Black Jack, Vol. 16

Black Jack in 17 volumes #16

by Osamu Tezuka

Black Jack is a mysterious and charismatic genius surgeon who travels the world performing amazing and impossible medical feats. Through highly trained, he freelances without a license because he distains the medical establishment. This leads to run-ins with the authorities and unscrupulous, sometimes criminal, individuals. Because Black Jack keeps his true motives secret, his ethics are perceived as questionable and he is considered a selfish, uncaring devil.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Japan, Mystery, Fantasy, Short Stories

344 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 1983

About the author

Dr. Osamu Tezuka (手塚治虫) was a Japanese manga artist, animator, producer and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. He is often credited as the "Father of Anime", and is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during his formative years. His prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the father of manga" and "the God of Manga."

Reviews

[rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even here in th penultimate volume, Tezuka's stories about a morally imbalanced surgeon still come with quality (and this time, quantity). "Anaphylaxis" is a story about Lt. Dan's family being torn over th loss of their son's life, but not on th battlefield where they wanted it. An especially good ending action sequence leaves BJ in a smoky swamp dropping great one-liners. "Miyuki and Ben," which follows it, is another stand-out in this volume, showcasing a thug with a heart of gold who gives as much as he wanted, while giving more than he ever thought he could for someone not himself. "Gleamy Eyes" is especially Umezu-ish in its character presentation and execution, using horror to scare sympathy from a particularly cruel bully. "Bath of the Floating World" has a bath-house regular trying to woo Pinoko (?!) through the bath's dividing wall, lulled into puppy love through hearing only her voice. The story "Bad Stunt" tries to rectify all the racist imagery Tezuka had (sorta accidentally) used thru th years, giving us a story of a poor black boy (properly drawn and characterized this time) who is on the receiving end of a trick used to get BJ to shoot a surgery scene for a movie.

And finally, "A Passed Moment" shines the brightest. A 100 page story this time, and one that tells of memory erasure, Italian civil war, spiritual enhan(d)cement, eviscerated baby corpses and BJ's quest to find the one surgeon that could out-do even him! I think this is the story that they made into an anime. It covers all the feelings Tezuka has spread over other works, some ten times longer than this. If they had stopped here it would've felt like a proper finale as this is one of the best BJ stories Tezuka wrote. Amen.

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second to last of the series, and like the others another solid volume. I'm finding the last few of these books tend to be a bit grosser then the previous editions, which is not a complaint. The final story in this one is I think at least twice as long as the typical stories, and ends up being a real gem. Recommended.

[Amanda Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite a few comical fillers, this volume covers many of Black Jack's investigations into the seemingly paranormal, including a very memorable story that was adapted into the OVA series.

[Aurelio Ippandoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great medical manga from Tezuka-san.

[Leandro Dutra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should lose half a star for leftism, but great still