Unico: Hunted Review

It’s almost been a week since Unico: Hunted by Samuel Sattin and Gurihiru was released and I’m here to geek out because this site is all about Unico. While this is a review, I’ll have future posts coming soon.

To recap, Unico is separated from West Wind and ends up in a polluted factory town. With the help from a mouse named Garapachi, Unico befriends a sickly girl named Chiko, who he wants to help. Trouble is lurking in every corner and as Unico tries to save his new friends, Venus unleashes a hunter to search for him.

While the first volume, Unico: Awakening, was the beginning of Unico’s adventure, the second book will further push the story and add more depth to the world surrounding our little unicorn friend. Unico: Hunted features more action and adventure, which makes it a page turner for sure. I found myself unable to put the book down until completing it, and know fans of all ages will enjoy it.

The plot is expanding, so we’re getting a wider look at the issues Unico must face as well as the horrible things Venus has done in the past. Venus is a force to reckon with, and it’s painfully obvious how much destruction she has brought to the universe and those living in it. With that said, I enjoy seeing all the pieces come in to play and others being planted. It leaves the reader guessing and wondering what will happen next.

Characters

Readers will meet several new characters in this book, and they’re all fun and interesting. From heroes to villains, there will certainly be new favorite characters thanks to Unico: Hunted. I really believe Halian and Iver will be fan favorites, and I look forward to seeing more of them as the next volumes are released. And speaking of characters, we’re also seeing some of Osamu Tezuka’s other characters appear. Young readers may not notice, but for fans of Tezuka’s work, it’ll make you stop and say, “wait a minute! I know that guy!”

For context, Tezuka has a “star system” where several of his characters are given various roles in other series, kind of like actors. The original Unico manga featured several of these star system characters, including Ham Egg, Ochanomizu, and Spider, so it’s fun to see this aspect continuing in the new series. Given that some characters who often play villains sometimes get to be the hero, what roles will they play? In Unico: Hunted, the character Starrow is well known to fans of the Black Jack series as Dr. Kiriko. This long platinum-haired and eyepatch wearing character is often butting heads with Black Jack, but he’s been given an interesting role of celestial scientist in the new Unico series. How cool!

Easter eggs

Fans will also appreciate the Easter eggs in this volume. Again, young readers may not spot them, but fans of the original anime or manga will notice right away when reading. When we get a good look at Chiko’s bedroom, there are various toys around the room. To the bottom right, there are a few familiar characters hanging out. If you’ve watched Unico in the Island of Magic, you’ll spot Kukurukku (Lord Kuruku), Tolby (Toby), and a living doll near the bottom right. While these characters only appear in the second film, I thought it was nice to see them because they were based on Tezuka’s manuscript and they deserve more attention. There’s also a plush shark that looks similar to Jeff the Land Shark, which Gurihiru illustrates for Marvel. It could just be a random shark, but it looks suspiciously similar… Hmmm!

Artwork

Again, like the previous book, the visual storytelling is beautiful and captures the ambience and character emotions well. The readers see several unknown places, and each one has a distinctive design. From the polluted city, to Chiko’s room, and to the Fey’s underground home, there is much to see and makes the manga stand out. Tezuka focused on the fantasy elements in the original manga even when the setting was more modern, and it’s still present in this new series.

The pacing works well, and we get plenty of time with characters and important scenes before the setting changes. I really enjoy the full page images and spreads scattered throughout the book.

Unico

I love Unico is shining as a hero in this volume. Even though he’s lost his memories once again, he still focuses on others and trying to save and protect them. His magical elements change as he channels the forest through him, and I love the visuals for that. Especially when dealing with the factory and pollution. This is something about Unico’s abilities I enjoy because his magic will change to suit the needs of whatever event is going on.

While Tezuka often made Unico a side character in his own series, fans want to see more of Unico and you certainly get that in this series. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m happy to finally see this little guy receive the love he deserves for his own story. There are only two books available right now, but the third one will be out before we know it, and I look forward to seeing Unico’s adventure continue.

If you haven’t picked up the books yet, I highly recommend it. Whether it’s for you, a friend, or your kids, there’s something magical in each volume that I believe will inspire many. Again, everyone working on this series is doing an amazing job and I can’t wait for the third volume Unico: Lost next year.