Black Jack Volume 5 by Osamu Tezuka

Black Jack is an unlicensed surgeon who is also a genius at Surgery. He charges incredible fees for his services, and he's usually successful. This volume holds another 14 stories about him.

In "Hospital", a young surgeon calls in Black Jack to save his patient's arm. The Patient is a pianist, and incredibly gifted. Black Jack refuses the request, until the Head Surgeon, a puffed-up man who believes he is superior because he went to a first-rate school, insults Black Jack's mentor. Then, he agrees, just to show the puffed-up head surgeon a lesson. But what will happen to both patient- and Doctor?

"Quite a Tongue" has Black Jack attending an Abacus competition to see a former patient of his who was a Thalidomide baby, born without arms. He was a genius at the Abacus, but he wanted arms because the other kids made fun of how he manipulated the beads on the Abacus- with his tongue! But now, after the transplant, the competition may be over-stressing his arms. When push comes to shove, will he reveal his hidden talent in front of the huge crowd?

"Asking for Water" shows a doctor whose home is also his hospital. Because he doesn't have room for all of his patients, he often asks his mother to stay elsewhere when he has a patient who needs her bed. She doesn't complain, but stays with friends. But her friends now think of her as a freeloader. BlackJack meets her when he gives her a lift in his car, and is outraged at what her son is doing to her. But when there is an earthquake and the hut she was sleeping in collapsed, how will Black Jack take his revenge on her son?

"Yet False the Days" has Pinoko being fascinated with a cat and her kittens who take up residence under Black Jack's porch. One of her babies was born injured, and Pinoko wants him to heal the kitten. The cat has no intention of letting him near her babies, though. Soon afterwards, he is approached by members of a film studio. Their most popular actress was injured in an accident and can't follow through on her contract, Now they want Black Jack to make over another actress to look like her. But Black Jack would rather save the actress. He can heal her body, but when she can't move after the surgery, has Black Jack succeeded or failed?

"The Last Train" features Konomi Kuwata, once known as "The Black Queen" Last time she and Black Jack met, she married the man he saved, but he got posted to the Middle East, and she doesn't know if she wants to join him. They barely see each other any more because of where he is. She doesn't want to move to a inferior hospital. She has another operation in the morning, and invites him in for a drink. But when he drugs her and does the operation for her, it's with one purpose- to get her fired from her job. But will she see this as a betrayal, or an opportunity?

In "There Was A Valve" Black Jack meets Dr. Kiriko again, the doctor who kills patients he judges are dying. He's there to ask about Black Jack's patient, but Black Jack doesn't have one. But when Kiriko's sister turns up with their father, who is suffering from a pneumothorax no other doctor can find, Kiriko gets wind of it and comes back to ease his father's suffering- by killing him! Can Black Jack save Kuriko's father before Kuriko decides to let him free of life?

"Two at the Baths" has Black Jack meeting an old man at the baths. Black Jack is supposedly there to ease the hurt from his old surgery scars, but he's really there to have an old swordsmith sharpen his scalpels- which he does over a fire made of money. The old man is there also. He's an acupuncturist who is there to have his needles shaepened. But when the Swordsmith collapses after completing the jobs, can Black Jack save him, or take advantage of his wisdom?

"Pinoko's Mystery" has Pinoko missing the mystery she wants to see on TV, and reading a long letter sent to Dr. Black Jack. In it, the woman tells how her daughter was injured in a bomb blast accidentally set off by her bomb-making husband. He was killed, and her daughter badly injured. Her mother took her to Black Jack, but he was unable to save her. She buried the coffin with her daughter's remains, but now she knows the truth- Pinoko is her daughter! Pinoko believes it, gets drunk and runs off to find her real family. But is the letter true?

In "Imprint" Black Jack meets an old friend who is a criminal on the run. He's changed his appearance so many times, but he made a mistake- he had his eyes tinted blue, and it has nearly destroyed his vision, But now he wants Black Jack to do his greatest identity-changing surgery of all- amputate his fingertips and attatch someone else's to completely change his fingerprints. But when he tries to kill Black Jack after the surgery, can Black Jack bring him to justice?

"99% Water" brings back Kiriko's sister, who asks him to save her brother from a fatal, infectious disease. Can Black Jack find the cure before Kiriko takes some of his own medicine?

"The Helper" has a doctor going blind asking for Black Jack's help operating on a patient. He's still unbeaten at diagnosing problems, but his treacherous underlings are pushing for him to operate. Can Black Jack help the surgeon retire with his reputation intact?

"Country Clinic" takes Black Jack to the Countryside when he spots a young girl who is very sick on the bus. But the old country doctor is strangely reluctant to operate on the girl with Graves' Disease. Can Black Jack help him and expose the Doctor's secret at the same time?

"Wolf Girl" has Black Jack arrested when the member of the Politburo he operated on escapes his homeland. Arrested as an accomplice, he manages to escape into a swirling snowstorm, where he is saved by a young woman known as "the Wolf Girl" for her malformed jaw, a condition known as Wolfsrachen. But while Black Jack can repair her face, can he also save her life?

In "On a Snowy Night" a pair of teenaged siblings show up asking Black Jack to operate on their invisible mother, he thinks them mad, but reluctantly complies. He soon realizes that all three are dead, but when they return to pick up their mother from her rest, will they convince Black Jack to come along with them on a ride into death?

Once again, I did enjoy this collection of stories, even if they did sort of veer into the mystical at the end. Pinoko continues to be as irritating as nails down a chalkboard, and Black Jack's behavior veers into assholish territory at times- or is it merely an outgrowth of his surgeon's arrogance- that he does what he feels is right no matter the consequences to everyone else. while this might be invaluable on the operating table, it's not so appetizing in real life. But what blunts the distastefulness is that he really does it to help people. He likes to look hard on the outside, but he really does want to help others.

Black Jack's character is what keeps me coming back to these stories. He's such a mass and bundle of contradictions- arrogant, greedy, kind, helping, healing, doesn't suffer fools gladly- or at all, and makes sure people pay for their misdeeds or mistreatment of others He's sort of the anime forerunner to Gregory House, M.D.-if House was a surgeon. And like House, he has his own difficult background- but not an addiction.

This is not your usual sort of manga. It's not really about adventure or romance or a Science Fiction extravaganza. It's about the human body and the human spirit- and humanity with all its warts and blemishes. It's stories that transform, uplift and bring grief, all packed into the same book- impossible to describe in just a few words, but incredible nonetheless, and highly recommended.