Cutie Honey (TV)

Title:Cutie Honey (TV)
Overall:Buy
Keywords: , , , , , ,
Notables: KATSUKI Masako
MASUYAMA Eiko
NAKANISHI Taeko
Original Concept - NAGAI Go
SAWADA Kazuko
YAMAMOTO Keiko
YOSHIDA Rihoko
Honey Kisaragi finds her beloved Papa murdered by the nefarious Panther Claw criminal organization. Dr. Kisaragi, a famous designer of robot technology, has left Honey a startling legacy--she is an android herself, "the one work of art I completed"! She posseses unprecedented capabilities, thanks to an "elemental manipulation device" which must not fall into the hands of Panther Claw at any cost. "I have taken a vow" Honey declares, "I will destroy each and every one of the Panther Claws!"

25 TV Episodes.

[edit] The ↗Cutey Honey franchise:
Episode Details 
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Unevaluated Stretch [series:978#628]
I can die happy now, for I have found the Holy Grail of Cutie Honey anime. Seeing as it is over 30 years old, I was unsure how the quality would compare to the versions I was familiar with, but right from the start the exciting OP sequence had me giggling like a little girl. I won't try to convice anyone who knows nothing but the sophisticated anime of the present day that they are missing a golden opportunity, but if you keep in mind how old this one is you may just be surprised how good it is. Let's call this one an acquired taste--if you have liked the more recent incarnations of Cutie/Cutey Honey, you might just be curious about it's original form (how the hell did anybody get their hands on recordings of this show? Is it still being rerun today?).* The action sequences are kind of laughable--don't even try to take them seriously. At times the artwork and animation reminded me of both Speed Racer and Lupin III. Though they can't compare to what's taken for granted nowadays, the style and pizazz with which Honey dukes it out are brilliant--she both mocks her opponents and beats the crap out of them, all the while remaining her mischievious, lovable self. But it's the comedy which remains surprisingly fresh even today (the lesbian teachers at Honey's Catholic school, for example). I like to think it was intended from the start to have a kind of campy humor to it, rather than that just happening by accident. I noticed all sorts of parallels to the recent remake of the saga, Re: Cutie Honey. If you think fanservice was invented by Gainax in the 1980's, take a look at an episode or two of this series!
More later...

My favorite line (so far): "Junpei, where are you? Don't do anything stupid" --Danbei Hayami (blindfolded)

*I contacted "Sailor Spork", the outfit that has been fansubbing this series, and was told that yes, it is still in syndication in Japan today--it's that popular!

Last updated Sunday, February 10 2008. Created Monday, February 28 2005.

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