Phoenix, Vol. 4: Karma Paperback – May 19, 2004

(SPOILERS means this review gives away the end of the story)AkenemaruAkanemaru, trained sculptor of wood,You grew so full of your greatnessThat your soul turned upon itself:You had Gao's (only!) arm cut offBecause he was greater than you.Why so surprised when the Phoenix told you,As you lay dying,That you would never again be bornA human?GaoDeprived of an arm, an eye, a father, almost at birth,You grew up maddened,Robbing, maiming, killing.Then you discovered by accident your great giftFor carving.Your (second!) arm taken from you,You wandered away to the wilderness,Lamenting. But there,Your soul turned upon itself:You grew to love the nature around you, and the men and beastsThat shared it with you,Always carving,A tiny chiselHeld between your teeth.

Compelling story of two men, a bandit and a sculptor, that have a fateful encounter in their early years and meet much later after having gone through many life-changing trials. Following the two parallel tales we encounter ideas about reincarnation, redemption and religion's role in government.Breathtaking full-page and two-page spreads of landscapes and artifacts throughout the book are ample proof of Tezuka's mastery.

The story, set in 8th century Japan, follows two men: the one-armed, one-eyed, savage Gao and the handsome, considerate Akanemaru.The story opens with Gao's birth and the accident that kills his father and costs Gao an arm and an eye. A remarkably strong adolescent, he wins a competition but when the jealous loser ruins Gao's prize, Gao kills him. Outcast, Gao kills and maims men and women and children remorselessly whenever they get in his way or when they have something he needs. Or just for the hell of it, as when he meets and maims his counterpart in the story, the gentle Akanemaru whose arm Gao maliciously slashes.Taking different paths, Gao and Akanemaru each find a young woman and an old mentor. They meet once more by chance on a road. Akanemaru recognizes the man who had ruined his arm, but nevertheless wishes him well. They each become known as sculptors and artists to the powerful lords ruling Japan. They work tirelessly. Akanemaru is driven by vision and ambition while Gao is driven by rage and by his being baffled when faced with the unfairness of life, death, and suffering.All this in a comic book... But if you've seen Princess Mononoke, you already know that Japanese manga and animé can offer surprisingly complex heroes and villains who are seldom completely good or completely evil.Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

This is, basically, one of the best books I have ever read, and when a say books I mean every kind of books, including literature, history, religion, everything. I am still charmed somehow because of the incredible story of this Osamu Tezuka's book. I haven't read the other four Phoenix Saga books, but I am placing the order today: this book is eye opening, is one of the rare cultural products worth of ordering to Amazon, from my country. In my country you cannont buy it, so I have to pay the expensive shipping price, if you live in the States, don't hesitate once, but it at once! You will feel rewarded when you finish reading it.

Leave it to Tezuka to write an exciting story. The characters are unpredictable and it's clear from the start that Tezuka won't shrink from making them suffer or hurt others. The story isn't completely pessimistic, though. Medieval cruelty is mixed with compassion and sublime visions. The most impressive part is when a character enters the (Buddhist?) cycle of eternal rebirth: a genuine gem, spanning only a dozen pages. This brings us to Karma's weakness. Since I've read several Tezuka's stories about the illegal surgeon Black Jack, I can say Tezuka is at his best when creating short manga. Despite many excellent episodes, Karma feels loose and lacks the pace of his best works. Don't be put off, though. It's still up there in the top five percent of all manga.