This 1994 OAV was the first of several revivals of the 1973 TV series based on Go Nagai's manga stories. The characters are an assortment of familiar types. Diminutive, cartoony Grandfather Denbei appears alternately power... more »ful and lecherous. Chokkei is the blushing teenage boy whose innocent charm earns him the protection of the buxom title character, the "lovely warrior" android who fights evil while losing her clothes with a frequency that would shock Little Annie Fannie. They're pitted against the demonic Dolmek and his hench-creatures who are trying to take over Cosplay City. But Honey proves more than a match for these nasty but ultimately ineffectual villains as she jiggles her way from victory to victory. New Cutey Honey embodies the "big eyes, big guns, big breasts" clichés that cause detractors to dismiss all Japanese animation--and send adolescent boys' pulses racing. Rated 17 Up: Nudity, violence, profanity. --Charles Solomon« less
"yeah, I forget! With Honey's bouncy breasts and ample derriere- jutting, the words in the title song are somewhat lost. Cutey Honey is a fun anime that I plan to keep watching. In this first volume, the title character makes her debut. A demure secretary for Mayor Light, Honey Kisaragi discovers her true identity with the help of a dirty old man, Grandpa Danbei. Honey can "change" appearance and costume into just about anything, including a gorgeous mermaid, depending on what the situation calls for. All she has to do is yell "Honey, FLASH!!"
In Cosplay City, where all the buildings close up look suspiciously like The Flintstones' houses, there are all kinds of He-Man reject villians attacking anything right and just. Mayor Light is the last bastion of justice for the city. Little Grandpa Danbei, whose body is really a cyborg, enhanced with powerful weapons, knows Honey's secret. His grandson, Chokkei, and Chokkei's parents, live with him and Honey. Chokkei's dad is also a pervert. One disturbing scene shows an enraged Chokkei's mom, naked and ranting about what a good body she has, after she has captured her husband and father-in-law spying on Honey in the shower. The scene is disturbing because Chokkei is grabbing his naked mom, trying to stop her.
Where does Honey come from? Much more of the mystery of her past has yet to be revealed. In the third episode, it is revealed she is an android. The main He-Man Villian Reject, Dolmek, comments that Honey, the "lovely warrior" is part of a prophecy. What is the prophecy? Is Honey unknowingly playing into the bad guys' hands?
I am a little confused. Honey's changing involves the magical girl genre, but she is an android. So is she magic or mecha? In anime, the two are rarely combined. Oh, well, maybe I am overthinking it. Let's watch the jiggling, round chest and fabulous physique. "She's the Girl With The . . . Uh . . . ""
Fan-Service Galore
Antonio D. Paolucci | Beaver Falls, PA | 01/18/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you've read any of my previous reviews, then you know that I'm not a huge fan of fan-service. I think its shameless and I believe that animators use it to keep your attention while they struggle to keep the story going. This is why weaker anime can sometimes thrive, because it allures subconsciously to our more carnal section of our brains (philosophical, huh?). New Cutey Honey, however, isn't one of those anime. Fan-service dominates this series, but it runs parallel to the story, and is really meant to bring about laughs more than anything.
Honey is an android capable of changing into many different forms, all with their own special skills and uniforms. Unfortunately, that means she must end up in the buff for at least a few moments while the old uniforms shreds away for the new one to come. Though clearly shameless, it's usually funny because no matter how modest she attempts to be it just doesn't work. She must use a vast array of uniforms and skills in order to battle the evil Dolmeck, the man responsible for taking control of an entire city. Helping Honey is a young boy--who blushingly idolizes Honey--and his family, including the lecherous grandpa and the boy's criminal parents. When mixed together, it adds an interesting and unique cast.
Though filled with action and some drama, this is not a drama in any way. It's pure slapstick comedy from start to finish, never meant to be taken seriously. The animation quality is pretty high for an anime of that time, and Go Nagai, one of the legendary directors and animators, applies his well-known style. I'd recommend this to people who either enjoyed the original Cutey Honey series, are a fan of Go Nagai and his many anime, or like anime similar in design such as Golden Boy, then pick this up. Rated 17+, though, I would keep it away from children."
