Black Jack: Grandma

Synopsis

These original short animated films are screened in the "300 Inch Theater" at the Tezuka Osamu World inside Kyoto Station Building, as part of a double feature that pairs animated works from Tezuka Osamu's major manga with one segment focusing on historical events in Kyoto. In this theater, the Phoenix serves as the narrator, introducing two films. The Phoenix selects a story titled "Old Woman" ("Oba-chan") from the many episodes of "Black Jack" to explore the theme of how much love can grow within a short human lifetime. The story features an apparently greedy old woman who constantly demands money from her daughter-in-law, causing her son and his wife to grow tired of her behavior. Unsurprisingly, the household is filled with constant arguments, and their once peaceful daily life seems to have vanished. After accidentally learning about the family, Black Jack discovers that the old woman once had her young son, who was near death, treated and saved by a renowned doctor who demanded an enormous fee. In reality, she has been paying off that medical debt over several decades. Out of her immense love for her son, the old woman dedicated her entire life to repaying the treatment. Unaware of his mother's sacrifice, the son feels relentlessly burdened and exploited by both his mother and his wife. But when he finally learns the truth, he is deeply moved by his mother's love, which valued her son's life above her own. Black Jack asks him whether he can love her as much as she loved him. Explaining that only love that is more precious than life itself can endure forever, the Phoenix then recounts a story about the relocation of the capital to Heian—a massive national project meant to infuse a city with eternal life.