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Black Jack in 17 volumes #7
Black Jack, Vol. 7
Black Jack is a mysterious and charismatic young genius surgeon who travels the world performing amazing and impossible medical feats. Though a trained physician, he refuses to accept a medical license due to his hatred and mistrust of the medical community's hypocrisy and corruption. This leads Black Jack to occasional run-ins with the authorities, as well as from gangsters and criminals who approach him for illegal operations.Black Jack charges exorbitant fees for his services, the proceeds from which he uses to fund environmental projects and to aid victims of crime and corrupt capitalists. But because Black Jack keeps his true motives secret, his ethics are perceived as questionable and he is considered a selfish, uncaring devil. The Black Jack series is told in short stories. Each volume will contain 16-20 stories, each running approximately 20-24 pages in length.Black Jack is recognized as Osamu Tezuka's third most famous series, after Astro Boy and Kimba, the White Lion.
336 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 1982
6 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Osamu Tezuka
2,129 books1,294 followersDr. 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."
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 16, 2013
Another great collection of short stories in graphic format, Black Jack Vol. 7 could be said to be the most emotional volume in Tezuka's most famous drama.
"A Cat and Shozo," and "Guys and Birds" both show the innocence of animals and the perceptions of their fellow humans. "Shozo" is especially sweet, showing a man in the throes of mental illness who abides heartbreak to continue on in a blissfully ignorant way. Similarly, "A Hill for One" and "Goribei..." also show the friction between animal and human relations, both showcasing larger animals in peril.
"The Two Pinokos" as well as "Kuroshio: A Memoir" both have children suffering, which brings about both the most vitriolic and compassionate sides of BJ. The latter is especially touching, one of the best of the series, moving your ideas about BJ from 'hateful' to 'kind' in the passage of just a couple dozen pages. It's the dichotomy of BJ's "thievery" and gift-giving that gives him a certain pathos and charm.
"Hurricane" and "Timeout" are both disaster/horror pieces that involve death approaching in a timely manner, with only BJ having the correct answer to the problem. With Tezuka's prolific output, maybe he himself felt a bit like being trapped under beams, dismembered when necessary, and wishing someone like BJ was to save him. If only the world had such a man.
Essential volume!
December 13, 2022
this series is fine, but reading so many 20-page episodes so quickly is dulling the impact of any single installment, i believe. c'est la vie. such is the life of the content consumer, alas
October 29, 2010
If you've been following the series along to this point, you are more than familiar with the characters and themes of the manga. If you haven't, then don't worry- one of the strong points of the Black Jack series is that you can pick up any volume in the series & know what is going on. While some stories do give more background to the characters & situations, each chapter is an individual story unto themselves. (Although reading just one of the volumes is like listening to just one piece of a symphony- you can enjoy it, but you miss out on the overall experience.)
This volume, if I had to label it, would be the sad & sweet volume. The volume opens up with some rather sad tales, such as a sister who would do anything for her badly hurt brother... even if it means putting herself in danger. The tales do get a little sweeter as the volume progresses with a tale about a man who has lost his family & believes a trio of cats to be his dead wife & children, but overall many of the stories are a little sad. (They're more cheery than some of the other stories in previous volumes, though!) That isn't to say that they're all depressing- there's a pretty great story in here concerning the president of a huge company & a common construction worker that should warm the heart.
I really do enjoy the Black Jack series. As always, the feats in the manga really aren't feasible in many cases, but the storytelling is so great that you just really don't care. One of the things I really liked in this volume is that there's a lot of character background in it. You learn a little more about Black Jack's past & you get to see who Black Jack based Pinoko's face on. There's some translation notes on a few of the pages, which really helped on some occasions when some of the references got beyond my limited knowledge of Japanese culture.
If you've been collecting the series, I really don't have to tell you what makes this series so great. If you haven't, then you are really missing out. If Higurashi is my favorite thriller manga, Black Jack is my favorite drama manga. I'll be a little sad when Vertical eventually releases the final volume in 2011- this manga really takes you for one great ride. But then, what can you expect from Tezuka, other than the absolute best?
This volume, if I had to label it, would be the sad & sweet volume. The volume opens up with some rather sad tales, such as a sister who would do anything for her badly hurt brother... even if it means putting herself in danger. The tales do get a little sweeter as the volume progresses with a tale about a man who has lost his family & believes a trio of cats to be his dead wife & children, but overall many of the stories are a little sad. (They're more cheery than some of the other stories in previous volumes, though!) That isn't to say that they're all depressing- there's a pretty great story in here concerning the president of a huge company & a common construction worker that should warm the heart.
I really do enjoy the Black Jack series. As always, the feats in the manga really aren't feasible in many cases, but the storytelling is so great that you just really don't care. One of the things I really liked in this volume is that there's a lot of character background in it. You learn a little more about Black Jack's past & you get to see who Black Jack based Pinoko's face on. There's some translation notes on a few of the pages, which really helped on some occasions when some of the references got beyond my limited knowledge of Japanese culture.
If you've been collecting the series, I really don't have to tell you what makes this series so great. If you haven't, then you are really missing out. If Higurashi is my favorite thriller manga, Black Jack is my favorite drama manga. I'll be a little sad when Vertical eventually releases the final volume in 2011- this manga really takes you for one great ride. But then, what can you expect from Tezuka, other than the absolute best?
July 28, 2011
Où l'on apprend ce qui motive Kuroo Hazama à "braquer" ses patients...
December 30, 2013
Great manga from Tezuka-san.( 3.8 stars )
April 15, 2015
One thing I like about this book is that you have to read it from right to left,plus it is from one of my favourite writer and illustrator Osamu Tezuka,apart from this it has really nice stories.
May 24, 2017
741.5952 TEZ V.7
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews