Based on the manga and illustration of the legend Osamu Tezuka, Dr. Black Jack became one of the inspirations why I wanted to pursue medicine. It's a childish fantasy but the character looked cool. Black Jack as a character is what I think most surgeon want to be seen as, calm, collected and skilled at their craft.
But he is an ideal that is hard to reach because his status as an unlicensed doctor highlights that to be in his character, you also have display some integrity that goes against the corrupt system of the medical field and the law. In some way, some of the struggles Black Jack faces are relatable especially when talks about politics within the healthcare system and law. Osamu made an endearing character that rebels against the status quo.
Black Jack is a story about an unlicensed surgeon that is well known throughout the world and charges a hefty price for his services.
Young Black Jack: The Plot
Released in 2015, it's a prequel to the Black Jack 1993 stories set in a time when he was a medical student prodigy on his way to earning his medical license. But through several convoluted twists of fate, he never achieved this goal and led a life of an unlicensed first rate surgeon renowned world wide as Dr. Black Jack .
The Young Black Jack series is lighter to the eyes in contrast to the 1993 version and this added a little more visual drama to the storytelling. You see, Black Jack 1993 has a grim universe where his efforts to save lives are often riddled with obstacles that can sometimes border between the supernatural phenomena. Some of that also happens in Young Black Jack but not as heavy as the older version. Young Black Jack's "lighter" animation depicts a naive Hazama during his early days in the medical field where he comes into terms with trying to pursue the ideal doctor he envisions himself to be, just as the Dr. Honma who saved his life when he was young.
The whole series felt like a filler episode just showing his back story leading to the 1993 version. You can enjoy Black Jack without watching Young Black Jack but for the sake of watching the story in chronological order, Young Black Jack should be the first on the list.
The appeal of the Black Jack 1993 is that each episode is around 48+ min long which can be treated like a stand alone. Unlike Young Black Jack 2015 which tries to build up events leading to the finale, Black Jack 1993 is like a compilation of events that happened in the doctor's life with no specific timeline. It almost felt like watching a memoir. I didn't really enjoy Young Black Jack because of how "light" the story was told but then it was suitable to retelling the story of how his mindset transitioned from being a well intentioned doctor out to do good versus his later version that also is out to do good but asks for an exorbitant professional fee for his services.
I've always wondered why Black Jack would charge a large sum of money for his services even from patients that are least likely able to pay it even with working for a lifetime but Young Black Jack seemed to fill in the gaps of why. I consider Black Jack refusal to get a license and charging patients exorbitant fees as anti-hero behavior but it's a form of protest to the system and even highlights his character compared to other distinguished doctors in that universe.
Being in the medical field, I don't necessarily agree with every method he employs but it's still fun to watch how he navigates the obstacles most surgeons face in their practice. Some of the stuff depicted in the story aren't exactly what happens now (because this was set during Osamu Tezuka's time when the practice of medicine was different than it is today).
Black Jack is a psychological, mystery, and drama series which ticks all my preferences story wise. I'd recommend it for those that are into medical dramas, if they're not allergic to stories made from the golden age of anime.
Thanks for your time.
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