The "Pan" Principle

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Atom has been compared with both Pinocchio and Peter Pan. He's like Pinocchio in that he's a stand in for a human boy, who really WANTS to be a real boy. He's also like Peter Pan, because he's forever stuck in the mold of a 9-10 year old child, he can't ever 'grow up', at least not physically. In fact, that little issue triggered his creator to abandon him.

I've written one story around that issue, describing a future where everyone Atom knew has grown up and he's still his same old self. I've also imagined ways around that issue, though I'm not sure that's what Atom would actually want.

Well the thought suddenly occurred to me, that Atom isn't the only character that Tezuka created who's stuck as a physical child. (Obviously so are Uran and Cobalt). I've often combined one or two of Tezuak's other manga/anime series into my personal Atom 'head canon', despite the fact that they were supposed to be set in different time frames. Atom was set in the future, (which is actually 'NOW'!), and both Black Jack and 'Three Eyed One' (which shared time frame and characters) took place in the time frame that they were written in (1970s-1980's). Both of those are in my own mind in the here and now.

So there IS a character that might 'pair up' with Atom since they BOTH are stuck in the same mold, while their friends and family grow older. And that is Pinoco! She IS human, but only on the inside. Her outer body is synthetic and can't grow. In a way, she's part cyborg, but only her skin and bones are synthetic. While she does think of herself as Black Jack's wife, I imagine that in the near future she grows out of that as Sensei ages, and all of her friends do as well. Perhaps I'll develop a fan fiction story in that vein.

[YJ_Doodle]

I've heard a lot of praise for Black Jack and all these strange concepts sounds so intriguing, I think I should check it out when I have the chance. By the way, I love your fanfics!

[jeffbert]

Pinoko is indeed stuck in a child's body, but her behavior is also childlike/childish, despite the fact that she dreams of becoming an adult & considers herself BJ's wife. I think it would have been more realistic if she did grow, & BJ had to keep transplanting her into larger bodies.

But anyway, in episode ###, when Adult Space Tobio comes to Earth, does this indicate that 10 - 11 years have passed since the series' chronology began? If so, why are Tamao & Shibugaki still kids?