Last Thursday, many details regarding the upcomingDisney+animePhoenix: Eden17were revealed via Studio 4℃'s officialTwitterpage. These included the anime’s official Japanese title, its release date, a teaser trailer, a promotional poster, cast and staff lists, and a big surprise about an upcoming film version of the anime. It was the first time that many of these details had been revealed, hoping to build up hype for the anime before it begins to air.
Phoenix: Eden17is an anime based on the mangaPhoenixby Osamu Tezuka.Known as the “Grandfather of Manga,” the late Tezuka made significant contributions to the world of manga during his career,including influential titleslikeAstro Boy,Kimba the White Lion, andBlack Jack.Phoenixwas also one of his most significant works, though he tragically died before the final chapters could be completed.
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The originalPhoenixmanga was published between 1954 and 1988, when Tezuka passed away, and he considered it to be his “life’s work.” Interestingly, each book in the manga series had a self-contained story, taking place in different eras and timelines.Phoenix: Eden17is far from the first anime to be inspired by the manga; several other short anime series have been made, along with a few anime films and live-action films, too.
This time,Phoenix: Eden17will focus on the “Nostalgia” story from thePhoenixmanga. It is ascience fiction storyset in the future, where a girl named Romi escapes a devastated Earth for the planet Eden17.But when she arrives, she learns that this planet has already had an extinction event, and her life there is even harder than it was on Earth. She loses her partner, George, while pregnant with his child, and though she tries to have more descendents with her own child, she only can have boys. She longs to return to Earth, despite being the queen of Eden17.
Phoenix: Eden17will premier on Disney+ worldwide (except mainland China) on September 13th, 2023. In addition to this new anime series, a film version calledPhoenix: Reminiscence of Flowerwill release in Japanese cinemas November 3rd. Rather than be just a condensed version of the anime series, as most anime movies are,Reminiscence of Flowerwill have an alternate ending from the normal series. That gives fansa real reason to watch the movie!
The cast list revealed last week includes Honoka Yoshida as Com, Yosuke Kubozuka as George, Rie Miyazawa as Romi, and Issey Ogata as Sudarban. They all have relatively few previous works to their names, soPhoenix: Eden17gives them a place to earn fame if the series can do well. Shoujirou Nishimi (Mutafukaz) will be directing, Shinji Kimura (Children of the Sea) will be art director, and Tatsuzou Nishida (Children of the Sea) is the character designer.
Asmore and more anime come to Disney+instead of usual Japanese TV, more stories than ever are able to be brought to the screen - and at totally new times of the year, asPhoenix: Eden17’s non-traditional September start proves. Despite being one of the most important manga that Tezuka wrote, none of the adaptations ofPhoenixever garnered much fame and success. Time will tell ofPhoenix: Eden17will have any better luck, with a totally new streaming style!
