Unico: Awakening Volume 1
The story follows the titular Unico, a unicorn who finds himself with no memories in the midst of a modern city. After meeting the plucky cat Chloe, they search for answers and a place to call home – all while discovering Unico’s mysterious magical abilities.
Unico first appeared on the page in 1976, created by the renowned manga artist Osamu Tezuka, revered by many as the ‘God of Manga.’ In 2024, Unico returned to the page with American writer Samuel Sattin and Japanese artist duo Gumihiru updating Tezuka’s work for a modern age. Unlike most manga but like its counterpart from the 1970s, Unico: Awakening utilises some style components of western comics, like full colour spreads and text that reads left to right, which means first-time manga readers will have no issues adjusting to this format.
The art style is beautiful with its bright, vivid colours and adorable characters. The design is close enough to Tezuka’s originals that the characters are recognisable, but different enough that they feel fresh. It’s a perfect mixture of homage to Tezuka and originality from the new creators. The panels feel dynamic and are able to translate movement through static images very well – Unico sword fighting with his horn was a particular highlight of the action scenes.
The story is a standard but charming adventure fare, as the adorable hero unicorn makes new friends and unlocks his powers. As the first volume in the series, a lot of time is spent establishing the world-building aspects, but it still presents a fun beginning to Unico’s hero’s journey.
A beautiful read that longtime manga fans and new manga readers will enjoy.
