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The late, great Osamu Tezuka is one of the finest comics artists of all time and it's not for nothing that he is often referred to as "the father of manga." Tezuka created a legion of beloved characters and stories that have stood the test of time, from Astro Boy and Princess Knight to Phoenix and Unico.
It's the latter we're here to discuss today. Unico was published in manga magazine Ririka between 1976 and 1979. Two anime films were also completed in the '80s. Alas, the manga was never completed, and Tezuka passed away in 1989.
Now Unico is back, with a new revival from Scholastic, in the publisher's first venture into manga. Developed in association with Tezuka Productions, Unico: Awakening is written by Samuel Sattin and drawn by the art team Gurihiru.
Planned to run over at least four volumes, and possibly more, this new take on the classic tale reimagines Tezuka's original tale for new readers, while also providing something that was missing from the original work: an ending. Newsarama spoke with Sattin and Gurihiru to find out more about this exciting new series, and about the incredible legacy left by Osamu Tezuka.
Newsarama: Samuel, for our readers who may not be familiar with Unico, could you tell us a little about who he is and what sort of world he exists in?
Samuel Sattin: Unico is a magical creature, a unicorn, who can't remember who he is. He travels through time and space with the help of his friends, on the run from a dangerous and jealous goddess who wants to destroy him. Unico makes friends wherever he goes. And when one of those friends needs him or is in danger, his powers awaken and he comes to the rescue. If Unico can find out where he came from and break his curse, he could become the most important being in the entire universe. Unico's magic comes from his ability to spread love and kindness wherever he goes, even in the face of darkness and hate. Always being hunted by gods and monsters, he must realize the extent of his powers to survive, and protect the fate of love itself.
How did you first discover Unico? Was it through the original manga or the anime based on it?
Gurihiru: We do not remember exactly, but we think it was the anime. We forgot the details but Chao (Chloe) that we drew in our book was in the anime and we remember she was singing. Later on, we bought the manga and we were captured by the beauty of the full color art. While Unico had a cute design, the story was the opposite and it had a sad and lonely feeling, and we remember that he was always in trouble for his destiny, that wasn't a happy end.
Sattin: I saw the anime "Unico and the Island of Magic" when I was young, and it really stuck with me. That mechanical dragon and Kuruku! The castle made from former humans turned to stone! It was colorful and scary and it sparked my imagination. Later on, as I got into manga and started to go down the Tezuka rabbit hole, I discovered that I had found a cartoonist I could idolize in the most honest sense of the word. I think Tezuka embodies the potential of comics in a way that no one else has or ever will.
Who are some of the characters that we'll meet along the way in this story?
Sattin: In volume 1, we meet some characters who we'll get to know well during Unico's journeys. One of them is Chloe: a brave (and adorable) cat, abandoned by her human, and obsessed with the idea of becoming human herself. When they meet a lonely old woman, Chloe asks Unico to transform her into a human to help out around the house. Unico agrees, but the longer Chloe is human, the more danger she encounters. And looming over everyone in Unico is the vengeful goddess, Venus. Her cruelty is vast, as is her power, and her ultimate hope is to be worshiped by everyone in the universe. She is obsessed with destroying Unico because he is the only being that can stand in her way.
Gurihiru, which characters were your favorite to draw and why?
Gurihiru: West Wind is a character we enjoy drawing. We made this character without legs and the lower part of the body extends forever. Whenever we draw her in the pages, we always extend her outside of the panel, so we use her to make the page layouts fun and mysterious too. It takes some thinking when she appears in the pages, but it is very challenging and very interesting.
How did this relaunch come about and how did you get involved?
Sattin: When I was first introduced to the dear people at Tezuka Productions in 2019, they asked me if I had any pitches for a project. My eyes went wide, and I quickly turned to Unico. I found that Unico was a lot like Tezuka's masterwork, Phoenix, but through the lens of Western mythology. Unico fascinated me because, even though Tezuka was trying to create a sweet story for kids about a unicorn, it turned into something filled with big themes, and difficult truths. And also… Tezuka hadn't finished it (which I've amazingly been given permission to do).
