I was looking forward to watching this. I was, until I first sat for Ichikawa Kon's 1978 film 'Phoenix,' which was also an adaptation of Tezuka Osamu's manga. I found the latter film to be so very inconsistent and uneven in its approach to the material that it misused its best potential and quickly lost my favor; I continued watching only out of a sense of commitment. Still, I hoped that this 1980 variation, co-written and co-directed by Tezuka himself and given a purely animated representation, might have a chance to prove me wrong. And I'll say this much, it does very rapidly prove itself to be more smartly considered than its spiritual predecessor. Don't get me wrong, even at its most violent, grim, or dark moments it maintains the feel of a light, fun genre lark, and the scene writing, storyboarding, character designs, and animation absolutely reflect that this is geared toward young audiences for whom the more foreboding concepts on hand are apt to go unnoticed. But, say of it what one will, at least 'Phoenix 2772' adopts this tenor for its entire length - instead of irregularly trying to also be more earnest and serious - and doesn't also struggle with like issues in every aspect of the production. This picture clearly benefits from a unified, uniform vision, and on that basis alone is a step up from Ichikawa's work, and is at least half decent.
In other regards I'm firmly of the mind that this shows definite shortcomings in important ways, but nevertheless it remains strong enough to still be enjoyable on its own merits. The story isn't specifically remarkable as it trades in ideas we've seen elsewhere, but the material is ripe for cinematic and animated storytelling with its futuristic setting. A dying Earth, children raised in isolation, authoritarian government, extreme class inequality, robots, forbidden love, labor camps, innocence and virtue set against cruelty and malice, a journey into space with unique creatures and races: there's much to appreciate in the narrative, and it's duly compelling of its own accord, with interesting character ideas, and varied and flavorful scene writing. It's also true that much nuance and complexity has unquestionably been cast aside in most ways, and we're getting a simplified rendition of the saga, and a truncated one. This rendition has also been sterilized, for that light, fun-loving, family-friendly tone does the feature no favors. Where notions aren't built purely for cartoonish, childish silliness, the tale still would have been far more absorbing and satisfying had it been approached more mindfully and with more mature, adult sensibilities, more akin to the anime that would follow in subsequent years - especially after 'Akira' blew the roof off the medium.
Meanwhile, the animation of Tezuka Productions of course follows from the screenplay with which Tezuka adapts his manga alongside Sugiyama Taku. Even recognizing that some bits and bobs are just as cartoonish, childish, and silly as the writing that informs them, more than not the artists turned in fantastic work. For the most part the static backgrounds and environments are gorgeous; the more imagination that a setting required, whether a changed Earth, an extraterrestrial planet, or a spaceship, the richer they are. Many character designs are also superb, not to mention the designs for creatures and other active elements, and any effects that are employed. The question is how much detail and texture went into such facets, because there is a grand canyon of a discrepancy between the visuals that obviously received the most attention and care, and those that received the least. For as great as some parts look, other inclusions inspire a skeptical "really??" Accentuating the point, the more that any shot or scene depends on movement, the worse it looks. Uncharacteristic of the anime we know and love, including preceding examples and particularly any of years to come, there is often rough, jerky, unnatural, or even incomplete movement seen in a character speaking, walking, jumping, or climbing a ladder; a spaceship in flight, or Olga transforming; action sequences; and so on. Much of the animation really is excellent - some odds and ends are just brilliant - but the variance in quality is unfortunate.
In fairness, as the plot develops, events take a more serious turn in a natural progression. It seems evident enough where the most creative energy was devoted in 'Phoenix 2772,' and in the latter half both the storytelling and the animation are more consistent and praiseworthy as Godo ventures into space and pursues the firebird. I still hold that a treatment geared toward older audiences would have found more lasting success, and the movie would have benefited from the more advanced techniques and technology of the industry seen even just eight to ten years later. All the same, this is honestly quite entertaining, and it holds up reasonably well all things considered. Even with its weaknesses I had a good time watching, and for an earlier and less polished era of anime, there's more value in this than one may assume from the outside or at first blush. There's certainly no need to go out of your way for this, but if you do have the opportunity to watch and don't mind the inchoate and middling treatment, 'Phoenix 2772' deserves a look on a quiet day as something passively worthwhile.
In other regards I'm firmly of the mind that this shows definite shortcomings in important ways, but nevertheless it remains strong enough to still be enjoyable on its own merits. The story isn't specifically remarkable as it trades in ideas we've seen elsewhere, but the material is ripe for cinematic and animated storytelling with its futuristic setting. A dying Earth, children raised in isolation, authoritarian government, extreme class inequality, robots, forbidden love, labor camps, innocence and virtue set against cruelty and malice, a journey into space with unique creatures and races: there's much to appreciate in the narrative, and it's duly compelling of its own accord, with interesting character ideas, and varied and flavorful scene writing. It's also true that much nuance and complexity has unquestionably been cast aside in most ways, and we're getting a simplified rendition of the saga, and a truncated one. This rendition has also been sterilized, for that light, fun-loving, family-friendly tone does the feature no favors. Where notions aren't built purely for cartoonish, childish silliness, the tale still would have been far more absorbing and satisfying had it been approached more mindfully and with more mature, adult sensibilities, more akin to the anime that would follow in subsequent years - especially after 'Akira' blew the roof off the medium.
Meanwhile, the animation of Tezuka Productions of course follows from the screenplay with which Tezuka adapts his manga alongside Sugiyama Taku. Even recognizing that some bits and bobs are just as cartoonish, childish, and silly as the writing that informs them, more than not the artists turned in fantastic work. For the most part the static backgrounds and environments are gorgeous; the more imagination that a setting required, whether a changed Earth, an extraterrestrial planet, or a spaceship, the richer they are. Many character designs are also superb, not to mention the designs for creatures and other active elements, and any effects that are employed. The question is how much detail and texture went into such facets, because there is a grand canyon of a discrepancy between the visuals that obviously received the most attention and care, and those that received the least. For as great as some parts look, other inclusions inspire a skeptical "really??" Accentuating the point, the more that any shot or scene depends on movement, the worse it looks. Uncharacteristic of the anime we know and love, including preceding examples and particularly any of years to come, there is often rough, jerky, unnatural, or even incomplete movement seen in a character speaking, walking, jumping, or climbing a ladder; a spaceship in flight, or Olga transforming; action sequences; and so on. Much of the animation really is excellent - some odds and ends are just brilliant - but the variance in quality is unfortunate.
In fairness, as the plot develops, events take a more serious turn in a natural progression. It seems evident enough where the most creative energy was devoted in 'Phoenix 2772,' and in the latter half both the storytelling and the animation are more consistent and praiseworthy as Godo ventures into space and pursues the firebird. I still hold that a treatment geared toward older audiences would have found more lasting success, and the movie would have benefited from the more advanced techniques and technology of the industry seen even just eight to ten years later. All the same, this is honestly quite entertaining, and it holds up reasonably well all things considered. Even with its weaknesses I had a good time watching, and for an earlier and less polished era of anime, there's more value in this than one may assume from the outside or at first blush. There's certainly no need to go out of your way for this, but if you do have the opportunity to watch and don't mind the inchoate and middling treatment, 'Phoenix 2772' deserves a look on a quiet day as something passively worthwhile.