The god of manga wanted to be a god of animation, too. Phoenix 2772 (Space Firebird) is a 1980 film conceived, written, and directed by Tezuka Osamu, bringing his life’s work, Phoenix, to the screen. In a future where humans are born in test tubes and computers determine their destinies, space pilot Godo, raised by the robot Olga, sets out into space in search of the Phoenix, which holds the power to revive a dying Earth. The twelve-minute opening sequence, which traces Godo’s growth through music and imagery without a single line of dialogue, distills the essence of Tezuka’s lifelong experimentation and ambition in animation. Forbidden love, the violence of a class-based society, and the cycle of life and rebirth—Tezuka’s lifelong themes swirl within the framework of a space opera, while the cosmic spectacle filling the screen holds the viewer’s gaze from start to finish. Though celebrated as the god of manga, Tezuka saw himself, above all, as an animator. Here, we can fully glimpse the ambitions of Tezuka the animator, long overshadowed by the fame of Tezuka the manga artist. The devotion of Olga, a robot more human than humans themselves, poses a question that resonates anew with audiences in the age of AI. (SONG Kyung-won)