Cutey Honey
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is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by
Go Nagai , better known by the pen name , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with ''Meakashi Polikichi'', but is best known for creating popular 1970s ...
. First appearing in ''
Weekly Shōnen Champion is a Japanese ''shōnen'' manga magazine published by Akita Shoten. History ''Shōnen Champion'' was first published on July 15, 1969. It has had numerous popular series by manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka, Go Nagai, Shinji Mizushima, Masa ...
s 41st issue of 1973, the series ran until April 1974. It follows an android girl named Honey Kisaragi, who transforms into the busty, red or pink-haired heroine Cutie Honey to fight against the assorted villains that threaten her or her world. One of the trademarks of the character is that the transformation involves the temporary loss of all her clothing in the brief interim from changing from one form to the other. According to Nagai, she is the first female to be the protagonist of a ''shōnen'' manga series. The ''Cutie Honey'' franchise spans many works, including numerous manga series, three
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
television series, two
OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
series, two
drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
s, three live action adaptations, and four stage plays. The first anime aired in 1973 and is considered a magical girl series in retrospect. In addition, the theme song of the series has become one of the most famous theme songs in the history of anime, and is widely known in Japan, even to those unfamiliar with the series. Despite the many different Cutie Honey works made, this theme song continues to be sung in all live-action and animated works except '' Cutie Honey Universe'' and '' Cutie Honey: Tears'', with different arrangers and singers. According to a Bandai survey, Cutie Honey ranked first in the "Favorite Characters" surveyed in April 1997 in two categories: girls aged 3 to 5 and girls aged 6 to 8.


Plot

Honey Kisaragi is a regular, 16-year-old
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
schoolgirl, until the day her father is murdered by the "Panther Claw" organization. After his death, she learns she is actually an android created by him and within her is . With her cry of "Honey Flash!" she can use the device to transform into the sword-wielding red-haired superhero, Cutie Honey. This device, or similar devices, have been used to explain her powers in all later ''Honey'' versions. While attending the Saint Chapel School for Girls-(in ''Cutie Honey Flash'', the school is
co-ed Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
instead of being an all-girls school), Honey seeks revenge against the Panther Claw organization, which is ruled by an ancient primordial evil known as Panther Zora and her younger sibling Sister Jill. Zora wants "the rarest items in the world" and seeks to steal the device within Honey created by her father, which would allow them to "create an endless supply of jewels". Meanwhile Jill, leader of the group's division in Japan, "only wants the finest riches" and has a crush on Honey. Honey is aided in her quest by Danbei Hayami and his two sons, journalist Seiji and young Junpei. Danbei is based on the character Daemon from Nagai's prior work '' Abashiri Family''. Nagai's manga also borrows the character Naojiro from that series (in a ''female'' form named Sukeban Naoko), while the anime borrows the Paradise School along with the characters Naojiro and Goeman (a teacher at the school) from the series. Naojiro is here the boss of the school's delinquent boys before being joined in the job by Honey. Honey is mischievous for a Japanese female hero, often teasing her male friends and mocking her enemies in combat. When transforming into Cutie Honey, she gives a brief rundown of the forms she has previously taken in that particular episode, and then declares, "But my true identity is ..." before yelling ''"Honey Flash!"'' and transforming. At school, Honey is something of a "class clown" who enjoys teasing and
prank A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...
ing her teachers Alphonne and Miharu. Much of the comic relief in the series comes from Honey's exploits at school. Miharu initially sees Honey as an incorrigible pest, but Alphonne is attracted to Honey and goes out of her way to be nice to her. Honey's best friend at school is the cute, freckle-faced Natsuko "Nat-chan" Aki. In the manga, Nat-chan, as well as the other students, had a crush on Honey; this crush was downplayed in the TV series. Honey has a large array of transformations in the series, her most common personae including: *Hurricane Honey ( biker). A woman who is "cool" with her motorcycle, anytime she needs to escape. *Misty Honey (
singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
). A rockstar with a dusty voice, who uses her microphone as a weapon. *Idol Honey (
stewardess A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...
). A woman disguised as a flight attendant. *Flash Honey ( cameraman). A reporter who blinds her opponents with her camera's "flash". *Fancy Honey (
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...
). A classy model who uses a long-stick cigar as a weapon. *Cutie Honey (
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
ine). A sword-wielding pink-haired warrior of love.


