Forum - View topicPhoenix (hi no tori) by Osamu Tezuka: which volume stands out more?
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ideoidiom
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I recently became interested in classic mangas after hearing about Tezuka's Phoenix in a podcast. Given his reputation, and since people say that Phoenix is considered his lifetime's work, I naturally got really curious. So I've decided to give pick up a few volumes and give it a try.
That said, I've still got an budget on this 'experiment', which is why I've gotta ask you guys for help: which volumes do you think are the most memorable? On a side note, for a newbie like me, which of his works would you recommend? |
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zawa113
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Hmm, better just go over each story
Dawn (v1)-first chapter both chronologically in the story and when it was written. A solid piece to be sure, but by no means my personal fav Future (v2)-I'll admit, I do prefer the future chapters more than the past overall. This is definitely a story that will stick with you, I think it's a lot more special than Dawn. Or maybe I just find that the past ones seem to run together more on the basis that I'm not that familiar with Japanese history. Yamato (v3)-back to the past, another solid entry I suppose, but not as thought provoking as the other past chapters Space (v3)-a future chapter, Tezuka actually wrote the story flipping between past and future chapters intending to meet in the middle (technically making Phoenix an unfinished work as it never met in the present before he passed). And interesting character study I would say. Not a bad one to go with, it was the first volume I read, though for two stories, one past, one future, I say 9 is better. Karma (v4)-I said I wasn't big on the past chapters, but this is the exception. Often cited as the best in the series (not my personal fav, but still very high up there). Sadly this means that it's horribly OOP and very expensive. Resurrection (v5)-probably my personal favorite. Another future chapter, but one with chronological stuff going awry and jumping back and forth. Probably the one with the most romance. Nostalgia (v6)-like my exception to the rule with Karma, this is the future chapter I do not like. Actually, it's my least favorite of the entire Phoenix saga. I just feel like it's a really boring space tour for half of it. The only part of Phoenix I ever call totally skipable. Civil War (v7-8)-man, I feel like it's the poor man's.... all of the past parts. It's not bad, but it's not all that special either. Yet somehow it's the longest single story (I think) Robe of Feathers (v8)-the shortest story at around 50 pages, but one that becomes more interesting upon re-reads in that it's hard to tell if it's a past or a future chapter or some mix of the two. Also, it's presented as a play, so very unique story telling. Strange Beings (v9)-if you can only get one volume, 9 is a pretty good way to go. It has both a past and a future story and they're both solid and thought provoking works despite being pretty short. Life (v9)-I think it's the stronger of the two stories in that it brings up more philosophical questions, but 9 might not be too expensive and I think it's a pretty good intro. Sun (v10-11)-Another one of my top favs is Sun. Sun actually splits between the past and future (though I think it's like year 2020 or something, clearly the story after this was supposed to take place in the 1980s/90s for present). This time I think the past part is superior to the future part, but you can't just get 10 and call it a day, it splits in segments. 10 has more of the past stuff, but not all of it. A better option might be to get the 2004 anime that Media Blasters put out. It only adapts the past part, but you wouldn't guess anything is missing (and whatever, it's the better part anyway). And you can get that anime set for around $15 (or $11 on Right Stuf if you order from them). It also adapts Dawn and Future pretty closely, Strange Beings perfectly, and Resurrection in such a way that it doesn't resemble the manga at all. Still worth the price of admission for the other stories and might save you trying to find some of those manga that are OOP and expensive. Speaking of anime, Karma has a movie (in Japan the chapter is called "Hou-ou" or some spelling thereof, so look for it that way), Yamato has a movie, Space has a movie, and there's 2772, which isn't based on any manga chapter. I still personally need to see all of these movies, only the TV series was licensed. But being made in 2004 means that it looks quite nice. Being quite cheap is just a bonus. Resurrection doesn't have an accurate adaptation, Nostalgia doesn't deserve an adaptation, and Civil War doesn't seem to have one. Robe of Feathers is probably too short for one and I doubt Sun: Future will get one (not when the past part was the highlight anyway and got a great one in the 2004 series). Life didn't get one either, sadly. I hope they make another Phoenix series in the future to do the rest of these (minus Nostalgia because I frankly think that should be forgotten). Early Works (v12)-not actually officially part of the Phoenix saga. This was like a test run that ran in a shojo magazine, so it's an interesting specimen, and pretty cheap to find copies of online, but it's more like a bonus side thing that in no way has the epicness of the series that later became Phoenix. So there's my Phoenix breakdown. I must warn you ahead of time that being a Tezuka fan...isn't exactly cheap at times as most of Phoenix is OOP 
