With Tezuka's prolific output, maybe he himself felt a bit like being trapped under beams, dismembered when necessary, and wishing someone like BJ was to save him. 'Hurricane' and 'Timeout' are both disaster/horror pieces that involve death approaching in a timely manner, with only BJ having the correct answer to the problem. It's the dichotomy of BJ's 'thievery' and gift-giving that gives him a certain pathos and charm. The latter is especially touching, one of the best of the series, moving your ideas about BJ from 'hateful' to 'kind' in the passage of just a couple dozen pages. 'The Two Pinokos' as well as 'Kuroshio: A Memoir' both have children suffering, which brings about both the most vitriolic and compassionate sides of BJ. Similarly, 'A Hill for One' and 'Goribei.' also show the friction between animal and human relations, both showcasing larger animals in peril. 'Shozo' is especially sweet, showing a man in the throes of mental illness who abides heartbreak to continue on in a blissfully ignorant way. 'A Cat and Shozo,' and 'Guys and Birds' both show the innocence of animals and the perceptions of their fellow humans. 7 could be said to be the most emotional volume in Tezuka's most famous drama.
Another great collection of short stories in graphic format, Black Jack Vol.
