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Destroy All Podcasts DX Episode 194 - Phoenix 2772: Love's Cosmozone a.k.a. Space Firebird

Comments

16 comments posted
Big thanks for the show

Considering myself as a long time animation fan, I have to sadly admit I only have a passing knowledge of Tezuka's works; but I have been interested in this film and I am glad to hear from you guys that's a good starting point in regards to getting into his work. So thanks for the show, it's good to expose these forgotten epics.

As a side note, that UK box art with the 12 rating I believe is a later VHS reissue by a small company called Western Connection which released Grey: Digital Target here; I know I'm sad. :P

Keep it up guys.

Invid Ninja's picture
Posted by Invid Ninja on 27 June, 2011 - 05:53
VHS

Glad you enjoyed the little spotlight we cast on Phoenix 2772! Hope you get the movie and enjoy it! Thanks for explaining what that other UK picture is! I've updated the post.

Destroy All Podcasts DX's picture
Posted by Destroy All Pod... on 27 June, 2011 - 23:25
Impressed me there was that

Impressed me there was that many releases of the film at all (besides the one or two tapes we've got here). I actually uploaded the entire "Sample Collection" on YouTube myself (sans several cartoons owned by Classic Media), but yeah, it was kinda funny how these films came over at all under that "Just For Kids" branding that weren't really for kids to begin with, but the editing certainly didn't help them anymore than the "Electronic Babysitter" format they were intended as.

Chris@StudioToledo's picture
Posted by Chris@StudioToledo on 28 June, 2011 - 13:11
Stuff

That soundtrack cover is totally ripped off from a Journey album.

****

I almost would have liked to see the Sorayama-style robot (entirely silver) for Olga, because that would have brought home the fact that she's not human, which is an important aspect of the story. Since the anime presents her with human-colored skin it's too easy to just think of her as a person with some kind of fancy sci-fi armor.

RobotBastard's picture
Posted by RobotBastard on 27 June, 2011 - 11:27
Robo-Mom

I've no doubt she's colored the way she is because she's robo-mom. Her job is to be a surrogate for a human mother and raise a child, after all. I don't think all gray would've worked as well for that purpose. It does look cool, though!

Destroy All Podcasts DX's picture
Posted by Destroy All Pod... on 27 June, 2011 - 23:26
Celebrity's Just for Kids line

Just a quick question.

Will you guys cover any other anime from the Celebrity's Just for Kids line such as Techno Police, Macron 1, Space Warriors, etc in the future? I would say Macross: Clash of the Bionoids but you guys did a Macross: DYRL episode looooong ago and the dub has been mentioned several times on this podcast.

This looks like something I would pick up on VHS at a random flea market for like a dollar, just to add to the other Just for Kids VHS tapes I have already. To be for warned, Techno Police is pretty baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad, at least speaking for the Just for Kids VHS tape.

ZeonicFreak's picture
Posted by ZeonicFreak on 27 June, 2011 - 11:35
Just For Kids!

We actually have done a few others from Celebrity's Just For Kids line. We did Space Warriors: The Battle for Earth Station S/1. It's actually called Space Warriors Baldios: The Movie.

We also did Dallos a.k.a. Battle for Moon Station Dallos, an early Mamoru Oshii effort. This is evil Oshii, not good Oshii. This was the origin of my obsession with Oshii and features me swearing profusely at him.

We actually recorded a podcast for Techno Police 21C years ago, but ended up losing the recording. It was heartbreaking. Of course there's also our DYRL podcast, as you brought up, and I think maybe we've done more but I can't remember. I definitely intend to do more!

Destroy All Podcasts DX's picture
Posted by Destroy All Pod... on 27 June, 2011 - 23:37
At least they exsist

At least a Techno Police podcast exist(ed) at one point. Is there any chance of another recording of that down the road? Last time i checked (bout 5 years ago) Techno Police was going for like 30 bucks online, same with Clash of the Bionoids. I did a podcast recently with some guys (These guys:http://animeofyesteryear.blogspot.com/search/label/Kool%20Kids%20Klub) about Five Star Stories and only 1/4 got recorded, I dont think were gonna give that anime another go anytime soon.

