A new outfit - New Galaxy Anime -has just announced they're going to be releasing the 1981 Tezuka / Sanrio film THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF UNICO on DVD in the United States.
Unico, of course, is the little blue unicorn with magic powers who gets involved in various adventures with other little cute animals, some of whom are devils and others who turn into teenage girls and are seduced by mysterious barons. When things get scary and/or dangerous, Unico himself turns into a giant adult unicorn who is perfectly capable of killing the bad guys. Maybe a bit intense for younger children, but everybody else will find it rocks! The animation director is Akio "Golgo 13" Sugino, which means this thing looks great. It's a high-quality production that goes above and beyond its Sanrio roots. The English dubbing is top-notch, with great songs including a melodic little number about "Katy The Kitty Witch." Both UNICO and its sequel UNICO IN THE ISLAND OF MAGIC are terrific anime films that match anything else Japan (or America) was producing at the time.
This got a fairly well-promoted home video release in the United States back in 1984 - I cadged this poster from the local Record Bar back when VHS tapes were selling for $34.95 each. As a staple of the children's video section, UNICO and its MAGIC sequel did journeyman work as video babysitters for the youngsters who would later grow up, become anime fans, and start to remember this crazy thing they saw when they were kids about a little unicorn.
Everybody should welcome New Galaxy Anime-- with lots and lots of pre-orders! New Galaxy should immediately secure the rights to RINGING BELL and next, NOEL'S FANTASTIC TRIP.
