Learned From Manga #2: BAKUMAN's One Scene That's Filled With Meaning!!

Reading the #manga Bakuman I've found many interesting scenes, I learned 3 things from the scene in this post only!! I wanted to share the scenes one by one in no particular order... so here's the first one and my opinion on it.

---

---

Learned From Manga

Manga/Anime and Games are art. I believe that the things we watch/read/play doesn't only move us emotionally but can make use wiser and more knowledgeable... I believe there's no truly useless knowledge. and by sharing our opinions on scenes from them, we can get something more... something to help us in our lives.

This a series of posts I was planning to do since long ago, in my Arabic Facebook Group I always share things like these so I wanted to do this on steemit too. I wrote the first post of this series a week ago.

Enjoy This Post

---

---

BAKUMAN

This is a scene from chapter 3 (VOL.1) of the manga (pages 18-20). This will probably spoil everything up to that chapter, but it's an interesting manga and If you're into anything anime-related you should read it!!

I don't own BAKUMAN and only posted these pages here to share my opinion on them. If you want to support the creators you can buy the English Volumes of the manga from Amazon.

Page 18	page 19	page 20

I decided to write it in a novel-like way, it's a good exercise for me.

To fulfill his promise to the girl he likes and realize his dream to become a mangaka, Moritaka Mashiro went with his friend Akito Takagi to his late uncle (Nobuhiro) studio, where they learned a lot from looking at his uncle storyboards.

'There's so many of them' Moritaka thought as he looked at the storyboards and ideas his uncle left behind 'Like, only one in ten became manuscripts, no, more like one in hundred. How fast was he drawing these things?'

Moritaka who had always thought that his uncle committed suicide, couldn't believe how hard his uncle worked even though he didn't have a series and was practically jobless. But at that moment Moritaka realized how wrong he was.

"Shujin" Moritaka said "I'm going outside to make a phone call"

"Oh!" Akito seemed to have gotten used to being called 'Shujin', a nickname he didn't like at first. He said playfully "Azuki?"

"I told you, I don't have her number!" said Moritaka as he tried to hide the barely noticeable blush forming on his cheeks. Even though they promised to not talk to each other until they realized their dreams, He wishes he had her number.

Moritaka hit the call button as he walked to the balcony.
"Dad," he said as soon as the phone connected.

"What is it?" said the voice belonging to his father, it was the first time he hears it on the phone as his father next words affirmed. "I don't think you've ever called me before."

"I'm sorry," when Moritaka decided to call him, he didn't think it through, but knowing his dad he went directly to the topic "I always thought my uncle committed suicide. But he was really working around the clock."

"Don't Be Stupid!" His father said, he didn't know his father expression at the time, but his voice was serious with a scolding tone "He wasn't the sort of the coward who'd kill himself. He was the type who'd grit his teeth and work even harder in the face of adversary. He never once complained."

"Yeah, you're right" Moritaka couldn't help but remember his uncle, He couldn't remember seeing him without a pen in his hand "He was always drawing something whenever I was there."

"Did you read Kyojin no Hoshi?" what his father said was something unexpected.

"Huh? yeah.."

"Then you know what Ryoma Sakamoto said"

"Yeah" Moritaka just noticed what his father aiming at.

"You liked 'Ashita no Joe' didn't you?" father voice seemed to become playful as he said the last part, He knew Moritaka liked it since he bought the volumes himself for him.

"You don't have to say anymore dad. Thanks" Moritaka said as he remembered what Ryoma and Joe had in common.

"I see, Goodbye then."
Moritaka heard his father ending the call, But his mind was on something else.

'What Ryoma Sakamoto said was "Even if he dies in a ditch, a man should die facing forward" and Joe Yabuki Burned up into pure white ashes' Moritaka always admired these characters and their way of life.

'My uncle fell facing forward,' That's what his father meant 'my dad tried to show me how to become a man through famous manga scenes.'

'I'm not going to be half-hearted about this anymore' t that moment Moritaka made a resolution. 'I'm going to risk my life for Manga, and for Azuki.'

That day was the day Moritaka Mashiro decided he'll be going for manga full force.
Since that day he worked hard to realize his dream together with his friend 'Shujin'. And though he faced many hardships. he didn't lose his vision and resolution he made that day.

The End

Be quick to apologize

The first time we hear about Moritaka's father in the manga, was when he was talking about the rules of his house, Moritaka wasn't allowed to talk to his father directly and when he has something important he should talk to hiss mother first. even when he stated he's going to become a mangaka his father 'agreed' indirectly through his mother.

That's why this scene is so powerful, he didn't talk to his father in a long time, and this was the first time he called him on the phone.. and it was for apologizing... Moritaka felt that he made a big mistake by thinking his uncle committed suicide. that he wanted to say sorry as soon as possible... people think saying sorry is a weakness. But apologizing for something like this needs a lot of pride and strong will.

Good Parenting?

And his father answer to him? he told him how his uncle lived his life by referring to popular scenes from Manga he knew his son have read.. yeah!! his father might be absent from home most of the time. But he understands his son and he knows how to guide him the best way... through things he loves.

Being a parent who spends all his time on work doesn't necessarily mean you're bad at parenting.

Fall Forward!!

Now let's talk about Moritaka's uncle Nobuhiro.

He was the author of a popular manga Hero Legends but after it has ended he spent 7 years trying to come up with another work that lasts in serialization. sadly he couldn't get published and died one day from 'Overworking'... Moritaka who was young at the time couldn't believe how a man with no job could die from overworking so he assumed his uncle gave up.

But he didn't!! He was working. He devoted all his strength and time to come up with a story loved by the editors and the readers. actually, he might have Overworked while he doesn't have a manga series more than when he had one. and anyone who knows anything about manga creators knows how hard being serialized is!!

Nobuhiro Mashiro was a prime example of "I'll Make It, Or I'll Die Trying". He didn't run away, he died facing forward with blazing light of working hard.

If you had a dream.. work for it.. this is something I say to myself for a long time. I'm working toward my own slowly.. but I don't think I'm one of those who're going to "die facing forward" for their dream... I wish I was.

Now, I don't say people in the real world have to be like him. Actually I think it's stupid to focus on work more than your health and it's not good to be always working. One of the reasons I don't want to live in Japan even if I had the opportunity (well, not impossible right?) is their tendency and expectation of their people to overwork. But I still find these qualities admirable.

Ashita no Joe (Joe's Tomorrow) & Kyojin no Hoshi (Star of the Giants) are both old successful sports manga.

---

Conclusion

BAKUMAN is a good story, even if you don't like manga or anime you can watch it as a slice of life/coming of age story with a mix of comedy and romance. While it didn't do everything right as depending on your point of view, its definition of being a Man might be one of its good or bad points. In my opinion, it's an admirable way to live a life!!

In BAKUMAN I found a lot of things worth sharing. and it's one of the few 'Books' that I'm actually ok with paying shipping fees for.

I started ranting again.. so I'll stop now...

What do you think about this post? want more? do you have something to add?
Do you have a scene from anime/manga worth sharing? or want me to talk about?
Let me see your comments!!

---

I Learned From Manga isn't about new things that I didn't know before reading a manga. but it's about a new take on how to see life.. things that stick with you long after reading that scene. BAKUMAN has many of these and I'm glad to share my opinion about them.