But there's lots of other stuff that came out too, and what you want to try really depends on what you are looking for in a manga. Super Early Manga:: Metropolis, Lost World, Next World, some Astro Boy vols (22 and 23, oddly enough) All published by Dark Horse. Next World is easily the best of those, but man are those things all dinosaurs. Probably more impressive at the time, but for being Tezuka stuff? Not so much. Some people actually dislike them, I can totally see that, even if I can't quite bring myself to dislike any Tezuka manga except Nostalgia chapter of Phoenix. Earlier Shonen and Shojo Manga: Dororo, Astro Boy, Princess Knight Definitely what I would call the "kiddier stuff", still in shonen and shojo and not quite to the seinen line there. They're all fun series, but Dororo was left rather incomplete, Princess Knight can be sexist to the point of being annoying even if there are fun pirates, and Astro Boy is all out of order (note: not Dark Horse's fault. Tezuka got shafted before on not having it all printed thus did his favorites first to make sure they got published. Naturally this was the one time the whole series got published). Of those, I think Astro Boy is the best. Sure, there's average shonen, but it's far more depressing and brutal at times than you might think. And (I think) vols 7-9 have their own full story involving time travel that's pretty damn sweet. But that out of order thing bites it in volume 2 when Cobalt suddenly shows up and you get confused to suddenly learn he's not Astro, but it feels minor most of the time. Starting to go to Seinen manga: Apollo's Song, Swallowing the Earth, Barbara Oh man, the first two. Swallowing the Earth, you can tell he's new to seinen and really wanted to make the hero a drunk. He's just trying too hard compared to later, far superior seinen. Rent it first. Apollo's Song is the rarer romance with a really interesting premise of the same guy falling for the same girl in every reality (including dreams), but isn't as gripping as I think it should've been. Barbara just came out but is pretty damn awesome. Also involves lots of booze. In this case, it's a look at a creator (writer in this case) and his muse, who manifests as a drunken dirty hippie that can quite French poetry. But it's more interesting that that as seeing the main guy pretty much ruin himself is great story telling. Not a pretty story, but definitely a gripping one. Dark stuff: Ode to Kirihito, MW, Adolf, Ayako, Book of Human Insects Adolf, I don't even know if it's possible to get darker than that. After reading it, you wanna go punch a puppy or something. Not to say this detracts from it in any way, it's fantastic, just something that totally makes you rage by the end of it. And not due to poor storytelling or stupid characters, but due to great storytelling and great characters in a depressing as hell situation. Might wanna go for something cheery right afterwards, though a lobotomy might look cheerful after the sheer depression that is Adolf. Read it anyway though. Only just got reprinted after being OOP for years. Ode to Kirihito is like seinen adventure, but Tezuka certainly had a tendency to make former allies be terrible human beings. One of my favs personally. MW, close to Kirihito in terms of favorites, also involving terrible human beings. But this time he's the main instead of the main's (best?) friend. Totally a manga about a manipulative bastard, great stuff though. Also has gay characters if that at all bothers you. Book of Human Insects, let's just finish the manipulative terrible people arc right here. This one involves a woman in four stories where she pretty much ruins someone's life by taking over their abilities. But in arc 3, the other character is so awful that you actually root for the main woman, so that's pretty cool. If you want a shorter dark work, this one. Ayako, incest incest incest. Easily the Tezuka manga with the most incest. Made me wince. But I liked it anyway, but unlike Kirihito, not something you'd want to re-read a lot. Of the darker stuff, I think Kirihito has the most re-read value honestly, though I own (or will soon own Adolf) all of them because I love Tezuka! Major Works Black Jack, Phoenix, Buddha Went over Phoenix already, so Black Jack. Entirely episodic, after volume 1 (only important in that it introduces Pinoko), it's a free for all. All really good stories (some better than others, of course), but like Astro Boy, all out of order. But unlike Astro, you can't really tell that much. Great series, it's still so popular today for a good reason. Also, Vertical said it's going OOP (9, 10, and 11 first for some reason, so try and get the later volumes first), so get on it! Buddha is not episodic, it's an 8 volume epic (I think it was published as 12 in Japan). 