Bakuman anime premieres today! Teaser promo streamed!

Better late than never, the official site of the anime adaptation of the series, by authors Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba of Death Note fame, has streamed a new short trailer that can be seen here. (opens in a new window)

The story, with that always great combination of intrigue and comedy, revolves around two high school boys who decide to become mangakas and work to enter the comic and animation industry in Japan.

This is the opening of the series, with the song Blue Bird by Kobukuro:



LOL it's nothing like you expected, huh?

Who is Tsugumi Ohba?: the possible origins of L Lawliet

It is believed that writer Tsugumi Ohba is no one other than Hiroshi Gamou, known by manga series such as Tottemo Luckyman, which had a popular anime in the 90's.

Another possibility is that it's Yuuko Asami, a Shonen Jump artist with titles such as Wild Half, Romancers and Jump Run. Given that Death Note was her first written manga, working with a pseudonym can be understandable.

And of course, there's also especulation on the possible idea that the L character is based on the physique and the personality of this mangaka, taking into account some elements such as:

-They use a pseudonym.
-Never been seen in public before.
-A snacks lover
-Thinking about things day and night.
-And the posture of sitting in a chair, hugging her (or his) knees.

In fact, he, (or she?) only communicates with the press through an avatar like this:

It's even hard to tell if it's a man or a woman.

Isn't this amusing? The fact that L could really exist in this world??? O_O

If she's actually a woman I can finally understand the whole yaoi KiraL going on XD

Who is Tsugumi Ohba? (Introduction)

For Death Note and manga fans in general, Tsugumi Ohba is the co-author of the classic, cult, and legendary story of Death Note.

The interesting and fascinating thing about mangakas is that few things are known about them, and even those things are known because they choose to be known to the public. They don't appear on TV, they are far from being celebrities or academically acclaimed official artists that win Nobel or Pulitzer prizes for that matter.

In fact, a mangaka's life is to remain a mistery, or something that apparently doesn't call anyone's attention. And it's not because it should be irrelevant, it's just that we know that mangakas are people like us, there's not this 'Hollywood and media' approach that we see with actors, or movie directors and writers, and that's perfect, in fact.

It would be horrible to see an artist like Kubo Tite get the same celebrity treatment as, say, J.K Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. You know there's something not right about it....