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Re: Cutie Honey [Re: = Return/Renewal/Regarding] (2004)
By Jmaruyama

Note: This review is for Episode 1, additional updates will be appended to this review as future episodes become available.

For more information on this series visit Toei’s Official Website http://www.re-cutiehoney.com and Gainax’s Series Website http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/re_cutie/

General Information

Air Dates:
Episode 1 (7/24/04 – Sky PerfecTV! PPV; 9/21/04 – DVD Release)
Episode 2 (8/28/04 – Sky PerfecTV! PPV; 10/21/04 – DVD Release)
Episode 3 (9/25/04 – Sky PerfecTV! PPV; 11/21/04 – DVD Release)

Episodes:
Episode 1 – “Ten” (Heaven)
Episode 2 – “Chi” (Earth) -- To be reviewed when released.
Episode 3 – “Hito” (Human) – To be reviewed when released.

Broadcast by: Sky PerfecTV! Cable PPV
Original Story: Go Nagai
Producer(s): Anno Hideaki (Gainax)
Series Planning: Nakajima Kazuki
Screenwriter(s): Nakajima Kazuki; Kasai Takeo; Taki Koichi
Director(s): Imaishi Hiroyuki; Ito Naoyuki; Masayuki
Character Designs: Hiramatsu Sadashi
Animation: Gainax;Toei Animation
Music: Ueda Susumu
Produced by: Re: Cutie Honey Planning Committee

Theme Song:
Opening:
"Cutie Honey”
Lyrics: Nagai Go
Original Producer: Krodo Q (Claude Q)
Original Composer: Watanabe Takeo
Modern Arrangement\Music: n-wonder & Avex Group
Performed by: Koda Kumi

Ending:
"Into Your Heart"
Lyrics: Koda Kumi
Arrangement\Music: n-wonder & Avex Group
Performed by: Koda Kumi

Cast:
Horie Yui (Kisaragi Honey/Cutie Honey)
Noda Junko (Inspector Aki Natsuko)
Ishikawa Hideo (Reporter Hayami Seiji)
Nakao Ryohei (Detective Mikami)
Tanaka Kazumi (Detective Tokimura)
Uemura Noriko (Gold Claw)
Itakura Kazue (Sister Jill)
Toma Yumi (Black Claw)
Kingetsu Mami (Cobalt Claw)
Konno Hiromi (Scarlet Claw)
Shimada Bin (Assistant Manager Mainen)
Kiyokawa Motomu (Butler)
Sugiyama Kazuko (Izumiya Kyoko)
Kaneda Tomoko (Takahashi Mayumi)
Komatsu Yuka (Terada Rinko)

The Story

The setting is Japan (Tokyo?) and the time is in the near future. A mysterious terrorist organization calling itself “Panther Claw” has launched a series of daring and bold attacks on the city. The Metropolitan Police are utterly helpless against them. The Police Department’s top Inspector Aki Natsuko is called in to head the battle against Panther Claw.

They pursue one of the Panther Claw agents, Destroyer Panther but are unable to stop her. Just as things seem at their darkest, a mysterious motorcycle rider appears from nowhere to stop Destroyer Panther. Upstaged, a furious Natsuko vows to arrest the mysterious biker. In subsequent days, Panther Claw’s other agents Doctor Panther and Scope Panther are also defeated by the same mysterious heroine.

Tiring of these meddling encounters, Panther Claw dispatches out one of their “Four Kings <Queens>” (Shitenoh) the hulking Gold Claw to take of the situation. Gold Panther takes over a local TV station and issues an ultimatum to the mysterious heroine on National TV. The mysterious heroine takes the challenge and reveals herself to be the “Warrior of Love” Cutie Honey.

After a raging battle, which ends in a stalemate, Cutie Honey is nearly captured by the persistent Natsuko. It is only through the intervention of street-savvy Mai Asa Shinbun (Daily Morning Newspaper) Reporter Hayami Seiji that Honey is able to escape. Seiji seems to know a lot about Honey and her past, much to her dismay. Seiji also knows Honey’s secret. That she is a female android who utilizes the “I <Ai> System” (Love System) to change into the “hard bodied” Super Heroine, Cutie Honey.

When not fighting crime, Honey masquerades as a somewhat naïve OL (Office Lady) at the Tachibana Banking Institution where she is at the mercy of her dimwitted boss, Mainen and catty co-workers, Rinko and Mayumi.

Thirsting for revenge Gold Claw launches another assault, this time on the Metropolitan Police Department itself. Aided by Destroyer Panther, Doctor Panther and Scope Panther, the four nearly succeed in leveling the entire building if not for the timely intervention of Honey and Seiji.

After defeating Destroyer Panther, Doctor Panther and Scope Panther, Honey and Gold Panther do battle but Gold Panther ’s powers are too strong. Gold Panther holds Natsuki hostage and orders Cutie Honey to surrender to her.

Natsuki however activates Cutie Honey’s “I System” with a well placed gunshot to her heart-shaped choker and Cutie Honey finally defeats Gold Panther with her ultimate attack(s) - the “Silver Fleuret Lightening Shower” and “Honey Spiral Typhoon”. Learning of the defeat of Gold Claw, Panther Claw leader Sister Jill next orders Cobalt Claw and Scarlet Claw to go after Honey and destroy her.

