Japanese voice actress, Katsue Miwa, who voiced Unico in the 1981 (Unico aka The Fantastic Adventures of Unico) and 1983 (Unico in the Island of Magic) films, passed away June 19, 2024 at 80 from an acute pulmonary embolism. Aoni Productions made the announcement on July 1.
Miwa was born in Osaka on October 12, 1943 and moved to Tokyo when she was four. She appeared in several anime, TV series, movies, commercials, and much more over the years. With her cute voice and ability to voice boyish roles, Miwa could play many popular and well-known characters such as Perman/Mitsuo Suba (パーマン). Not only did she play Perman, she also performed the 1967 and 1983 theme songs. Down below is the theme song “Bokura no Perman” (Our Perman) sung by Miwa.
Both Perman and Unico’s manga appear in the First Grader Magazine during the early 80s, so it’s interesting to see Miwa’s voice roles together in one spot. During some of the 1983 issues, you can see Perman and Unico together on the covers and on interior pages.
This cover has both characters toward the bottom right, along with others.
The news of Miwa’s passing saddens us, but we should celebrate the many accomplishments she achieved during her life. Her legacy will live on with so many generations, and we appreciate all the characters she’s helped bring to life. We’re grateful for her role as Unico and so many others.
Rest in peace, Katsue Miwa.
Sources:
– Voice Actress Katsue Miwa Dies at 80 Due to Pulmonary Embolism – News – Anime News Network
– Katsue Miwa | Aoji Productions Inc. (aoni.co.jp)
– “Perman Calimero” “Fujiko Mine” “Kindaichi Boy” A series of obituaries of voice actors who colored national works (Daily Sports) –Yahoo! News