In 2003, four episodes of Black Jack were produced to celebrate the 30th birthday of Osamu Tezuka’s creation. After watching The Two Doctors of Darkness, I was looking forward to seeing more of this franchise, though unfortunately some bad decisions on the creators’ side turned this Black Jack Special disappointing. I definitely don’t hope that the rest of the series and OVAs are as annoying as this one. I’ll probably end up watching the TV-series in the very distant future, but for now I don’t feel like watching more of this concept.
Lest me start with the thing that by far annoys me the most: Pinoco, Black Jack’s daughter/assistant/wife. I can understand why Makoto Tezuka decided to cut her off in the Two Doctors of Darkness, because the more she appears on the screen, the more annoying her whining becomes. I really like the concept behind Black Jack, but Pinoco serves no purpose at all apart from lightening the mood a bit, though there are much better ways to do this.
Then there comes the storyline itself, and it just doesn’t live up to the Two Doctors of Darkness. Instead of a continuous storyline, there are just four random stories, probably taken from the manga. The first and fourth story work, and give some interesting background to Black Jack himself, though the second and third episode are pointless, far-fetched and way too disappointing for me to recommend this.
It’s a shame. I read somewhere that the Black Jack Special captured the essence of the original manga, though this only strengthens my point that Osamu Tezuka’s material may not be much in his own hands, but can be turned into gold when handled by the right hands. If you want to see examples of this then you should go for Hi no Tori or Metropolis. I can indeed see how much Osamu Tezuka has meant for the anime today: his works may have their flaws, but as a source of inspiration, they were more influential than even Ghost in the Shell. In a few years, I’ll probably watch the tv-series, but for now I’ve seen more than enough of Pinoco’s whining.
es genial black jack es mortal m encanta ,es de verdad genial la serie me gustaria ver el final y la peli mi msn es :jackskeletton@hotmail.com ,para que ablen con migo de black jack
chau
I LOVE BLACK JACK!!! HES MINE !!!! I LOVE HIM!!! OH MY GOD HE IS
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOL!!!! KAWAI!!! AHHH AHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
Honestly, whoever told you that the Specials/TV Series did a better job in capturing the tone of the manga had no idea what they were talking about. I mean, yes, the art style is closer than the OVA/Movie, and the humor is there… But it’s overdone, and sugar-coated. The Specials and Series basically take chapters from the manga, dumb them down, remove all subtext or symbolism, and usually remove all references to death. I suppose they’re fine for introducing new viewers, but they really don’t capture the tone at all.