8 nice thick volumes with lots of thought provoking commentary on social stratification and such. Being manga, it's a more fantastical version of Buddha's life (heck, Black Jack makes a cameo), but it's a great drama. If you can't get into any past chapters for Phoenix, give this series a try instead. Probably the only really long work I have of his that is one cohesive story from beginning to end, but it has lots of interesting subplots and characters, so don't think it's only focusing on Buddha himself (heck, he's only just born at the end of volume 1) Anime I have seen: Astro Boy 1980-more common shonen stuff. The English dub is soooo bad though, they just didn't care. Japanese though, pretty good series. Also has lots of Astro vs Atlas, like 8 or 9 eps of it on and off. Astro Boy 2003-definitely has better stories when it really wants to. Lots of totally average shonen ones too, but not bad really. Though the eps were aired out of order to show Greatest Robots in the Universe asap. Also, that's volume 3 of the manga if you have plans to read Pluto anytime soon. On the plus side, you can get both the 80 and 03 anime for really cheap. And, being Astro Boy, they and the manga all have their own continuities and origin stories so it's worth checking them all out if you like Astro. Metropolis-while many dislike the manga, the anime isn't based on it that much. It was made in 2001, and even though it's not based on the manga very much, it still has a lot of Tezuka's themes and ideas all over it, so a solid choice to check out I say Unico movies-I've only seen Island of Magic, but it was a fun imaginative little movie that I definitely want to watch again. At first, I didn't get why it had to be a Unico thing, but by the end it made sense why Unico did need to be there. Haven't seen the other one, but I understand there is singing. Astonishing Works of Osamu Tezuka-lots of short movies, most of which I've found on youtube. Lots of imagination in there, worth checking out I say. Jungle Emperor Leo movie-eh, an ok movie I guess. solid, but I don't think it's anything special. And stuff I haven't seen: Phoenix movies mentioned before, most of the stuff that hasn't come out of Japan, Black Jack anime that did come out here, Astro Boy 60s series, Kimba the White Lion (both of which came out via Nozomi) Other stuff Blood Will Tell (PS2)-based on Dororo, but with an actual ending. It's like two different people worked on the team, the part that made the story and bosses really awesome, and the part that put no one in the towns and botched the jumping mechanics. Overall I still say it's worth getting for cheap, even if the dub is horrendously awful (did they not inform anyone how to pronounce a single Japanese name?), as the bosses are pretty....boss, even the recolors use different attacks and are in different arenas (not as many recolors as you might think to begin with for have 48 bosses). Also, I like clever things like the game starting in black and white until you get an eyeball back then it goes to color. Oh and the Dororo sections made me want to stab someone. Astro Boy: Omega Factor (GBA)-if you only get one Tezuka-based game, make it this one. Treasure, aka people who know how to make video games, made it. So it's a side scrolling beat'em up and finding random characters gives you stat boosts and makes you want to go online to see who the hell they are. And it has great gameplay. Solid story too, and yet another take on Astro Boy, just one where about 50 other characters like to show up and actually be important (Black Jack Princess Sapphire, Sharaku, and Phoenix cameos anyone? Cameos important to story at that?) but you will almost certainly end up going to a guide online to get 100%. And that's ok. Astro Boy (PS2)-this and the Omega Factor game were for the 2003 series. One of these games was made by Treasure. The other was made by Sonic Team. Don't touch this with a 50 foot pole. Astro Boy 2009 US movie-Just felt I'd mention this. It's not....terrible, I mean, it doesn't take a proverbial dump all over its franchise like The Last Airbender does, but there's a reason the company went under after making it. Not broken, not good. Art of Osamu Tezuka-by Helen McCarthy, something you can find for dirt cheap with simple overstock remainder marks. I like using it as a reference, good book if you can get it for cheap. Still haven't seen that DVD that came with it, but it's there. I think that's it? Clearly I love Osamu Tezuka and love talking about him, so hoped this helped! Definitely the 2004 Phoenix series for now I say. Good substitute for some of the manga. Get Omega Factor if you have a GBA or DS. Not just one of the best things with Tezuka's name on it, but often cited as one of the best GBA games ever made, license based or not. Also the thing that got me into Tezuka in general, best cameo fest ever! For manga, I guess whatever appeals to you, though I vote for random volumes of Black Jack and Ode to Kirihito. And Buddha when you get more monies. Adding: If you can read French, they've got pretty much all this and more. Lots more Tezuka than the US it seems. And some stuff has recently gotten licensed, but won't be out for a while: Twin Knight (sequel to Princess Knight, licensed by Vertical like today), Unico, Atom Cat, Triton of the Sea (DMP getting some kid friendly Tezuka, got all three in a Kickstarter a few months back. Hopefully Unico will be out by the end of the year). Clearly, I am someone who will be forking money over for all of these as Osamu Tezuka and Fumi Yoshinaga are two mangaka that I will throw money at without question. Also, Unico will be in full color. |
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ideoidiom
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Thanks you so much for writing this really thorough guide! I think rather than blowing the whole budget on one or two books, I'm going to spread them out to skim over as much starting content as I can. But man, after taking a peek at Blackjack, I just know that these are books that I'd be proud to own and share with just about anyone (I think I should start with the most accessible title). I really can't remember the last time I've had this kind of storytelling. It's pretty refreshing.
