{"id":747,"date":"2014-01-19T08:08:36","date_gmt":"2014-01-19T08:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/?page_id=747"},"modified":"2023-02-16T22:12:21","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T22:12:21","slug":"phoenix-manga","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/?page_id=747","title":{"rendered":"Phoenix (Manga)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Also known as \u706b\u306e\u9ce5 (Hi no Tori)<\/h5>\n
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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
English Title:<\/strong><\/td>\nPhoenix<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
In English?<\/strong><\/td>\nYes<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Japanese Title:<\/strong><\/td>\n\u706b\u306e\u9ce5
\nHi no Tori<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Type:<\/strong><\/td>\nOngoing Serial<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Original run:<\/strong><\/td>\n1967\u00a0– 1988<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Published in:<\/strong><\/td>\nCOM<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Published by:<\/strong><\/td>\nMushi Productions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Volumes:<\/strong><\/td>\n13
\nMT-20<\/a>1\u00a0|\u00a0MT-202<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0MT-203<\/a>
\nMT-204<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0MT-205<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0MT-206<\/a>
\nMT-207<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0MT-208<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0MT-209<\/a>
\nMT-210<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0MT-211<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0MT-212<\/a>
\nMT-362<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0MT-363<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0MT-364<\/a>
\nMT-365<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

There are several very different versions of Tezuka\u2019s Phoenix<\/em> series.\u00a0 The\u00a0earliest incarnation<\/a>\u00a0of the story was first published from 1954-55 in Manga Shonen<\/em><\/em><\/em>.\u00a0 When that publication suddenly folded, a\u00a0reworked manga version<\/a>\u00a0aimed at young girls was published between 1956-57 in Shojo Club<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 However, by far, the most well-known\u00a0is Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0(1967-88), the series of twelve loosely connected stories<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 with the first chapter, \u201cDawn\u201d published in COM<\/em>\u00a0magazine in 1967, and the last, \u201cSun\u201d, appearing in 1988 in\u00a0The Wild Age.<\/em><\/p>\n

What it\u2019s about<\/h2>\n

Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0(1967-88), sometimes also referred to as the COM<\/em> edition, features stories that consist of everything from romantic love stories to sci-fi adventure, to historical drama.\u00a0 Although only loosely connected, each of the stories is linked by the presence of the mythical bird known as the Phoenix<\/a>, an immortal guardian of the universal life force.\u00a0 The twelve \u201ccore\u201d stories are all self-contained and, when read in the order they were published, jump across time with the settings alternating between the distant past and the far-flung future \u2013 with each working the story ever closer towards a middle point in \u201cthe present\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

‘Dawn’ (1967)<\/p><\/div>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Dawn\u2019<\/strong> (1967) \u2013Set in the period between 240 \u2013 270 A.D. \u00a0The story opens with Nagi, a young boy who lives in a village at the foot of a volcano, on the hunt for the mythical Phoenix – a magical bird whose blood grants eternal life. \u00a0Meanwhile, Dr. Guzuri washes ashore and, with his medical knowledge and skill, quickly wins the trust of the entire village. \u00a0Although Dr. Guzuri ends up marrying Nagi’s older sister, Hinaku, it is soon revealed he is a spy sent by Queen Himiko to serve as an advance to an invasion by the neighbouring kingdom of Yamatai.<\/p>\n

That night, the Yamatai army, under the command of General Sarutahiko attacks the village an wipes it out completely. \u00a0In the aftermath, Sarutahiko enslaves Nagi and vows to make him a hunter of repute by capturing the Phoenix. \u00a0However, with immortality on the line, the situation quickly turns into a complex and multi-faceted struggle for the blood of the Phoenix.<\/p>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Future\u2019<\/strong> (1967-68) \u2013 In the far-flung and ultra-futuristic world of 3404 A.D., the Earth is showing signs of decay. \u00a0Human beings, in their underground city-states, are in a state of decline. \u00a0Against this backdrop, Masato Yamanobe, a second-class space soldier, falls in love with his girlfriend, Tamami – who is in reality an alien shape-shifter known as a Moopie. \u00a0Hiding their illicit and illegal love affair from the authorities, the pair soon run afoul of Rock, Masato’s megalomaniac supervisor.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga11\"<\/a>