Production

In 1992, Nagai wrote that the idea to create a hero with seven transformations was pitched by a Toei producer. His inspiration for this character came from classic shows that featured protagonists who took seven different forms, including the ''
Bannai Tarao is the name of a set of Japanese mysteries (the first, , being made in 1946), featuring a detective of the same name who could take on seven different faces, in similar fashion to the protagonists of later series '' 7-Color Mask'', '' Rainbowman ...
'' mysteries. and '' Warrior of Love Rainbowman'' (1972).''Rainbowman'' and ''
Seven Color Mask is the name and title character of a tokusatsu TV series, later called . It was created by Kōhan Kawauchi, who also created ''Moonlight Mask''. This B&W TV show was the first superhero TV series by Toei Company Ltd. It was broadcast on NET (n ...
'' (1959), both created by
Kōhan Kawauchi (February 26, 1920 – April 6, 2008), also known as Yasunori Kawauchi, was a Japanese screenwriter who created various tokusatsu series, including the first, ''Moonlight Mask'', in 1958. He was originally from Hakodate, Hokkaido. His series '' ...
, were two
tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...
(live-action) shows involving transforming superheroes (another Kawauchi creation, " Gekko Kamen", is parodied in Nagai's ''
Kekko Kamen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. It was serialized in ''Monthly Shōnen Jump'' from September 1974 to February 1978, with the chapters collected into five ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shueisha. It f ...
'').
His decision to make the protagonist a " female android" came from female characters from his previous works, ''
Harenchi Gakuen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The manga was one of the first to be serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', where it ran from 1968 to 1972, with its chapters co ...
'' and '' Abashiri Family'', and from the character Maria from ''
Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...
''. The series' working title was ''Honey Idol'', as stated by Go Nagai the booklet of a DVD release. Nagai revealed in the afterword of a recent manga rerelease, that Honey Kisaragi's name is a reference to the 1965 American TV series ''
Honey West Honey West is a fictional character created by the husband and wife writing team Gloria and Forest Fickling under the pseudonym "G.G. Fickling", and appearing in eleven mystery novels by the duo. The character is notable as being one of the firs ...
.'' Originally, ''Cutie Honey'' was meant to be a shōjo series like the later '' Cutie Honey Flash'', and was planned to focus more on the relationship between Honey and Shun Kazami (renamed to Seiji Hayami for the final series) as well as lacking any nudity or excessive violence. A great deal of merchandising was initially planned, such as 'changing' dolls of Honey. The manga was slated to run in the monthly '' Ribon'' magazine, and the series was set to air Mondays at 7:00pm on NET TV (now
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
), a timeslot previously held by magical girl series. However, the timeslot was given to '' Miracle Shōjo Limit-Chan'' instead and Cutie Honey was set to air Saturdays at 8:30pm on the programming block ''Majū Kaijin Daihenshin!!!'' which previously aired ''Micord S'' and ''
Devilman is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The manga focuses on a high school student named Akira Fudo who absorbs the powers of the demon called " Amon" with help of his friend Ryo Asuka in order to batt ...
''. Because of this, Cutie Honey retooled into a '' shōnen'' series, making it the first magical girl series for teen boys.


