To beat Niizuma, or not to beat Niizuma… That is the question. And the answer is right down the “Continue Reading” button. 
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If I would begin, I’d like to start by mentioning that I really wish there existed a subbing company that would sub Bakuman 2 much faster than a week later. This is getting seriously annoying…
But anyways. This episode most likely marks the beginning of Ashirogi Muto’s ascension to the top! Completely immersed in their story when he reads it, Miura agrees to them that this is definitely the best thing they have come up with so far, and even goes so far as to tell Takahama not to submit his storyboard for this meeting, because there’s no way he’ll win.
Meanwhile, everyone worries about Ashirogi Muto’s career, because this is the last serialization meeting they can submit something, and their last chance at remaining authors in Shounen Jack. Miura still keeps his hopes up, however, and when the time comes for the meeting, all the editors read the story and believe it is the best work of the meeting, by far. Only the chief editor reminds them that it has to beat Niizuma’s mangas, and in the end everything is solved in a vote. The results end up being a tie, with the Chief holding the key that will decide if the manga passes, and in the end Perfect Crime Club is not serialized and the episode ends.
Impression
NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! This can’t be!!!! Where’s my good, fairytale-like ending?! Where’s Ashirogi Muto’s glory?! WHERE IS IT?!?!?! Why does this show have to be so damn annoying, and yet so damn good?!
Alright, so I guess I don’t need to mention how disappointed I was, because it doesn’t take deep psychological analysis to figure that part out. Despite this, everything was done quite well, I mean if Ashirogi Muto ends up not beating Crow and +Natural with Perfect Crime Club, then I guess it’s no use to even try to serialize it, since it’s their ultimate objective. This meeting was their ultimatum, they tried their best, and if they can’t beat Niizuma Eiji and Iwase Aiko, then their goal won’t be accomplished even with a serialization and it’s no use to do so.
This last meeting established very well what we knew already, that the Chief Editor is the most cold-hearted man in the world, as well as the most stubborn motherf*cker you’ll ever see, in anime or in real life. Despite the fact that Perfect Crime Club was an amazing manga, for him to refuse it that much only because he believes it can’t immediately beat Niizuma’s mangas makes me realize just how much this man has a heart made of concrete.
On the other hand, we can definitely say that there is improvement on Ashirogi Muto’s side. Miura is definitely learning to be a better editor, you can see that he has realized that serialization isn’t all there is to manga, and that the manga also needs to be really good, immersing and stable in order to remain serialized. All authors have their style, and it’s necessary for them to find it before their manga goes on the market, because then they will keep it going and it will keep the same level of quality.
As for Takagi and Mashiro, although they said that even if it didn’t pass they would still keep writing, I have a feeling they will take this one quite harshly, because they seriously believed that they could beat everyone and be serialized this time. They were confident and very eager, going so far as to imagine this was the manga that would give them an anime, and for it to be shut down so easily will definitely give them quite a hard time. Next episode will be a sad, sad one… Unless they pull a troll on me and still serialize Perfect Crime Club. Which would make me hate this anime. If something bad happens, at least stick to it… Even if I don’t like it D:
