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SUMMARY

In the medical community, there are unlicensed doctors.  These men take on cases that regular doctors are afraid to even consider.  The best is a mysterious surgeon named Black Jack.  With his companion Pinoko, Black Jack is the only hope for those who have none.

In the small town of Mikazuki, years of industrial pollution has caused many of the towns people to suffer an agonizing death.  After the Japanese Government orders the polluting companies to make restitution, they hire an army of doctors to help provide medical care for the citizens afflicted with "Mikazuki Syndrome".  One doctor they call is Black Jack.

While staying at the local hotspring, he meets Tsukiko, one of the many victims of Mikazuki Syndrome.  Drawn to the young woman, he attempts to help her regain use of her foot.  Unfortunately, because she has no identification, no home, and no family, the government won't pay for her medical care.

Black Jack must not only bring Tsukiko back to health, but learn the truth of this mysterious young girl.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The quality is excellent.  There are no pixels or errors noted.  The colors are solid, and the motion, fluid.

AUDIO: The Japanese 2.0 sounds like it's the original mono soundtrack.  There is not a lot of directionality, and a slight mono hiss, but still enjoyable.

The English 2.0 is quite loud, especially when the music plays.  The dialogue is center speaker based, with limited sound effects from the side. 

For the audio commentary, you can only hear Osamu Tezuka and the interviewer. 

EDITS: Clean open and close are used.  Japanese episode titles have been replaced with English.

EXTRAS: The CPM trailer for the Black Jack OVA's, textless open and close, an art gallery, and brief text history on Osamu Tezuka is what you get.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: One of the darker characters made by the incomparable Osamu Tezuka, Black Jack is a cool as ice superman.  Kuniaki Yamashita, Eto Mori, along with "Golgo 13" director Osamu Dezaki take the already black story and gives it a film noir quality.  While there isn't always a lot of action, the writers weave an interesting mystery that keeps you enthralled.

ACTING:  The cast on both sides is excellent.  Great range and intensity.  Unfortunately, I don't know who played what part, so I can comment on the individual performances.

FAN SERVICE: There is some brief shots of Tsukiko nekkid, but nothing else in the way of fan service.

CONCLUSION:

The final volume in the Black Jack series has or hero trying to figure out the truth about a young woman who has no memory, and no life outside of fishing and...fishing.  The mystery of Tsukiko is not exactly the way I had expected the Black Jack series to end, but it was at least enjoyable getting to this point.

Sad to say, there isn't much going on in this volume.  It's a pretty straightforward story.  Black Jack breezes into town, attempts to save a patient while trying to solve a mystery.  Unlike the other volumes, the mystery isn't the cause of Tsukiko's illness, but who she is.  Problem is, Tsukiko isn't very smart, and she seems to have no memory of her life before being sick.  All she does is go on about a mermaid story, as if that is the story of her life.  Personally, I think that the Mikazuki Syndrome has effected her brain, but the box text would have you believe that she is turning into a mermaid!

Hogwash!  Sure the inference is there, but let's get real.  Black Jack rarely journeys into such absurd plot devices.  It's a medical drama, a little CSI and a lot of House in a perfect animated mix.

Come to think of it, House and Black Jack could be cousins.  Both have had significant trauma in their lives.  Both are brilliant, aloof, and don't always have the best bedside manor.  They can figure out ailments that no one can, and they have a irascible charm that makes you root for them.  One wonders if "House" was not inspired by Osamu Tezuka as so many anime and TV series are.

The animation is unmistakable Dezaki.  There are the well known sketchbook looking freeze frames, split screen shots, and strange angle shots that only he can do. Despite being an older anime, his unique style has stood the test of time well.  I can watch one of his movies over and over again, and still see something new.

The audio commentary with Director Dezaki continues to provide a wealth of information about his life, and that of his mentor Osamu Tezuka.  Anime historians, and Dezaki fans need to listen very closely to what this superb director has to say.  He is the Robert Rodriguez of anime, and he deserves your attention.

While it's not quite as gripping as the previous volumes, "Black Jack: Biohazard" is still an entertaining and fitting end for this intriguing series.  I will admit, I could not help but watch every second of this final episode.

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