Have you ever imagined going to another planet with the love of your life to start a new civilization? In Romi's case, Eden17 looks like the perfect planet to live on with George, despite being a vast wasteland with little to no source of water. So, after all this time, is Romi alive in Phoenix: Eden17?
Phoenix: Eden17 adapts the Nostalgia volume of Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix manga series. It is the sixth volume of the Phoenix manga, and it delves into the story of Romi and how a planet called Eden17 becomes livable.
Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers for Phoenix: Eden17 ahead!
Romi: The First Queen of Eden17
In the Phoenix manga, Romi became the first queen of Eden17, as expected of the first woman to ever exist on the planet.
Romi is originally from Earth, and she fled from her own planet along with George due to overpopulation, pollution, industrialization, and more.
But in the Phoenix: Eden17 anime, it was revealed that Romi escaped from Earth to prevent the government from preserving her body parts.
Apparently, Romi has superior DNA to the rest of the citizens, which makes her a viable target for her captors.
Upon landing on Eden17, Romi and George have one goal in mind, and that is to create a thriving society that is similar to Earth. The first thing they have to do is find a source of water that will improve their living conditions.
George took it upon himself to look for a water source, but the moment he found it, an accident hit him. He died early in the series, but he was able to provide water for Romi and his son, Cain.
As the years passed, Romi realized that she needed to do something to protect Cain and fulfill her promise to her late lover.
She decided to go into a cold sleep chamber to preserve her body the moment Cain reached the right age for sexual contact.
However, a machine error caused Romi to sleep for 1300 years instead of 13 years.
In the manga, Romi woke up at the perfect time to couple up with Cain, even though she was against it.
Going back, the legendary Phoenix appeared before a miserable Cain and gave him a chance in life. The Phoenix allowed Cain to couple with a shapeshifting alien called Moopy to create a civilization in Eden17.
After 1300 years, Romi wakes up only to discover that her son has already passed away. But what’s waiting for her is the result of Cain’s labor, which is the Edenic civilization.
Immediately, Romi was declared Queen of Eden17 with the help of the moopy, who had previously coupled with Cain.
Is Romi Alive in Phoenix: Eden17?
Yes, Romi is still alive in Phoenix: Eden17, as shown in the fourth episode, where she returned to Eden with a mysterious-looking seed in hand.
She went home with an injured Com, who was previously shot in the chest by the ferry pilot/astronaut, Makimura.
But before Romi went to Earth, she had a lot of close encounters with death. In the manga, Romi went to sleep in the cold chamber two or three times just to catch up with her multiple sons.
It took a toll on Romi’s body, and she even wished to end her life—that is until the Phoenix appeared before her.
During Romi’s excursion to Earth, she and Com, Norva, and Makimura also faced a lot of dangerous situations on some planets that resemble Earth.
Romi’s entire body even got electrocuted, but it was changed in the anime, where she got injured during their descent to Earth.
Because of this, Romi’s body has to be put inside Zudarban’s rejuvenation machine, which forces her body to return to its younger and healthier state.
Unfortunately, the machine has side effects, and Makimura revealed that Romi only has three more days to live.
In the Phoenix manga, Romi died on Earth due to these side effects, whereas in Phoenix: Eden17, Romi returns alive and well.
It was only Com who got injured in the anime, whereas, in the manga, Com shapeshifted into a lotus flower.
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