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A brilliant man was Osamu Tezuka to come up with most likely the only "medical thriller" Japanese anime. Tezuka, considered to be the father of anime, put his medical degree into work with this series.

Dr. Black Jack is a surgeon. Not only a surgeon, but the best in the world. Many people come to him seeking medical attention, from a person's disfigured face to an unborn twin inside of a person. These people know that they are getting the best, yet they realize that they could be putting themselves at risk, because this man is not licensed to operate on them. Still, the many come, seeking his help, and paying him off in the millions.

What drew me towards this series was the same reason many people are drawn to the show "ER." Many different problems arise, in people's lives, and a very experienced surgeon is needed to cure them. When the patient is healed, the viewer gets a nice, happy, feeling inside of him.

If you are willing to try out a new anime, I urge you to pick up Black Jack. You may be disappointed, but at least you will be one of the few to see this great series.

After hearing about this movie, and seeing some of the great reviews it got, i expected a lot more. While i bet its easy to like this film when you know all the backstory, and have read all the literature, its important for a film to be able to stand on its own.

I just found myself incredibly bored while watching it. The story was just not interesting and I didn't care about any of the characters. Why were they all so bland? Some of the animation was good, but it takes more than that to carry a film. The script and acting just weren't up to the task. After watching the english dub, i thought i'd give it another chance and view the japanese, but unfortunatley that was even worse. The japanese Dr. Black Jack made his english counterpart look like Mr. Personality.

If you are looking for good anime, or a good film, this isn't what you're looking for. I guess this is only for die hard fans. But if you still feel the urge to watch it, you'd better drink some coffee first, because it'll put you right to sleep.

**1/2

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!

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!

Created by Osamu Tezuka, the legendary cartoonist (or should I say artist) who made Japans comics/animations as it is today, the story revolves around an unlicensed master of surgery who gets unwillingly involved in a superhuman project, who's testsubjects die an agonising death one by one. Alot of philosophical talk about medical ethics and intense medical operations. Oh yeah, and some nicely made animation.

The plot is well made, but at one point the whole plot for a moment turns from believable to just plain silly. I mean, I didn't know there was a whole organisation of guerilla surgeons with guns who are fighting for some cheesy reason! I'll say it again: CHEESE! However, it doesn't essentially ruin the movie, but it does linger around there for the rest of the movie, which is bad. It doesn't make this film unwatchable tho'. (Well, unless you don't like gore - on the table and out of it.)

All-in-all: Good movie, pity about the cheesy surprise.