The surprise gem of the show so far has been Genki’s Blackjack DS. Following the adventures of the world’s greatest unlicensed surgeon, it’s an interactive manga presented in the same brisk, dynamic style of Inis’s Osu Tatakae Ouendan.


The interactive element of the game comes in the form of “targets” that have to be hit, in a very similar fashion to Ouendan, only now, some of the targets require strange zig zaggy motions to successfully hit them. Success in these, represent success on the operating table, which in turn affects the outcome of the interactive manga. You’re probably thinking how incredibly similar this all sounds to Ouendan, and it is, which is precisely what makes the game so fun. Just like its inspiration, you often find yourself torn between viewing the manga or merely focusing on the game mechanics of the operations.

One of Japan’s most famous manga, Blackjack was created by Osamu Tezuka, father of anime and creator of Astroboy. His adventures lead him all over the world, operating on the richest of the rich and the strangest of the strange. This certainly isn’t Trauma Centre: Under the Knife, indeed, the 2nd chapter of the game focuses on an operation on a werewolf in some creepy old mansion.


Information at the show reveals its one player only, and an exploration of the options menu reveals the existence of unlock-able mini-games and other extras. Released in November in Japan, we can only hope that it gets an English language version at some point.