Media


Manga

The original work of the franchise was the ''Cutie Honey'' manga series written and illustrated by
Go Nagai , better known by the pen name , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with ''Meakashi Polikichi'', but is best known for creating popular 1970s ...
that ran in ''
Weekly Shōnen Champion is a Japanese ''shōnen'' manga magazine published by Akita Shoten. History ''Shōnen Champion'' was first published on July 15, 1969. It has had numerous popular series by manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka, Go Nagai, Shinji Mizushima, Masa ...
'' magazine from October 1973 to April 1974. During the same time, other short manga series were published in different magazines than the original, and by different creative teams. These included two manga made by
Ken Ishikawa was a Japanese manga artist. He is renowned as the co-creator (with Go Nagai) of the ''Getter Robo'' anime series, as well as four of their subsequent manga continuations. According to Nagai, he considered Ishikawa his greatest friend and all ...
, another two by Yū Okazaki, one by Chizuko Beppu, one by Yoshiko Suganuma, and another by Masatoshi Nakajima. Nagai's 1973 manga was republished in 1985 as a single volume, but no further manga versions of ''Cutie Honey'' were produced until 1992.In 1992, Nagai created a new ''Cutie Honey'' manga, simply titled ''Cutie Honey''; set 30 years after his original. The manga ran in ''Weekly SPA!'' magazine from July 1992 to April 1993. It was released in the United States in 1997 by the now-defunct
Studio Ironcat Studio Ironcat was a small publishing company based in Fredericksburg, Virginia, dedicated to publication of manga and later, Amerimanga. The company is most known for its publication of the first volume of ''Megatokyo'', a prominent webcomic ...
, as ''Cutie Honey '90''. It has received criticism for having "bad quality" and "clumsy" looking characters. The story begins when Honey Kisaragi and the Hayami family found the Hayami Group thirty years after Panther Claw was defeated, in order to prepare for the wicked organization's future comeback. When Sister Jill is resurrected and leads a reformed Panther Claw to assault the globe, Honey battles Sister Jill with new talents and abilities in order to finally defeat Panther Claw. Several manga adaptations of 1997's '' Cutie Honey Flash'' anime were published between March 1997 to April 1998 in various magazines. These included three manga made by Yukako Iisaka, another three by Shinko Kumazaki, and one by Kazushi Sasaki. Running from August 2001 to July 2003, was written and illustrated by Go Nagai and published in ''
Weekly Manga Action is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Futabasha. It is currently published twice a month, on the first and third Thursday. The magazine was originally formed as and began publishing weekly from July 7, 1967. It is considered the f ...
'' magazine. Set in 2005, Seiji Hayami's daughter, Seiko struggles with apparitions of monstrous beings, including the Panther Claw terrorist organization, which she must defeat with the help of Hisashi Hanyu, who is Cutie Honey in disguise. ran from November 2003 to July 2005 in Tokusatsu Ace magazine. Two volumes were planned, but only one was released. The manga was not fully released until October 2007, when a complete edition was published. An omnibus volume was released in March 2018 by
Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...
. In this version of the tale, Natsuko Aki is a squad leader for the public safety bureau. Natsuko takes it upon herself to arrest Honey, but Dr. Kisaragi asks Natsuko to befriend Honey and help her become more human. ran from June 2004 to February 2006; it was "written by Go Nagai, but not drawn by him", and tells the story of a boy named Yuuta, a ''Cutie Honey'' fan, who meets an alien with powers similar to those of Honey. ''Honey & Yukiko Hime: Cutie Heroine Daisakusen'' was a digital manga published in 2008 that was written by Go Nagai and illustrated by Kazuhiro Ochi. The manga is a
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
between ''Cutie Honey'' and another Go Nagai manga, '' Dororon Enma-kun''. ''Cutie Honey vs Abashiri Family'' was a manga published in ''Weekly Shonen Champion'' magazine in 2009 that was written an illustrated by Go Nagai. Made to celebrate ''Shonen Champion'''s 40th anniversary, the manga is a crossover between ''Cutie Honey'' and '' The Abashiri Family'', another Go Nagai manga. ''HoneyVS'' was a one-shot manga published in ''
Grand Jump is a Japanese semi-monthly seinen manga magazine published by Shueisha under their ''Jump'' line of magazines. Launched in November 2011 as a merging of '' Business Jump'' and ''Super Jump'', it carried over nine series from the former and thre ...
'' magazine in 2012 by Masaki Segawa. The manga is a crossover between Cutie Honey and ''
Getter Robo is a Japanese mecha media franchise created by Ken Ishikawa and Go Nagai. An anime television series produced by Toei Animation was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4, 1974, to May 8, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes. The manga was seria ...
'', another Go Nagai manga. ''Oedo Honey'' was a one-shot manga published in ''Grand Jump'' magazine in September 2012 by
Masakazu Yamaguchi Masakazu is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Imafuku Masakazu (died 1582), Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who served the Takeda clan *Kobori Masakazu (1579–1647), artist and aristocrat in the reign o ...
. The manga is a story about Honey and Sister Jill traveling back in time to the
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...
. ''Cutie Honey vs Devilman Lady'' was a manga published in '' Champion RED Ichigo'' magazine from June to October 2013 that was written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The manga is a crossover between ''Cutie Honey'' and Nagai's '' Devilman Lady''. ''Gekiman! Cutie Honey-hen'' was a manga published in '' Weekly Manga Goraku'' magazine from July 2016 to September 2017 that was written and illustrated by Go Nagai. Autobiographical manga about the development of Cutie Honey released to promote '' Cutie Honey: Tears''.


