Is New Give My Regards to Black Jack Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read
Quick Answer
If you read (or want a seinen medical drama in the spirit of) Give My Regards to Black Jack, this direct sequel is worth it: Shuho Sato picks Dr. Saitou's story back up for one more rotation, trading the first series' broad tour of hospital dysfunction for a tighter, more specific look at the ethics of organ transplants.
Quick Verdict
“Focused and issue-driven, trusting you to already care about Saitou — strongest if you've read the original first.”
Best for: Readers who finished the original Give My Regards to Black Jack and want to see Saitou's story continue into one more, more tightly focused ethical crisis.
Not for: Readers looking for a stand-alone entry point — this is a direct continuation and assumes you already know Saitou and the series' premise.
- Type
- Manga
- Genres
- Drama, Thriller
- Status
- Completed
- This review
- Minor Spoilers
- Author
- Shuho Sato
- Publisher
- Shogakukan (original); Manga Reborn (English, complete digital)
- Platform
- Manga Reborn
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Manga (seinen), 70 chapters, 9 volumes |
| Run | 2007–2010 · completed |
| Where to read | Manga Reborn — official |
Overview
New Give My Regards to Black Jack is Shuho Sato's direct continuation of Give My Regards to Black Jack, and it picks up right where that series left Dr. Saitou Eijiro: heading into his final placement as an intern, this time in the urology department. Where the original used Saitou's rotations through different hospital departments to survey Japan's medical system broadly — overwork, understaffing, bureaucratic indifference — this sequel narrows that lens to one specific, thorny subject: the ethics and logistics of organ transplants.
What it does well
The biggest strength here is continuity that actually matters. Saitou isn't rebooted into a fresh, blank-slate protagonist for a new arc; he's the same intern who's already been worn down and sharpened by everything the first series put him through, and that history gives his reactions here real weight instead of generic outrage. Narrowing the focus to transplants also works in the story's favor — instead of bouncing between a dozen different institutional failures, it can sit with one ethically loaded subject long enough to actually interrogate it, which suits Sato's journalistic, issue-driven approach better than a wider survey would.
The tone is consistent with what made the original notable: this isn't a soft, reassuring medical drama. It's still more interested in showing you the gap between how the system is supposed to work and how it actually works than in tidy, feel-good resolutions, and that unflinching quality carries over cleanly.
Where it falls short
This is not a place to start. The entire emotional and narrative setup depends on having already spent a full series with Saitou, and readers who try to jump in here cold will be missing most of the context that makes his decisions land. The tighter transplant-specific focus is also a trade-off: it sacrifices some of the first series' variety for a more singular, and at times heavier, reading experience — if you found the original's breadth part of the appeal, this narrower sequel may feel more one-note by comparison. It's also a harder series to simply stumble into; its English release is a complete digital edition through the smaller Manga Reborn platform rather than a major print publisher, so it doesn't have the same visibility as the original.
Verdict
New Give My Regards to Black Jack isn't a reinvention — it's a focused, worthwhile continuation for anyone who finished the original and wants one more round of Sato's clinical, unsentimental look at how Japan's medical system actually functions. Read the first series, and if its blend of institutional critique and personal stakes worked for you, this sequel is worth tracking down.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Picks up Saitou's arc exactly where the original left off instead of rebooting him into a generic new lead, so his growth across the first series actually pays off here.
- Narrows its focus to organ transplants specifically, which gives this installment a sharper, more sustained ethical throughline than the original's wider hospital-department tour.
- Keeps the franchise's signature unflinching, almost journalistic tone — it's still more interested in institutional hypocrisy than in melodrama.
- A manageable, fully completed 9-volume run, so it doesn't overstay the premise.
Weaknesses
- It leans hard on the original series for context — character relationships and the story's whole emotional register assume you've already read Give My Regards to Black Jack.
- The narrower transplant-ethics focus means it trades some of the first series' variety for a more single-minded (and at times heavier) reading experience.
- English availability is more niche than the original — it's a complete digital release through Manga Reborn rather than a major print publisher, so it's easy to overlook.
Similar Titles
The original series this one directly continues — read it first.
Team Medical Dragon
Another unflinching seinen look at the ethics and hierarchy inside a hospital, if the institutional-critique angle is what you're after.
Where to Read Officially
| Platform | Format | Pricing | Region notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manga Reborn | Digital volumes | Paid | Region availability varies | Open |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read Give My Regards to Black Jack first?
Yes. This is a direct sequel that picks up Dr. Saitou Eijiro's story exactly where the original left off, and it leans on everything you learned about him there.
How long is New Give My Regards to Black Jack?
It's a complete 9-volume run.
Is New Give My Regards to Black Jack finished?
Yes, it's a completed series.
Is there an official English release?
Yes — it's available as a complete digital English release through Manga Reborn, though it's a more niche release than the original series.
