Black Jack the Movie is a Japan's animation movie directed by Dezaki Osamu (1943 - 2011), released in 1996 November. Black Jack was originally written by Tezuka Osamu, the Top of Japanese Manga who passed away in 1989.
Who is Dezaki Osamu? He is a Tezuka's junior in animation. He had longed to be a manga writer like Tezuka Osamu in his childhood, but it didn't come true. And he signed on Toshiba. Working in a factory, one day, he found a help-wanted ad by Mushi Production in 1963. It was a Japan's animation studio founded and managed by Tezuka Osamu. "I'd like to work under Tezuka Osamu." He applied for the position, and joined. They say they took just 3 persons though they had a few hundred of the applicants.It means Dezaki entered the narrow gate.
Dezaki kept improving his skill, and became a Japan's great animation director. Oshii Mamoru (1951 -), a Japanese anime director, admired Dezaki. He said nobody could do like Dezaki did. I was kind of surprised when I knew he'd said so, because it is rare he speaks highly of somebody.
In the middle of'90's, he took on the director of an animation movie. Needless to say, it was Black jack the Movie. Black Jack is, you know, a representative work of Tezuka Osamu. Dezaki doubtlessly took over the spirit, and directed.
The story begins with an Olympic Game (of course fictional). One by one the athletes make new records in each field like pole jumping and women 100 meters. They broke the wall nobody had broken. Why were they able to do? The main character is Black Jack, a genius surgeon without the license. He always wears black. 2 years later from the Olympic, an unknown woman calls him for a help. She urgently asks him to help the marvelous athletes who made new records 2 years ago. Why could they break the wall? The story goes on, it gradually comes to light that the marvelous athletes appeared for an American major drug company and an unidentified virus.
In 1996 Japan, very popular were the two: HIV-tainted Blood Scandal and Atlanta Olympics. This is just my personal opinion, and Black Jack the Movie was based on the two. However, we perhaps don't need to think difficultly. We must perhaps see it straightly. You can see the handwritten pictures on screen. How beautiful they are! Don't you feel so? How do you feel? The answer will be there after watching. I watched the film when I was 12 years old, and was so absorbed in the story until it ended.
about Black Jack the Movie
・Directed by Dezaki Osamu
・Originally Written by Tezuka Osamu
・Written by Mori Eto & Dezaki Osamu
・Running time: 93 minutes
・Released on Nov. 30, 1996
・Distributed by Shochiku
 
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