And let me tell you, Cutie Honey Universe is weird.
Seeing as how Cutie Honey is a series about a superheroine that regularly takes clothing damage, has a copious amount of fanservice, and is notable for being the first anime with a nude transformation sequence (ala Sailor Moon), this is to be expected. If you've done the bare minimum for research of this anime, you know precisely what you're getting into. If shameless fanservice makes your skin crawl, do not even think about watching Cutie Honey Universe.
If you do like fan service, then Cutey Honey Universe has you covered every step of the way. Even if an episode is on the serious side, the fact that Honey Kisaragi fights in a form-fitting, midriff-baring suit with a cleavage window guarantees that the more eye-candy-minded viewers will have something to look forward to. This is helped by the fact that the animation never feels objectively bad.
The character designs as a whole are pretty great. From beautiful and cute designs such as Genet, Honey, and Jill, to the unsettling designs of most of the Panther Claw members, to the unique designs of characters such as Naoko. The only design I didn't quite care for was Danbei's. We'll get back to him in a moment.
The music is also pretty great. I didn't notice at first, but a lot of the tracks are insanely catchy and practically burst with groove and/or style. Sister Jill's theme in particular is a standout track. I wish there was an OST.
Now, time to get to the story. There's a reason why I'm talking about this last. Yes, it exists, and no, it's not terrible perse.
It's just not very good, either.
The premise is as follows: Honey Kisaragi is an android attending the all-girls academy, Saint Chapel. When not attending school, Honey works alongside the law-enforcement organization, PCIS, as the superheroine of love, Cutie Honey. As of late, her days as Cutie Honey are spent fighting the mysterious organization known as Panther Claw, a crime gang filled with monstrous women. Honey has a personal vendetta against Panther Claw, for they are responsible for her father's death. Panther Claw desires the device that allows Cutie Honey to transform, the Airborne Element Fixing Device. Making matters more complicated is the fact that her new partner has a secret identity of her own: Sister Jill, the leader of Panther Claw.
The premise sounds interesting enough, but its true potential is never realized. Honey's double-life is hardly acknowledged, to the point where the anime hardly makes it clear that Honey's best friend, Nat-Chan, doesn't know she's Cutey Honey. The mysterious organization, Panther Claw, remains just that, mysterious. We're never given a definite answer to their origin or motivation. While this in and of itself isn't terrible, Cutie Honey Universe has so little going for it, story-wise, that this lack of detail really shows. We're also not given much detail of Honey's life before Dr. Kisaragi was murdered.
If you were expecting a serious narrative, you'll be sorely disappointed with Cutie Honey Universe. The anime plays out like a (strangely sexual) Saturday morning cartoon. Monster of the week format? Check. Somewhat low stakes? Check. Plot seemingly standing still no matter the recent devlopment? Check. Don't get me wrong, Saturday morning cartoon shows can work. I'm not exactly sure why, but this one just didn't. Maybe the show's characters weren't good enough. Maybe everthing was a bit too static for my taste? I can't pinpoint the reason, but it made it hard to binge the first half of the show.
The story hits its stride around episode eight, but it's a bit too little too late, having Gundam ZZ's problem of taking too long to get good. Even if things get more serious, Cutie Honey Universe desires to have its cake and eat it too, inserting crude comedic moments that more than ever feel out of place. Still, giving credit where credit's due, the second half saved this show from being a 6 or below for me. The finale isn't fantastic, but it's good enough for this type of show.
The characters aren't terribly interesting. I suppose I should be glad that they're (mostly) inoffensive, however. The characters that stand out the most are Honey, Genet/Jill, Nat-chan, and arguably Naoko. Honey's self-proclaimed title of warrior of love (it's interesting to see how Cutie Honey is a precursor to the Magical Girl genre) is an interesting contrast to Jill's obsession with corruption. I commend the show on its depiction of sexuality. It was revolutionary in the 70s and its still pretty marvel for an anime today.
Now, let's talk about Danbei and Junbei Hayami, easily the worst characters of the show. The former is the perverted father of one of Honey's PCIS colleagues, and the latter is his equally perverted son. Their only function is to grope and assault Honey every chance they get and any scene with them is uncomfortable. A particularly horrible scene is when Honey transforms into a statue and the two proceed to lick her breasts and vagina. The show already has panty shots and skin galore, so why in the world were these two characters necessary? Their antics quickly grow frustrating and they leave nothing but a feeling of squick in their wake. No matter the stakes, no matter how bad Honey is feeling, if they have the chance, they will harass her. They can't be audience avatars because no one would want to be these two. If anything, their perverseness would seem to make the audience feel bad that they're indulging themselves in watching the show.
If you think the fight scenes could elevate the show, you'll be disappointed to find that they're mostly lackluster. They tend to be over too quickly and generally take place in a strange dimension with boring backgrounds. When the fights are interesting, they stand out, but unique fights are few and far between. If a fight drags on, you can bet that it's just to ensure that Honey's clothes will rip.
If you came for the ecchi and wanted to stay for the story, I can't recommend this anime. It gets better, but a great work of fiction won't have you wade through rubbish to get to the good parts. Of course, the show is mercifully short, so it's ultimately your call. If you're enticed to watch this show for nothing more than the attractive heroine with a penchant for ripping her clothes, you just might be in for a good time.
6.9/7
