Found Manga- Bakuman.

I go to a comic book  swap once a month. Most of the time it's american comics and I have some really good stuff there, but every once in a while I'll find an anime or manga buried in the piles. Last time I was there I found the first issue of Bakuman.(there is a period after the word, I am not making a typo).
Bakuman. fallows two middle school boys who are fallowing their dream to become manga creators. They are Moritaka Mashiro, the artist, and Akito Takagi, the writer. It is written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, the team that brought us Death Note. The art is the same as Death Note and the characters even make reference to the anime and manga. The art may be the same but the story is completely differnt having no supernatural elements at all and staying very heavily grounded in the real world. Takagi tries to convince Mashiro to create a manga with him after Mashiro leaves his note book at school and Takagi finds it. Mashiro has many drawing of Azuki Miho in his note book and that compels Takagi to go to Miho's house to tell her that they are going to create a manga even though Mashiro hasn't agreed to do so yet. While talking to her Mashiro blurts out "So if my dream ever comes true will you marry me?". Miho agree if both of them reach their goal, Miho wants to be a voice actress, that she will marry him. This prompts Mashiro to become a manga artist. Mashiro's family supports his decision and give him his late uncles studio, he was also a manga artist who died from over work. Machiro and Takagi work none stop to create their first manga only resting during school. Literaly sleeping in class at some points. At the end of the issue they have finished their first manga short and are going to submit it to Weekly Shonen Jump.
I like this manga. I wont go as far as to say it is my favorite, but I did really like it. It was well written and the art is nice to look at. I like the fact that it is very grounded in the real world. I found the whole relationship between Mashiro and Miho is a little odd. They are 15, I know that it is very high school, middle school in this case, to be like oh I love him and I'll marry him one day. That stuff almost never happens in real life. And we do see that with Mashiro's uncle and Miho's mom, but it's kinda silly to use that for the reason to become a manga artist, especially if it consumes your life so much like Machiro. I can under stand his family supporting him but it kinda feel like they are treating him like some one leaving high school not middle school. I'm fine with characters being mature for their age, but this seems like a stretch. However, it could be a cultural thing or an demographic thing. it is quite normal for parents to just disappear in manga and anime. I really like the reveal of the behind the scenes of creating manga and the long hard hours that manga artists go though just to produce one issue. I like stories that teach you something while you read and this one sure does.
My final thoughts are I like it. I'll most likely finish it, but I can't see my self watching the anime. Or going to read it right away. I have many other things that I would like to read before this one. If you are interested in how a manga is created I suggest it. Also, if you want more work from Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata I suggest it but don't expect an other Death note, because it is not. As for a rating I give it a Gem but not a Shiny Gem.

~^.^