SPOILER WARNINGS
SUMMARY: Now captives of the Vietcong, Hazama’s group pleads with the Viet cong leader to let them treat a critically injured member. After days go by, their interpreter, Phan, is dragged off to be interrogated. When she finally returns, she has a surprise for them.
This show really makes it a point to showcase just how bad war can get. After getting captured and beaten by the Viet Cong, Hazuma and his team escape and meet up with Yabu. There a medic gets dropped in who performs surgery on the wounded soldier from the previous episode. There is a moment of peace and everything seems like it will work out.
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Unfortunately, in the very next episode the patient gets blown up by a landmine, his buddy snaps, and calls in an airstrike while Hazuma and the medic do surgery on the Viet Cong member who gave them the means to escape. If it isn’t abundantly clear by now, this will serve as another reminder to Hazuma about how life is precious and he must do all he can to preserve it. It’s a bit extreme at times but leads to some very powerful scenes.
It’s rather obvious who the white haired medic is for a seasoned Black Jack fan but for those whose first exposure with the character is this show you are probably confused of the significance. The medic is revealed to be Dr. Kiriko, Black Jack’s greatest rival later in his life when Black Jack becomes an unlicenced doctor for hire. Dr. Kiriko like the infamous real life doctor, Jack Kevorkian, deals with helping patience to slip into death so they may be free of his pain. His backstory did talk about him being a medic in Tezuka’s original manga but there was no mention of when the two of them first met.
This show helps to showcase more of the harsh choices which will lead Hazuma down the road to saying “Screw the rules” more than Dr. Gregory House (who actually had a brief crossover commercial with Black Jack together while promoting the Japanese release of House. Click the link below to see it). The moment where Hazuma insists he will stay and operate despite the fact the airstrike is coming seems to be another crystallizing moment showcasing where he is going in his life. Just wish more people knew of just how great this is.
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9elNqC8c38k[/embedyt]
Young Black Jack is simulcast streaming from Crunchyroll.
