Phoenix: Eden17 is an anime television miniseries. It is based on Osamu Tezuka's long running manga series Phoenix, specifically the 1976-1978 arc "Nostalgia". It premiered on Disney+ and Hulu on September 13, 2023.
Synopsis[]
A woman named Romi and her companion leave Earth for a new life on the planet Eden17. However, life is already extinct on the new world, so Romi is forced to live an even harsher life there.
Cast[]
- Rie Miyazawa as Romi / Moopy
- Honoka Yoshida as Com
- Shintarô Asanuma as Makimura
- Issey Ogata as Zudarban
- Ryohei Kimura as Cain
- Towo Kato as Cain (8 Yrs)
- Yōsuke Kubozuka as George
- Hiromi Kawakami as Shiva
- Songhwa as Priest / Gaad's Mother
- Ritsuo Morishima as Gaad
- Yu Wakabayashi as Gaad's Father
- Saki Kobari as Chihiro / Com's Mother
Episodes[]
| No. | Title | Director | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Cain" | Shôjirô Nishimi | September 13, 2023 |
| Romi and her partner George flee Earth and head to the ironically named Eden to start a new life. The planet is desolate, but they make do with that they have while searching for water. Romi learns that she is pregnant, further motivating George to find water. He succeeds, but an earthquake causes him to get pinned down by machinery just as it begins to rain. He drowns, but leaves a message for Romi to take care of Eden. Years later, Romi is raising her son Cain with the promise to go back to earth. She decides to go into cryo sleep for 13 years so that Cain can grow and understand the environment. However, due to another earthquake, the cryo pod has her set to sleep for 1,300 years, angering Cain who destroys his robot, and only companion, Shiva, leaving him truly alone. As he wallows, he sees something fall from the sky and chases it, catching a glimpse of the Phoenix in the process. It turns out to be a shapeshifting alien creature named Moopy that takes on the form of Romi and developed empathy towards Cain's plight. She tells him that she is there to make children with him. | |||
| 02 | "Moopy" | Shôjirô Nishimi | September 13, 2023 |
| 1,300 years later, Romi finally awakens to find that Eden has become a prosperous city. The inhabitants are all the offspring of Cain and the immortal Moopy, the latter of whom has become the nations' leader. The beings have no need for eyes or ears and instead possess antennae that allows them to sense and absorb their surroundings. Romi becomes their queen and remains so for several years. A young clumsy alien named Com meets the now physically 64 year old Romi and learns that she still misses earth. Remembering the story of a rock ark that Moopy arrived in, Com promises that he will take Romi back, while expressing a desire to see Earth himself. Despite some pushback, Moopy decides to take Romi's place while Romi and Com take the rock ark. Com unlocks his telekinetic potential and they fly away from Eden. They crash into a spaceship where they meet an astronaut named Makimura, a colony surveyor, who tells them that Earth no longer exists. Com angrily insists that he will find it and unintentionally sends the ark careening through space where they find an Earth-like planet. | |||
| 03 | "Astronaut" | Shôjirô Nishimi | September 13, 2023 |
| Upon landing, Com rests while Romi and Makimura investigate the planet. It turns out to be populated by creatures made from minerals who quickly begin to attack their ship. During their escape, Romi is gravely injured. Makimura reveals that Earth still exists, but that it is no longer a beautiful place. A law was passed so that migrants, who feel homesick and want to return, are immediately executed upon entering the atmosphere. Makimura is forced to take them to a ship belonging to the shifty Zudarban who is 1/8th human. Despite wanting to learn more about the Moopies, he ultimately chooses to help them heal Romi. Not only is she successfully revived, but made to look younger again as well. Makimura asks if it is possible to become immortal, but Zudarban scoffs at this pursuit, claiming that the only immortal being is the Phoenix which he believes to be real. On the way to Earth, Makimura, who initially claimed to have no relationships, gets drunk and attempts to make out with Romi after hallucinating her as someone else, but she slaps him. | |||
| 04 | "Romi" | Shôjirô Nishimi | September 13, 2023 |
| The three finally arrive on Earth, which is surrounded by debris, and whose population has been transformed into cybernetic organisms. Upon landing, they are immediately captured by the authorities. Romi and Com are put in confinement while Makimura is scolded by his superiors and informed that due to Romi's DNA, she will be "preserved in pieces" for experimentation. A robot programmed with the memories of Romi's childhood friend Chihiro, breaks Romi and Com out and takes them to an isolated and well-preserved area known as Heaven Island so that they can get a glimpse of what Earth used to be. Meanwhile on Eden, Zudarban arrives with the intent to get a sample of the Moopy, but she turns him away. He decides to poison the water supply with a strange chemical that causes everyone to act on their vices. This unfortunately results in his death as well as the destruction of the whole populace of Eden. Makimura is tasked with bringing Romi and Com in, lest he be imprisoned. Com calls upon the ark, but Makimura reveals his intent to bring them in. He ends up accidentally shooting Com and and a tear filled Romi carries him into the ark and they leave for Eden. Makimura is told that they will destroy Heaven Island due to the contamination and that humans do not have long left to live. Realizing that Eden was always Romi's home, Makimura laughs at the irony. Romi and Com finally return to Eden to discover that it has gone to waste, but are in possession of a seed that Chihiro gave to Com, implying a hopeful future. The Phoenix flies through space. | |||
Trivia[]
- While the series was released on Disney+ and Hulu worldwide, it does not have an English dub and is only available in Japanese.
- This series is rather poetic in that Osamu Tezuka considered Disney to be one of his major influences.
- Shortly after this series premiered, a theatrical adaptation titled Phoenix: Reminiscence of Flower, was released which featured a different ending than the one shown in the series.
Video[]
PHOENIX- EDEN17｜予告編｜Disney+ (ディズニープラス）
火の鳥 エデンの宙｜本予告｜手塚治虫原作×STUDIO4℃制作×宮沢りえ主演で不朽の名作を初の映像化！｜Disney+ (ディズニープラス）
Gallery[]
External links[]
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