Phoenix: Robe of Feathers

2004 0h 25m JA

AnimationDramaHistory

Synopsis

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Abandoned as a child, Zuku has become a brigand to survive. One night after committing a robbery, he is approached by a strange little girl who prompts him to visit the pine grove beach nearby. Upon arriving there, Zuku is surprised to discover an unconscious young woman covered in a sparkling veil. Enticed by its splendid material, he snatches the fabric and attempts to flee. But its owner unexpectedly awakens, begging him to return the precious accessory. With no other memory save for the veil's importance, the woman refuses to let Zuku leave without recovering it. Showing no remorse, the bandit violently renounces her plea—but little does he know, this unusual encounter will change his life forever.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Atsuko Tanaka

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Masayoshi Nishida
Writers: Satoshi Kuwabara, Satoshi Kuwabara
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 5

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 25-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 5

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 5

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Phoenix Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 5

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 5

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt31539572 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Masayoshi Nishida directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 25-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 22 years ago.
3Part of the "Phoenix Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5IMDB entry: tt31539572 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Runtime: 25 min · 0h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Phoenix: Robe of Feathers (2004)

Part of

Phoenix Collection

Phoenix was Tezuka's life work as well as one of his representative works. He explored philosophical themes of "life and death" and "reincarnation" in depth by depicting stories developed around Phoenix, the immortal life-form beyond time and space. Phoenix navigates the readers by traveling back and forth, between past and future, through the series. Tezuka reflected his own historical view and prevision for future, also tackled a vast-scale question of what universe is.