Anime


1973 TV series

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
produced an anime television series titled ''Cutie Honey'', simultaneously as the manga was being drawn. It was broadcast on NET (now
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
) on October 13, 1973 and ran for 25 episodes until March 30, 1974. The TV series is much tamer than the manga version, removing much of the violence, gross out humor and lesbian undertones, but retaining Miss Alphonne's attraction to Honey. While the manga was marketed as "" ("science fiction comics"), the Toei anime is considered, at least in retrospect, a magical girl series. Character designs were done by Shingo Araki, musical score by Takeo Watanabe, scripts by Masaki Tsuji, Susumu Takaku, and Keisuke Fujikawa, while episode directors included Tomoharu Katsumata, Osamu Kasai and Hiroshi Shidara. The series stars
Eiko Masuyama is a Japanese actress and narrator. She works for Aoni Production. She is most known for originating the roles of Fujiko Mine ('' Lupin III''), Honey Kisaragi ('' Cutie Honey''), and Bakabon's Mama ('' Tensai Bakabon''). Early life Eiko Masuya ...
as Honey Kisaragi. Outside Japan, the original ''Cutie Honey'' TV series was released was France, where it aired under the title ''Cherry Miel'' ("Cherry Honey") from August 1988 to February 1989, On November 26, 2013,
Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles fr ...
released a DVD boxset of the complete series in North America. The series was also dubbed and broadcast in Hong Kong during 1988. For an anime television series, the original ''Cutie Honey'' achieved respectable ratings in Japan, and some of its cast and crew have worked on other major titles. The series achieved a peak rating of 11.6% for episode 18 (broadcast February 11, 1974) and generally scored ratings of around 8–10%.


''New Cutie Honey''

The original video animation series ''New Cutie Honey'' was released in 1994 and ended with eight episodes in 1995. The series stars Michiko Neya as Honey Kisaragi. 100 years after the decisive battle with Panther Claw, Honey Kisaragi now works as the mayor's secretary in the crime-prone metropolis of Cosplay City. One day, after being attacked by minions of the Demon King Dolmeck, who dominates the city, Honey regains her former power and memory and awakens as Cutie Honey. Honey faces a new battle against Dolmeck who is planning to revive her former nemesis, Panther Zora. The series staff planned to make at least twelve episodes, but it ended with eight in 1995. A 2004 DVD release included a scripted but unfilmed ninth episode—a Christmas story—as a
drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
. The eight filmed episodes were released by ADV Films in the United States. Jessica Calvello, the voice of Honey in the English language version, was hand-picked by Nagai, though he originally wanted
Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...
. Until
Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles fr ...
picked up the first anime, this series remained the only Cutie Honey anime to be commercially released in the US. Discotek Media released the series on
Blu-Ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
in August 2019.


