Black Jack (TV)

Let me start off with this, Black Jack 2004 is NOT a bad series.

It just pales in comparison to most other adaptations and even the original Tezuka manga which it loosely adapts. Many stories are a mixed bag due to all the changes they had to make for the Heisei era. A lot of the more brutal chapters had to be toned down due to appealing to a younger audience in the modern times. (Well, it was modern almost 20 years ago 😅)

You might think "Oh well, I don't like brutal stuff much anyway so that's fine with me." but many of the stories ... really were just straight up butchered due to the missing dark themes or were changed too much to the point were Black Jack almost seems like a side character. Why? Because they keep choosing to focus on the actual side characters instead!

The worst of all had to be the re-adapted "Pinoko Love Story" which was changed into the episode "Pinoko's plans for adulthood". For spoilery reasons I can't say too much but I can say one thing, Pinoko Love Story really just hit harder and overall characterizes both her and Black Jack in a deeper way.

Heck many episodes really make it clear that the studio saw Pinoko as nothing but a surrogate daughter to Black Jack which, I mean I can get why from a mainstream perspective, but at the same time they missed the point of her entire character in that case???

Overall, should you watch it? Ehhhh, it shouldn't be your entry point. Perhaps if you want a more light hearted experience yes but otherwise I would not reccomend it.

my ratings for this anime is a 4 this anime seems to more target making a black jack anime fore children and it could of done this and still be good. but as being part of the black franchise i expected it to still focus on medical drama but it feels like it almost could care less about it. and was forced to have it because of the franchise this left me lose all interest in it. if this was not part of black jack this would be average and i would of enjoyed it a bit. but i wanted the medical drama ... and for most episodes the medical stuff get two maybe four minutes on average. so if this was the part you liked about the franchise this might fall painfully flat. really it is best not to watch this as something part of the black jack franchise and just a average kids show with medical things thrown in. and there are good number episodes were it is literally thrown in as black jack travels to a random place and a person gets hurt and now that person needs a doctor to save there life. on a plus if you wanted pinoko to get more time as this is trying to make something for children. she gets large chunk of more time of her having fun. the show really in general heavily focus on slice of life elements of the patient of the day and fun things and nothing relating to medical issues. because i guess they felt no child would be interested while i feel outside of making sure not to show the insides of people the structure needs little change to appeal to children. something like Black Jack: Futari no Kuroi Isha i feel is something plenty of children would find entertaining. while not showing anything inappropriate for a child while staying true to the point of black jack focusing on medical issues and drama. while this i feel like it just did not feel black jack could connect to children so basally hacked away mostly everything the franchise was about. to make a black jack they feel would appeal to children while losing far to much of the franchises essence. like i said as a kids show its fine but it just missing far to much of the focus of black jack for me not to consider it a bad black jack series.