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Familiar Faces The Phoenix Naturally, this is one character common to 2772 and Tezuka's other works. But it is also the one most different from its other incarnations. At the time of the film's production there were nine volumes in the comic series, and the character of the Phoenix was already established. Tezuka explicitly stated that he wanted to break the stereotype and make something completely new. In the comics the beautiful bird is sometimes an object of pursuit by humans, sometimes an observer, and sometimes a supernatural force that intervenes on behalf of life on Earth. In 2772 Tezuka made it a spaceship-devouring monster and built the film's climax around its dogfight with the hero - a very unusual Phoenix indeed. Junji Kobayashi, one of the animators, had to draw a poster for the film based only on verbal description. He took the "canonical" bird and made it look angry and rapacious. But he says that when he saw Tezuka's designs, it was a real shock. The tradidional look appears in the film as one of the many shapes the Phoenix can take. According to some, Tezuka got the inspiration for his Phoenix from firebirds of a Russian fairytale in an early Soviet animated film by I.Ivanov-Vano. Top of page Saruta This character's name was changed to Salter in both English and German translations. I do not know whether the change was made on purpose, to westernize the story, or by mistake, but a mistake is quite likely if the translators decided to "restore" the name to its "original" form. In Japanese there is no distinction between r and l, and -er at the end of loan words usually changes to long a (e.g. ri:da: "leader"). So "Saruta" (or, rather, Saruta:) could technically be a corruption of "Salter" - it just is not. Saruta is Japanese, and one of the central recurring characters in the Phoenix series. In Future, in particular, he is very similar to what we see in 2772 - an old eccentric scientist who wants to restore life on the devastated Earth to its former splendor. His profile at the Osamu Tezuka World: http://en.tezuka.co.jp/studio/character/c035/c035.html Top of page Olga Not exactly a recurring character, she however has a prototype: a transforming lady robot called Jet, a supporting character in a minor work Whirlwind Z (Tezuka Osamu manga zenshu:, vol.52. Sempu: Z. Tokyo, "Kodansha", 1978). In 1979 a film critic K.Ono interviewing Tezuka mentioned Jet and said that a transforming robot would make for some interesting animation. According to the film's pamphlet, this was how the idea of Olga was conceived. Olga also makes a cameo appearance in one of Tezuka's later comics, Rainbow Parakeet (Tezuka Osamu manga zenshu:, vol.2 Nanairo Inko. Tokyo, "Kodansha", 1994). Since the title character of the series is, apart from being a thief, an actor, there are many theatre references, and the chapter in which Olga appears is named, uncoincidentally, Waiting for Godot after the surrealistic play by Samuel Beckett. As in the play, Godot (or, in this case, Godo?) himself does not appear. As in the film, Olga is a robot. Everything else is quite different from either film or play, with Olga being abused, broken, stolen and finally drowning in the sea "to wait for Godot for ever". Here is a page from the comic featuring Olga and Parakeet. Many thanks to Yokohama-Kabitan for pointing out the cameo and to OlgaMaster for providing the picture. Another unexpected cameo was spotted in Otaku-no Video, Gainax's classic satire of anime fans. One scene briefly features a Japanese girl dressed up as Olga standing in the crowd. Many thanks to OlgaMaster for the screenshot - a unique chance to see "Olga" with black hair. Top of page Black Jack Well-known as the main character in a series of his own by the same name. Black Jack's cameo appearance in 2772 is often mentioned by western reviewers. His profile at the Osamu Tezuka World: http://en.tezuka.co.jp/studio/character/c049/c049.html Top of page Rock One of Tezuka's villains most popular with the fans. He looks different in the film than in comics, but basically this is the same stubborn technocrat as in Future. His profile at the Osamu Tezuka World: http://en.tezuka.co.jp/studio/character/c004/c004.html Top of page Ban Affectionately known as Mustachio (Higeoyaji), he is Tezuka's oldest star. His profile at the Osamu Tezuka World: http://en.tezuka.co.jp/studio/character/c003/c003.html Top of page Boon This character appears in Tezuka's comics in a variety of roles - police inspectors, feudal warlords and other hardboiled types. And in the recent Metropolis animation he even plays a president. His profile at the Osamu Tezuka World: http://en.tezuka.co.jp/studio/character/c010/c010.html Top of page Lamp Another of Tezuka's picturesque villains, in 2772 he only appears for an instant. His profile at the Osamu Tezuka World: http://en.tezuka.co.jp/studio/character/c011/c011.html Top of page The Welcomer (O-mukae-de-gonsu aka Spider) One of Tezuka's staple sight gags, he usually appears out of nowhere chanting his only line: "I'm here to meet you". In 2772 he is standing inconspiciously in the crowd of alien creatures on Lacrimosa, welcoming Godo and Saruta to the planet. Top of page Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey homages Aside from characters, there are some images that may seem familiar. An ardent cinema fan, Tezuka included homages to a number of films. Flight of the Phoenix in the overture begins as a parody of the opening credits in Star Wars with its characteristic camera angle. Ban's first appearance with his face shaded by a brown hood is reminiscent of the jawa - an alien race in Star Wars. The way a hyperspace jump is represented in 2772 is similar to Star Wars, but this may be due to the general influence of the latter on SF imagery. The image of the Phoenix shown to Godo when he is assigned his mission has a likely source in the hallucination sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey. As do some other CG-heavy moments. The ending of 2001: A Space Odyssey, an embryo floating in the darkness, may be the inspiration for the opening of 2772. Among other images which may hint at 2001: A Space Odyssey are spaceship controls; the use of glowing white screens for background during briefings; and a somewhat similar sensibility in the hotel/clubhouse lobby design. |