''Cutie Honey Flash''

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
also produced a '' shōjo'' ''Cutie Honey'' series, known as ''Cutie Honey Flash''. It began broadcasting on
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...
on February 15, 1997, and aired until its conclusion on January 31, 1998. Employing many of the same animation staff as the recently-finished ''
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars The fifth and final season of the ''Sailor Moon'' anime series, ''Sailor Moon Sailor Stars'' or simply ''Sailor Stars'' (originally released in Japan as , and later as ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars'') was directed by Takuya Igarashi ...
'', including Miho Shimagasa, ''Flash'' features very similar character designs and fits the more traditional mold of magical girl series. It uses hand-drawn animation; according to Shimagasa, the use of digitally animated characters on hand-painted backgrounds was planned and tested, but later rejected. The series stars
Ai Nagano is a Japanese voice actress. She has been voice-acting since 1997 that worked for Toei Academy. Ai is known for her role in '' Cutey Honey Flash'' as Honey Kisaragi, which was her debut role. She also voice Komachi Akimoto/Cure Mint in ''Yes! ...
in her debut, as Honey Kisaragi. The series was dubbed and aired in Germany and South Korea. The series is unrelated to the previous anime productions, being more of a reimagining of the story. All the characters from the original TV series return, with the exception of Junpei, Naojiro, and the staff of Paradise School. The anime also introduces Misty Honey, a rival and self-proclaimed younger sister of Cutie Honey, whose name was chosen through a contest in Japan. Honey has a larger array of transformations as well, including versions of her original forms Hurricane Honey and Cutie Honey. An anime film, ''Cutie Honey Flash: The Movie'', was released in July 1997. The film takes place between episodes 19 and 20 of the television series.


''Re: Cutie Honey''

Gainax, along with
Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
, produced ''Re: Cutie Honey'', a three-episode OVA series that adapts and expands on the 2004 live-action film, ''
Cutie Honey is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. First appearing in ''Weekly Shōnen Champions 41st issue of 1973, the series ran until April 1974. It follows an android girl named Honey Kisaragi, who trans ...
''. It was first shown on the
Animax , stylized as ANIMAX, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. The channel also dubbed other cartoons in Japanese language. A subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, it is headq ...
satellite television network, with the first episode airing on July 24, 2004, two months after the live-action film was released. DVD releases for each episode followed, with the first on September 21. While
Hideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for creating the anime series ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (1995)''.'' His style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotio ...
directed the series in general, each episode also had its own director and the three episodes differed in style. This time, Honey is portrayed by
Yui Horie is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with VIMS and Starchild. She has been affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans. She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "''My best friend''" on . Since then, s ...
. The Re: Cutie Honey Complete DVD, released on September 21, 2005, includes a CD drama starring the four voice actresses that have voiced Honey up to then:
Eiko Masuyama is a Japanese actress and narrator. She works for Aoni Production. She is most known for originating the roles of Fujiko Mine ('' Lupin III''), Honey Kisaragi ('' Cutie Honey''), and Bakabon's Mama ('' Tensai Bakabon''). Early life Eiko Masuya ...
(the '70s series), Michiko Neya ( New Cutie Honey),
Ai Nagano is a Japanese voice actress. She has been voice-acting since 1997 that worked for Toei Academy. Ai is known for her role in '' Cutey Honey Flash'' as Honey Kisaragi, which was her debut role. She also voice Komachi Akimoto/Cure Mint in ''Yes! ...
( Cutie Honey Flash), and
Yui Horie is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with VIMS and Starchild. She has been affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans. She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "''My best friend''" on . Since then, s ...
( Re: Cutie Honey).


