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Phoenix, Volume 2: A Tale of the Future (Editors Choice)

Phoenix, Volume 2: A Tale of the Future (Editors Choice) Amazon Price: $11.65
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Five stars to Phoenix & no stars to Amazon: 2,5 stars, let's make it a 3 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 7 people found this review helpful.

According to this:

"Instant Order Update for Ornitorrinco. You purchased this item on October 7, 2005. Check the status of all your recent orders."

I bought this item by that day, in fact I bought the five Phoenix books by then. Nonetheless, I am still waiting for this particular one, the other four arrived well.

I am very dissapointed because now I have been asked three times if I still want the item. Of course that I want it, but I want it now.

I understand that the item is out of stock, but anyway I could not be more dissapointed by the Amazon.com costumer service department. I once argued why my book had not arrived after FOUR MONTHS and they still stated in this page that the items ship within 2 to 3 weeks. Did I receive an apology, a greeting? No. I received again the other four books, but not this one, the only one I still needed; and they charged me again for the books. Fortunately, I received a refund for the books, but still didn't receive "Dawn"

Please, personnel of Amazon.coom, if you cannot send this book for some reason, don't claim it will be shipped within three weeks, basically because of the fact that you won't do it.

Buy it directly from Viz at:
http://store.viz.com/product/GNVST0002/s.4ew8l4zZ

Editorial Review:

Now in English is the second volume of the acclaimed Phoenix series, regarded as Tezuka's masterpiece. Osamu Tezuka painstakingly created his epic 12-volume series over several decades, stretching the limits of comics to address fundamental questions about existence. All 12 episodes of Phoenix are linked by the presence of the mythical bird, an immortal guardian of the universal life force. Beginning in A.D. 270, Phoenix: Dawn follows the ambitions of Queen Himiko, capturing with precise period detail the early phase of Japanese civilization.

Metropolis

Osamu Tezuka

Metropolis Osamu Tezuka Amazon Price: $11.86
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An interesting story. 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Beyond the title and a few characters, this story has little to do with the animated feature, but it still is worth reading.

The story takes place in Metropolis. Duke Red, a bad guy, is being chased and everyone is to be on the lookout for him. Mr. Mustachio is chasing him. During the chase a scientist invents artificial cells and builds a robot/person who escapes and has adventures as a "real" person.

The art is typical Tezuka in the Betty Boop/Popey style. The story is fun to read. Scenes of Miki flying through Metropolis are reminicient of Superman flying through Metropolis.

Next World was better, but this book is still worth reading if you enjoy Tezuka, Astro Boy, or cartoons from the 20's through 40's.

Editorial Review:

From Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy, comes Metropolis, the legendary 1949 graphic novel that inspired the animated fame that floored audiences and critics alike. In a not-so-far-off future a beautiful, artifically created girl -- unaware of her non-human background -- searches for the non-existent parents she believes must exist, wandering alone in a world populated by humans and by the slave-driven robots who serve them. Tezuka's key theme of the nature of humanity in a technological society is framed in bold relief, as well as his wry allegorical observations of the Cold War that was escalating when he created Metropolis. A brilliant work of wit and wisdom -- and guest-starring some friends you may recognize from Astro Boy! -- Metropolis is one of graphic fiction's most enduring tales, availabel for the first time in an English-language edition.

Phoenix, Volume 5: Resurrection

Phoenix, Volume 5: Resurrection Amazon Price: $12.44
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Another outstanding entry 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Dr. Tezuka's life work--'Phoenix'--is a somewhat uneven assortment of often brilliant story telling and images. This should be expected since his work on this epic (can we use any other term, given the storyline spans all of human history?) starts in the late 60's and continues until the end of his life (1989). Phoenix seems to be one of Tezuka's outlets for exploring the very boundaries of comics the same way he explored experimental techniques in animation (Jumping, Broken Down, etc.) It is exciting to think how Phoenix came very close to changing the comic industry, translated some time ago (I forget exactly when) by the Dadakai group. Then for some reason the idea was scrapped. When we look at the publications by Alan Moore and (rightfully) elevate his work--seeing it as influential on where modern comics are right now; there is something humbling in how Tezuka was building a mountain of works more awe-inspiring and more innovating than anyone could have imagined decades before anyone heard of Moore. Tezuka seemingly created the lengthy graphic novel on his own, pushing the comic as a serious artistic medium. If only Phoenix had gotten published when the translations were first made! (late 70's, early 80's???)


