Although he is a talented artist, middle schooler Moritaka Mashiro is uncertain about his future, resigned to living an ordinary life. After viewing one of Mashiro's drawings in class, Akito Takagi, an aspiring writer, insists they collaborate on a manga. Mashiro hesitates, however, because his uncle, a mangaka, died from overwork just a few years earlier. Yet, upon learning that his crush, Miho Azuki, aspires to be a voice actress, he resolves to create a manga that can be adapted into an anime for her to star in. Sharing his feelings, she agrees to marry him once they have both realized their dreams. Bakuman. follows Mashiro and Takagi's successes and struggles as they attempt to get serialized in Weekly Shounen Jump and become famous mangakas. Will their gamble pay off, or will they join the countless number of failures?