Black Jack has revealed an AI-generated chapter partly to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the manga, originally written by pioneering artist Osamu Tezuka.
According to Comic Natalie, Tezuka Productions revealed the 32-page one-shot chapter, titled Black Jack Kikai no Shinzo – Heartbeat Mark II, at Keio University’s Mita campus in Tokyo, Japan. Heartbeat Mark II is a collaborative project developed by Tezuka Productions and Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, using AI based on the ChatGPT-4 model trained using Black Jack creator Osamu Tezuka’s previous work as a dataset. This is notably the first time an AI generator has been used to create a chapter for the classic manga.
Makoto Tezuka (officially romanized as Macoto Tezka), son of Osamu Tezuka and current director of Tezuka Productions, said he was surprised at the details the AI put into the one-shot. Tezka believes that AI has captured many of the nuances and themes that his beloved father had previously incorporated into his manga, and the director explains how Heartbeat Mark II emphasizes the dignity of students. living thing in its story — a core element of Tezuka’s manga. While Tezka believes that the AI-generated story falls short of the quality that Black Jack’s creator delivered in many aspects, he also stated that one-shots would not exist without AI, while also talking about how this tool could be developed to better emulate his father’s legend. style.
Black Jack fans are outraged by AI-generated chapters
Black Jack fans are less optimistic about the potential of AI in the anime and manga industry, with readers taking to social media to express their displeasure over the use of AI generation for such an established series. So. Some believe that using AI art goes against the themes Tezuka presents in his manga, which often emphasize the importance of humanity in the face of rapid technological advancement. Others have pointed out that many illustrators in the industry are already capable of emulating Tezuka’s art style without AI.
Black Jack was first released in 1973 and focused on the adventures of a medical mercenary. The series synopsis reads: “This is a medical drama in which the main character is the unlicensed but talented surgeon, Black Jack. With excellent surgical techniques, Black Jack always miraculously saves the lives of seriously ill patients and those who are about to die. But he always demanded a hefty price for his surgery, which is why his presence was rejected by the medical community. Black Jack lives quietly in a clinic in the desolate wilderness with his assistant, Pinoko, whose life he saved. the doctors gave up visiting him every day; He represents their last hope.”
Black Jack Kikai no Shinzo – Heartbeat Mark II releases on November 22 in Weekly Shonen Champion magazine.
Source: Comic Natalie, X (formerly Twitter)
