Phoenix (manga)

Phoenix is about reincarnation. Each story generally involves a search for immortality, embodied by the blood of the eponymous bird of fire, which, as drawn by Tezuka, resembles the Fenghuang. The blood is believed to grant eternal life, but immortality in Phoenix is either unobtainable or a terrible curse, whereas Buddhist-style reincarnation is presented as the natural path of life. The stories spring back and forth through time; the first, Dawn, takes place in ancient times, and the second, Future, takes place in the far future. Subsequent stories alternate between the past and future, allowing Tezuka to explore his themes in both historical and science fiction settings. Throughout the stories there are various recurring characters, some from Tezuka's famous star system. A character named Saruta appears repeatedly, for example, in the form of various ancestors and descendants, all of whom endure harsh trials in their respective eras. Tezuka began work on a preliminary version of Phoenix in 1954, and the series continued in various forms until his death in 1989. As it progresses, the stories seemed to be converging on the present day. Due to Tezuka dying before the manga's completion, it is not known how this would have played out. Scholar and translator Frederik L. Schodt, who knew Tezuka in life, wrote that he fantasized about a secret ending, "waiting in a safe somewhere to be revealed posthumously". This was not the case, and Tezuka's final intentions with Phoenix remain unknown; its episodic nature leaves each volume highly accessible nonetheless. Many of the Phoenix stories feature an intensely experimental layout and visual design. For example, Universe tells the story of four spacefarers who are forced to leave their spaceship in separate escape pods. The panels of the story are organized such that each character has his own vertical or horizontal tier on the page, emphasizing the astronauts' isolation; the tiers combine and separate as characters join and split up. In an astonishing sequence after one character's death, he is represented for a number of pages by a series of empty black panels. Tezuka was said to have been influenced to create the series after listening to the music of Igor Stravinsky. He also told that he created the image of Phoenix as he was impressed by the Firebird in director Ivan Ivanov-Vano's animation film Konyok Gorbunok (Soyuzmultfilm studio). ==Arcs==

After several aborted serialization attempts in the 1950s, in Gakudōsha's ''Manga Shōnen and Kodansha's Shōjo Club magazines, Tezuka began Dawn in 1967, serialized in COM. The serialization of Phoenix'' would continue throughout his career, moving to Asahi Sonorama's Manga Shōnen magazine after COM's closure in the mid-70s. The final volume, Sun, was serialized in Yasei Jidai. ; :The first volume, originally serialized in 1967. This story takes place in 240–70 AD, in the era of Queen Himiko of the Yamatai. Using her army, led by feudal general Sarutahiko, to invade the Kumaso, she seeks the Phoenix and eternal youth. ; :The second volume, originally serialized in 1967–68. In Phoenixs chronology, this is the final story chronologically, taking place near the end of mankind. In 3404, the world has become super-modernized, but humanity has reached its peak and shows decline. A young man named Masato Yamanobe is living with his girlfriend, Tamami, a shapeshifting alien. Pursued by Masato's boss, Rock, they eventually take shelter at the isolated base of mad scientist Dr. Saruta, who attempts to preserve life on Earth with the assistance of his robot, Robita. Eventually, nuclear war breaks out. ; :The third volume, originally serialized in 1968–69. This story takes place in 320–50 (Kofun period), and is based on the Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto legend. The decadent king of Yamato is trying to have his own version of Japan's history written. Meanwhile, a "barbarian" tribe, the Kumaso, is writing an unbiased history. The king of Yamato sends his youngest son, Oguna, to murder the barbarian chief, Takeru. On his journey, Oguna encounters the Phoenix. ; :The fourth volume, originally serialized in 1969; also known as Space. The story takes place in 2577 AD, where four astronauts must escape their ruined spaceship in escape pods. The survivors eventually crash into a mysterious