is a Japanese
manga series written by
Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by
Takeshi Obata, the same creative team responsible for
Death Note. It was serialized in the magazine
Weekly Shonen Jump from August 11, 2008 to April 23, 2012, with the 176 chapters collected into 20
tankobon volumes by
Shueisha. The story follows talented artist Moritaka Mashiro and aspiring writer Akito Takagi, two ninth grade boys who wish to become
manga artists, with Mashiro as the artist and Takagi as the writer. Some characters resemble real authors and editors of
Weekly Shonen Jump, and many manga titles mentioned in
Bakuman have actually been published in the magazine.