Re: Cutie Honey

The last words spoken to Honey Kisaragi by her father before his death at the hands of the mysterious organization Panther Claw have shaped her way of life. It is the sole reason she still continues to fight for the sake of others.

The energetic Inspector Natsuko Aki does her absolute best to apprehend the members of Panther Claw and bring them to justice, but they are simply too much for the police to handle. The only one who can give these criminals a run for their money is the sexy warrior of love and justice, Cutie Honey—the secret alter ego of Kisaragi. Although Natsuko refuses to acknowledge vigilantes, her relationship with Honey progresses for the better as the strong-headed detective realizes the true intentions behind Honey's actions.

Overtime, Honey grows more fearful of her burning desire for revenge; meanwhile, Natsuko wants to protect her friend, a sentiment that clashes with her ideals of upholding the law. If they ever hope to stand a chance against the menacing Panther Claw, the duo will have to put aside their differences and stand together.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kisaragi, Honey Main

Horie, Yui Japanese

Aki, Natsuko Main

Noda, Junko Japanese

Hayami, Seiji Main

Ishikawa, Hideo Japanese

Hayami, Danbei Supporting

Sister Jill Supporting

Ikura, Kazue Japanese

Scarlet Claw Supporting

Konno, Hiromi Japanese

Black Claw Supporting

Touma, Yumi Japanese

Cobalt Claw Supporting

Kingetsu, Mami Japanese

Doctor Panther Supporting

Shindo, Naomi Japanese

Kisaragi's Boss Supporting

Shimada, Bin Japanese

Satou, Hiroki Producer

Takeda, Yasuhiro Assistant Producer

Matsumura, Shunsuke Assistant Producer

Anno, Hideaki Director, Episode Director, Key Animation

Reviews

Feb 19, 2024

blizar

Recommended

Re: Cutie Honey consists of 3 fast paced OVAs with fun characters and a rule of cool storyline all presented with artistic animation that was way ahead of its time.

What makes these OVAs really special is the number of popular names that are credited for these episodes. Episode 1 was directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, most known for his directorial work with Studio Trigger, for example Gurren Lagaan, Kill La Kill and most recently Cyberpunk Edgerunners. Episode 2 was directed by Naoyuki Ito, who went on to direct Overlord and other Madhouse anime. But most importantly, episode 3 was directed by Hideaki Anno, the director ... of the Evangelion franchise. With three of the industry’s big names involved in the visual presentation aspect of this anime, you can tell that these OVAs are going to be a feast for the eyes.

The plot however is less noteworthy, consisting mostly of the cartoony evil bad guys terrorizing a town that our superhero Cutie Honey has to save. The first two episodes are mostly filled with ecchi jokes and cool battles, although entertaining, lack much substance. That’s until the third episode which since directed by Hideaki Anno, explores themes of isolation and identity which may come off as pretentious considering the tone of the previous two episodes.

The characters are colorful and lively and do undergo character development throughout the OVAs. Most of all, they’re a lot of fun, as they’re charismatic and have some human elements which increase their relatability. Overall, the characters aren’t amazing but they’re much better than you’d expect from a fanservice action OVA series.

That brings me to the next point: the fanservice. These OVAs are filled with it, from skimpy character designs to characters losing clothes in battle, and there’s even some yuri scenes in there for the yuri fans. However, unlike most anime, this show handles fanservice very well. The pace of the storyline and action is never hindered by it and isn’t used to dehumanize the female characters; rather, it empowers them. Of course, those who don’t like ecchi will still not enjoy it. Nevertheless, people like me, who don’t mind when fanservice is used artistically, will appreciate how it’s never overdone and how it never interferes with the pacing or clashes with the tone.

To sum it all up, Re: Cutie Honey stands out as a highly memorable OVA series, thanks to its accomplished directorial team and its high-octane, stylized action paired with tasteful fanservice. With only three episodes, it’s not much of a time investment. So, if what I described above appeals to you, I fully recommend giving this anime a try.

Final Scorings:
Animation: 10/10 (Artistic)
Sound: 8/10 (Great soundtrack and VA work)
Story: 6/10 (Episodic rule of cool mostly with some theme exploration in episode 3)
Character: 9/10 (Sexy and Well-built)
Value: 9/10 (Classic, inspired Kill La Kill)
Enjoyment: 9/10 (Short and fun)
Overall: 8.5/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Mar 8, 2018

Krisskriss

Recommended

The first episode was directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi. If you recognize his animation and directing style from FLCL's fifth episode, Gurren Lagann, Dead Leaves, Panty & Stocking and Kill la Kill, you already know what you're in for. His characters don't animate the _most_, but they animate in creative, exaggerated and really funny ways. Combined with the peppy soundtrack, the abstract backgrounds and the comedic tone, they make up a 1-hour romp of Cutie Honey beating up on villains while losing all her clothes.

The remaining two episodes aren't nearly as good. The second one is animated like a regular cheap TV show, while the ... third one abandons the light tone in favor of a more serious conclusion. After the first episode, you will want to see the conclusion to the story because episode 1 was so good. But it's a bit of a waste of time.

I can still heartily recommend the first episode, which I've rewatched many times. It's fun, it's funny, and it feels like it goes by in the blink of an eye. I appreciate it even more after Kill la Kill - Imaishi's stuff is usually best when it's short and sweet, a big burst of enjoyable energy. If you can get behind the content in Kill la Kill, you owe it to yourself to get a concentrated version of that.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Nov 11, 2022

giordana0

Mixed Feelings

The anime on its own is fine, as a homage for Cutey Honey, its pretty much the best you’ve got, the character design is charming, the visuals are bright and interesting, the soundtrack for the anime has a lot of songs with the motif of the Cutey Honey’s first anime opening, which is nice to hear throughout the anime, and that’s were the good points end, pretty much.
Only the first episode leaves that big impression on you, due to the fact that Hiroyuki Imaishi is directing it, so its natural you will have that colorful environment and fast action, the other two episodes left ... the feeling you’re watching an entire different anime, they’re not that bad, but it plays like a low-budget mahou shoujo and the third episode might be Hideaki Anno’s weakest direction, because the anime could have a really good last episode to redeem episode 2 (it dragged on too much), however, it only was a huge Evangelion reference.
As for the ecchi, theres a lot , I kinda dislike it, but its a Go Nagai work after all, don’t let the ecchi stop you from watching this, there’s also Yuri, that I also disapprove, but only in a few scenes, the way it was implemented felt forced, it was a bad choice in the end. That is all you really needed to know. As a reboot, this works fine, but as an adaptation? Not really, some of the changes really bother if you read the original manga, only a few transformations from the og for Cutie appear and Natsuko changed way too much, but it is still enjoyable.

Anyway, watch it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Poll: Re: Cutie Honey Episode 1 Discussion HooHiraiBunny - Oct 9, 2009	22 replies	by Pentagonion »» May 25, 2:22 PM
	Poll: Re: Cutie Honey Episode 3 Discussion shanejayell - Jun 3, 2009	26 replies	by Magicmist »» Mar 9, 4:15 AM
	Poll: Re: Cutie Honey Episode 2 Discussion HooHiraiBunny - Oct 10, 2009	14 replies	by Magicmist »» Mar 9, 1:24 AM
	Has Anyone Seen The Movie? Mizilla - Oct 2, 2010	2 replies	by ChinskiaBajka »» May 5, 2023 8:21 AM
	It just bugs me.... PenDraco - Oct 16, 2011	2 replies	by removed-user »» Apr 23, 2019 2:40 PM