How would you like Bakuman to end?

[pina]

Aww, the first thread I had commented in this forum!

Going back to what I had wished to see, it seems I'll be left hanging Eiji did end a manga, but there really wasn't much more character development with Fukuda or Iwase, and we never saw Shizuka again. Nakai redeeming himself is debatable, for me he was rather a lost cause.

I'd like to see Hiramaru and Aoki's wedding as well, and would love to see Mashiro, Takagi, Kaya and Azuki all watching the anime together.

[Kaidou]

Eji ending Bakuman is an awesome idea! "The Manga I want to end is Bakuman!" That's very philosphical because one might wonder whether Bakuman was ever real^^
But it can't be shown in the present arc.

Honestly I'd like to end Bakuman by the next month. Ohba's kind stretching the story and it seems sometimes inconsistent. Eji is beaten now and Ashirogi and Eji will continue to battle over the rankings but I don't see it as a main part of the Manga. Eji was a "hindrance" to Moritaka's dream so he had to be beaten but to continue the manga after the wedding wouldn't be right.

[Enn]

Of course, the perfect ending is to achieve what they had always dreamed of: beating Eiji and Mashiro getting happiness with Azuki. Although, to end it in a lighthearted note, I suppose they can always say that the fight will go on for the future of Jump and manga.

[kidomaru]

for me,
1. ashirogi muto win against eiji
2. mashiro failed. he didn't get married with azuki, but the dream accomplished
3. still,it is a happy ending

^^

[saladesu]

2. mashiro failed. he didn't get married with azuki, but the dream accomplished
3. still,it is a happy ending

^^

Hmm, that's interesting. Can you expand on this a little? It's rare for someone to wish for Azuki and Saikou not to get together How would this constitute a happy ending in your opinion?

[alphabeta]

Hmm, that's interesting. Can you expand on this a little? It's rare for someone to wish for Azuki and Saikou not to get together How would this constitute a happy ending in your opinion?

I can't talk for kidomaru ofc, but I think that he meant it this way.

Ashirogi had three dreams. Getting an anime. Beating Eiji in WSJ. Marrying Azuki. Out of thost three, the first two were accomplished, but for whatever reasons Azuki didn't receive the role in Reversi and hence Saikou can't/won't marry her. But since 2>1 they still have a happy ending, because they achieved the majority of their dreams.

Something like that.

[saladesu]

I can't talk for kidomaru ofc, but I think that he meant it this way.

Ashirogi had three dreams. Getting an anime. Beating Eiji in WSJ. Marrying Azuki. Out of thost three, the first two were accomplished, but for whatever reasons Azuki didn't receive the role in Reversi and hence Saikou can't/won't marry her. But since 2>1 they still have a happy ending, because they achieved the majority of their dreams.

Something like that.

This being a shounen manga though, I can't see them not achieving all three of them before the manga ends. It's just silly to end it like that, honestly "You didn't get the lead role in the anime adaptation of my manga so too bad, I'm not gonna marry you, farewell." ? I don't think so. I, as a reader, wouldn't be satisfied seeing an ending like this

[alphabeta]

This being a shounen manga though, I can't see them not achieving all three of them before the manga ends. It's just silly to end it like that, honestly "You didn't get the lead role in the anime adaptation of my manga so too bad, I'm not gonna marry you, farewell." ? I don't think so. I, as a reader, wouldn't be satisfied seeing an ending like this

Well, personally I think they will marry either way, regardless if Azuki gets the role in Reversi or not. But as you said, it's a shounen, and Azuki not getting the role would be like revolutionizing the whole shounen element.

In the end, people don't read shounen to find out how a story will end. They know beforehand how it will end (protagonist achivieng his/her dream), and they read it for seeing how they will achieve it. And in this case, if they don't achieve it (Azuki doesn't gets the role), it'll be something new.

We all know that Azuki will get the role, Saikou will marry her, and that will result in a happy ending, bla, bla, bla.

[saladesu]

Well, there are twists on that, I suppose. Not all shounen manga end with the protagonists achieving their exact goals. I wouldn't call it "new". Case in point:

Ed and Al's mission was to get their original bodies back. In the end, this only came true for Al. Ed still had his automail leg.

Whether this was an unsatisfying ending or not depends on the reader but by and large most people found it satisfying and even heartwarming. On the other hand, though, this ending was only "acceptable" because of how their perceptions and values changed through the course of the series. Bakuman is a different story (in more ways than one).

Anyway, you just reiterated my exact point. We do already know that Azuki will get the lead role in a Ashirogi manga (which may or may not be Reversi), and that they'll get married. Which is precisely why I am interested to know why Kidoumaru is hoping for the opposite to happen.

[Bulba]

With an announcement that "REVERSI" will actually be a new JUMP manga done by the creators of Bakuman. I actually wouldn't mind reading it.