‘Future’ (1967-68)<\/p><\/div>\n

The pair quickly escape to the desolate “no-man’s land” outside the city, and, guided by the mythical Phoenix, make their way to Dr. Saruta’s base. \u00a0Within the safety of the dome, Masato and Tamami learn about Dr. Saruta’s research on artificial life, with the goal of returning extinct life forms to the Earth.<\/p>\n

However, Rock is determined to start a nuclear war against a neighbouring city-state, and the ensuing conflict results in the extinction of the human race.<\/p>\n

Phoenix: Chapter of \u2018Yamato\u2019<\/strong> (1968-69) \u2013 Based on the legend of Yamato Takeru<\/a>, between 320 \u2013 350 A.D., in a period also known as the Kofun, the decadent King of Yamato sends his son,\u00a0Prince Oguna, out from Kyushu to conquer a neighbouring “barbarian” tribe, the Kumaso. \u00a0The king’s motive is to eradicate a rival (and unbiased) account of history so that he can have it rewritten more to his liking.<\/p>\n

Prince Oguna though, has an alterior motive – to locate the lifeblood of the\u00a0Phoenix<\/a> in an attempt to save the innocent people set to be immolated upon his father’s death.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga01\"<\/a>

‘Universe’ (1969)<\/p><\/div>\n

However, Prince Oguna quickly comes to respect Takeru, the Kumaso King, and begins to fall in love with his\u00a0younger sister, Kajika. \u00a0Strangely though, the\u00a0Phoenix<\/a> appears before Oguna and tells him to return to Yamato.\u00a0 Even though it means killing Takeru, he does, and returns\u00a0with a cloth soaked with the Phoenix<\/a>‘s blood.<\/p>\n

Although he is unsuccessful in stopping the construction of the king’s tomb and ends up being buried alive with the rest of the sacrifices, he is able to share the blood of the\u00a0Phoenix<\/a> with them. \u00a0And so, despite being buried alive, they continue to sing out their defiance.<\/p>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Universe\u2019<\/strong> (1969) \u2013 In 2577 A.D., a spaceship from Earth enroute to Zaltz, the third planet in the Betelgeuse system, is stranded after a mishap with cosmic dust.\u00a0 When the four astronauts awake from their hibernation, they discover the mummified corps of Makimura – the crew member assigned to watch over the sleep pods.\u00a0 Forced to escape their ruined ship, they take refuge in individual life pods and attempt to make their way to a nearby planet.<\/p>\n

While the four travel along, they suddenly notice that a fifth escape pod is following them… a pod that can only be the deceased Makimura’s.\u00a0 Soon two of the pod’s fall behind, and Saruta, Nana and Makimura’s escape pods are guided to a mysterious planet by the Phoenix<\/a>, where they crash-land and are separated.<\/p>\n

Nana discovers that Makimura is indeed back among the land of the living, reborn as a baby, and she vows to take care of him.\u00a0 However Saruta soon cross paths with the mysterious Phoenix<\/a>, and disguised a bird-woman from another planet, she tells him that Makimura is a space criminal doomed to endlessly endure the cycle of birth and death…<\/p>\n

\"Phoenix<\/a>

\u2018H\u014d-\u014d\u2019 (aka ‘Karma’) (1969-70)<\/p><\/div>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018H\u014d-\u014d\u2019\u00a0(aka ‘Karma’)<\/strong> (1969-70) \u2013 In 720 \u2013 752 A.D., during the Nara period, a one-eyed, one-armed young man named Gao<\/a> (who just happens to be an ancestor of Saruta<\/a>) is cast out of his village and, out of spite, turns into a murderous bandit.\u00a0 However, when his life is saved by the high priest Shonin Robem,\u00a0Gao<\/a> begins to change.\u00a0 As the two men begin to travel together,\u00a0Gao<\/a> begins to see many people suffering from disease and death- an experience that unleashes his hidden artistic talents as a sculptor.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Akanemaru, a man who had been attacked by\u00a0Gao<\/a> in his younger days, recovers from his injuries and becomes a famous Buddhist sculptor – something that links the two men’s destinies.\u00a0 Akanemaru, eventually becomes the driving force behind the construction of the great Buddha statue at Todaiji Temple in Nara.\u00a0 When Tachibana Moroe, a man of great power and Akanemaru’s benefactor, decides to let Akanemaru and\u00a0Gao<\/a> compete over the right to produce the capping tile for the roof of the great Buddhist temple, the two men meet again, this time as rivals.<\/p>\n

