The Future Arc from Osamu Tezuka's Manga Phoenix Will Be Adapted into a Stage Play in February
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ASTON OTONITY – Osamu Tezuka’s manga *Phoenix* (*Hi no Tori*) has inspired another theatrical production set to run at Sakura Hall, Shibuya Cultural Center Owada, in Tokyo, from February 6–8. Titled *Hi no Tori Mirai-hen ZEROMDISTANCE* (*Phoenix Future Arc ZEROMDISTANCE*), the production adapts the “Future” arc from the manga.
The play stars Jutta Yuki as Masato, Narumi Yasuda as the voice of Phoenix, Moro Morooka as Dr. Saruta, Adone Kudō and Shiina Yuzuki as Tamami, and Kaiki Ohara as Rock.
Ryusei Kudoh directed and wrote the script for this drama. He also serves as executive producer. Ryo Oguri serves as producer. Nao'ymt handles the music.
Tezuka wrote the “Future” arc of *Phoenix* between December 1967 and September 1968. The official Osamu Tezuka website explains the second part.
Set in the year 3404 AD, Earth is dying, and humanity lives in city-states built deep underground. The authorities are searching for Yamanobe Masato, a Class 2 space soldier from Megalopolis Yamato. They suspect him of hiding Tamami, a girl who has transformed into a human from her original form as a Moopie, an extraterrestrial creature.
Masato and Tamami flee across the barren wasteland to escape their country. Guided by Phoenix, they arrive at Dr. Saruta’s dome. Here, Dr. Saruta is conducting research on artificial life with the goal of reviving extinct creatures. Meanwhile, humanity’s final war begins in the underground city, and humankind becomes extinct.
The manga recently inspired a stage production performed at Theatre West in the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater in July 2024. The production was based on the “Karma” arc (“Hō-ō-hen,” or literally “Firebird Arc”) from the manga.
Phoenix inspired the live-action manga performance *Mangalogue: Hi no Tori*, which ran from April 22 to May 16 at the Box1000 MoN Takanawa theater: The Museum of Narratives.
Tezuka began the original “Dawn” arc of *Phoenix* in *Manga Shonen* from 1954–55, but it remained unfinished because the magazine ceased publication. Three more chapters (Egypt, Greece, and Rome) appeared in *Shōjo Club* magazine in 1956, but the story remained unfinished.
Tezuka later revived “Dawn” with some changes in the inaugural issue of *COM* magazine in 1967. This manga served as a prologue to a long-running series consisting of several parts.
The four-episode anime *Phoenix: Eden17*, based on the manga, made its worldwide debut on Disney+ in September 2023. The anime’s Japanese title is *Hi no Tori: Eden no Sora* (literally, *Phoenix: Eden’s Sky*).
The anime also received a feature-length film adaptation in November 2023 titled Phoenix: Reminiscence of Flower (Hi no Tori: Eden no Hana, literally “Flower of Eden”). The film features a different ending from the Phoenix: Eden17 anime. It is based on the “Nostalgia” arc from the original manga.