Well now that I know theres a Space Warrior podcast, I might just have to break the seal of that unopened tape and give it a try.

I remember seeing the Dallos podcast long ago but I havent had a chance to see the anime yet, even though its been sitting in my Zune for like... ever. Of course you have the option to look at a Macron 1 podcast... one day.

ZeonicFreak's picture
Posted by ZeonicFreak on 1 July, 2011 - 05:40
Jeremy quote

"This movie was made in 1980, which was, like, the beginning of the 80s..."

RobotBastard's picture
Posted by RobotBastard on 28 June, 2011 - 11:15
Context

Oh sure, I could take quotes from you out of context and make you look stupid, too. You know what I was talking about -- it's surprising that something made in 1980 was so very EIGHTIES. Most popular entertainment from that time period doesn't look like the '80s, it still looks like the '70s. The '70s didn't really wear off until like 1983 or 1984. You see this in film, fashion, music... I was suggesting that either Phoenix 2772 strongly influenced '80s anime, or it was just ahead of its time.

Destroy All Podcasts DX's picture
Posted by Destroy All Pod... on 28 June, 2011 - 12:11
Context

Half the time you could quote is in context and make us look stupid.

RobotBastard's picture
Posted by RobotBastard on 28 June, 2011 - 12:56
That's rather quite

That's rather quite fascinating if you had to look back around this point in time. Certainly I can see 1984 being the breaking point with films like Macross: DYRL ushering in that look of where anime was heading in the 1980's. I can see how between 1980 to '84, the industry was certainly beginning to shed it's 70's threads for something a little different.

A friend once told me Japanese anime fans don't really care about this film anymore as we foreigners do. Seems kinda sad to me but at the same time, but I'm sure that's just the way it is.

Aside from Disney, Tezuka was also influenced by the work of the Fleischer Studios such as Betty Boop and Popeye if you were trying to remember them during the podcast.

Chris@StudioToledo's picture
Posted by Chris@StudioToledo on 28 June, 2011 - 13:42
Fleischer

I definitely think that the Fleischer studio was a big influence on Tezuka too, especially stuff like Somewhere in Dreamland and, as you say, Betty Boop, both of which have that big eyed thing long before there was big eyed anime. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsB0mwBmDWE That said, we kept bringing up Disney because this movie specifically has some VERY Disney elements. We were definitely poking fun, but Pincho REALLY looks like Bambi: http://tezukaosamu.net/images/upload_images/character/0000993CHT.jpg http://www.disneyclips.com/imagesnewb5/imageslwrakr01/clipbambibutter.gif

There's also the fact that there's musical numbers, just like in Disney movies. Only two of them, but they seem pretty out of place in this weird little movie.

I'm pretty sure we've mentioned Fleischer as an influence on Tezuka in previous podcasts, possibly the Kimba podcast?

Destroy All Podcasts DX's picture
Posted by Destroy All Pod... on 28 June, 2011 - 16:01
friends with benefits

Great podcast. I never would have watched this if it weren't for this review.

The work camp mining musical number was really odd and out of place and totally reminded me of fantasia. Bizarre.

And at the end when Gordo's talking about he and Ulga being best friends, he's talking about friends with benefits, right?

Novacaine31's picture
Posted by Novacaine31 on 29 June, 2011 - 10:33
Hearing about the "Skinner

Hearing about the "Skinner Box" reminded me of that one episode of The Simpsons from back in the early 90's where Dr. Marvin Monroe wanted to buy a baby to put in one, all for the purpose of being an a--hole to the kid for the 30 years that he or she will have to be in there for.

Chris@StudioToledo's picture
Posted by Chris@StudioToledo on 28 June, 2011 - 15:10
Apart from the DVD covers

Apart from the DVD covers shown above, I found this link to some Polish release I'm not sure if it's legit or not, but they call it "Space Firebird" over there (the screengrabs took like total VHS grabs to me).
http://kino.idg.pl/film/262-Space.Firebird.html

Chris@StudioToledo's picture
Posted by Chris@StudioToledo on 2 July, 2011 - 16:23