The Amazing Amazon Android Returns
L. Mintah | 01/27/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Vol. 1 starts out with the world slipping into dark times. Crime is out of control, and a master villian, Dolmeck, is up to no good. A generation earlier, the legendary warrior Cutey Honey vanished during her final battle with the evil Panther Zora. Both are persumed to be dead. However, a prophecy predicts that when a geat darkness threatens to consume the world, than a warrior of light will appear. Needless to say, Dolmeck is the great darkness that threatens to consume the world, and Cutey Honey is the warrior of light who must stop him. Cutey Honey is an android who was created in the image of her maker's dead daughter. Before he was killed by Panther Zora's agents, he implanted in Honey a device that allows her to whip up whatever she needs out of thin air. This same machine allows Honey to transform herself into various different bodies that would be best suited to a particular situation. For adventures under the sea, she can transform into a mermaid, for adventures requiring stealth, she can transform into a ninja, well you get the picture. Honey reappears when a homicidal toady tries to kill the mayor. Fortunately for the mayor, an amnesic Honey had been his secretary all along, and this attack restores her memories. Honey soon meets up with a friend from the old days, a dirty old man who is intended to provide comic relief, and his family. Before the video ends, Honey has time for one more battle, this time with the Jewel Princess, a truly twisted individual who likes to freeze beautiful women and put them on display in her own private gallery. All of the villians are unique and memorable. The most vivid are Peeping Spider and Black Maiden, Dolmeck's two lieutenants. Peeping Spider, can spin webs, see things on all light spectrums, and has eight legs. The Black Maiden looks like a strung out nude Vogue model encased in a robot that serves as her life support system and means of transport. The video ends with Dolmeck and company still needing to be stopped, and Honey determined to do so. Will the second installment of our heroine's adventures be as thrilling as the first? Well, you'll just have to wait till I review vol.2 to find out."
Cutey Honey is a good anime to watch.
Antonio D. Paolucci | 12/08/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Let's get right to the point. Cutey Honey is in no way an "award-winning", nor an "award-worthy" anime. If you're looking for an anime that will amaze, mentally challenge, and/or force you to ponder greater thoughts in life, this isn't it. However, if you're looking for a few good laughs, and are not particularly bothered by almost endless, and pointless female nudity (not really graphic), then maybe this is for you. This anime has some violence, but no strong sexual content. The English dubbing is done by a credible team at ADV.The story is not particularly strong, deep, and/or complex. However, some of the characters are all very likeable, and they'll probably grow on you, as they have on me. The anime starts weak, but it eventually gets better as the episodes progresses. There are a total of 4 episodes on this DVD. I regretted buying this anime during the first episode, was mildly interested in the second, curious by the third, and won over completely by the fourth. I'm looking forward to the rest of the unfortunately short series."
Cutey Honey 2 (Dolmeck 0)
L. Mintah | 01/29/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Vol. 2 starts off with Honey battling a montage of baddies with a rousing rock song playing in the background. The singer of the song is a young women named Selina. Not only is she a popular rock star, but she also hands out a drug that turns people into horrific monsterous versions of themselves. Both the Jewel Princess and the gun-wielding toady from vol. 1 used these drugs. Honey is soon onto to Selina. She is tipped off to Selina when the last villian she dispatches in the opening montage dies uttering her name. When Honey confronts Selina, the Peeping Spider captures her young friend Chokai(I'm not sure on the spelling of his name so please bear with me.) This sets the stage for Honey's final battle with Dolmeck and his minions. During this epic confrontation, Dolmeck's master plan revealed, as is the secret of the Black Maiden. All of this provides great entertainment. However, it is easier to follow if you watch this volume shortly after seeing vol.1. Also neither volume provide detailed information on Honey's past. If you pay close attention, everything you need to know is revealed, however, I suspect it would all make sense quicker if you have seen the 1972 TV series that this is a sequel to. Although it is a cartoon, the story of Cutey Honey is not for children! There are acts of graphic violence. It is not uncommon to see people get eviscerated. Also, each of Honey's metamorphoses leave her temporarily nude while her clothing rearranges itself. Needless to say, her dirty old man sidekick, and most male viewers, greatly enjoy these scenes. Both vol. 1 + 2 are available either dubbed into English, or in the original Japanese with English subtitles. Some of the jokes in the dubbed version are different than in the subtitled version, but the important elements of the story are the same. A major complaint of Japanese animation fans is that when a video is dubbed into English, the voices don't really match the characters. This is true with some of the supporting players in this story, but major characters like Honey and Dolmeck are just fine. Although their lines aren't always delivered in the same style as their Japanese counterparts, I think that in the case of the major characters it is more a different interpretation of the dialog rather than a lack of acting skills that spawns this difference. At this point you must be wondering does Cutey Honey live happily ever after, or is there an even greater evil than Dolmeck lurking in the shadows? You'll just have to wait for my review of vol.3 to find out."