''Cutie Honey Universe''

On December 28, 2017, a new anime television series titled ''Cutie Honey Universe'' was announced as part of creator
Go Nagai , better known by the pen name , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with ''Meakashi Polikichi'', but is best known for creating popular 1970s ...
's 50th anniversary as a manga artist and premiered in April 2018. The series, with its storyline and character designs closely patterned after the original manga, was directed by Akitoshi Yokoyama at Production Reed with
Natsuko Takahashi is a Japanese anime screenwriter. After learning about the profession of screenwriting in middle school, in university she entered a contest. Although her entry did not fit the theme of the contest, the examiners liked it so much that they gave ...
handling series composition, and Syūichi Iseki designing the characters and credited as chief animation director. The series stars
Maaya Sakamoto Maaya may refer to: * Maaya (given name) Maaya (written: 真綾 or 真礼) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese singer-songwriter, actress and voice actress *, Japanese actress and voice actress *, ...
as Honey Kisaragi. After Panther Claw holds hostages at a jewelry store, Honey teams up with the Panther Claw Criminal Investigative Services to fight against them. Unbeknownst to Honey, the group's key investigator, Inspector Genet, is really Panther Claw's leader, Sister Jill


Live-action films

The 2004 live-action film ''
Cutie Honey is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. First appearing in ''Weekly Shōnen Champions 41st issue of 1973, the series ran until April 1974. It follows an android girl named Honey Kisaragi, who trans ...
'', produced by Gainax and directed by
Hideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for creating the anime series ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (1995)''.'' His style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotio ...
, stars popular Japanese model Eriko Sato as Honey. The
tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...
film loosely retells the story of Cutie Honey's battle against the Panther Claw to defend humanity and avenge her father. It was released direct-to-DVD in the United States on April 17, 2007 by
Bandai Entertainment was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America. Most of the anime and f ...
. It is very popular in Thai culture, and was distributed by Sutida Inc media conglomerate. The film was not successful at the box office in Japan, leading to the bankruptcy of the production company, Towani, in September 2004. In this film, there have been frequent cases of mass robbery of precious metals and disappearances of young women in Tokyo. Police inspector Aki Natsuko suspects Panther Claw's involvement in these incidents and begins chasing Cutie Honey, who was seen battling them. Honey Kisaragi, who works in an office, joins forces with reporter Seiji Hayami and Natsuko to defeat the evil Panther Claw and their leader, Sister Jill. Another film, '' Cutie Honey: Tears'', was released in the fall of 2016. Unrelated to the previous film, it stars Mariya Nishiuchi as a new version of Honey (here named Hitomi) in a
cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and c ...
world. In the future, abnormal weather, as well as a virus, have caused a decline in the human population. In this world, the rich and powerful dominate the world and live above the poor, who suffer on the polluted streets below. One man from the upper area, Dr. Kisaragi, plans to change the world for the better by creating an android using the brain patterns of his deceased daughter. The android, Hitomi Kisaragi is brought down to lower areas at the cost of Dr. Kisaragi's life. On the surface, Hitomi pairs up with reporter Seiji Hayami and the resistance leader Kazuhito Uraki to fight against the oppressors of the world, controlled by the evil android Jill.


Live-action TV series

Made to commemorate Go Nagai's 40th anniversary as a writer, a live-action TV remake, '' Cutie Honey: The Live'', premiered on TV Tokyo on October 2, 2007. Starring
gravure idol A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thou ...
Mikie Hara is a Japanese gravure idol and actress. Her debut role was in '' Cutie Honey: The Live'' as the lead role of Honey Kisaragi/Cutie Honey. History Filmography TV Drama Films References External links * 1987 births Living ...
as Honey, the series focuses on a set of three transforming girls with different personalities and a Panther Claw run by four leaders. Dr. Kisaragi is portrayed by Go Nagai, the creator of the Cutie Honey series. Honey Kisaragi, a second-year high school student who attends Shirobara Gakuen, hides her android status and lives a human life as an ordinary high schooler. She fights the mysterious secret society Panther Claw with the private detective Seiji Hayami. Meanwhile, Honey meets Miki Saotome and Yuki Kenmochi, but after several clashes with Panther Claw together, Honey gets know to the others, and their friendship deepens, forming a team of Cutie Honey, Sister Miki, and Sister Yuki.