I'll probably start with a bit of the more affordable Phoenix volumes (probably the first 2) to get a taste for it, but beyond that I'd probably end up sticking with the anime. Maybe after, if I like it enough, I might work my way towards picking up volume 5,9, or 10. I'm not so sure about the prospects of that though, I feel a lot of depth tend to be lost when things get animated. There's also a lot more distractions. I hope I'm wrong! |
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zawa113
Posts: 7393 |
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Don't bank on the earlier volumes of Phoenix necessarily being the cheapest. They're pretty much all OOP (a few aren't), but some are more highly desired than others.
1 is hard to find, don't bank on finding it. Luckily this was adapted and for once I don't think the 2004 looses too much on adapting it. My friend has been looking for a copy for a few years now, I only got mine by sheer dumb luck. Going for the $100s on Amazon 2 isn't that bad, partly because it was actually printed earlier in an even more oversized format and called "Phoenix: A Tale of the Future". Viz was kinda using it as a test run before going ahead with the whole series. So there's two versions of it out, so that one shouldn't be too difficult. On the anime adaptation for it though, I think it cut out just the right things (talking snails for instance) and it really quite powerful in its anime form. But the manga is still in stock brand new on Amazon, so this one isn't a problem. 3 isn't too bad, you can still get it around MSRP or a little higher. Used of course, most of these go in the hundreds in new or like new condition. 4 is the holy grail. Could be perhaps because it's the favorite in Japan and got most of the accolades thrown at it. And yes, it deserves them, but even an ex-library copy would run you $75. Some of the crazier prices go up to $450 on this one. I would just be happy the ex-library prices went down from the last time I checked 5 is pretty bad, though nothing is as bad as 4. Anything cheap will be ex-library once again. The anime version pretty much is in name only. I don't think it's a bad chapter in the 2004 series, but the manga version was just so awesome. 6 is doable, around $20 for ex-library, $25 for non. But I don't think it's that good either to be fair. 7 and 8 you can get both of those new. Probably because it wasn't an uber popular chapter, and it's not one of my favs either, but since they're not outrageously priced, I'd consider going for it. 9 is up there, at least $50. And the anime adaptation in the 2004 series is absolutely perfection on that story, I think of the 5 chapters the 2004 adapted that they adapted Strange Beings the best. Despite being only one 22-minute episode, but it was also only about 100 pages of manga, so it fits quite nicely when all is said and done. 10 is a bit difficult to find ($45), and like I said, you'll need 11 with it. Fortunately, 11 you can still get new on Amazon. 10 had more of the past stuff, so maybe that's why it sold out faster or is more desirable. Now, I know it seems like it would be a major concern that the future part got cut out when it's a good slightly less than half of the original Sun saga, but I saw the anime first, and it really doesn't feel like it's missing it at all. Even after reading the manga, the future half isn't terribly missed in the 2004 series, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that. And the adaptation they did on the past half is quite glorious to boot. I think the future half would be interesting on its own, it didn't really need to tie into the past half that much if you ask me, and it's not like story elements really went between them, so it's fine. But put the future half next to the far more awesome past half, and yeah, I can see why they adapted only the past half. 12 you can still get new. I should probably watch the 2772, Karma, Space, and Yamato movies when I get a chance. I've read the series three times, first in random order, then in chronological within the series (there's guides at the back) order (some flipping between volumes necessary), then in chronological written order. Unique experience each time I must say. Man, Astro Boy Omega Factor used to be so much cheaper! I guess people discovered that it is awesomesauce and the price has gone up a bit. Went from being $5 all over ebay to like $20-25 now. Black Jack is definitely a good, accessible choice. Since it's starting to go OOP, I'd jump on vols 9+, and the whole series is 17 of awesome quality , thought provoking stories, I just don't think it's possible to regret buying it. For some strange and no apparent reason though, I was unable to get the series in chronological order after getting volume 1, but like I said, doesn't matter! I just read whatever I got in whenever I got it in. Also, volume 17 has this handy guide telling you what stories were published when and laying out the whole series in chronologically written order across all 17 volumes. So if you really wanted to do the whole thing chronologically, flipping frantically between volumes, you totally can! Also, vols 1-3 got hardcovers with bonus stories in them. I've been informed that they're kinda like reject stories. Those hardcovers are certainly OOP of course. |
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krelyan
Posts: 173 Location: Utah |
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classicalzawa already pretty thoroughly covered the topic in an amazing write-up. While I’ll probably just end up repeating a lot of information, I wanted to chime in as Phoenix is probably my favorite manga/comic/graphic novel (whatever term you want to use) story. Sorry in advance if I’m a bit vague, but it’s been years since I’ve read the series and that combined with a rather poor memory is probably less-than-useful.