planet. Among them is Saruta, who contends with Makimura for the heart of their female companion, Nana. On this strange planet, they eventually meet the Phoenix. ; :The fifth volume, originally serialized in 1969–1970. The story occurs in 720–752 AD, the period in which the Daibutsu of Tōdai-ji was built during the Nara period. One-eyed and one-armed young man Gao, an ancestor of Saruta, turns into a murderous bandit when he is rejected by his village. He attacks a sculptor, Akanemaru, and the two men's paths diverge, but their fates remain linked. Akanemaru becomes obsessed with the Phoenix to the point that he loses sight of his original dreams, while Gao eventually finds a state of grace despite his continuing hardships. Karma is widely considered the masterpiece of the Phoenix series. It centers on Harima, a young Korean soldier from the Baekje Kingdom whose head is replaced with that of a wolf by Tang dynasty soldiers following the defeat of the joint Baekje-Yamato force at the Battle of Baekgang. He then escapes to Japan where he becomes the feudal lord Inugami and becomes caught in the middle of the Jinshin War, as well as joining a greater battle between supernatural forces and time-travelling to a bleak future world ruled by a theocracy that claimed to have captured the Phoenix. This chapter stands in stark contrast to the earlier historical Phoenix stories, which tended to de-mythologize the mythical characters therein, for instance in Dawn, many Shinto gods are portrayed as mere humans. In this chapter, however, a wide variety of mythical creatures are shown fighting against Bodhisattva. ;Early Works :Covers the prototype arcs of the series from the 1950s: the unfinished Manga Shōnen version of the Dawn arc from 1954–55, and the Egypt, Greece and Rome arcs that ran in Shōjo Club from 1956–57. Characters • Hi no Tori: Keiko Takeshita/Suzanne Gilad • Saruta: Tetsuo Komura/Danny Burstein • Narrator: Akira Kume/Robert O'Gorman ;Dawn • Nagi: Takeuchi Junko/Michelle Newman • Sarutahiko: Tetsuo Komura • Himiko: Ryōko Kinomiya/Fiona Jones • Hinaku: Sakiko Tamagawa/Carrie Keranen • Susanoo: Eizo Tsuda/James Urbaniak • Guzuri: Michio Nakao/Jay Snyder • Ama no Yumihiko: Masaki Terasoma/Addie Blaustein • Ninigi: Akio Ōtsuka/Richard Epcar • Shaman: Hikaru Miyata • Soldier: Yousuke Akimoto • Uzume: Yumi Nakatani/Erica Schroeder • Uraji: Yūsaku Yara/Marc Diraison • Ojiji: Eisuke Yoda/Richard Springle • Obaba: Natsuko Sebata • Soldier: Dai Matsumoto • Kumaso Takeru: Daisuke Namikawa • Yazuchi: Hirofumi Nojima • Fuki: Akiko Nakagawa • Tajikarao: Toshihide Tsuchiya • Kamamushi: Shōzō Iizuka/David Brimmer • Chamberlain: Mahito Tsujimura ;Resurrection • Leona: Sasaki Nozomu/Christopher Kromer • Lamp: Masashi Hirose/Mike Pollock • Chihiro: Misa Kobayashi/Eden Riegel • Nielsen: Shinji Ogawa/Ted Lewis • Reiko: Fumiko Osaka/Kathleen McInerney • Leona's Father: Mantarô Iwao/Marc Thompson • Young Leona: Reiko Takagi/Christopher Kromer ;Strange creatures • Sakonnosuke: Mayumi Asano/Kathleen McInerney • Yagi Iemasa: Tetsuo Komura • Yaobikuni: Tamie Kubota • Kahei: Bin Shimada/Mike Pollock • Haniwa Jindayu: Kazuhiko Kishino ;Sun • Inugami no Sukune/Harima: Yasunori Matsumoto/Gary Littman • Obaba: Seiko Tomoe/Barbara Goodson • Azumi-no-Muraji Saruta: Tetsuo Komura • Marimo: Ai Uchikawa/Michelle Ruff • Emperor Tenji: Masaru Ikeda/Steven Jay Blum • Ōama no Miko: Naoya Uchida/Crispin Freeman • Ibukimaru: Daisuke Gouri/Michael McConnohie • Empress Consort: Atsuko Koganezawa • Ōtomo no Miko: Hiroshi Kamiya/Liam O'Brien • Prince Takechi: Kenji Nojima/Sebastian Arcelus • Tang General: Koichi Sakaguchi • Soldier: Kouji Haramaki • Hoben: Tamio Ohki/Richard Toth • Getsudan: Hisao Egawa • Nichidan: Hiroshi Iwasaki • Mokudan: Kousei Hirota • Kadan: Naomi Kusumi • Kokushi: Yutaka Nakano • Rubetsu: Takayuki Sugo/Jay Snyder • Iki no Karakuni: Takeshi Watabe/Richard Epcar • Soga no Hatayasu: Yuzuru Fujimoto/John Avner • Soga no Yasumaro: Eiji Yanagisawa ;Future • Masato Yamanobe: Daisuke Namikawa/Michael Sinterniklaas • Robita: Shigeru Ushiyama • Rock: Takuya Kirimoto/Eric Stuart • Old Masato: Osamu Saka/Michael McConnohie • Tamami: Yumi Touma/Stephanie Sheh • Girl: Akiko Nakagawa • Adam: Takahiro Mizushima ;Eden17 • Com: Honoka Yoshida • Cain: Ryōhei Kimura ==Publication==

