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Showcasing the genius of Tezuka
This is one of the most popular works of the “godfather of manga” Osamu Tezuka. Written in the 1970s, it’s a quite a different style of artwork and story telling to modern manga, but demonstrates some of the brilliance and innovation of Tezuka.
Black Jack is a mysterious and brilliant surgeon. He is a complex character with facial disfigurement and some dark sides to his personality. Each chapter is a self contained short story, usually about 20-25 pages long.
The language is mostly conversational and has full furigana. There are some aspects that make it harder to read - some language and vocab feels more old fashioned, and occasionally there is some medical terminology.
The stories are brilliant - dark, twisting, surprising. Each chapter has a different main character whose story unfolds, with Black Jack playing a part each time. The artwork is amazing, Tezuka pioneering techniques which we now take for granted. I think having previously read an English translation of the graphic novel of Tezuka’s life helped me appreciate this more.
Highly recommended if you want to try something different, and to experience the genius and magic of Tezuka.