Happy New Year! Hey there Neighborino, and welcome to my read-through of Bakuman Chapter 130: Heat and Ash, in which things are lonely, quiet, and beautiful, and I feel relief (but I still bitch a bit).
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Heat and Ash Summary
Kaya’s Sick
On Sunday, January 24th, Saiko thinks about the upcoming class reunion and how he wouldn’t be able to go to it if it were for his third year in middle school because of his dumb promise to his girlfriend. Shujin is late and he’s grumpy.
Shujin calls to let him know that Kaya’s sick with a 40-degree fever, and he needs to find a doctor open on Sundays. Kaya complains that she can go on her own and that Shujin should go without her.
Shujin very cutely takes Kaya’s words but is still worried about her and wants to stay with her. Tres cute. Tres cute.
Kaya still bugs him about going, but he wants Saiko to go regardless.
Saiko bikes over to the venue and sees some friends waiting outside: Suzuki and Nakajima. They were also in high school together as 9th graders.
Suzuki congratulates him on the popularity of PCP; Nakajima just heard that he’s an artist in Jump. Saiko explains that Shujin is busy but might show up later. Saiko asks Suzuki not to tell the others about his success. Suzuki doesn’t understand why since it’s a major success, and it’s okay to brag.
The moment the doors open, Suzuki loudly announces Saiko’s arrival. Everyone wants an autograph from the big guy.
Oh shit.
Cause Celebre
At dinner, Saiko signs drama CDs and Graphic Novels of PCP. A cute girl lets him know that her nephew loves the series and is always doing the pose. Another person’s brother copied one of the perfect crimes in middle school and got scolded. Saiko apologizes.
They then ask the most important question: Has Saiko Met Oda-sensei from One Piece?
Yup.
Everyone appropriately sugois that, although it’s not totally surprising since he works for Jump.
Everyone recognizes that he lives in a different world from them; he’s loaded and living out his dream. They are envious of him. While signing, Saiko thinks they’re only seeing the good parts and not all the struggle behind it. They also seem to think he lives in a dramatically different world from them.
Another boy thinks Saiko must have all the luck with the ladies at mixers. He’s a youngster who is working in Jump. Saiko has never been to a mixer. They’re shocked that he’s never been to one; one boy proffers that Mangaka only cavort with celebrities at mansions. He sees the wrongheadedness of it all.
Another of his classmates offers him the first beer. The girl Shujin had a crush on Ichiko – now a very beautiful girl pours his drink for him.
Looks familiar.
Saiko explains he can’t drink.
Hands covered in ink
He doesn’t really go out for fun. he doesn’t have the time.
Others mention their jealousy that he gets to drink at places like Ginza and Roppongi. Saiko can’t drink alcohol. Another asks what he does for fun since he has so much money.
Everyone’s shocked to learn that he’s working on storyboards over the weekend and then working on the final draft until Friday. Right now, he’s in driving school, though. He’s in a much better place.
Everyone is stunned to learn that he has no free time. They’d heard about Mangaka’s schedule but didn’t realize.
Another classmate mentions a ski trip he’s been planning and asks if Saiko wants to go. He can’t do anything that might damage his arm, and when he shows them his hand, it’s covered in ink.
He also doesn’t have time to go.
Silence.
The classmate apologizes, but everyone else wants to join in on the fun. They discuss whether to go skiing or to the beach since the girls will be joining in. They discuss potentially going to Hawaii instead for vacation; another mentions planning it around people’s breaks from work—a three-day weekend until Monday morning, and the like.
Saiko looks on with a lonely gleam.
Yamashita
At that moment, Yamashita, another friend of theirs, arrives after a drinking party with his college friends. He gets clowned on for it, but Saiko is relieved to see he hasn’t changed. Another classmate congratulates Yamashita for getting work at KNN Communications; it’s the number one company people want to work for right now. Others are impressed by his success.
Saiko is shocked and remembers his parent’s jealousy at Yamashita having been accepted at a good college. Another mentions that a stable company is the best way to go.
Saiko is reminded of the incident with Hiramaru and remembers how unstable his job really is.
Yamashita greets Saiko and asks about his Manga career; he thought Saiko had given it up upon the death of his uncle. Saiko congratulates his job with the company.
Yamashita recognizes the difficulty of becoming a mangaka while Saiko pours him a drink. He still remembers what he said: manga is an all-or-nothing gamble, which you must stake your youth on, and still, only one out of ten thousand will succeed. Saiko remembers Nakai’s failures and gets lonely. Yamashita is invited to the ski trip and is happy to join, leaving Saiko alone.
Missing Out
The party drinks too much and decides to go to karaoke and bowling next. Yamashita asks if Saiko will join them. He has to work. Yamashita is bummed but understands, and they exchange contact info.
Saiko walks alone in a contemplative mood. The last time he went skiing was in elementary school. He hasn’t gone to the beach since he became a mangaka. He’s never thought about going overseas. He muses that everyone around him is leading an ordinary life and that he no longer fits in.
Shujin comes barreling down the sidewalk on his bicycle, asking if the party has concluded.
Yep, they’re going to an afterparty, but he has to work on the final draft. Shujin curses and decides to go home. Saiko asks after Kaya’s well being. She’s been given an IV and should be fine now. She nagged him to go.
Saiko tells him to join the afterparty; Shujin refuses to go if he’s not going. He’s still also worried about Kaya.
Awwww.
He asks about Ichiko. Saiko tells him that she is very sexy and is “used to being around guys”—Jesus Ohba. Chill.
Shujin is shocked and wonders how she’s been doing. He wonders if maybe not going was a great idea. He expects a laugh, but Saiko is quiet. He wonders why.
Saiko explained that everyone had fun and that he was glad to see Yamashita and all his old friends, but…
He can’t shake the feeling that they’re different from others. They’ve only ever worked on manga and never had any fun. Never been to a mixer or karaoke. NO beach. No skiing.
Shujin asks if Saiko actually wants to be a normal person. Nah, he has a fulfilling life, and he wouldn’t be here without all the work he put in. He’s just recognizing how different he is from them. Shujin also reads the undercurrent about Miho. Shujin tries to salvage his friend’s feelings: It’s like Ashita No Joe; Saiko remembers the conversation Shujin is talking about.
Shujin then asks if Saiko is lonely because he is not living a normal life and is not spending time with his girlfriend to enjoy his youth.
Saiko looks at his ink-stained hands. He paraphrases Ashita No Joe’s speech about burning passion on the final drafts. Shujin completes it. Saiko gets a laugh since it sounds like the pages are on fire. All that will be left afterward is white ash.
Saiko thinks the line is cool; Shujin wonders if they’re burning themselves up. Saiko thinks they are and Shujin thinks they’re just not at the end of their journey yet. They haven’t beaten Eiji and they’ve only received first place once with PCP. Nor have they gotten an anime.
That too.
Saiko thinks the reunion was worth it just to talk to Shujin like this. They don’t have the same life as everyone else, but they’re happy. They have a dream, and they’ve come this far. They’re not typical youths, but they are typical mangaka, and that’s fine.
They offer to keep striving toward their dreams.
PCP in Danger
Shujin returns home to Kaya, who is watching TV and eating. He scolds her for not being in bed, and she explains that she didn’t think he’d be home this early and that she’s hungry.
Eat, Kaya.
Shujin’s attention turns to the news programs. Somebody broke into a branch office and left behind only a written note without stealing anything. Kaya recognizes this as a reference to the first chapter of PCP before the group is founded: leaving a note in a bank without stealing anything. The broadcast mentions that the note only had one line: We were here.
An expert brings up that it is a reference to a manga being serialized in Shonen Jump: PCP: Perfect Crime party. They show a page on screen. Kaya wonders if they got permission to show that page on screen (bless her heart, she works in media) and Shujin explains he hasn’t heard anything about that.
Kaya wants more of an explanation, but Shujin orders her to go to bed and not to worry about it. Definitely not projecting at all.
Kaya’s worried as she heads to bed, and Shujin calls Saiko immediately.
Saiko is shocked to hear the news himself as he gets the call from Shujin. The two wonder how this will affect the popularity of their series. They wonder if PCP is going to be okay; Saiko reminds Shujin that if the police had had any trouble, they would have called the boys by now.
