TV Asahi will broadcast the drama premium "Black Jack," a live-action adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's classic manga, on the 30th (9:00 PM). Before the broadcast, Issei Takahashi, who plays the protagonist Black Jack, held an interview and spoke about his feelings towards this challenging role.

Regarding this work, Takahashi said, "In the original, it is one of the mangas that laid the foundation for human drama through the lens of medical care." He described Black Jack as "a character who does not talk much about essential matters. He does not speak directly but is a person with deep affection for others."

When asked about his feelings when offered the role of Black Jack, he revealed, "I already have the important role of 'Rohan Kishibe,' another 'teacher' character from a manga. So, when I was asked to play another teacher, I was very happy, but I also had concerns that viewers might see me as 'Rohan Kishibe' instead of Black Jack." He confessed, "Even though they are teachers in different professions, I wondered how I could differentiate them within myself. If it had been ten years later, it might have been different, but I was worried that people might see me through the lens of Rohan. This was a concern that actors usually should not have."

During this time, Takahashi requested the production to stay as close to the original as possible. He explained, "I was worried that if we did not include the unchanged parts, the balance of the character depiction in the manga might be off. I was always thinking about how to blend the widely held image of Black Jack with my own portrayal of the character."

In one of the shooting scenes, he shared, "There was a scene where I saved a child at the beginning, but the child actor seemed scared of me and cried. While I felt sorry, I also thought it was good that I managed to embody Black Jack's character so well (laughs)."

Pinoko, the 18-year-old heroine and Black Jack's assistant, is played by child actor Yuno Nagao, and they had great chemistry. Takahashi commented, "Pinoko was very friendly and made acting easy. She likes yokai (Japanese folklore monsters) just like me, so we had lively conversations about them. I even gave her a yokai book, and she was happy (laughs)."

Although the filming went smoothly, Takahashi unusually said, "I feel strangely unfulfilled." He explained, "I am embarrassed to watch my own acting on the monitor at the set, so I really do not know how it turned out. I am very excited to see the final result."

This work, a masterpiece manga by Osamu Tezuka, celebrated its 50th anniversary of serialization in 2023 and continues to be loved by many as the "pinnacle of medical manga." Black Jack, an unlicensed genius surgeon who succeeds in any surgery in exchange for an exorbitant fee, sensationally revives in the Reiwa era, where the nature of medical care is once again questioned after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The station first adapted "Black Jack" into a TV drama in 1981, starring Yuzo Kayama. Since then, various live-action and stage adaptations have been produced, but this is the first live-action adaptation in about 24 years since the 2000 TV drama version starring Masahiro Motoki on TBS. This time, starring Takahashi, the drama will condense selected famous episodes from the original manga.

Source : ORICON NEWS