Voice Actor Comments for Autumn Anime "Young Black Jack" Arrive!　Young Black Jack" is a new anime about a young black man who is immature, but still very direct, and his struggles and growth.

Voice actor comments from the TV anime "Young Black Jack," which will start in October, have arrived.

Young Black Jack" is an anime adaptation of the manga "Young Black Jack" based on Osamu Tezuka's masterpiece "Black Jack," set in the 1960s and depicting the young days of the genius surgeon, Black Jack, who later became Black Jack. The film reveals the secret of how he became an unlicensed black market doctor who demands exorbitant sums of money, while honing his skills as a medical student in admiration of a surgeon who saved his life. Directed by Mitsuko Kase of "Ristorante Paradiso" and "The Last Weapon Girlfriend"; series composition and supervisor by Ryosuke Takahashi of "Firebird" and "Armored Trooper Votoms"; animation production by Tezuka Productions.

Voice actor comments from the recording studio have now arrived. Yuichiro Umehara, who plays the role of the black man, Koji Yusa, who plays Yabu, Shizuka Ito, who plays Maiko Okamoto, Junichi Suwabe, who plays the military doctor, and Akio Otsuka, who narrates, talk about the characters and highlights of the work.

A special program just before the start of the broadcast (http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv23455936) featuring Yuichiro Umehara will be distributed from 9:30 p.m. on October 1.

Yuichiro Umehara as Kuroo Hazama
--What kind of character do you play? What is your impression of the character after playing the role or reading the original work?
He is a black man who will later become a genius surgeon "Black Jack", but at the moment I feel he is still young enough to be his age. He seems cool at first glance, but I think he is a very passionate person with a strong will to help others. It's really cool to see him suffer and face up to unreasonable situations.
--What is your impression of the world of "Young Black Jack" and its story?
The story takes place in 1968, a time I have never experienced, but I strongly felt the energy that came from the social conditions of the time. I think that each of the people that the black man encounters has their own sense of justice. Although the theme is based on social issues of the time, it is also relevant to today. Through the lines between the two, I felt a message to modern society.
--What do you want people to pay attention to when watching this film? What do you recommend?
I would like people to pay attention not only to the surgery scene, but also to the reactions of the characters in this tense film. No two people react or think in exactly the same way, and the intertwining of various people's thoughts is something that can be seen in the real world.
--Please give a message to your fans (viewers).
I think "Young Black Jack" is a work that can be enjoyed in various ways, such as being attracted to the characters, enjoying the medical scenes, and thinking about the underlying social themes. Please watch over the black man as he struggles and grows while being confronted with an unreasonable reality.

Koji Yusa as Yabu
--What kind of character do you play? What is your impression of the character from playing the role or from reading the original work?
Dr. Yabu is fatally flawed as a doctor due to certain circumstances. In addition, he is also a such-and-such ....... However, he has a kind heart and what he has at his core is a passionate person.
--What is your impression of the world and the story of the work of "Young Black Jack"?
It is a story about Hazama when he was still young, so there are still human aspects to him, and I think it is a different kind of work from "Black Jack" that we can enjoy. I think it touches my heart with the hard parts of human beings and their bitter experiences, which are not only "great" but also hard.
--What do you want people to pay attention to when watching this film? What do you recommend?
Of course I would like people to see Hazama's growth, but the people around him also influence him. Please watch the thoughts and feelings of various people.
--Please give a message to the fans (viewers).
Young Black Jack" is a work that will not only leave you "happy" but also make you think. Please take your time to watch the various human situations and the growth of the characters.

Shizuka Ito as Maiko Okamoto
--What kind of character do you play? What is your impression of the character after playing the role or reading the original work?
I think she is a precious person who earnestly and sincerely pursues a career in medicine despite being a woman of this era. I feel that she is a very strong woman who is not discouraged by the technology of the times, but rather, as a person involved in medicine, pursues her own path with her own ideas and sense of mission.
--What is your impression of the world of "Young Black Jack" and its story?
I have the impression that "Young Black Jack" is portrayed in a way that makes us feel more human and familiar with what the man, Makuro Otoko, and the people around him are going through in their lives in this era with a desire to become medical doctors.
--What do you want people to pay attention to when watching this film? What do you recommend?
The film depicts how Black Jack became Black Jack and why he had to be the way he was. I think you will enjoy it even more if you pay attention to the other minor characters as well.
--Please give a message to your fans (viewers).
This is a work that can be enjoyed by those who know "Black Jack" as well as those who do not, so please give it a try. I personally hope that you will pick up "Black Jack" again.

Junichi Suwabe as a military doctor
--What kind of character would you like to play? What kind of character do you play? What is your impression of the character after playing the role or reading the original work?
He is a doctor who rushes to any place where there is a patient. He is a very passionate man who literally puts his life on the line to treat patients. He is a younger version of the "That Man" in the original "Black Jack," but his image is quite different from that of the original "Black Jack.
--What is your impression of the world of "Young Black Jack" and its story?
It is a new story based on the worldview of Osamu Tezuka's "Black Jack. It is like a missing link, but it also has elements that are original to "Young Black Jack," and I thought it was a very interesting work.
--What do you want people to pay attention to when watching this film? What do you recommend?
There are characters who are based on characters who appeared in Tezuka's other works besides "Black Jack. I think such fan service elements are one of the highlights of the film.
--Please give a message to the fans (viewers).
If you are familiar with the original "Black Jack," you will enjoy this film even more, and of course those who are not familiar with the original "Black Jack" will also enjoy it. Personally, I would like you to produce a spin-off of Mr. "Military Doctor"! First of all, please support this work!

Narration by Akio Otsuka
--What do you want people to pay attention to when watching this work?
I would like viewers to see the conflict and growth of the immature but direct Makuro Otoko.
--Please give a message to your fans (viewers).
A new page will be engraved in the history of "Black Jack". Please wait for it with anticipation.