1. Dawn – By far the most tonally different from the other volumes. It features a fair amount of slap-stick and the breaking the fourth wall that is not really found in any of the other volumes. It’s not bad by any means as it is still engaging to see the violence presented in a cartoony aesthetic (ala Looney Tunes). 3.5/5 2. Future – Like classicalzawa, I prefer the sci-fi / in-the-future stories than the fantasy / historical-fiction ones. I believe Tezuka was at his best when he was able to take high-concepts and ground them in “simple” stories and charm. And “Future” is a perfect distillation of that, even though other stories might be better written. I believe this is why this volume is my personal favorite. It’s a simple love story framed within a nuclear holocaust setting that contemplates on the nature of life and existence by the end. 5/5 3. Yamato – It bleeds a bit with the Dawn story (without the goofiness). Tezuka’s version of an old Japanese legend was fairly entertaining but honestly I don’t remember much (other than I believe it ended with a bit of a twist). 4/5 3. Space – This is another high-concept, sci-fi story. While the story isn’t anything amazing, the art, especially the layouts, are fantastic. Tezuka is experimenting with visual storytelling that is years (decades) ahead of its time. 4.5/5 4. Karma – There’s no shortage of information on this volume. It’s considered one of Tezuka’s masterpieces and it’s pretty easy to see why. It’s probably the first story so far that is completely character driven. 5/5 5. Resurrection – Another classic romance transformed to a sci-fi story. Like I’ve said before, I love Tezuka taking concepts into very easy to parse stories. This volume is no different. 5/5 6. Nostalgia – It’s kind of a standard sci-fi story. I remember a lot of other characters showing up and if I remember right, this is one of the few times the Phoenix is actually treated as a character than a force of nature. It’s a fun story but it’s far from the best. 4/5 7-8. Civil War – “Civil War” and “Sun” are the two “epics.” After “Karma,” this is my favorite Past story. When it focuses on the romance, it’s fairly weak but does feature a lot of great characters. It’s also got one of my favorite (irreverent) panels in the whole saga. 4.5/5 8. Robe of Feathers – Short story based on a famous Japanese play. It’s got an interesting gimmick (it’s framed like a stage play), but there just isn’t a lot there. 3/5. 9. Strange Beings – I enjoyed this one a lot because it combines what is usually associated with the Future storylines (high concepts) with the best of the Past storylines (solid characterization). 4.5/5 9. Life – A near-future story with a Running Man vibe. It does have a lot of philosophical musings that is scattered throughout the series, but I don’t remember it having the charm that is usually found side-by-side. 4/5 10-11. Sun – If you want one of the longer works, “Sun” is the way to go. While it’s actually one of the least consistent stories, when it hits, it’s sublime. The integration of the Future/Past doesn’t quite work (and as a whole the sci-fi story is a bit weaker), but like “Strange Beings” it fuses the best of both worlds. 4.5/5 12. Early Works – Honestly, I don’t believe I ever finished this volume. It’s more a companion to Princess Knight than it is to Phoenix. If I recall, the stories found in this volume are actually prototypes for both series. This one is completely optional. While some volumes are stronger than others, I don’t think I’d label any of them as “bad” (excluding Vol. 12). I’d also second the suggestion of the 2004 anime as an alternative. It’s solid (and I love the OP). |
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