One the one hand, Akanemaru becomes obsessed with the\u00a0Phoenix<\/a> and ends up losing sight of his original purpose – to the point that he discloses Gao<\/a>‘s past to avoid defeat. On the other hand though, Gao<\/a> eventually comes to know a sense of peace and tranquility despite the hardships he faces, including having his remaining right arm cut off.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga02\"<\/a>

‘Resurrection’ (1970-71)<\/p><\/div>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Resurrection\u2019<\/strong> (1970-71) \u2013 In the period between 2482 \u2013 3344 A.D., in an age full of the wonders of science and technology, a young man name Leon “dies” in a mysterious car accident.\u00a0 Although he is returned to life by Dr. Nielsen, using the miracle of advanced medical technology, a strange by-product of his now partially cyborg brain causes him to see living things (including human beings) as distorted clay figures, while he sees machines and robots as things of beauty.<\/p>\n

Leon soon falls in love with a clerical worker robot, known as Chihiro, who despite being an expressionless, cold being made of metal, he sees as a beautiful young girl.\u00a0 Strangely enough, even though robots have no emotions, Chihiro also starts to develop strong feelings for Leon\u00a0 as well.\u00a0 However, given that human\/robot romances are forbidden, the two young lovers have to flee to stay together.<\/p>\n

This leads Leon on a quest to find out how, in an age of advanced science, he could be the victim of a car accident, which, in turn, eventually\u00a0 brings him into contact with a group of smugglers dealing in space immigrants.\u00a0 In the end, Doc Weekday, a physician involved with the smugglers, in response to Leon’s last words, creates a robot by combining Leona’s and Chihiro’s minds – a robot known as Robita.<\/p>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Robe of Feathers\u2019<\/strong> (1971) \u2013 Based on the story of the Hagoromo<\/a>. \u00a0In the period between 937 \u2013 941 A.D., Zuku, the hunter, finds a beautiful robe draped over a bench next to a pine tree he tries to sell it.\u00a0 However, he hears a woman’s voice who tells him the robe is hers and she wants it returned.\u00a0 Zuku asks who she is, and she tells him her name is Otoki, and that she has traveled there from a country from far beyond the sky.<\/p>\n

Although Zuku thinks Otoki is an angel, in fact, she is a time-traveler from the far future.\u00a0 Otoki fears that if her robe from the future were to be sold, it would change the course of history.\u00a0 As such, Otoki stays with Zuku, and the couple soon have a baby together.<\/p>\n

However, one day some samurai come from the capital and try to conscript Zuku.\u00a0 And so, despite her fears, Otoki hands over the robe to the samurai to save him.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga10\"<\/a>

‘Intermission’ (1971)<\/p><\/div>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Intermission\u2019<\/strong> (1971) \u2013 This short interlude explains some of Tezuka’s views on cosmic energy and why the Phoenix is the incarnation of the universe’s mysterious life force.<\/p>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Nostalgia\u2019<\/strong> (1976-78) \u2013 \u00a0Some time in the 25th Century, shortly after space explorers George and Romi arrive and begin to set up a new life for themselves on the deceptively named desert planet Eden 71, George dies in an accident. \u00a0However, despite being now alone, Romi, who was pregnant at the time, gives birth to George’s son. \u00a0Realizing that the colonization of the planet rests on her shoulders, she repeatedly tries to procreate with her own offspring. \u00a0Using a form of suspended animation, generation after generation, she awakes for each successive attempt, but it is no use, her offspring are only ever boys.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga03\"<\/a>