Natsuko is assigned fulltime to lead the investigation against Panther Claw. Natsuko looks forward to the challenge but dreads the idea of meeting up with Cutie Honey again. As fate would invariably have it, and much to Natsuko’s chagrin she discovers that Kisaragi Honey lives next door to her, in their apartment complex.

Seiji also vows to discover the connection between Sister Jill, Honey and Prof. Kisaragi.

Who is Cutey Honey?

“Cutie Honey” is the Super Heroine persona of Kisaragi Honey. Kisaragi Honey is the only daughter of a famed scientist who was brutally murdered years earlier by agents of Panther Claw.

Hayami Seiji tells Honey that she is not human at all but rather an artificial construct built by Prof. Kisaragi using DNA Code from his real daughter who had died in childhood.

Through the “heart shaped” choker jewelry that Honey wears around her neck, Honey is able to activate the “I <Ai> System” (Love System) that can give her various superhuman powers and abilities. These abilities include superhuman strength, speed, stamina and near invulnerability. Honey uses these abilities to fight as the super heroine Cutie Honey.

Another aspect of her powers include the chameleon-like ability to change and transform into various disguises, outfits and personas. This ability is powered by what’s called the “Imaginary Induction System” which uses Nano-Technology to power these various costume and fashion changes.

Thess powers are very physically draining and thus Honey need to consume vast amounts of food in order to sustain these abilities. When her powers start to drain, Cutie Honey’s uniform/clothing begins to dissolve, exposing her ample “assets”.

While Honey is an android, she is so well constructed and designed that for all intents and purposes, she can pass as human (she shows emotion, needs to eat and sleep, and desires love). This can be attributed to Prof. Kisaragi’s skills as a scientist as well as the DNA Code he used to create Honey.

Hayami hints that Panther Claw’s various agents also incorporate a variation of Prof. Kisaragi’s Nano-Technology for their powers. Sister Jill in particular is somehow connected to Prof. Kisaragi and may also use a form of the “I System” for her powers.

Review

Loud, gaudy and campy, “Re: Cutie Honey” is an assault on the senses.

Taking its cue possibly from American shows like “Powerpuff Girls”, “South Park” and “Samurai Jack”, the animation is very much simplified to the point of resembling crude graffiti art.

The animation style is also similar and reminiscent of that used in the “New Getter Robo” OVA series (2004).

While the fantastic title animation promises stylish animation harking back to shows like “Cowboy Beboy”, “Lupin III” and the original “Cutey Honey” series of the 70’s, the rest of the show disappoints with distorted and garish animation that is sub par and truly unsettling.

Even the animation of shows like “The Big O” and the American series “Justice League Unlimited” seem better by comparison.

I can only suspect that part of the intention was to mimic and pay tribute to Nagai Go’s original manga work but what worked for series like “Kikaider: The Animation” may not necessarily work for all shows.

However, while the animation suffers, the story is actually quite good. A very different approach to the Nagai Go story that puts a bit of a modern spin on the tale and yet is still familiar enough so as not to put off fans of the original series.

The music is another bright spot for this series. Koda Kumi’s rendition of “Cutie Honey” is quite good as is the ending theme “Into Your Heart”. It does help that J-Pop Music Powerhouse, Avex-Group helped with the music arrangement.

“Re: Cutie Honey” is not a bad series, just not a very good one. Long time fans of Cutey Honey like myself, will find this a unique and quite different take on the character and story. While not on the same level as “Cutey Honey Flash”, I still recommend it to fans. First time viewers to the show should hold off and wait for the live-action movie before investing in the series.

Trivia

“Cutey Honey” is the creation of prolific manga artist/creator Nagai Go who has created some of the most memorable manga characters in Japanese comics including Mazinger Z, Devil Man, Great Mazinger, UFO Grand Dizer, Getter Robo and Violence Jack.

Nagai Go was an apprentice to the famous Tokusatsu Creator Ishinomori Shoutaro.

Nagai Go got the idea for Cutey Honey from the Kawauchi Kohan creation “Ai No Senshi Rainbow Man”.

"Re: Cutie Honey” is based on the Toei Movie “Cutie Honey” which was directed by Anno Hideaki, the writer/director behind the revolutionary and influential anime series “Evangelion” (Gainax; 1995).

Horie Yui’s voice credits also include “Kikaider: The Animation” (Ishimori Pro Inc./ SME Visual Works Inc./Bandai; 2000 - voiced Komyoji Mitsuko), “Love Hina” (Studio I.G./Bandai/TV Tokyo; 2000 - voiced Narusekawa Naru) and “Kanon” (Fuji TV/Toei; 2002 - voiced Tsukimiya Aya). Horie appeared in the Tokusatsu TV series “Sen Nen Okoku San Kishi – Bunny Knights” (TV Asahi/KSS; 1999 – voiced Alice and portrayed Kimishima Seriya).

Noda Junko is also an alumnus of the TV series “Love Hina” (portrayed Konno Mitsune). Fans of the seminal series “Last Exile” (Gonzo – Digimation; 2003) may also recognize her as the voice behind Dio Erakurea.

Kiyokawa Motomu portrayed another butler, Norma Burg in the stylish series “Big O” (Sunrise; 2003).

Sugiyama Kazuko will always be remembered as the voice behind G-3/June in the landmark series “Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman” (Tatsunoko Pro; 1972).

Jmaruyama

Beyond Japan Hero
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Copyright © 2006

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