As awesome as I am, a diagnosis isn’t going to help you, buddy.
No, no. You’ll need someone else. A doctor with godlike skills; whose isn’t afraid of a challenge; whose presence just screams “I am a Doctor and I can cure ANYTHING”.
Yep. He’ll do. The Rule of Cool degree also helps.
Kazama Kuroo, aka “Black Jack”. Part surgeon, part doctor, all badass. Born from the same mind that brought you terminators dressed as bright-eyed little boys; Osamu Tezuka created this little gem of awesomeness. As a result, Black Jack is one of the titles that define Tezuka as the “Godfather of Manga”. To understand Black Jack, you have to remember two main details when reading any of the issues:
- Osamu Tezuka actually relied on established medical doctrines and ideas.
Many of his cases deal with real-life injuries, diseases and afflictions. Tezuka drew heavily from medical knowledge that he gained during his time at Osaka University. Osamu Tezuka graduated from Osaka University with a full medical degree, but decided to follow a career in Japanese manga instead. - Osamu is not above using the Rule of Cool, wherever it can be applied.
It is one of the staples of a good storyteller, you know.
Understood all that? Good. Because that is the only way to explain the sheer surgical skill and medical expertise this man wields.
Black Jack is a cynical character who, more often than not, ends up teaching those who cross him a lesson. Of course I mean in the moral and literal sense. What else can you expect from a man who charges outrageous fees as a notorious unlicensed doctor? We’re talking about an asking price of one million yen here. He is the epitome of the back-alley, black market doctor. What guarantee do you have of his medical ability? Well, there was one case where he diagnosed and cures a revolutionary, fully automated, self aware medical facility that was holding five hundred patients hostage. Or the case where he gave an unborn baby life by transporting, nurturing and then implanting its undeveloped organs into an artificial body, after its mother abandoned it. Isn’t that something?
The term “Midget Frankenstein” seems inappropriate.
That “doll” you see there is actually Pinoko, who becomes Black Jack’s only companion. She was originally a massive cystoma growing along with her fully functional twin. Once removed, the mother never acknowledged “her” as the sister. For reference, this is what she looks like, with a five-year old boy as the control:
No, Pedobear is not behind that tree. God help us if he was.
One can guess that after a while, word of his sheer audacity just makes his street cred bigger.
The thing that makes Black Jack still believably realistic is not the cases and incidents where his skills demonstrate how godlike his is. Rather, it’s the cases where, even with all his skills, he is still trumped up by nature or random acts of God. Examples, you ask? How about the case where a surgery under his guidance was successful, but a freak earthquake breaks the “unbreakable” IV needle, pushing it into the patient’s bloodstream. The danger lies in that sharp pointy end puncturing a hole in his heart or lungs, let alone the rest of the body. Even with modern technology assisting him, Black Jack cannot keep up with the needle and tells the patient of his fate. Imagine his surprise when several days later, he is told that the patient is alive and well. The needle? It came out the same point where the IV was first inserted. Or, for a simpler case, we have an incident where Black Jack loses a close colleague and one of the few friends he has to a new disease that kills by shrinking its victims.
That is not a Muppet, smurf, or height-challenged midget there, people.
Black Jack isn’t without its flaws, however. Due to the times and the setup of the plot, Black Jack suffers from a stand-alone episode format. The series is 17 volumes strong, with 13 of them translated into English. Throughout these volumes, you learn more about Black Jack: how he got his scars, why he charges so much, why he is unlicensed, etc… However, the plot behind all these questions are so spread out, that it is very hard to make the connecting plot points. Five and seven episode long plots can be found in the entire set as a whole. Unfortunately, you might find the first episode of “why Black Jack charges so much” in Volume 3, find part three in Volume 8, find the final episode in Volume 13 and then find parts two and four in Volume 16.
It is this same stand alone format that brings up another flaw, repetitive storylines. With the more serious, plot heavy episodes so spread out and not in chronological order, many of the other stories become repetitive fillers for someone who has read more than half the volumes. If written in chronological order, these “anecdotes” would have more stock towards the overall story.
Nevertheless, Black Jack is a very interesting read. If not attracted to impossibly-done surgeries, then take a look at the messages that Tezuka peppers the story with. It gives much insight into the culture of the time.
Now if you excuse me, I’ve got to raise 2 million yen through girl scout fundraisers in order to pay for the surgery on my mutilated leg. That’s what I get for messing with Bieber fangirls.