‘Nostalgia’ (1976-78)<\/p><\/div>\n

Finally, however, the Phoenix intervenes and allows the shapeshifting aliens, the Moopies to have children with Romi’s descendants. \u00a0With the cycle of futility broken, Romi does not have to return to the state of suspended animation and instead becomes the Queen of Eden. \u00a0However, she begins to long to return to Earth.<\/p>\n

Then, one day, a young boy named Com happens upon a mysterious spaceship made out of rock, hidden deep in prohibited area of the mountains. \u00a0And so, yearning to see the planet of his ancestors, Com joins Romi on a voyage to a planet he has never seen before… Earth.<\/p>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Turbulent Times\u2019 (aka ‘Civil War’)<\/strong> (1978-80) \u2013 Towards the end of the Heian Period, between 1172\u00a0\u2013 1189 A.D., a woodcutter named Benta comes to the capital of Kyoto in search of his childhood sweetheart, Obu who has been kidnapped.\u00a0 During his travels, Benta meets a Gao<\/a>, a 400-year-old hermit, and a boy named Ushiwaka – eventually becoming Ushiwaka’s retainer.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Obu is pressed into service as the attendant of a power man, Kiyomori Taira who is obsessed with extending his life through the blood of the Phoenix.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga04\"<\/a>

‘Turbulent Times’ (1978-80)<\/p><\/div>\n

However, Kiyomori fails in his quest and dies, just as the capital is driven into chaos and civil war, throwing the world into confusion and chaos.<\/p>\n

Ushiwaka, now grown, is renamed Yoshitsune and becomes the head of the Genji family.\u00a0 With the Genji and Heije families in opposition, Benta begins to feel the strain of being in Yoshitsune’s service, given Yoshitsune’s complete disregard for his soldiers’ lives.\u00a0 Against the backdrop of the Dannoura War, Benta finally crosses paths with Obu once again…<\/p>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Life\u2019<\/strong> (1980) \u2013 2155\u00a0\u2013 2170 A.D.,\u00a0TV producer who attempts to procure human clones to use in a The Most Dangerous Game-style reality TV program learns the error of his ways when he is mistaken for a clone himself.\u00a0 This episode is notable for only featuring the\u00a0Phoenix<\/a> in flashbacks and also for introducing her half-human daughter who does not appear again after this episode.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga15\"<\/a>

‘Life’ (1980)<\/p><\/div>\n

Between 2155 – 2170 A.D., Aoi, a TV producer struggling in the ratings and desperate to find the “next big thing”, comes up with the idea of having a television show based on the idea of hunting down and killing human clones.\u00a0 In an attempt to procure some clones for his show, he travels a research centre in the Andes mountains.\u00a0 Along with Saruta, a researcher at the centre, Aoi meets the half-human descendant of the Phoenix, and an Incan deity, who holds the secret of cloning. When Aoi, himself, is cloned, the TV station begins broadcasting the new show – with Aoi ending up as the target of pursuit.\u00a0 While trying to evade his hunter, Aoi comes into contact with a girl named June and through her, rediscovers his own sense of humanity.\u00a0 Realizing the error of his ways, Aoi decides to mount an attack on the clone factory itself – blowing up the facility were human clones are produced only to be killed for sport.<\/p>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Strange Beings\u2019<\/strong> (1981) \u2013 Between 1468\u00a0\u2013 1498 A.D., Sakonosuke, the daughter of the brutal Lord Iemasa Yagi who has been brought up as a male, leaves on a mission with “his” retainer, Kappei, to kill the nun Yaobikuni, of Horai Temple.\u00a0 Sakonosuke is attempting to kill the nun because, despite being able to cure any disease, she refused to treat his father’s fatal illness.\u00a0 However, Sakonosuke, who has been forced to live as a man, naturally harbours a great hatred for his father – believing he will never be able to go back to living as a woman until such time as his father dies.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga17\"<\/a>

