This series kicks off with some powerful exposition unhindered by the dated animation, as we are introduced to our protagonist, Dr. Tenma, who struggles with the questionable policies practiced by the hospital he works at. The animation makes good use of cleverly placed jump cuts and facial expressions that aptly captures the varying emotions of our protagonist to accurately portray his internal conflict with choosing who to operate on.
The Choice
I can't say I didn't expect this turn of events but it happened far sooner than I thought and Dr. Tenma is presented with a moral dilemma reminiscent of the kerfuffle with the now deceased Turkish man's wife the previous morning. The next scene is wonderfully choreographed as we were shown only a side profile of his mouth whilst holding the phone to his ear, showing his disconnection with the Director's priorities when his plea to proceed with his original operation plans were turned down and he resigned to give in.
We were then shown a barrage of flashbacks from the director's elitism as a scholar, his fiancée's conservative view on hierarchy with the final nail in the coffin being the wife's cries of agony and anger.
A brilliant pilot episode that does everything right, 9.7/10.