Phoenix Anime Added To Crunchyroll’s Archive

Osamu Tezuka spent his lifetime penning Phoenix manga, which got so popular that it was adapted into multiple animated films, OVA’s and even an anime TV series.

The 2004 series got dubbed by AnimeWorks in 2007 to reach more fans situated in the West, and last year Media Blasters made it available as Blu-ray by re-licensing the series and buying its HD rights. Now it looks like the anime will be getting even more attention all thanks to a streaming giant.

Phoenix TV series has officially become a part of the Crunchyroll catalog, whose show is already live for Premium Members started January 23. For free users, though, it will be available beginning March 1.

Launch Time: January 23 at 2:00 pm PT
Territories: the United States and Canada

Osamu Tezuka has been considered the father of manga. He began writing the manga when he was only 22 years old and continued to write until his death in 1989 at the age of 60. Phoenix weaves a story that goes back and forth in time depicting mankind’s search for immortality and the destruction it brings with it. The Phoenix is said to possess the secret to eternal life, which leads to many wars to acquire the mythical bird.

Media Blasters describes the story as:

“Throughout time, mankind has chased after the dream of immortality. The Phoenix, in the form of a bird of fire, is said to hold the key to eternal life. Great wars are fought in a vain attempt to possess it and, as a result, civilizations rise and fall. Phoenix is a collection of five stories from the past, present, and future. Many will perish because of their desires, and they are the lucky ones. True pain comes for those who find immortality and experience the burden of living forever.”

About Phoenix:

Phoenix is an unfinished manga series by Osamu Tezuka. It is considered Tezuka’s “life’s work” as he spent his whole life writing it. It consists of 12 books, each of which tells a separate, self-contained story and takes place in a different era. Each book’s plot goes back and forth from the future to prehistoric times. The story was never completed and was cut short by Tezuka’s death in 1989.