Race Against The Clock

After years of hard work and persistence, Muto Ashirogi, the manga-creating duo comprised of Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi, finally achieve their goal of running two series at once. Now they're one step closer to defeating Eiji Nizuma, their long-time friend and rival.

But there's no time to celebrate! Even with all hands on deck, it's taking more than they ever imagined to keep their dream alive! Being manga creators has never been easy, but it's another story with twice the number of deadlines and work on your plate. What will it take to find a way out of this time-crunching situation they've gotten themselves into? 

A Rock and a Hard Place

Mashiro and Takagi's new series Reversi has become all the rage in Weekly Shonen Jump, soaring higher and higher up the charts every week. There's even rumors that an anime is on the way, and victory has never felt so close! Things come to a sudden stop when the two realize that their story has one big weakness—their own main characters. The unique struggle between Reversi's sworn enemies Weiss and Kreuz might set the story apart from others, but there's not much room for anything else to happen!  No one writes a gripping story like Takagi can, but even he can't keep a plot like this one going forever. They'll have to make one of their biggest decisions yet: either drag things out for a better chance at an anime, or stay true to their vision and risk losing their biggest goal! 

The Big Question

There's not a whole lot oddball manga creator Hiramaru Kazuya has to be thankful for in life. Even making it big as a manga artist has been a living nightmare for him! There's only one ray of hope in his miserable existence—the adorable creator Aoki Ko, whom he's dreamed of sharing a life with ever since they met. Even when he thought he'd never draw another page, her smiling face has kept him going time and time again. After years of hard work and waiting, he's finally ready to turn their friendship into something more. With the perfect date set out and a diamond ring in his pocket, nothing could go wrong...unless his editor has something to say about it! 

Can Muto Ashirogi handle the stress of creating two series at once?! Can Hiramaru finally find a light in his drab life?! Find out with the latest release of Bakuman!

Bakuman volume 18 is available now!

Read a FREE preview HERE!

by Julie Lutz