If you love anime (like me), chances are you will like this film. If you hate anime (like lots of North Americans), chances are you will dislike this film. Come to think of it, that may be all the review that's required, but I'll keep going anyway.
This film is an exemplary example of one of the things I love about anime: the fact that the scripts are not obsessed with backstory. This film is replete with fascinating points about the characters that are never explained; the hero has a pretty horrible scar/skin graft on his face; he lives with a little girl who may or may not be his daughter, adopted or otherwise; the MSJ (Medical Soldiers for Justice) is a neat concept which is simply taken as part of the story, without any exposition. The list goes on and on.
It's an irritating thing that lots of Western viewers seem so unwilling to use their imaginations or think for themselves, but instead insist on being led by the hand through stories. Lots of anime films are based on huge mangas, however, so Japanese filmmakers have refined techniques of paring the story down only to what's absolutely essential to move the films forward. The resultant films almost always work excellently.
Black Jack is typical anime -- short and concise, unrelentingly urban, occasionally gory and often cynical. It seems to have more heart than some of its brethren at times, what with the daughter subplot and the (rather heavy-handed) environmental moral.
Oh, and for a priceless moment, watch for when Pinoko does the jigsaw puzzle. It's a big picture of Astro-Boy, Osamu Tezuka's most famous creation!
This film is an exemplary example of one of the things I love about anime: the fact that the scripts are not obsessed with backstory. This film is replete with fascinating points about the characters that are never explained; the hero has a pretty horrible scar/skin graft on his face; he lives with a little girl who may or may not be his daughter, adopted or otherwise; the MSJ (Medical Soldiers for Justice) is a neat concept which is simply taken as part of the story, without any exposition. The list goes on and on.
It's an irritating thing that lots of Western viewers seem so unwilling to use their imaginations or think for themselves, but instead insist on being led by the hand through stories. Lots of anime films are based on huge mangas, however, so Japanese filmmakers have refined techniques of paring the story down only to what's absolutely essential to move the films forward. The resultant films almost always work excellently.
Black Jack is typical anime -- short and concise, unrelentingly urban, occasionally gory and often cynical. It seems to have more heart than some of its brethren at times, what with the daughter subplot and the (rather heavy-handed) environmental moral.
Oh, and for a priceless moment, watch for when Pinoko does the jigsaw puzzle. It's a big picture of Astro-Boy, Osamu Tezuka's most famous creation!