Osamu Tezuka is known to be the godfather of anime. Two of his most famous works are Kimba the White Lion and Astro Boy. Of course Tezuka created more than just that. One I encountered recently was The Fantastic Adventures of Unico.
Unico was first released in Japan in 1981, and first released in America in the mid 1980s. The plot behind The Fantastic Adventures of Unico also known as Unico for short, is about a young Unicorn named Unico. One day the goddess Venus gets jealous over a beautiful human girl named Psyche,
but Venus blamed Unico for all of Psyche’s good luck. Now Unico has a magical power that within his horn he can spread happiness. So besides not making Venus happy he also angered the other Gods. The Gods felt that it should be their choice whether or not people could be happy or not. As a retaliation to Unico the Gods called forth the West Wind to go and take Unico to the Hill of Oblivion where no life existed and Unico could live out his days completely alone. The West Wind couldn’t stand Unico’s fate so she sends him from place to place trying to keep him away from the God’s eyes and Unico isn’t allowed to use his magic or make any friends. Along the way Unico meets different characters and also meets different enemies.
When watching Unico it was obvious the movie was made for a younger audience, but now that the movie has been re-released on DVD last year I feel targeted the audience has extended to not only younger children but also nostalgia for those who watched it as a child, as well as fans of older anime. The film truly felt like it was made in the 80s. Besides the soft colors, the artstyle reflects anime from the 80s. The only problem with the film is how rushed it felt, the villain didn’t really turn up until the last 45 minutes of the film and the climax of the fight with Unico and the villain felt hurried as well. Otherwise I found the film truly adorable. I enjoy the simple plot and the characters were very likeable. The animation was smooth and clean which impressed me a bit since some anime I watched a child in the 90s wasn’t as smooth at times. For a heart-warming film and a oldie by Osamu Tezuka this is a film you want to check out.