Though the impact is somewhat lessened, Viz has made a serious attempt to rectify the problem. The first 5 volumes of Phoenix in print and in English is truly a marvelous thing. They are most often moralistic, but Dr. Tezuka seems to enjoy pushing our own sense of morality to its breaking point (and I suppose that is where story telling really begins to get interesting anyway). The stories are often somewhat cosmic in nature, featuring a giant flaming bird right out of Stravinsky's firebird suite (Tezuka even admits the inspiration). Being a bird which lives forever and who's blood gives eternal life, there is rarely a question that each story will in time deal with issues of mortality and resurrection. A lot of characters die, often in horrible ways. Tezuka is both pessimistic about the final outcome of the human race, while also retaining some hope--and for me that's where I find the work fantastic.

Vol. 5 is probably not the very best of what's published (I award this to Future and Karma) but it is excellent nonetheless and still miles beyond what most people would consider to be comic. Although the story is really no different in tone from early installments, the in-jokes are notably gone. This change seems to be wide-spread through Tezuka's later work, and it does aid the story a bit (the in-jokes nearly overwhelmed and capsized his earlier Phoenix entry, Yamato).

What Resurrection exceeds at is good science fiction. This story wrestles with many of the same themes that P.K.Dick is famous for in the West. What it means to be human is central to this story along with themes of persecution of the weak (just as in Astroboy, Robots continue to have questionable rights--being treated as tools while they clearly have feelings in Tezuka's stories).

Now the next step is terrifying because this is where Dadakai stopped translating Phoenix. There are seven more volumes (though even this is not a complete cycle since Tezuka did not live to complete the entire piece), and I can only hope that Viz choses to continue the publication of this series--even though it may not be as profitable as Dragon Ball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh! This is so very clearly an important contribution to comics (for English readers), along with Viz's earlier publication of Tezuka's Adolf and Vertical's publication of Buddha, that it would be terribly unfortunate if Viz chose to stop here.

Phoenix, Volume 6 (Phoenix (Viz))

Osamu Tezuka

Phoenix, Volume 6 (Phoenix (Viz)) Osamu Tezuka Amazon Price: $13.42
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

The guy above is so lost... 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I have no clue as to why the first reviewer has to give the book a single star when the review needs to reflect the literature and NOT the failure of the delivery service.

That is neither here nor there. Every single Tezuka book in the Phoenix series deserves at least 4 stars. Nostalgia is no different. The artwork is fantastic (especially for those that are fans of the oldschool Astroboy anime). Consistent with other Phoenix books, Nostalgia reflects Tezuka's takes on older stories and legends. I don't want to say much more since those that are reading this review have most likely read the other 5 books in the series.

The crowd that enjoys the Phoenix series is very small to begin with, and I would hate to see its size suffer even more because of a careless single starred review.

Read every book in this series.

Editorial Review:

Considered by many the peak of Osamu Tezuka's artistic achievement and called his "life work" by the author, PHOENIX is made up 12 complex stories linked by the presence of the mythical bird, an immortal guarden of the universal life force. Read in order, the separate stories jump across time, alternating between a distant future and a distant past, converging on the present, with characters from one story being reincarnated in another. The 12 stories over 3000 pages.

Nextworld Volume 1

Osamu Tezuka

Nextworld Volume 1 Osamu Tezuka Amazon Price: $12.55
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

An Enjoyable Read 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book is very enjoyable to read. It is by far the best of Tezuka's sci-fi trilogy (Lost World, Metropolis, Next World). The characters are the same as his other works (Mr. Mustachio, Rock, and the rest).

The story takes place in the future and appears to be a commentary on atomic war. The nations of the world are at war, and radiation from bombs have caused weird mutations on Horseshoe island. Scientists are in disagreement. People get kidnapped. And there is plotting and trechery.

The art style is like Astro Boy, Betty Boop, and Popeye, but it was made back in that era so it would be.

