This review will contain spoilers Osamu Tezuka is a figure who I feel needs no introduction. Often labeled the god of manga hes made so much throughout his career from Dororo Astro Boy Message to Adolf Buddha so many more. Its safe to say this man created a legacy throughout his 60 year life. Today well be looking at his manga called Phoenix. Phoenix was considered by Tezuka to be his lifes work originally beginning in 1956 getting cancelled shortly after rebooted in 1967. It ran for over 20 years but was tragically left unfinished due to Tezukas death in 1989. Without further ado lets begin Story: Phoenix is an anthology series. The schtick with Phoenix is that the titular bird of fire lives on throughout generations sees over all of life. Depending on the character who comes in contact with the Phoenix they may suffer eternal damnation gain knowledge or earn her help. The Phoenix is the only glue that binds these stories together albeit very loosely as the stories dont really reference one another are largely self contained stories. What really makes this series shine is actually The Phoenix herself. The Phoenix is a very interesting character with a lot of wisdom to offer to not only the characters but the reader. Because the Phoenix is immortal she sees all of humanitys growth mistakes throughout generations. So she herself has gained much wisdom over the generations that shes seen everything take place. Her philosophies are very interesting honestly make me stop to think about what Im reading in a way that no other manga can achieve. The stories in Phoenix also dont really suffer from being inconsistent aside from 1 which Ill address in a minute. Every story has something thought provoking to offer the progression through all of them is tight. There is one story in Phoenix that I dont really like though its the 6th one Nostalgia. While Nostalgia does have interesting things going on in it I felt the story was too long I got bored reading it after awhile. While that might be a big dock it honestly isnt because the rest of the stories in this anthology are so good that it makes up for Nostalgia being the one shortcoming in this Anthology. If I had to give a favorite story it would be Sun the last story of Phoenix. Sun takes place during both the past future. The way the 2 stories within go on at the same time in Sun how they tie together how the past affects the future. Its really intriguing again tightly woven. Sun is an epic that takes place over 2 parts not one page of it goes uninteresting from beginning to end theres something always happening its great. All in all though each story has something interesting different to offer from one another so that the series never gets repetitive. Aside from Nostalgia each story has the perfect length that these stories need in order to achieve what theyve set out to do. Art The artwork in Phoenix is fantastic. It has that classic cartoony style Tezuka is known for but its used in a somewhat different way comparatively to his other works that Ive read. The landscapes in Phoenix are drawn realistically when its panels of only the landscapes to really sell these worlds that Tezuka has crafted theyre super detailed the water in particular. The use of blacks to make the water look just so good is jaw dropping. That classic Tezuka humor is used sparingly from time to time the way Tezuka draws animals in not just this series but his other works gives off this classic Disney vibe which makes sense given that Tezuka was very much influenced by classic Disney in more ways than one. The moments of the Phoenix herself leave one in a state of shock awe. The way that Tezuka draws sparkles to give off this shiny illusion of the fire bird makes one go wow when the Phoenix is on screen it truly shows it feels like a significant event every time no matter how little screen time or I guess page time the Phoenix herself actually has. The paneling layout also needs to be complimented one of my favorite things that Tezuka does is draw an image that he then displays over multiple panels. While this isnt something thats exclusive to Phoenix the way in which Tezuka does it how oftentimes gorgeous the art in question looks blows my mind every time. The layout itself is quite good theres not a ton of clutter text/speech bubbles are placed well so as to not become over bearing take up too much page space become overbearing to read. One nitpick I can give Phoenix is that because of how heavy the concepts explored in this series are how much goes into each of the stories Phoenix can be slightly taxing at times because of how much text needs to be read throughout the stories. On average it takes me about an hour to an hour a half to read a volume of Phoenix which does make sense seeing as Phoenix volumes are the stories themselves which are much longer than a typical manga volume no matter the demographic genre whatever. However I cant really hold that against Phoenix too much because the stories are so rewarding to read offer me many things to think about long after Ive finished reading the story. Characters Phoenix being an Anthology series of long stories has quite the diverse often times layered cast of characters. Many of the main characters in Phoenix have deep backstories unfortunate circumstances clear but understandable goals that they want to work towards. I wont go over every character in Phoenix because wed be here all day however Ill list off 3 examples of characters explain both them how they contribute to the story at hand. 1. The PhoenixMy Favorite character in this series is the fire bird herself. Ive already went over part of why I like her being the philosophies concepts of life she talks about all. So I wont really be saying too much here. All Ill have to do is reiterate that she always feels like a grand event to the stories whenever she shows up she never has something dull to share. This fire bird can say things that get me thinking in ways that few if any other manga can for that I have to put her on the list. 2. GaoGao I like more so for his role in the story. Gao is a one armed man who later on in his life becomes a criminal his fate leads him to cross paths with another sculptor whoms arm he took. Later on he finds himself against said sculptor. The story that this happens in Karma just so happens to be one of my favorite most memorable stories of Phoenix Gaos role how Karma is structured how everything just comes together in the end makes Gao one of the most memorable characters for me. 3.SakonSakon is a female samurai who kills an innocent nun then pays the consequences by dying in the same way repeatedly until the end of time healing people till the end of time. What I find interesting about her is how she reacts to her fate once the Phoenix tells her about it. Shes not happy about it but she accepts her fate glady heals people until the end of time as a way of repenting for her sins. This is one of my favorite stories in Phoenix Sakon is a big reason why. So yeah Phoenix has some fantastic characters. All are interesting all contribute to the stories in some meaningful way every interaction with the Phoenix leads to an interesting conversation that gets the reader thinking. Conclusion Phoenix is a masterpiece deserving of being ones lifes work. Tezuka brought out all the stops from the intriguing dialogues interesting worlds strong story progression structure phenomenal artwork making each story stand on its own. This is one of the best things Ive ever read Im left here still thinking over these stories long after Ive finished. Im feeling a 10 with this one