Terrified by this physical representation of the evil deal he made, he sets the child in a wooden cask in the river to float off to his death. The demons make good on their promise, and the lord’s son, Hyakkimaru, is born with no eyes, nose, ears, arms, legs…the list goes on and on. A power-hungry lord sells his first-born son to 48 demons in order to become the ultimate ruler of the entire country. In both Dororo and Black Jack it is evident that Tezuka knows how to craft a plot that pulls you in and characters that will keep you wanting more.ĭororo’s plot may seem a bit outlandish to those unused to manga. It’s a solid historical-fantasy blend that’s slightly reminiscent of Inuyasha and Mushi-shi. It was certainly not as well-publicized and fawned over as Black Jack was, but as I found out while I read it, it can certainly stand on its own two feet. Returning Black Jack fanatics and new readers alike will enjoy this beautifully packaged volume. (it was partially released by Viz Media many years ago) drew great attention from the fmanga fan community as a whole. Black Jack is arguably Tezuka’s most loved series in his home country of Japan, and its grand re-release in the U.S. For Osamu Tezuka, they were merely small parts of his boundless mythos, albeit brightly-shining parts. Let’s see if they live up to their reputation!īlack Jack chronicles the travails of an enigmatic surgeon-for-hire who is more good than he pretends to be.Įither of these books could be the cornerstone of any modern manga-ka (manga author). Today, I have reviews of the first volumes of both Dororo and Black Jack. These last two sagas, Black Jack especially, have been eagerly anticipated for the quality of story-telling and character development that is a hallmark of Tezuka’s work. The depth and breadth of his work is apparent even today, as American publishers release more and more of his series, like MW, Apollo’s Song, Black Jack, and Dororo.

Osamu Tezuka was one of the most influential figures in manga as a medium.

Black jack read online volume 1