English edition Phoenix is currently published in English by Viz Communications. Although the second volume was initially published by the now defunct Pulp manga anthology in a larger edition, in 2002, Viz took over the rest of the manga series, and re-released the second volume. Frederik Schodt, Jared Cook, Shinji Sakamoto, and Midori Ueda, members of a Tokyo group called "Dadakai", had already translated the first five volumes of the series around 1977/78, but after handing these translation to Tezuka Productions, they collected dust for nearly twenty-five years. Finally, Schodt and Cook finished translating the rest of the series and Viz published the entire series in English, starting in 2002 and completing it in March 2008. It has been criticized for being a dumbing-down, including overlapping artwork with unnecessary new narration, and altering character names (such as Sarutahiko to Saruta) to make their reincarnations more obvious to the reader. However, Tezuka was known to update his manga every few years, so the U.S. version could reflect the last known edition of the series. The Viz editions are released "flipped" (the original right-to-left orientation is reversed for easier reading in English). Some of the shorter stories have been consolidated into one book (based on the Japanese publication), and Troubled Times has been split across two; this resulted in each Viz book having a similar page count. While many of the actual Viz books are out of print, they became available again through digital purchase on Kindle. Viz later offered the digital version of Phoenix manga in 2014. Volumes in English ;Vol. 1 – Dawn :Released March 2003. ;Vol. 2 – A Tale of the Future / Future :This volume was released first, in May 2002, as a stand-alone graphic novel; Dawn was released a year later, as Vol. 1, followed by the rest of the series. A Tale of the Future was initially released in a larger size; the series releases, starting with Dawn, are digest-sized. A Tale of the Future was reprinted in the smaller size in 2004, titled Future, with Vol. 2 appended to the title. ;Vol. 3 – Yamato / Space :Collects Yamato and Space in one book; released November 2003. ;Vol. 4 – Karma :Originally titled Ho-ō; released May 2004. Listed at #2 in Time Magazine's "Best Comix of 2004". ;Vol. 5 – Resurrection :Released December 14, 2004. ;Vol. 6 – Nostalgia :Released March 26, 2006. ;Vol. 7 – Civil War, Part 1 :Originally titled Troubled Times, and here split into two books; the first was released June 13, 2006. ;Vol. 8 – Civil War, Part 2 / Robe of Feathers :Collects the ending of Troubled Times, and includes Robe of Feathers; released September 12, 2006. ;Vol. 9 – Strange Beings / Life :Collects Strange Beings and Life in one book; released December 19, 2006. ;Vol. 10 – Sun, Part 1 :Released March 20, 2007. ;Vol. 11 – Sun, Part 2 :Released September 18, 2007. ;Vol. 12 – Early Works :Released March 18, 2008. ==Adaptations==

Live-action film A live-action film based on the Dawn storyline, directed by Kon Ichikawa and including some animated sequences directed by Tezuka, was released in 1978. The cast included Tomisaburo Wakayama and Tatsuya Nakadai. It was released in the United States on VHS by Video Action under the cover title The Phoenix (Hinotori) in 1982, using a subtitled print, letterboxed only in the split-screen sequence. To date, the film is available on DVD only in Spain, where it is titled Fénix. The film included a brief appearance by Astro Boy, substituting for another character to illustrate his attempts to get on a horse. The score was co-composed by Michel Legrand and Jun Fukamachi. Anime Most volumes of Phoenix were adapted into anime. The best-known feature film, Phoenix 2772, loosely adapts elements from various Phoenix volumes and other Tezuka works into a complete whole cloth scenario. A second animated feature, Phoenix: Karma Chapter was released on December 20, 1986, and was later succeeded by two sequel OVAs, Yamato Chapter and Space Chapter, in 1987. A 13-episode anime television series aired in 2004 in Japan, and was released in English in October 2007 by Anime Works. The anime premiered in Jamaica on CVM Television in June 2017. A short film by the same staff as the TV series, Phoenix: Robe of Feathers, was released on July 17, 2004. Dōgo Onsen hot spring bathhouse released a three-episode net anime collaboration with Phoenix in 2019–2020. A