Black Jack

If you love anime (like me), chances are you will like this film. If you hate anime (like lots of North Americans), chances are you will dislike this film. Come to think of it, that may be all the review that's required, but I'll keep going anyway.

This film is an exemplary example of one of the things I love about anime: the fact that the scripts are not obsessed with backstory. This film is replete with fascinating points about the characters that are never explained; the hero has a pretty horrible scar/skin graft on his face; he lives with a little girl who may or may not be his daughter, adopted or otherwise; the MSJ (Medical Soldiers for Justice) is a neat concept which is simply taken as part of the story, without any exposition. The list goes on and on.

It's an irritating thing that lots of Western viewers seem so unwilling to use their imaginations or think for themselves, but instead insist on being led by the hand through stories. Lots of anime films are based on huge mangas, however, so Japanese filmmakers have refined techniques of paring the story down only to what's absolutely essential to move the films forward. The resultant films almost always work excellently.

Black Jack is typical anime -- short and concise, unrelentingly urban, occasionally gory and often cynical. It seems to have more heart than some of its brethren at times, what with the daughter subplot and the (rather heavy-handed) environmental moral.

Oh, and for a priceless moment, watch for when Pinoko does the jigsaw puzzle. It's a big picture of Astro-Boy, Osamu Tezuka's most famous creation!

Juxtaposition is a big word that means side by side usually for contrast. A young surgeon named Black Jack is a juxtaposition in my mind. What other word could you use to define this complex character? He is an unlicensed miracle worker who believes a doctor must save all patients before him even if it means going toward unorthodox lengths to do it. "Black Jack" is a quiet an intriguing film. Like other Manga-based films, it is loaded with graphic content and enough philosophy to make a person think. The subject tackled in "Black Jack" is ethics and medicine. "Black Jack" takes a rather mind-numbing approach (graphic scenes of surgery, stunning and warped animation, philosophical banter, clever writing and direction, and a twisting plot) to drive home a powerful point. Sometimes, the renegades are more ethical than those who make the rules. "Black Jack" is a quality medical thriller that would even make Robin Cook want to watch. I give this film a 10 out of 10!

PS: Sometimes animation drives home a point so well that one won't easily forget it and that is one reason I like it. Here ends my rant!

Black Jack is a medical-drama science-fiction piece. Our protagonist, known as "Black Jack", is a mercenary surgeon who lives a reclusive lifestyle with a little girl named Pinoko. He commands huge prices for his work and is exceedingly skilled at what he does.

The primary plot covers our protagonist's experiences as he is commissioned to discover the cause of a new phenomenon that causes people to exhibit super-human talents. This delves into some medical whys and wherefores that someone with no knowledge of biology will just let wash over them. To some people this may sound like the scientific jargon that is thrown around in Star Trek, but most of it seems like moderately sane science. There are a couple of things that seem a little far fetched but it's not that difficult to suspend disbelief if you have been watching animé with giant robots saving the world or magical sailor scouts.

I personally liked the film as medical things interest me. There are depictions of surgery that are for the most part not particularly gory; there is however graphic violence and blood in the film. If the idea of people dying of disease and bullet holes turns your stomach then don't watch this. Having said that, I don't believe that any of the violent content is gratuitous.

Created by Osamu Tezuka, arguably the Godfather of Animé, it is not surprising that the animation and art style in the movie are really well done. Computer effects are integrated well, the only really obvious computer work in it, being some of the water textures and pixilated images that are being looked at through a view screen. Those people paying attention will recognise a reference to premiere animé, "Astro Boy" which is created by the same artist. A sly parody is also made of Star Wars.

Copyright 1996, this seems to be set in an alternate reality. It covers events that happen from 1996 to 1998. To viewers now it may seem like a piece designed to be futuristic. It comes across as being a little dated, but this far less ridiculous than Space1999.

Some critics will find the plot of this movie under explained. Why has the protagonist got scars all over his face? How did he get his extraordinary skill? Why does he have a little girl living with him? The reason for this is because these are characters from a series of comics. A movie cannot capture all of this back-story and present it in a way that wouldn't come across as cheesy. In my analysis the film works well as a stand-alone piece, and those elements of back-story are unnecessary to the plot.

Cheese value, I believe, is something that this story is lacking. The characters are believable and sincere and for the most part, the plot follows logical progressions. The themes get a little strained as we get a barrage of rants, toward the end of the movie, about environmental responsibility, but I didn't allow that to destroy my viewing experience.

Black Jack is a thinker's animé that will probably be favoured by those of us who prefer our cartoons on the darker side. It's not as flashy as Ghost in the Shell is, or as psychological as Perfect Blue, but all in all it's worth watching.

When I first watched the preview of this anime on my Macross 2 movie, I gotta say if it was good enough for me to get,and yes it was. But after buying it on DVD. I really say it's the best anime to see, and it was created by Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of anime.I know that this was one of his greatest masterpiece since Astro Boy and Kimba:the White Lion. I do like the animation in this film, and Kirk Thornton playing the voice of BlackJack. I really also think that some of the medical scenes may be too Bloody and scary for Younger viewers. What I also want to say about this movie, that in real life, we should never take any drugs that aren't safe and can kill. It's also important to check with our Doctor before taking a drug I would also want to dedicate this anime in memory of Osamu Tezuka. So in closing,if you ever buy or watch it. Be careful, it can mess with your head.

Which brings to me the question of why the director (Osamu Dezaki) has been so much praised over the years as a genius if this and the preceeding OVAs (better than this movie but neither masterpieces) are, together with the second half of the Versailles No Bara series (a bit worse than the first IMHO), an indication of his writing abilities. He might have been a key animator of the timeless masterpiece Kanashimi No Belladonna, but a key animator is not a writer. That said, it was really nice to hear Mai Yamane singing the intro and outro and the seiyuu performances were excellent, especially the one from the woman behind the main antagonist.