[blade5468]

Which is precisely why I am interested to know why Kidoumaru is hoping for the opposite to happen.

Maybe he just misses the really fucked up stuff from Death Note. Ohba's been a bit too much of a nice guy with this manga. Besides, it can be interesting, and it's not like it ultimately matters how it ends, really. I mean, I suppose it does, but... I don't know, I don't think endings are that memorable. Dragon Ball, for instance, didn't end "right" on like a thousand different occasions and it still made its mark on history. A lot of other very successful manga/anime would've been just as good regardless of whether or not the ending went differently. For things like Ichigo 100% (or any other "harem" that takes itself seriously) the choice of girl the main character makes ultimately does not matter that much either, I don't think. It doesn't take away from the brilliance of the rest of the story.


As for the direction of the manga until the ending, I just wish they'd go back to how things were the first fifty chapters. Actually discussing stuff and having interesting things happen in their own interpersonal lives, not just a manga statistics weekly event. Or at least make more series that are interesting. Really, the only two things I miss about Bakuman are 1) interesting manga ideas, and 2) human relationships. Actually, throw in a third -- Obata's amazing art. And let's be fair, they haven't been very big on any of those for the last one hundred chapters or something. I seriously think that the actual depth of the story/characters can still be fully delivered with the reader skipping all the chapters post-Mashiro@hospital up until, like, right now really. Or when Reversi came out, I suppose. But do you guys not feel like NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENED? I know it's probably a common complaint, but yeah. It was my favorite manga for the first fifty chapters, I remember it in August 2008 and I loved it and I felt that it loved me back. And then it was absolutely great for a year, like absolutely fantastic. And now it's just not that great. Even the art stopped taking itself seriously at one point roughly around the fifty chapter mark. It became too much of a straight formula of things that happen per chapter or arc, and not enough actual SERIOUS stuff, no romance and no plot, just comedy and manga statistics. That's the problem, really.

So that's it. That's what I want before the ending. I want their priority to go back to SERIOUS PLOT/ACTUAL MANGA STUFF/SERIOUS ART -> ROMANCE -> COMEDY instead of it being solely comedy and a plot that pretends to be serious but is really just a bunch of manga statistics. It used to be so inspiring, like it was seriously SO GOOD. It's just not anymore. It's depressing, really. Not the manga, but the fact that it turned into this. It had so much potential.

But yeah, I'm done ranting.

[Knifeshade]

I think the problem is everybody doesn't like how slow the pace is compared to how usually fast it is (when weeks and months fly past like flies). It's a safe bet to say Bakuman will be ending within the year, so as long as Ohba makes the ending good then the chapters leading up is worth it. But that's just me.

[OtakuModeEngage]

Haha, I decided I won't argue on this post, as its wrong to tarnish one's vision of a good ending. Well Bakuman has been an enlightening experience to how the world of manga works, and albeit, slow paced at times, all together an interesting quest for dreams and love. Actually, I think this sense of slow pace where nothing seems to happen, is just a testament to realism, for after all, life moves slowly and nothing comes easy. Sometimes the things that happen are meager and seem meaningless, and that can make it less interesting, I believe we've seen even that in this manga. However, if you look back you can see that every arc has had its purpose, that every event has been leading to this point, and I'm stoked at what Ohba will release. Haha, sorry, I guess I ended up ranting after all.

Well my ideal ending is Azuki getting the part, then right after production is finished, she is heading into work is shot by a rage mode Otaku. She dies in the hospital in Mashiro's arms, leaving Reversi the greatest manga ever created and her staring role as heroine. The tragic irony of all but one dream fulfilled, Mashiro places a ring on Azuki's finger and drinks a vile of poison in the hospital room. A nurse runs in and they quickly administer the antidote, Mashiro must live with the pain of losing his love FOREVER.

Haha, well, putting that depressing gag aside; truthfully I would like to see a live contest in Akihabara, Tokyo between Azuki and Ririruka over the roll. After proving she is the best for the roll before all the Otaku they can no longer claim it was handed to her because she is a girlfriend of one of Ashigori Muto's Mangakas. All of team Fakuda work into their current Mangas a side story that depicts Azukis innocence, thus controlling all the Otaku through their love of manga. Azuki and Mashiro, having accomplished their dreams, get married. This would be the perfect ending.

[Jaymie]

I want Bakuman to end right now. Bakuman 168 was absolutely perfect, and the series can end within a month or two from this point. I know there's still many places that Bakuman could go, but there were places where Death Note could go, too, and we all know how that ended up.

[OtakuModeEngage]

I want Bakuman to end right now. Bakuman 168 was absolutely perfect, and the series can end within a month or two from this point. I know there's still many places that Bakuman could go, but there were places where Death Note could go, too, and we all know how that ended up.

That's not really saying how you'd like it to end... you're kind of missing the point.