasa-myuu]

lol i love bakuman.

as for the whole sexist thing, one thing that you need to keep in mind (i'm not saying it's not wrong, just think for a minute)
Bakuman is written by a japanese person who lives in japan. It's not the US. Japan has a different veiw of women, unfortunate but true. The female characters bug me a bit i suppose, though Misa from death note was the only one i really despised from this artist.

I still love Bakuman, regardless of the sexist implications. I like the story and the crazy characters and the mellowness of the whole thing.

[blankd]

lol i love bakuman.

as for the whole sexist thing, one thing that you need to keep in mind (i'm not saying it's not wrong, just think for a minute)
Bakuman is written by a japanese person who lives in japan. It's not the US. Japan has a different veiw of women, unfortunate but true. The female characters bug me a bit i suppose, though Misa from death note was the only one i really despised from this artist.

I still love Bakuman, regardless of the sexist implications. I like the story and the crazy characters and the mellowness of the whole thing.

Sexism is not acceptable just because it happens to be coming from another country, nor does it put the writer "in the clear".

Another thing to keep in mind is that Bakuman's very themes (screw what other people say, follow your own dream!) is very WESTERN. Just think of that for a moment before saying "oh but the "mild" sexism is ok".

[tsubasa-myuu]

lol i love bakuman.

as for the whole sexist thing, one thing that you need to keep in mind (i'm not saying it's not wrong, just think for a minute)
Bakuman is written by a japanese person who lives in japan. It's not the US. Japan has a different veiw of women, unfortunate but true. The female characters bug me a bit i suppose, though Misa from death note was the only one i really despised from this artist.

I still love Bakuman, regardless of the sexist implications. I like the story and the crazy characters and the mellowness of the whole thing.

Sexism is not acceptable just because it happens to be coming from another country, nor does it put the writer "in the clear".

Another thing to keep in mind is that Bakuman's very themes (screw what other people say, follow your own dream!) is very WESTERN. Just think of that for a moment before saying "oh but the "mild" sexism is ok".

I never said it was okay, (i did put in "I'm not saying it's not wrong" ) i'm just trying to see it from another view. People from other countries were not raised on the same values and ethics as other people, and it might even be a subconcious choice. I didn't even realize it until i looked at some other threads about it and thought about it (and i'm a girl, i really didn't take much notice, i was just enoying the read 0.0; ) I'm not saying it's okay. I'm a girl, I do not support sexism, and i would gladly oppose any serious form of it. But i also am tyring to empathize with the author, seeing as they were raised on different values.

[blankd]

I never said it was okay, (i did put in "I'm not saying it's not wrong" ) i'm just trying to see it from another view. People from other countries were not raised on the same values and ethics as other people, and it might even be a subconcious choice. I didn't even realize it until i looked at some other threads about it and thought about it (and i'm a girl, i really didn't take much notice, i was just enoying the read 0.0; ) I'm not saying it's okay. I'm a girl, I do not support sexism, and i would gladly oppose any serious form of it. But i also am tyring to empathize with the author, seeing as they were raised on different values.

It comes from saying "It's more understandable because of slightly different factors" that my response comes from.

I actually recommend you look at the examples posted and think about it again. There is still rampant sexism in our OWN culture (well American writing) even though "we're" supposed to be trying to be fair to both sexes- that is why I stick by what I say about the writing.

gun21 posted examples of misogyny. To be honest I have no way of knowing if the writer is sexist themselves, but their writing, particularly in Bakuman is the most frequently sexist (then again it's probably one of their longest running series). Bakuman is doubtless enjoyable for the "insider" look of manga but it becomes a bit shakier when it comes to character drama and who happens to be successful/says the "inspiring" lines.

Ironically there are have been claims that the writer is female, however that remains a mystery. (Remember, it's a writer/artist team.)

[Randumbz]

ohba is a woman but maybe she doesn't know that she's being sexist

[tsubasa-myuu]

ohba is a woman but maybe she doesn't know that she's being sexist

yeah, thats what i think. It's very likey it's an unconcious thing. The story for the webcomic i'm just now starting, well i realized very late in the game that it could be veiwed as a feminist comic, even though i had no intention of it being so. It's kinda just an unconcious choice that just happens, probably for subconcious reasons.

[Sorrows Neptune]

ohba is a woman but maybe she doesn't know that she's being sexist

It's actually a mystery as to what his/her gender actually is.

[blankd]

ohba is a woman but maybe she doesn't know that she's being sexist

yeah, thats what i think. It's very likey it's an unconcious thing. The story for the webcomic i'm just now starting, well i realized very late in the game that it could be veiwed as a feminist comic, even though i had no intention of it being so. It's kinda just an unconcious choice that just happens, probably for subconcious reasons.

fem·i·nism
   /ˈfɛməˌnɪzəm/ Show Spelled[fem-uh-niz-uhm] Show IPA
–noun
1.
the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.
2.
( sometimes initial capital letter ) an organized movement for the attainment of such rights for women.
3.
feminine character.

Having a feminist comic is not a BAD THING.

And again, Ohba has not been confirmed as being male or female, their sex is closely guarded for whatever reason.

[d2k]

ohba is a woman but maybe she doesn't know that she's being sexist

yeah, thats what i think. It's very likey it's an unconcious thing. The story for the webcomic i'm just now starting, well i realized very late in the game that it could be veiwed as a feminist comic, even though i had no intention of it being so. It's kinda just an unconcious choice that just happens, probably for subconcious reasons.

fem·i·nism
   /ˈfɛməˌnɪzəm/ Show Spelled[fem-uh-niz-uhm] Show IPA
–noun
1.
the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.
2.
( sometimes initial capital letter ) an organized movement for the attainment of such rights for women.
3.
feminine character.

Having a feminist comic is not a BAD THING.

And again, Ohba has not been confirmed as being male or female, their sex is closely guarded for whatever reason.

i think she worded the feminist bit wrong
or she thinks feminism is completely different to what it is