‘Strange Beings’ (1981)<\/p><\/div>\n

Sakonosuke kills Yaobikuni, but on his way back home, a mysterious force sends him back to Horai Temple, and he finds he is unable to leave.\u00a0 When some villagers arrive at the temple and request their various diseases be cured, Sakonosuke disguises himself as Yaobikuni and cures them using the “glimmering feather” of the temple.\u00a0 It soon becomes apparent that the temple is located in a time-warp and that Yaobikuni is, in fact, the future incarnation of Sakonosuke.\u00a0 Yaobikuni, imprisoned by the Phoenix<\/a> as punishment for her sins, becomes a healer, treating the victims of wars from all over time and space – including humans as well as a host of extraterrestrials.<\/p>\n

Phoenix<\/em>: Chapter of \u2018Sun\u2019<\/strong> (1986-88) \u2013 In 663\u00a0\u2013 672 A.D., the allied Wakoku (Japan)\/Baekje (Korea) Army is locked in battle against the Tong (China)\/Shilla (Korea) Army during the Hakusukinoe War – site of the modern-day Kinko River in Korea.\u00a0 After the Wakoku\/Baekje army suffers a crushing defeat, Harima, a young Baekje soldier, is captured by Tong soldiers and has his face skinned and replaced with that of a wolf.<\/p>\n

Harima, now with the face of a wolf is saved by a mysterious old woman and, taking her advice, he travels to Wakoku.\u00a0 There he meets a group of indigenous gods, known as the “Ku”.\u00a0 Although humans had once deified the “Ku”, it was viewed as a form of “devil worship” after Buddhism was introduced to Japan.\u00a0 And so, after learning how the “Ku” were banished away from human habitation, deep into the mountains, Harima swears to help them.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga12\"<\/a>

‘Sun’ (1986-88)<\/p><\/div>\n

However, Harima, who had been tortured by nightmares ever since his face was replaced with that of a wolf, gradually begins to sense his “future self”.\u00a0 He is then transported to the 21st Century and discovers he is Suguru Bandow, one of the undesirable “Shadows” – people that have been banished by a religious sect known as “Hikari” (aka “The Light”).\u00a0 Using the moral authority of the Phoenix, who they worship as a deity, “The Light” have been able to place all of Japan in its thrall.\u00a0 However, Suguru, and the other “Shadows” are locked in battle against “The Light” – a struggle that strongly echoing that between the Buddhist establishment and the indigenous gods.<\/p>\n

What you should know<\/h2>\n

Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0is considered Tezuka\u2019s life\u2019s work for good reason. \u00a0The core ideas and concepts of\u00a0Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 life, death and the cycle of rebirth\u00a0\u2013\u00a0were continuously re-explored by Tezuka, almost from the very beginning of his career right up to his death in 1989.<\/p>\n

When it came time to follow up on the successful serialization of\u00a0Jungle Emperor<\/em>\u00a0(1950-54)<\/a> in Manga Shonen<\/em>, Tezuka decided that the story of the mythical bird that dies in its own flames and is then reborn would have some synergy with his tale of the white lion. \u00a0So, drawing inspiration from Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, L’oiseau de Feu<\/em><\/a>, not to mention a healthy dose of the visual design from Ivanov-Vano\u2019s Soviet animated feature film, The Humpbacked Horse<\/em> (1947)<\/a>, Osamu Tezuka’s\u00a0Phoenix <\/em>[Manga Shonen] (1954-55)<\/a> began publication in July 1954.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga18\"<\/a>

\u2018H\u014d-\u014d\u2019 (aka ‘Karma’) (1969-70)<\/p><\/div>\n

Unfortunately, Phoenix <\/em>[Manga Shonen]\u00a0(1954-55)<\/a>\u00a0was discontinued in May 1955 after just eight installments when\u00a0Manga Shonen<\/em><\/em><\/em>‘s publishing company suddenly went bankrupt. \u00a0So, with the story incomplete, Tezuka abandoned the project – but not the concept. \u00a0Exactly one year later, in May, 1956, as a follow-up project to\u00a0Princess Knight<\/em>\u00a0[Shojo Club] (1953-56)<\/a>, Tezuka\u00a0reworked the story into a romantic epic for young girls.\u00a0 And so,\u00a0<\/i>Phoenix <\/i>[Shojo Club<\/a>]\u00a0(1956-57)<\/a>\u00a0began to be\u00a0serialized in\u00a0Shojo Club<\/em><\/a> in May 1956, with the story coming to its natural conclusion in December 1957.<\/p>\n

