In 2019, the idea of doing a reimagined version of Unico came about when writer Samuel Sattin pitched the idea to Tezuka Productions. They accepted his pitch, and the artist team Gurihiru was soon on board to provide the manga’s artwork. Tezuka Productions was very involved with the project and the goal was to preserve Osamu Tezuka’s values and having a core understanding of his characters while also reinventing Unico. After a year of work, they were on their way to making a new Unico. All they needed was a platform to help promote the publishing of this new Unico!
That’s when they decided to do a Kickstarter. The Kickstarter project for Unico: Awakening launched on May 2, 2022, hoping to fund the reimagined version of Osamu Tezuka’s Unico. Within 24 hours, the goal of $50,000 was met. They offered several rewards, including prints by Akira Himekawa, Junko Mizuno, Peach Momoko, Tomm Moore, Kamome Shirahama, and more. Then they announced limited edition collectible artifact items by many American artists such as Maddie Copp, Rye Hickman, Amber Padilla, Julia Reck, and Steenz. When the Kickstarter ended on June 2, 2022, $179,794 in pledges were made with 2,453 backers. This was indeed an amazing feat!
Sattin based Unico: Awakening on the original manga chapter, “Cat on the Broomstick” (ほうきにのったネコ), where Unico befriends Chao/Katy the cat and together they go through various challenges. One goal for Unico: Awakening was to expand upon the original story, spending more time with its characters and developing them further. The West Wind, for an example, will no longer come and go when it’s Unico’s time to leave. She will have a greater role to play in Sattin’s story as Unico’s protector.
Not long after the Kickstarter’s success, the children’s publisher Scholastic acquired this new manga as part of their Graphix series. The reimagined Unico by Samuel Sattin and Gurihiru became a series of books, with Unico: Awakening being the first volume in the series. Unico: Awakening was released August 6, 2024.
What’s Unico’s story?
Life’s secret undercurrents created unicorns, and they could travel to the god and mortal realms. Everywhere they went, they inspired the people there.
Then a unicorn gave birth to a blessing of foals. Amongst them, the brave and curious Unico would explore his surroundings. He stumbled upon an ancient garden and met the beautiful Psyche.
As the two became closer, their love for each other created a powerful force which crossed into the mortal realm. The force overcame the humans, but it inspired them to create stories and works of art with unicorns.
Venus, goddess of love and beauty, noticed this powerful force, and it made her jealous. She did not want others being inspired by anything else but her.
Venus dispatched her spies and located the source of the power. She ordered her subjects to lure Unico away from the garden, and when he arrives in the presence of the jealous goddess, she has West Wind take him away. Venus tells West Wind to travel through the Sands of Time and Space so he’ll forget who he is and where he came from. Then she is to leave him on the Hill of Forgetfulness to wander in eternal solitude.
On her way to the Hill of Forgetfulness, she passes it by and continues on to the mortal realm. She took pity on Unico and devised a plan to allow her to protect the little unicorn. Unico could wander the lands, but the moment his power awakened, West Wind would come for him, repeating the endless cycle of erasing his memories and traveling to unknown places. It is the only way to protect Unico from Venus.
Danger is not far, and soon Unico must face those who wish to destroy him over and over again.
Where can I read the manga?
Unico is available at most book retailers and in several formats, including hardcover, softcover, and digital. The series is also being published in many languages across the globe, so most people will have the chance to read about this adorable yet powerful unicorn.
Where to buy:
– Amazon
– Barnes & Noble
– Scholastic
| Resources | |
|---|---|
| Interviews | Interviews with author Samuel Sattin, Gurihiru, and more from various sources. |
| News Page | Collection of news related articles and quick updates for Unico. |
| Publications | More information on the Unico books (Unico: Awakening, Unico: Hunted, and more). |
Official Websites:
– HOME | samuelsattin (Author Samuel Sattin’s website)
– Unico (scholastic.com)
– UNICO: AWAKENING (ユニコ: 目覚めのおはなし) (@UnicoManga) / Twitter
– UNICO: AWAKENING manga by Gurihiru & Samuel Sattin by Octas Inc. — Kickstarter
– Unico: Awakening – Hill Nadell Literary Agency