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Reviewed by Michael Aronson Though the fourth collected volume, Karma is actually the fifth story in the Phoenix series and as such finds itself taking place in the 8th century A.D after the events of Dawn and Yamato. I continue to profess that each chapter of Phoenix can stand on its own and be read independently of the rest, though this story benefits more than the others on having read the previous four stories as references abound and fit into the larger established context of the series. There’s even a reference which I assume Tezuka intended for a later volume he never got around to writing. Disfigured with one arm and one eye not a day after his birth, Gao grew up bitter at the world and went on to express his rage through banditry and murder. His swath of destruction brings him upon a young sculptor named Akanemaru, whose arm Gao slashes to mirror his own. The story explores the two men going their separate ways, both finding tragedy in love and guidance in authority figures of their craft, and they cross paths again on more than one occasion. Through their journeys, their devotion to sculpture is tested as well as their values, and the meaning of life and karma is gradually revealed to them – and no creature is more apropos to the subjects of death and rebirth than a phoenix. Karma is, far and away, the most beautifully illustrated of all the Phoenix volumes. Because the subject matter deals with art itself, Tezuka clearly found many reference materials with which to render the most detailed and accurate sketches of existing sculptures. More than that, he also experiments with textures and background images, sometimes etching in every crack in a mountain or every panel in a temple roof. His renowned Disney-inspired style still persists for the sake of storytelling clarity, although, impressively enough, he also devotes certain panels to realistic renderings of animals. There’s much more versatility and variety in the images and they give the entire story greater depth. When establishing the setting or a splash page of symbolism, he spares no expense in adding as much realism as his characters themselves carve their sculptures. Why a lower score than the previous volumes? Don’t misunderstand, Karma is on a whole other level from other entertainment of the same score, but it still disappointed when compared to the general level of excellence of the series. Ironically, Karma is regarded as perhaps the best story in the Phoenix series, but perhaps something was lost in the translation. I found the story to be very long-winded at times, not necessarily boring to read, but difficult to keep track of the characters’ arcs of change and development in anticipation of their outcome. After all, if the story is entitled Karma, one expects every event and decision made by the characters to contribute to their ultimate fates. While I found the resolutions to both characters’ stories to be satisfying, I felt it took a rather lengthy journal to reach that goal. Also, while the use of the phoenix this time around to be very inspired, its multiple appearances took away from its usual revelatory impact. These complaints may seem somewhat minor, but they express a slight disappointment in a series that’s been pretty exceptional so far. Karma is still a thoroughly satisfying and uplifting story, not nearly a stumbling block for the series, but it just lacks the perfection of the past couple volumes. Comment on this review of Phoenix v4: Karma on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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