Editorial Review:

From the creator of Astro Boy and Metropolis, comes Nextworld, part of Osamu Tezuka's cycle of original science-fiction graphic novels - including Lost World and Metropolis - published in the late 1940s and early 1950s. When nuclear testing creates mutated animals with amazing supernatural abilities, the world and its great superpowers are drawn into political conflict that could light the fuse for World War III. A wry satire of the Cold War - and guest-starring some friends you may recognize from Astro Boy - Lost World is timeless graphic fiction from one of the medium's true masters, available for the first time in an English-language edition.

Adolf, Volume 3: The Half-Aryan

Adolf, Volume 3: The Half-Aryan Amazon Price: $11.53
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Breathtaking 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Osamu Tezuka is known as the 'God of Manga' in Japan. This story shows why; the flow of the narrative is so easy, the book reads like a movie. He uses cartoony characters to tell a well-developed, intriguing tale of pride, courage and betrayal in Germany and Japan during World War II.

The story centers around three Adolfs. One is the infamous Nazi leader. Another, Adolf Kamil, is a German Jew raised in Japan who becomes part of a spy ring. The last, Adolf Kaufmann, is a German boy who is swept up into the heart of the Nazi Party...

A caveat: despite its somewhat lighthearted, cartoony appearance, the story contains nudity, numerous beatings, and several killings. It touches on the Holocaust. While not light reading, it's deeply moving.

Moral Dilemmas in Nazi-Germany 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

At the start of The Half-Aryan, ex-reporter Toge is no longer being watched by the police. He is off the hook but also very distressed because he knows that the secret documents, over which his brother was killed and for which he was harassed by the Japanese police, have been destroyed. But then Toge discovers that Miss Ogi is still alive and that she has also rescued the documents, which prove that Hitler has Jewish heritage and which will therefore undermine the Nazi party. So part of the story follows Toge and Miss Ogi through Japan as they try to find someone who can publicize the documents.

But the bulk of this story follows Adolf Kaufmann, a half Japanese half German boy raised in Japan who is now attending school in Germany. It is his third year there and he has stopped thinking about his friends back in Japan, including Adolf Kamil, a Jewish German boy living in Japan. Non-Jewish Adolf is motivated by what is around him and isn't idealistic as he used to be. He does take a Jewish girlfriend and try to help her and her family out, but mostly because she is his girlfriend and because she has some Asian in her and so reminds him of Japan. He reads and understands and believes in Mein Kampf, but still exchanges letters with Jewish Adolf (who meanwhile has met up with Toge and Miss Ogi to continue the Japanese side of the story).

This book focuses more on developing characters than spy stuff. There is plenty of action, especially since WWII is now going on. Knowing the background from other books in the series will help in reading this, since by now some subplots are starting to emerge with background characters. Still this book stands well on its own and you don't have to have read the other books in the series to be pulled into this story. Much of the hype around this series makes it sound dry and educational. It isn't dry. I'm sure that I learned something from seeing a telling of WWII from a Japanese perspective, but regardless this is a good story.

I highly recommend this book and series. Keep in mind that there is lots of violence. In this one, for example, non-Jewish Adolf participates in a mass excution of Jews as part of his Hitler Youth training. So don't give this to your fourth grader to teach them history.

Nextworld Volume 2

Osamu Tezuka

Nextworld Volume 2 Osamu Tezuka Amazon Price: $11.16
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Editorial Review:

From the creator of Astro Boy and Metropolis, comes Nextworld part of Osamu Tezuka's cycle of original science-fiction graphic novels - including Lost World and Metropolis - published in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Fumoon, a creature with supernatural powers, discovers a colossal gas cloud approaching Earth that will completely disintegrate the planet! In preparation for our world's demise, Fumoon plans to rescue all of Earth's living creatures and transport them via flying saucer to a new home on another planet! A dazzling work of imagination - and guest-starring some friends you may recognize from Astro Boy - Nextworld is timeless graphic fiction from one of the medium's true masters, available for the first time in an English-language edition. Translation by Kumar Sivasubramanian (Metropolis, Lost World).

Astro Boy, Vol. 11

Osamu Tezuka

Astro Boy, Vol. 11 Osamu Tezuka Amazon Price: $9.95
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Must for Pre-Teen Boys (#11) 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Q: Do you have a male preteen, who likes Pokemon, Yugioh, cartoons, owns at least two game systems (handhelds count) and knows what anime is?