Yet\u00a0the ideas of resurrection, eternal life, and how people could be caught up in a struggle over the blood of the\u00a0Phoenix<\/a> in order to gain them, continued to intrigue Tezuka. \u00a0Since the original story-line had never been completed,\u00a0and had then been followed by a\u00a0totally new and unrelated plot in\u00a0the\u00a0Shojo Club<\/em><\/a> edition, in 1967 Tezuka returned to the series for a third time – \u00a0this time with stories geared towards a more mature audience.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0chapter ‘Dawn’ began to be serialized in the inaugural issue of\u00a0COM \u2013\u00a0<\/em>a new, and cutting edge, manga magazine showcasing avant-garde and experimental works.\u00a0 Serialized in\u00a0COM<\/em>\u00a0from January to November, 1967, this version of ‘Dawn’ is essentially a re-working of the original story from Phoenix<\/em> [Manga Shonen]\u00a0(1954-55),<\/a>\u00a0and acts more or less as the prologue to the grand epic, Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0(1967-88) – a series that is focused on the theme of life and death of humans.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga05\"<\/a>

‘Intermission’ (1971)<\/p><\/div>\n

In all, seven complete chapters of\u00a0Phoenix\u00a0<\/em>(1967-88): ‘Dawn’, ‘Future’, ‘Yamato’, ‘Universe’, ‘H\u014d-\u014d’ (also known as ‘Karma’), ‘Resurrection’, and ‘Robe of Feathers’ were serialized in\u00a0COM<\/em>\u00a0between 1967-71.<\/p>\n

In November 1971, Tezuka published a short (just 6 pages) Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0chapter, known as ‘Intermission’, before embarking on the eighth chapter. \u00a0However, shortly after ‘Nostalgia’ began – appearing just twice in the December 1971 and January 1972 editions\u00a0–\u00a0COM<\/em> underwent a drastic change in its editorial policy and was re-launched as COM Comics<\/em>, effectively suspending the publication of Phoenix<\/em>.\u00a0 However, after the re-brand proved unsuccessful, in a last gasp attempt to revive the original COM<\/em>, it did appear one more time in August 1973 – featuring the start to an early version of ‘Troubled Times’.\u00a0 However, this ultimately proved to be a one-off issue and COM<\/em> disappeared again, this time for good… leaving the early version of ‘Troubled Times’ unfinished almost before it started.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga19\"<\/a>

‘Turbulent Times’ (1973)<\/p><\/div>\n

But you can’t keep a good thing down for long, and in September 1976\u00a0Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0(1967-88) made a reappearance in the inaugural issue of Manga Shonen<\/i>, a new monthly magazine published by Asahi Sonorama – of no relation, despite the title, to the original\u00a0Manga Shonen\u00a0<\/em>where Phoenix <\/em>[Manga Shonen]\u00a0(1954-55)<\/a>\u00a0got it’s aborted start over twenty years earlier.<\/p>\n

Instead of continuing the story of ‘Troubled Times’ from where it had left off three years earlier, Tezuka decided to return to the (also aborted) chapter of ‘Nostalgia’.\u00a0 Yet this contained a bit of a conundrum for Tezuka, as he couldn’t simply continue from where he’d left off.\u00a0 The primary reason for this was that the four-and-a-half year gap meant it would be necessary to reprint ‘Nostalgia’ from the beginning to bring readers up to speed – which would have to include the original “prologue” chapter, ‘Robe of Feathers’ as well.\u00a0 However, that chapter had featured atomic bomb survivors as its protagonists, including somewhat graphic depictions of radiation sickness – a particularly touchy subject in Japan. So, despite clearly emphasizing Tezuka’s life-long anti-war message,\u00a0the story\u00a0had received much criticism after its initial publication in COM<\/em> – mostly claiming a lack of sensitivity towards the real-life survivors of atomic blasts.\u00a0 As such, always concerned with feedback from his readership, Tezuka declined to reprint it.\u00a0 Instead, in typical fashion, Tezuka simply started over from scratch and published a completely knew, and unrelated version of ‘Nostalgia’. \u00a0As for ‘Robe of Feathers’, it was eventually reprinted in 1980, albeit with heavily edited dialogue, before it too was completely reworked for its inclusion in the Osamu Tezuka Complete Work<\/em><\/a>s edition (MT-208<\/a>) in 1983 – the version which was included in VIZ’s\u00a0English-language release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix-manga16\"<\/a>