What I loved about Unico was the story, and I truly thought a new generation could benefit from its remimagining. So… I pitched my idea to Tezuka Productions. And to my great shock and eternal gratitude, they accepted it. I then spent a long-ish stint in Tokyo tying different elements of the project together with the help of an amazing team. Things really gelled when Gurihiru agreed to work on it. The whole thing is a dream.
What are some of the challenges that come with relaunching a beloved character like this?
Gurihiru: There was a great pressure to work on Tezuka-sensei's character since he was an artist that made many characters that are loved by everyone in Japan. The character itself was so big for us (to work on), we actually turned down the offer at first! The reason we decided to work on Unico was because we were told that we can forget about the existing style of the character and that we can draw on our own, and we felt that our art style had an affinity to the character Unico. So we finally said yes.
Sattin: Overall, I feel a responsibility to do the character – and more importantly, Tezuka's legacy – justice, while making sure that the story stands on its own, and is exciting to modern young readers. One of the many reasons I adore Tezuka's work is that he saw manga/comics as an international language. Which it is. And he loved collaboration. He loved reinterpreting the stories of others, and having his stories reinterpreted in turn. Tezuka himself was working in a different era, and his work was obviously of his time. The new Unico series is of our time, while respecting the past.
How do you go about updating the story of Unico for a new audience?
Sattin: Our reimagining of Unico builds upon the original story while opening it up to new characters, expanding upon existing characters, and bringing in other characters from the rest of the Tezuka Star System. (These are characters that Tezuka created who appeared throughout multiple works of his, such as Rock, Higeoyagi, Duke Red, etc.). We are building an entire universe around Unico, filled with its own Tezuka-inspired mythos, and loads of captivating characters.
Sam, what has it been like working with Gurihiru on this project?
Sattin: Incredible. They're geniuses, and the way their art combines Japanese and Western drawing aesthetics is truly groundbreaking. They understand so much about both Tezuka and a lot of the work that inspired him – like Disney, for instance – and they are able to capture that spirit while doing something entirely new. I'm often agog at their ability to combine color, movement, and technical expertise so seamlessly, creating such an unbelievable sense of wonder and drama. I can't imagine anyone else who could do what they've done with this reimagining. And they’re really nice to work with, to boot.
Gurihiru: We feel great romanticism from Sam's script. The expressions are very lyrical and emotional, and while we have Tezuka's Unico story as the base, it moves on to an original story, which is amazing. We have worked with many writers in the past, but we had to go through the editors to communicate so we never had the chance to talk to them directly. But Sam touches base and also comes to Japan to see us, so he is very active and cares about us a lot. We are happy to have a relationship that is more than just a writer and an artist.
How has it been working with Tezuka Productions?
Gurihiru: Tezuka Productions gave us freedom to work on Unico in our style so that we do not have to be held captive by the original Unico. We are now working on the second book, but so far we have not been asked to make changes from them and they let us work on our own style. We will always respect Tezuka's Unico while we work, and we feel very happy that we can create Unico in our own style.
Finally, what can you both say about Osamu Tezuka's incredible legacy and how his work has impacted you?
Gurihiru: Tezuka-sensei's manga always mirrors the social situation of that time heavily, but at the same time, the way that he thinks is always at the deep bottom of the stories no matter what, and that does not age at all, and we can still feel it today. We both were influenced by Tezuka's work from our childhood. We used to copy and draw his characters and there were many other influences from his characters and stories. We never thought that we would be working on Tezuka-sensei's characters that we respect and so we feel honored to be a part of this project. And we hope that the new readers who do not know Unico will read our book with a kind and fun feeling.
Sattin: Osamu Tezuka made me understand the power and importance of comics. He helped me understand the importance of learning and embracing visual language, and about embracing expansive, ambitious ideas that reach for the stars. He also wasn't afraid of introducing difficult truths into even his warmest and most accessible stories, and taking stories from other cultures and reimagining them in his own right. His work is humane, artful, and beautiful. It's something that will withstand the test of time.
Unico: Awakening Volume 1 was developed by Scholastic in collaboration with Tezuka Productions. It's published on August 6.
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