Hi no Tori

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Alternative Titles

English: Bird of Fire

Synonyms: Hinotori, The Phoenix

Japanese: 火の鳥

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 13

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Mar 21, 2004 to Jun 27, 2004

Premiered: Spring 2004

Broadcast: Unknown

Producers: NHK, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation

Licensors: Media Blasters, NYAV Post

Studios: Tezuka Productions

Source: Manga

Genres: Adventure, Drama, Historical, Sci-Fi, Supernatural

Duration: 25 min. per ep.

Rating: G - All Ages

Statistics

Score: 7.12¹ (scored by 1,783 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #3044²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #5353

Members: 6,702

Favorites: 29

7.12

Ranked #3044Popularity #5353Members 6,702

Spring 2004TVTezuka Productions

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Episodes: /13

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Synopsis

Hi no Tori is a collection of stories that all have something in common. The Phoenix, whose blood is believed to give an eternal life to one who drinks it. Therefore many seek to kill it, but as the Phoenix of the tale, it's reborn from the ashes. Stories take place in future and the past, where humans fight with each other as always, and everyone is afraid to die. But still, every story teaches a lesson: Life is beginning of an eternity, a never-ending cycle.

(Source: ANN)

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Hi no Tori (1967)
Spin-off:	Hi no Tori: Houou-hen, Hi no Tori: Uchuu-hen, Hi no Tori: Yamato-hen
Other:	Hi no Tori: Hagoromo-hen, Hi no Tori: Kizuna-hen

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Characters & Voice Actors

The Phoenix

Main

Takeshita, Keiko
Japanese

Saruta, Hiko

Main

Komura, Tetsuo
Japanese

Nagi

Main

Takeuchi, Junko
Japanese

Holmes, Rock

Supporting

Kirimoto, Takuya
Japanese

Lamp, Acetylene

Supporting

Hirose, Masashi
Japanese

Honma, Joutarou

Supporting

Komura, Tetsuo
Japanese

Reiko

Supporting

Oosaka, Fumiko
Japanese

Hatayasu

Supporting

Fujimoto, Yuzuru
Japanese

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Staff

Takahashi, Ryousuke

Director

Kobayashi, Katsuyoshi

Sound Director

Nishita, Masayoshi

Episode Director, Storyboard, Character Design, Animation Director

Aoyama, Hiroshi

Episode Director, Storyboard

Edit Opening Theme

"'Hi no Tori' Opening Theme" by Min Chen, Mio Isayama & The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Edit Ending Theme

"Hi no Tori" by Mika Nakashima

More reviewsReviews

Aug 2, 2008

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

GolbeztheGreat (All reviews)

28 people found this review helpful

Hi no Tori, also known as Phoenix, is an adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's most ambitious but ultimately unfinished manga.

I felt quite intimidated, being new to most of Tezuka's work, but the nature of the story and its excellent execution allows Hi no Tori to be surprisingly entertaining while still remaining emotionally and intellectually stimulating.

Story:

The premise seems simple on the surface: the hunt for an immortal bird whose blood is said to provide eternal life. It is not that, however, which leaves a lasting impression on the viewer, but everything else that happens around it. Each story arc has its own cast of characters whose read more

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Jun 22, 2009

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

AironicallyHuman (All reviews)

27 people found this review helpful

It's hard to rate this series because it's a collection of five short stories. The only links they have is the Phoenix, and the immortal bird of legend tends not to play a huge role in any of them; often just being in the background watching events unfold.

Some of the stories last for four episodes, others one. Some take place in the past, others in the future. Some involve battles between Gods, others focus on battles against nature. There's almost TOO MUCH variation.

The opening four episode arc is probably the best of the lot - it flowed well from episode-to-episode, despite there being a lot read more

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Feb 22, 2013

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

link9us (All reviews)

5 people found this review helpful

Over the past while, I've been watching (and re-reading) Phoenix, a sprawling epic by that towering figuring of anime and manga, Osamu Tezuka.

I'd read most of the manga a while ago, but I'd not seen any of the anime based on it. Phoenix concerns itself with some pretty lofty themes; birth, death, the meaning of life, mankind's place in the universe and the quest for immortality.

The Phoenix is the classic fire bird that is reborn from the ashes, common to many mythologies both western and eastern - it's called Hi-no-Tori (bird of fire) in Japanese. Throughout the chronology of Phoenix, which spans eons, the bird appears many times. Oftentimes to advise people, influence the development of life, observe or comment on man's folly. It is also an object of desire for people throughout time, as it is said that drinking it's blood will give one immortality. As it turns out, those that do achieve this suffer the most of all.

