OVA
Description
Saburo Taneda (also called Saburozaemon Taneda) serves as a fiercely loyal retainer to Princess Ikehata. He bears brown shoulder-length hair and black eyes. His defining characteristic is absolute devotion to the princess. He withstands her violent seizures, caused by gamakazura fruit poisoning, without resentment, understanding these outbursts originate from illness, not malice. Taneda consistently prioritizes the princess's wellbeing above his own feelings.
He perceives their bond strictly through the master-servant dynamic. Consequently, he spurns her romantic advances, citing the societal divide between them. This refusal carries tragic weight: her subsequent suicide attempt followed Lord Rokuyoji's unwanted marriage proposal. Taneda believes accepting her feelings and marrying her himself might have prevented this, resulting in profound and visible regret.
His story unfolds within "Clinical Chart 6: Night Time Tale in the Snow, Lovelorn Princess." While traveling through a snowstorm to treat Taneda's wife, surgeon Black Jack experiences a vivid dream. In this dream, Taneda appears as a samurai defending Princess Ikehata during a historical conflict. Black Jack operates on the princess to correct a poison-induced irregular heartbeat, inadvertently releasing a giant snake during the procedure. Taneda kills the snake, an act which mysteriously causes the death of Lady Kaoru, Lord Rokuyoji's spurned wife. Immediately after, Taneda and the princess attempt escape but are slain by Rokuyoji's troops. Simultaneously, Abumaru, Kaoru's messenger, assassinates Rokuyoji in retaliation.
Awakening, Black Jack meets the real Saburo Taneda, who guides him to his ill wife. Medical examination reveals she suffers from mesothelioma. The journey takes a supernatural turn when Taneda reveals he actually died two years prior; his wife has since been cared for by neighbors resembling Lady Kaoru and Abumaru from the dream. This conclusion intertwines Taneda's unresolved loyalty and protective instincts toward the princess with the caretakers of his widow, extending his narrative beyond death. His arc concludes with this revelation, leaving his legacy of duty and regret embodied in the ongoing care for his surviving spouse.
He perceives their bond strictly through the master-servant dynamic. Consequently, he spurns her romantic advances, citing the societal divide between them. This refusal carries tragic weight: her subsequent suicide attempt followed Lord Rokuyoji's unwanted marriage proposal. Taneda believes accepting her feelings and marrying her himself might have prevented this, resulting in profound and visible regret.
His story unfolds within "Clinical Chart 6: Night Time Tale in the Snow, Lovelorn Princess." While traveling through a snowstorm to treat Taneda's wife, surgeon Black Jack experiences a vivid dream. In this dream, Taneda appears as a samurai defending Princess Ikehata during a historical conflict. Black Jack operates on the princess to correct a poison-induced irregular heartbeat, inadvertently releasing a giant snake during the procedure. Taneda kills the snake, an act which mysteriously causes the death of Lady Kaoru, Lord Rokuyoji's spurned wife. Immediately after, Taneda and the princess attempt escape but are slain by Rokuyoji's troops. Simultaneously, Abumaru, Kaoru's messenger, assassinates Rokuyoji in retaliation.
Awakening, Black Jack meets the real Saburo Taneda, who guides him to his ill wife. Medical examination reveals she suffers from mesothelioma. The journey takes a supernatural turn when Taneda reveals he actually died two years prior; his wife has since been cared for by neighbors resembling Lady Kaoru and Abumaru from the dream. This conclusion intertwines Taneda's unresolved loyalty and protective instincts toward the princess with the caretakers of his widow, extending his narrative beyond death. His arc concludes with this revelation, leaving his legacy of duty and regret embodied in the ongoing care for his surviving spouse.