four-episode anime ONA adaptation by Studio 4°C, titled Phoenix: Eden17, premiered worldwide on Disney+ (U.S. on Hulu) on September 13, 2023. It was directed by Shōjirō Nishimi, with character designs and animations handled by Tatsuzou Nishida, Eiko Tanaka serving as producer, and Katsunari Mano and Saku Konohana writing the series' scripts. A film version with a different ending, Phoenix: Reminiscence of Flower, premiered in Japanese theaters on November 3 of the same year. and the Famicom game console. Despite being based on the same material, they are completely different games (a vertical shoot 'em up and a horizontal platformer, respectively) produced by separate teams. The Phoenix also made a cameo appearance in the 2003 Astro Boy series and 2004 Astro Boy: Omega Factor game for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, along with a number of other Tezuka characters. • Hi no Tori Hououhen (1987, MSX2) • Hi no Tori Hououhen: Gaou no Bouken (1987, Famicom) • Black Jack Hinotorihen (2006, Nintendo DS) • DS de Yomu Series: Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori 1 (2008, Nintendo DS) • DS de Yomu Series: Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori 2 (2008, Nintendo DS) • DS de Yomu Series: Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori 3 (2008, Nintendo DS) ==Reception and legacy==

Phoenix is considered one of the greatest manga of all time, and is often ranked as one of Tezuka's greatest manga. In 2006, Phoenix ranked 1st in the Japan Media Arts Festival's special 'professionals' ranking (consisting of critics, editors, people working in the industry, etc.) for the greatest manga of all time, which it held to mark its 10th anniversary. In a 2009 poll held by Asahi Shimbun for 'Greatest Shōwa Manga', Phoenix ranked 12th, the 3rd highest Tezuka manga behind Astro Boy and Black Jack. Mangaka Naoki Urasawa has spoken about how the first time he read Phoenix he was shocked that a work of this quality existed, and that since reading it, he has never been as significantly impacted by anything since, so much so that he would mark it as the moment he became an adult. Comic magazine editor Martin Skidmore called it a 'real contender for comics’ greatest work of any kind'. The Japan Times has referred to it as 'Japanese pop culture at its zenith', stating that it draws critical comparisons to 'everything from Shakespearean tragedy to early Walt Disney'. In an interview, mangaka Hitoshi Iwaaki named it among his favorite manga. In her book The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Helen McCarthy says it has 'a strong claim to be considered a contemporary equivalent of Wagner’s Ring cycle'. IGN, in their review of Vol. 10, stated 'You've read nothing like this, and it's doubtful you ever will again.' Video game designer Yuji Horii and manga artist Katsuhiro Otomo stated it to be among their favorite Tezuka manga. Critic Andrew D. Arnold, writing for Time Magazine, in reviewing the 'Karma' arc stated that it was 'one of the few comix to go beyond supreme artistry into the sublime' and that 'one can barely touch upon the depths of this deeply sophisticated work in the confines of a review. It would take something more along the lines of an exegesis. Tezuka has created a book that combines the excitement, plotting, and characterization of the best novels with the philosophy of the best spiritual essays and the beauty of the graphical arts into a singular masterpiece of world fiction', and that while it is 'as entertaining as any comic can be, it miraculously also achieves what lesser religious comix strive for and fail at: enlightenment.' The titular Phoenix is considered an icon of manga, and a sculpture of the character is featured as a prominent permanent exhibition in the Kyoto International Manga Museum. A statute of the Phoenix is also featured outside the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum. The Resurrection arc of Phoenix inspired the lyrical theme of the 2018 song "M.D.O." by heavy metal band Lovebites. In celebration of what would have been Tezuka's 90th birthday, Evil Line Records released the compilation album New Gene, Inspired from Phoenix on October 30, 2019. It features songs inspired by Phoenix written and performed by various artists, including Glim Spanky, Kizuna AI, Tavito Nanao and Naotarō Moriyama. ==See also==