‘Sun’ (1986-88)<\/p><\/div>\n

Following ‘Nostalgia’, a rebooted ‘Turbulent Times’ (also known as ‘Civil War’), ‘Life’, and ‘Strange Beings’ were all serialized in Manga Shonen\u00a0<\/i>between 1976-81. \u00a0Yet Tezuka continued to explore the themes of\u00a0Phoenix\u00a0<\/em>throughout his career, with the last chapter to see print, ‘Sun’ serialized in\u00a0Wild Times<\/i> from 1986-88.\u00a0 Although Tezuka had plans to continue the series (indeed a rough plot summary of the next story to be set during the Sino-Japanese war does exist), the series was tragically cut short by Tezuka\u2019s death in February, 1989.<\/p>\n

Despite being an incomplete masterpiece, each chapter features an independent story and can be enjoyed on its own. \u00a0Beginning with the ancient past and then the the far-flung future, each chapter moved the over-arching story back and forth, from both ends of history, closer and closer towards a meeting in \u201cthe present\u201d. \u00a0By incorporating a more limited and focused version of his\u00a0Star System<\/a>, Tezuka is able to explore his central theme of reincarnation, by having his characters play similar roles, sometimes under very different conditions or situations. \u00a0A prime example of this is\u00a0Saruta<\/a>, by exploring the growth and development of his character from the ancient past to the far-flung future, Tezuka is able to illustrate his interpretation of the theme of eternal life. \u00a0Of course, had it been completed, Tezuka Osamu\u2019s vision of the concept of reincarnation would have been fully revealed.<\/p>\n

Many of the Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0(1967-88)\u00a0stories feature intensely experimental layout and visual design. \u00a0For example, ‘Universe’ tells the story of four spacefarers who are forced to leave their spaceship in separate escape pods. \u00a0The panels of the story are organized such that each character has his own vertical or horizontal tier on the page, emphasizing the astronauts\u2019 isolation; the tiers combine and separate as characters join together and split up. \u00a0In another example, in an astonishing sequence after one character\u2019s death, he is represented for a number of pages by a series of empty black panels.<\/p>\n

Where you can get it<\/h2>\n

Luckily for English-speaking fans, VIZ published nearly all of\u00a0Phoenix <\/em>(1967-88)\u00a0\u00a0in a\u00a012-volume collection<\/a>\u00a0between 2003-2007. \u00a0Although the series is complete in terms of the core stories, unfortunately it does not<\/strong> contain the early, unfinished versions of ‘Dawn’, ‘Nostalgia’ and ‘Turbulent Times’, the original version of ‘Robe of Feathers’, nor the short chapter ‘Intermission’.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of Tezuka’s most well-known series, Phoenix (1967-88), is a series of twelve loosely connected stories \u2013 with the first chapter, \u201cDawn\u201d published in COM magazine in 1967, and the last, \u201cSun\u201d, appearing in 1988 in The Wild Age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":748,"parent":9260,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[92,157,173,167,166,296,81,48,50,341,339,161,70],"class_list":["post-747","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manga","tag-adventure","tag-available-in-english","tag-com","tag-later-works","tag-mid-career-works","tag-ongoing-serials","tag-phoenix","tag-samurai","tag-sci-fi","tag-seinen-manga","tag-shonen-manga","tag-strange-tales","tag-unfinished","has-thumbnail"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P6vZWu-c3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=747"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13443,"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/747\/revisions\/13443"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezuka.strobez.ca\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}