Shujin reminds him that it’s Sunday, and no one is at the office, so they won’t be able to call. They’re also talking about it on channel 16.
As the chapter concludes, Saiko tries to assure himself that there’s nothing to worry about as the Broadcasters repeat the message about the copycat.
Heat and Ash Summary
Incredible Chapter
Okay, yeah, this chapter was amazing. Thank fucking god.
After my little conniption over the previous two chapters, because it was kinda everything awful about this series, Ohba returns to top form with a chapter that is probably up there with 114 and the duel between Iwase and Shujin. Just incredible work.
It’s incredible because it flows organically from the previous awful chapter and focuses on the same ideas in a way that isn’t completely and horrifyingly sexist.
I know it’s against the grain, but I personally love slow contemplative chapters after a lot of high action. Sometimes they’re done poorly, and you don’t want too many in a row – not that I think we’re going to get that with what appears to be another high-octane arc – but a good slight melancholia is always nice.
And I think for this series in particular, it’s really important that Saiko have a taste of the real world focalized by real people. The circumstances of the reunion are silly – ain’t nobody giving a shit about their second-grade friends for reunions – but the emotions are quite profound, honestly.
And that’s because.–
Pursuing the Arts leads to an atypical lifestyle
I’ve reached a point in my life where I have to choose between pursuing a life in the arts and a more normal 9-5, and the decision is difficult for precisely the reasons outlined in this chapter.
I had a childhood that was somewhat limited in fond memories—again, a lot of that is on me, and a lot of it is on other stuff I don’t want to go into—and in the last few years, courtesy of my shonen-inspired glow-up, I’ve actually been meeting people, going out, and building relationships, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s nice to spend time with people in all sorts of ways.
But the fields I want to enter—music, Film, and Comics (it’s becoming narrower each day)—are all jobs that require insane hours and a life defined by its not being a regular life. There’s also the fundamental instability of it, the ways in which it can negatively impact your health through weird hours, and a whole bunch of other stressors.
So seeing Saiko recognize how unusual his usual is was a brilliant bit of commentary on the sheer cojones one needs to pursue the arts like this. You have to be a bit crazy to want to make these arts. You have to want to make the art to justify it.
Because the alternative can be quite attractive, at least as long as you’re active about it, I know plenty of people who are lonely and miserable while just having a crappy nine-to-five who dream of the kind of lifestyle that would come if they were pursuing their dreams. So it’s not sunshine on roses on this side of things either.
But yeah, when you’re more regular you can have free time to do stuff like go on skiing trips, go to mixers, and make non-industry related friends.
And this makes me retroactively hate the previous chapters a little more.
Nakai’s Struggle is more Frustrating Now
The thing about this chapter is it’s a successful visual chapter, which is unusual for Bakuman.
….I know it’s a comic. Bear with me.
There are so many moments in this chapter that visually portray Saiko’s isolation from the rest of the reunioners. Panels where he sits at a different location. The cute girl Shujin wanted to see pouring him a beer. And his ink-stained hands. They also captured the magical, weird energy of a reunion between people who haven’t seen each other in a while, which is simultaneously awkward, but also fun because it’s just nice to see people after a really long time.
And that’s muchhhh more effective than the usual explosion of dialogue the series likes to engage in.
But it’s even more effective than Nakai being a predator because he failed to become a mangaka.
Yeah. I’m still mad about it.
Like, if they had just had Nakai disappear into oblivion and just had this chapter, Saiko would not have lost anything on his character journey. Nakai’s failure was just a priming mechanism for this sequence where he reaffirms his passion for manga despite hte challenges and things that come with it. But instead, we had to spend a whole problematic chapter of Nakai being the worst and then we get this lovely, sad little chapter, and I’m annoyed.
Everything was accomplished twice, and here, it was so much better.
I also like that it’s just Saiko who comes because–
Shujin also has a more or less normal life
One of the things that strikes me particularly hard about this leg of the journey is that, for all the fact that Shujin is also a mangaka and insanely busy with his life, like the other people at the party, he has a slightly more normal life relative to Saiko.