A: Yes.

Stop here and buy the series. Don't ask why, or is it valuable, beneficial or even engage in the debate about the academic merits of comic books, or graphic novels. I could tell you it is a Japanese classic, on par with Superman, that it may be a collectors item in the future or it is an engaging series with complex subplots for this age group.

That doesn't matter.

You only need to know that if you buy it:

1. He is reading
2. He is reading
3. He is not playing a video game
4. He is reading
5. He is not arguing or fighting with a sibling
6. He is not watching TV like a mindless drone
7. He is reading
8. He will want to read other graphic novels.

Editorial Review:

The robotic Astro Boy battles a deadly underground tank, helps solve a murder, and prevents the world from being destroyed by a robot bomb.

Adolf, Volume 4: Days Of Infamy (Adolf Series)

Adolf, Volume 4: Days Of Infamy (Adolf Series) Amazon Price: $14.07
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Another Work of Art 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is the fourth installment of "Adolf". The books keep getting better and better.

The character development is unbelievable. The artwork is fantastic.

The story is like a roller-coaster ride.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you have read any one of the first three.

The story keeps getting better 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Let's be honest here, if you've made it this far into Osamu Tezuka's 5 volume, 'Adolf,' series, chances are you'll find volume 4 just as engrossing as the previous books with enough dangling setup that will have you looking forward to finding out how the series finally concludes.

In volume 4, the bulk of the storyline focuses itself on Adolf Kamil in the waning days of Germany's involvement in WWII with all the horrors of Nazi cruelty reflected through his eyes. Fans of the series will not be disappointed with the intricate, but beautifully executed, plotting and characerizations that have certainly lived up to its billing as hallmarks of this series.

A return to the spy stuff 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a return to the action and espionage of the first book in the series. Most of this one takes place back in Japan. Toge, who has been guarding and trying to publicize the documents that prove that Hitler has Jewish ancestry, has finally found someone who can publicize them globally. His contact is the son of a Japanese general who has been spying on his father throughout the war. These plans quickly fall through and no one knows where the documents are, but Toge and others are beginning to realize that the war will still end, especially after the invasion of Pearl Harbor and the US entering the war against Japan. So life goes on in Japan.

Back in Germany, Adolf Kaufmann, a half German half Japanese boy raised in Japan but schooled in Germany, has been promoted to Lieutenant. When he is demoted for not arresting a war hero accused of trying to assassinate Hitler, he is restationed moving people between concentration camps. This is nasty work and Adolf, who is not even twenty yet, finds himself haunted by the faces of all the people he must shoot as part of his job. It is obvious to him and everyone else that he is soon going to be shipped off to the front line as canon fodder. With that alternative, he is offered a chance to transfer to the Gestapo and return to Japan to find and destroy the documents.

This is a great series. I highly recommend it. This book stands alone well and has plenty of action. By now many subplots involving minor characters are starting to reemerge, so having read other books in the series will add a few layers to the mix. Keep in mind that the series is very violent. A big part of this story involves Adolf being rough with and shooting people as part of his job and the psychological effect that this has on him. So don't give this book to your fourth grader to teach them history.

Astro Boy, Vol. 4

Osamu Tezuka

Astro Boy, Vol. 4 Osamu Tezuka Amazon Price: $9.95
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Standing shoulder to shoulder with comics and animation icons Krazy Kat, Mickey Mouse, and Tin Tin, Osama Tezuka’s Astro Boy remains as fresh today as when the boy robot first appeared nearly fifty years ago. And Tezuka’s Astro Boy original manga are now finally available in America in an English-language edition, produced in collaboration with Studio Proteus and translated by Frederik L. Schodt, well-known to manga readers for his work on Ghost in the Shell. In this volume Astro fights to free abused robots from a robot theme park that masks a secret weapons factory. However, Astro and fellow robots are stranded on the moon only to discover a valley full of diamonds...but they are not alone, and the diamonds are not unguarded; Astro becomes trapped in the twentieth century after a child prodigy’s time machine breaks down; and Professor Ochanomizu and Astro Boy are caught up in a movement to overthrow a dictator who has a machine capable of producing human clones...and a force of evil robots to defend it!

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