It's hard to pin down what the Phoenix represents, it refers to itself many times as a galactic spirit, other times as one aspect of the life force of the universe. In any case, it is instrumental at key points throughout history.

Tezuka began work on Phoenix in the mid 60s and continued to write it up until his death in 1989. He had intended to tie all aspects of the story, past, present and future, in the final chapter - unfortunately it remained unfinished. Phoenix contained a lot of experimental artwork and themes that were very advanced for the time such as "Metropolis" and many other fantastic works. Any fan of anime should know this famous legend revered as the "god of Manga" is indisputably the father of all modern Japanese comics and animation. His artistry and powerful story telling brings inspiration to audiences and other mangaka's all over the world.

This 13 episode series was one of the many itterations of ozamu tezuka's Hi no tori manga. This was directed by Ryousuke Takahashi and covers the Dawn, Resurrection, Strange Beings, Sun and Future chapters. Well this was a very impressive series for the most part, I felt that they took too many liberties with certain chapters. In some cases totally changing the setting and cutting out massive chunks of the story in order to fit things in. For this reason I was left with the impression that the latter half of the series was somewhat rushed, it would have worked better if they'd covered a smaller number of chapters in the same amount of episodes. (If you can some how find the manga, i would seriously recommend reading it as its the true spectacle of this classic masterpiece)

All in all, this is a monumental series from one of the greats of anime and manga, "Tezuka" called it his "life's work". If you are up for something that will fascinate, amuse, surprise, shock and promote some interesting debate on the nature of existence, Phoenix is really worth a look.

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Dec 25, 2010

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

sen_mcgrath (All reviews)

3 people found this review helpful

My main qualm qith this series is that there are only 13 episodes, and only 5 of Osamu Tezuka's amazing stories are told through the course of the series. For fans of the manga, this may be a little disappointing. On the other hand, they may be impressed by the fluid animation, music and history used in the story arcs set in the past.

The art for some can be trying. Tezuka's art style was largely inspired by old American cartoons, such as those produced by Disney, as well as Betty Boop among others, and the character designs reflect this. The 'futuristic' robots, computers and clothes may also seem very dated (think 'Lost in Space' dated). The art however does pay a lot of attention to detail, specifically medical diagrams, and the Ainu style designs on the clothes in one of the arcs particularly caught my attention.

Story is hard to describe, since the series is made up of five distinct, but loosely conected stories. Elements found in all of the stories are the Phoenix, a mythical bird tied closely to the mysteries of life and it's blood is rumoured to grant immortality. Saruta is also present in all stories, leaving it up to the reader to decide whether the various Sarutas are decendants or reincarnations of the original Saruta from the first story. The stories also take place in many different eras, from the begining of time until the end of time. The stories also do not follow a specific formula, and while each involves the Phoenix, the Phoenix is not always centric to the action. Most if not all the stories contain themes of life, religion, death, love and nature to varying degrees, some of them focusing more on one theme than the others. As mentioned before, fans of the series may be disappointed that all of the stories from the manga were not animatied.

The music in my own oppinion is amazing, particularly the opening theme, which is very flowing and uses orchestral arrangements. As great as it is, it does not overshodow the story, but rather ehnances it, and never seems awkward or clashes with the story or animation at any point. All music is appropriate to the scene.

In some stories characters must develop quickly. Stories can take 1-5 episodes to complete, so some characters must develop faster than those in previous arcs. While some characters do follow old archetypes and are unfailably good while others are unredeemably evil, there are some who blur the lines, switching sides, or having morally complex motives. Props are also given to this retro anime for having female characters who fight alongside male characters. Again, female characters can fall into stereotypes, such as the damsel in distress and evil queen, quite a few are equal with their male counterparts in terms of strength, speed and intelligence. Child characters are often confined to minor roles, making these stories that focus on adults, but a few fiesty, strong and lovable kids manage to weasle their way into the limelight.

I would recomend this particular title to a 13+ age group, especially for North American viewing. This is not because North American audiences are stupid, but there are references to Eastern Religions that young children may not understand, references to Japanese history, violence (such as a man being shot by arrows Boromier-style) and character death that may be upsetting to younger viewers. This is certainly a series recommended for Tezuka fans, fans of retro anime, fans of sci-fi anime and fans of historic anime.

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