It reminds me of, bear with me for a second, the final Rebuild of Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
Why do I hear One Last Kiss in the background
*Spoilers for the Rebuild series*
One of the meta elements of the Rebuild is that Shinji, being one of the children involved in the Eva project, along with Asuka and Rei is literally in a state of arrested development and, despite being an adult, is still physically stuck in the body of a teen child. Evangelion has always been rather aggressive with its messaging about Shinji as a stand-in for Otaku, who need to grow up and move out of their Mother’s Basement. Still, in Rebuild, it becomes literal text: he physically can’t grow up because of his experiences piloting the Eva while the people around him have grown up and gotten lives of their own.
Again, I like limiting my personal bloggy stuff these days because it shifts focus, but it’s hard not to feel that sense of arrested development when everyone around you is doing, for lack of a more dignified term, growing up and becoming adults. Priorities are shifting, interests are changing, and peace is found or not.
Meanwhile, I’m still here writing about comics to an invisible audience who I don’t interact with, or know if anyone’s really reading (I do, but I don’t interact with them regularly)
Shujin is on the other side of that. He has a wife, is thinking about kids, and is probably going to consider moving to a bigger apartment soon.
Meanwhile, all Saiko really has is the possibility of anime and all the time he spends drawing pages in his studio, which he got from his uncle.
It’s a really nice reminder that, despite all Saiko’s adventures, there has been a tangible cost in the form of missing out on life.
And now he has to choose to live his life to the extent that it’s possible. I hope this is a wake-up call re: Miho, that he finally needs to take her on a date and treat her right and get moving with the experiences.
Will that happen? Fuck no. But I hope so.
It was also really beautiful and masterfully handled the sequence where Saiko is alone at late night after the rest of the reunion group has gone to continue partying. He has responsibilities that would make that something he can’t do. That quiet late-night energy was captured perfectly. And it felt real, having him admit he’s passionate about manga so much that he feels like Joe from Ashita no Joe when he makes manga.
Same with Shujin, their little bro bond at the end was delightful.
That said, I do have me some speculation.
Yamashita’s going to get them an anime
Calling it now. It’s too perfect.
Yama was name-checked in the previous chapter as the one person Saiko wanted to talk to and reconnect with because they were best friends. And Ohba, perfectly captured the vibe of former best friends who are on more or less stable tracks reconnecting and bringing out quietly and maturely. It was a great vibe.
But the fact that Yamashita is going to be working for KNN Communications and he and Saiko do the very Japanese thing of exchanging business cards tells me that he is probably going to be the one who gets our boys an anime.
Sure, it’s probably not going to happen until wayyyy later – we still have over 40 chapters left in this series. But this feels like a pregnant moment and one that’s supposed to feel surreptitious and under the radar at the moment, only to bear fruit dozens of chapters later. It distinctly has that vibe. He’s going to work up the ranks of the company over however many years the series plans to cover, and he’ll get them the sponsorships necessary to make PCP into an anime.
Or they’ll start a new series, and he’ll be responsible for getting it to KNN Communications, the biggest communications company in Japan.
Yeah. I’m calling it. I’m shameless.
But that would also be kind of in character for the atypical nature of the industry in which Saiko finds himself: he’s in an industry that’s not just about how good you are but also who you know. The film industry works like that. So this would be very in character, especially since PCP is so successful.
Speaking of
Saiko is famous
It was nice to see that after a hundred thirty chapters, Saiko’s hard work had paid off, and he had done the one thing all Japanese people wanted to do: meet Eiichiro Oda.
That got a chuckle out of me.
But really, despite the cost associated with entering these industries, it’s not like they lack rewards. That’s part of the appeal. It’s high risk high reward and Saiko has benefited from that.
And he’s passionate about his work, which not everybody gets to experience.
Overall, this chapter finds a sweet balance between the price of pursuing your dreams and the benefits of paying that price.
And all things considered, it’s not that bad.
But before we go.
A Copycat
I have no idea what the end of this chapter means for the boys. But it is the perfect setup for a post-good feeling chapter. Shit abruptly hitting the fan.
And this seems to be a massive shit-hitting fan moment. Will the editorial team be concerned? I’m worried that they will and that our boys will eat shit for it. I’m nervous for them.
But we’ll have to see what happens.
Until next time,
Peace
