Ranked #1534

Re: Cutie Honey

As a heterosexual female, I have no interest in fanservice geared towards males; they can enjoy it as much as they want but I’d certainly prefer not to see bouncing breasts at every turn when I watch anime. I find it even more irritating when fanboys insist that the latest fanservice-laden series is really deep and meaningful when you look past the D-cups. So when I downloaded a little OVA known as Re: Cutie (or Cutey) Honey, I wondered what I was thinking. Sure, the original 1973 anime series more or less created the modern-day magical girl, but this OVA is a much more recent – not to mention shortened -- retelling of the original. Could such a remake really be anywhere near as enjoyable as the original must have been to have so much influence? The answer, as I quickly discovered, was yes, yes, yes! Re: Cutie Honey is everything I’ve come to expect from one of my favorite genres, but with its own unique twist.

That said, though, the uniqueness isn’t apparent in the basic story. While Honey herself brings a few neat elements to the table (more on that later), the storyline itself is pretty standard magical girl fare. Honey can transform into a scantily-clad warrior who fights for love and justice, and she does so to battle the mysterious forces of evil that have come to her city, eventually making it to the leader, who of course has some connection to her. The worst part of the plot is that this story has been used in every magical girl series ever. That said, it’s still told well, and since the series totals to a little over two hours, it’s also told more quickly than usual; those who shy away from magical girls because of the filler that’s usually to be found, fear not! Another nice bonus to this typical plot is that it keeps the series from turning into completely over-the-top comedy-slash-fanservice fest. It’s also important to note that Re: Cutie Honey is completely self-contained and requires neither prior knowledge of the franchise nor watching another series to understand. Neat!

It’s fair to say that characters are vital in setting a cliché story apart from the crowd, and Re: Cutey Honey knows exactally how to do that. Honey, despite being the idol of rabid fanboys everywhere, is one of the coolest magical girls you’ll ever see. She’s smart, she’s strong, she’s cool, she can take care of herself, and she’s not afraid to be sexy. Because of the latter aspect of her personality, then, the fanservice elements of the series are significantly less intrusive than those of other series; Honey would rather kick butt while half-naked than panic and scream when her clothes get ripped off. As for other characters, the only truly significant one is Aki, a police officer that will stop at nothing to capture Honey at first but eventually becomes her closest friend. It’s a pretty predictable way for her to develop, but she’s still a lot of fun to watch bounce off (literally and not) of Honey; honestly, it’s one of the best parts of the series.

Meanwhile, Re: Cutie Honey’s music doesn’t disappoint. The opening theme song, used in some variety for every Cutie Honey series to date, is a peppy J-pop tune that is guaranteed to be stuck in your head for the rest of your life. This is not an exaggeration, by the way. The ending song, meanwhile, is cute but more forgettable. The background music, however, is top-notch; while it has been accurately compared to that of His and Her Circumstances, that’s in the best possible way. The happy scenes in particularly have BGM that’s both appropriate for the scene and well-composed on its own merit. Overall, the music, while not perfect, is in general a blast to listen to. The same can be said for the art, perhaps to an even greater degree. No matter what you look for in a good character design – cute, sexy, or just unique and stylish – Re: Cutie Honey has it in its characters. The most impressive element of the art, however, is the animation: loose, fun, and with perfect flow; it’s perfect for such a fun OVA.

And in the end, that’s what Re: Cutie Honey is: a lot of fun. Despite having a serious overlaying plot and good character development, almost every minute of every episode is packed with action and energy, and it rarely gets dull. It’s hard to find a series with more relentless energy. It might not be what you might expect from a short magical girl OVA, but this one’s special in that it’s more focused on making you laugh and just have a good time than anything else, and that’s what really makes it special. Even the large amounts of fanservice don’t distract from this: if you’re not interested in topless girls, it’s easy to look at the silly excuses for fanservice as just that: silly. I for, one was not bothered by it at all – I just looked at it as another of the series’ unique elements. If you’re looking for a quick, easy to watch anime series that won’t ask anything of you but to enjoy it, look no further than Re: Cutie Honey. read more

Honey has had a long history in anime. She's been dubbed as some as being the first real magical girl or mahou shoujo. She first appeared in the 70s, had a comeback in the 90s and resurfaced once more in the 2000s for this OAV. With a career like Wonder Woman's, it's such a surprise that Honey isn't iconic--and I know why. The Cutey Honey series isn't the most respectable franchise out here in the West. With a silly, exaggerated plotline and one-dimensional exploitative characters, I deem Honey's first incarnations to be critical failures.

However, this is not the case at all for Re: Cutie Honey. I think the series took another route and learned how to make the original bad story, very, very good. It is a parody of itself. R: CH is an alternate telling of Honey's tale. She's an OL (office lady) who superheros on the side (this move really does poke fun at the traditional secret identity theme). The story is still very silly and plenty exaggerated but in a way that actually WORKS, giving more attention to the comedic and satirical elements.

The art is literally an explosion of colours. It's experimental and the direction is unique. Some of the scenes animated are definitely a treat (or attack, if you don't like crazy action in striking colours) to watch. The animation is top-notch even though the character design for some of the backgrounds and minor characters are very abstract.

The sound. The infamous OP theme has been re-vamped. It is more upbeat and laced with techno as is the rest of the score. The music exudes the manic energy you find in this anime. Well done.

Characters are mostly used as plot devices; they dish out jokes, are the butt of jokes and sometimes ARE jokes. Honey is a ditz, this must be understood. Her incarnation in Re: Cutie Honey maintains her ditzy-ness, but believe it or not, she is actually very charming and lovable in this version. Nat-chan is the series' "straight man"; she is the one character who is "normal", and it's actually pretty funny when she goes berserk when very not-normal things happen around her. And notably, scenes with the duo are the highlights of the anime as they are the funniest and also the most heartfelt.

I enjoyed the heck out of Re: Cutie Honey. It definitely is made out of old parts but they all come together to work and work well. I loved the craziness, the non-stop action and I even didn't mind the ecchi-ness of it because it all came with a wink and a nudge (an anime that pokes fun at fanservice honestly wins, if you ask me). I know this has become one of my favourite experimental comedies.

If you love a laugh, satire, magical girls and asking yourself repeatedly 'What were they smokin' when they made this?!', then Re: Cutie Honey is definitely for you. Truly the best Cutey Honey to date, and one of the best comedies I have ever seen. read more