Anime / Unico: Black Cloud and White Feather

"Where are you from Unico?"
"Who will you meet?"
"You bring happiness"
"You journey alone, bringing smiles."
"We will embrace your small body"
"Come here, Unico"
"Come to my side."
"Unico, let me wipe your tears away."
"Unico, share your sorrow with."

— Theme song to Unico: Black Cloud and White Feather

Unico: Black Cloud and White Feather (ユニコ 黒い雲と白い羽) is a 1979 Japanese Short Film by Sanrio Animation, marking the animation debut of Osamu Tezuka's Unico.

Based on "Black Rain and White Feathers" chapter of the manga. The short takes place in a mostly deserted town that's become unhealthy to live in, due to power plants polluting the air and the water becoming very dirty. As result, the town has become mostly deserted. After Unico (voiced by Hiroya Oka) befriends a rat named Garappachi and a young girl named Chico (voiced by Minori Matsushima), who has become critically ill due to poor environmental conditions. He decides to destroy power plants and digs through a hole to release the polluted water for a healthier climate.

The short served as a pilot for a potential Unico anime series, but was rejected by Japanese executives for unknown reasons. As a result, Tezuka and Sanrio decided to save those ideas for a series of Unico feature films in the early 1980s. The first was The Fantastic Adventures of Unico, released in 1981, and a sequel, Unico in the Island of Magic ^note  Which the short was included as a bonus feature. , was released in 1983. After Sanrio Animation shut down in 1985, Tezuka Productions released a new animated special starring Unico titled Saving our Fragile Earth: Unico Special in 2000.

In 2010, the short alongside Unico in the Island of Magic both received official Spanish dubs where Unico was voiced by Rosa Roma ^note  Replacing Matilda Vilariño who voiced Unico in the original Spanish dub of The Fantastic Adventures of Unico. The short was also included as a bonus feature for the Discotek Blu-Ray re-release of Unico In The Island of Magic in the United States with English subtitles.

An English translation of the short (via Closed Captions) can be viewed here.

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Unico: Black Cloud And White Feather provides examples of:

• Adaptation Dye-Job:
  • Unico's hair/mane is colored a darker shade of black/pink◊ compared to his standard design where his hair is pink (and occasionally red). Oddly enough, Unico is depicted with pink hair in some promotional art for the film.◊
  • Chico is depicted with long blonde hair in the short. In the manga, her hair was short and is colored brown.
  • Garappachi Garbage and his children are given brown/grey colored fur in the short while it was colored white in the manga.
  • Psyche is depicted with long blonde hair compared to the manga where she had short brown hair and was bun shaped.
• Adapted Out: The short removes a few characters' from the original manga this anime is based on. Such as Garappachi's wife Okuzu, omitting a few of Garappachi's children, and a fairy kingdom where Chico is given a white feather by a Fairy Prince to help her live longer.
• Adaptational Nonsapience: In the manga, the entire power planet had the ability to talk due to being powered by a computer. In the anime, it's not powered by a computer removing its ability to communicate to Unico and others.
• Art Evolution: Unico's design in this short is based off his early appearances◊ in the original manga (notably his orange eyes which switched to blue/green in the films), before the design used in the film series became his default design.
• All Just a Dream: When Chico's grandfather discovers Unico by mistaking him for a goat with a horn, he tosses him out their window, with Chico running after the young foal. Eventually, Unico and Chico get separated before it is revealed that it was just a dream. Sadly, the separation part does become a reality.
• Bittersweet Ending: After Unico makes the town become healthier, The West Wind is about to take him away from Chico due to the gods (specifically Venus) being after him. However, Unico begs The West Wind to let him stay a little longer so Chico won't die. While she obeys his decision, she allows Unico to return to her home to give Chico magical flowers that will make her completely healthy again. Sadly, Unico has to leave before Chico wakes up. She and Garappachi the rat are later shown searching for him. The short ends with Unico at the Hill of Oblivion searching for anyone else since he's alone once again as he sheds a Single Tear.
• Delicate and Sickly: Due to the poor living conditions that Unico quickly learns from Garappachi. Chico has become critically ill and can be heard coughing and having difficulty walking. Unico promises to watch over her and even decides to transform into his "Mighty Unicorn" form to take her for a ride to cleaner locations to make her feel better.
• Dark Reprise: During the short's ending, when Unico realizes he's once again alone at another location due to The West Wind taking him away from Chico. The short's theme song is given a more somber reprise as the poor unicorn starts crying.
• Compressed Adaptation: Due to being 26 minute long, the anime cuts a few scenes from the original manga. Notably Unico taking Chico and Garappachi to an island inhabited by fairies where they gain a white feather to help Chico live longer. Another plotline that was removed was the power planet falling so madly in love with Chico that it starts polluting everything.
• Green Aesop: The short (based on the "Black Rain and White Feathers" chapter in the original manga) involves Unico wandering around a deserted city filled with smoke, smog, and polluted water. When The West Wind sees Unico, she tries following him, but the polluted clouds of smoke from power plants prevent her from going any further.
• How Do I Shot Web?: When Unico realizes that the crumbs Garappachi gave him out of selflessness was originally intended for his own children. Unico begins crying as he unknowingly uses his powers to give his children a small slice of cake. When Garappachi tells this to him, Unico is completely confused over his capabilities casted from his horn and even hits his own head hoping it might work again.
• Minimalist Cast: With the exception of Psyche (Unico's owner) and Venus' non-speaking cameo appearance, the only characters featured in the short is Unico, The West Wind, Chico and her grandfather, and Garappachi with his children.
• Mrs. Exposition: The West Wind is seen explaining to the audience the origins of Unico and how he got separated from Psyche. Alongside her purpose as Unico's guardian where she is forced to take the baby unicorn to different locations so Venus and the other gods won't discover him.
• No Name Given: Chico's grandfather is never given a name, which even extends to the original manga.
• The Cameo: Psyche (Unico's owner and "Goddess of Soul") and Venus from the original manga both make a non-speaking cameo appearance during The West Wind's monologue about Unico's backstory.
• Sequel Hook: The short ends with Unico at the Hill of Oblivion searching for somebody to befriend after being lonely once again. While an actual Unico anime series never happened, it would form the basis for two animated films in the early 80s.
• Single Tear:
  • After seeing Garappachi's children nibbling on his tail since there's nothing else to eat, Unico sheds tears, and uses his horn to give the rat's children a small cake.
  • The short ends with Unico shedding a single tear when he realizes he's all alone in another unknown location.
• Tender Tears: When learning Garappachi performed a selfless act by giving him crumbs that was originally intended for his own children. Unico reacts by shedding tears as he unknowingly uses his powers to feed them a slice of cake.
• You Dirty Rat!: Subverted with Garappachi and his children who are friendly and kind towards Unico. When he discovers Unico, he becomes concerned with his well-being and offers him some small crumbs to Unico. When asking for for more, Garappachi offers Unico all his crumbs before reuniting with his children. After Unico takes pity to him and his children's lack of food, he magically gives them a small slice of cake for them to eat. The rat later introduces Unico to Chico who helps him discover that he's a unicorn.

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Unico, along again
Your silhouette walking away
Where are you going now?
Leaving happiness behind
When the sun rises tomorrow, a burning light will shine on you.
That light will, possibly
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