Video games

*, was developed by Datawest and released by NEC in 1995 for the
PC-FX The is a 32-bit home video game console developed by NEC and Hudson Soft. It was released in 1994 and discontinued in February 1998, as NEC's final home video game console. Based on the NEC V810 CPU and CD-ROM, it was intended as the successor t ...
. The game has an original story. The player becomes a private detective and investigates mysterious disappearances alongside Honey. New Honey transformations "Fantasy Night Honey", "Wrestler Honey", and "Command Honey" were added. It is packed with over 40 minutes of animated scenes, using over 10,000 animation cels. *''Cutey Honey F'', also known as ''Cutey Honey Flash'' (キューティーハニーフラッシュ), is a
Sega Pico The Sega Pico, also known as is an educational video game console by Sega Toys. Marketed as "edutainment", the main focus of the Pico was educational video games for children between 3 and 7 years old. The Pico was released in June 1993 in Jap ...
game released in 1997, based on the anime series of the same name. Sister Jill kidnaps Natsuko to lure out Cutie Honey. Honey investigates Natsuko's disappearance while having to deal with the Panthers stationed around her school and community. By helping her classmates and defeat the Panthers. Honey fights against Jill after tracking her down and wins rescuing Natsuko. Players control Honey by moving around various areas and interacting with other characters. At certain points, Honey can assume alternate forms to play mini games that advance the plot, most of which involve the Panther grunts and after the games are over, Honey becomes Cutie Honey and finishes them off. Every time one of these minigames are played, Honey loses a heart point and to recover them she interacts with certain NPCs in conversation and going on dates with some of them. *''Cutie Honey Love Flash'' is a
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...
game developed by
DeNA Dena (in Luri and fa, ) is the name for a sub-range within the Zagros Mountains, Iran. Mount Dena, with length and average width, is situated on the boundary of the Isfahan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Prov ...
that was released in 2011 as social game offered through Mobage for feature phones.
Dynamic Planning is a licensing company owned by manga artist Go Nagai. It was established in 1974 as a sister company of Dynamic Productions. Dynamic Planning is credited in all of Go Nagai's animated works since 1974 as the "planner" and/or "producer". ...
had a hand in the development including the animation designing. The game introduces new characters alongside familiar faces. It functions similar to other phone games that use digital cards in its gameplay. Players select an avatar that uses the Airborne Element Fixing Device, effectively becoming a Cutie Honey. To advance the game, players collect jewelry and makeover cards in the story mode quests in the fights against Panther Claw. Once enough is collect, the player performs a Honey Flash gaining new forms and abilities (e.g. Kung Fu Honey and Maid Honey). *''CR Cutie Honey'' (CRキューティーハニー) is a 2017
pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of low-stakes, low-st ...
game manufactured by Newgin. The game character designs and forms for Cutie Honey in the game are loosely based on past incarnations of the character, with RE: Cutie Honey being the strongest influence as Cutie Honey's superhero costume in this title is a revamped version of the 2004 design.


Stage plays

Several stage plays based on the ''Cutie Honey'' franchise have been produced, the earliest of which being in April 1997, when ''Cutie Honey F Show'' was performed. The next time Cutie Honey would be seen on stage was in 2003, when ''Cutie Honey Magical Stage'' was held at the
Bandai Museum The is a museum devoted to Bandai characters located in Mibu, Shimotsuga District, Tochigi, Japan. It opened on July 19, 2003 as the Bandai Museum at Matsudo, Chiba. It was closed on August 31, 2006 and moved to Mibu, Tochigi on April 28, 200 ...
from July to August of that year. ''Cutie Honey Emotional'' was performed in February 2020 at the Sunshine Theater in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
. Cutie Honey is portrayed by former NMB48 member, Kei Jonishi. The play was written and directed by Ichidai Matsuda. ''Cutie Honey The Live Autumn Cultural Festival !!!'' was performed from September to October 2020 at Tokyo Theater 1010. ''Cutie Honey CLIMAX'' was performed in June 2021 at Tokyo Theater 1010. The play is a sequel and final chapter to ''Cutie Honey Emotional and Cutie Honey The Live Autumn Cultural Festival !!!.''


Theme song

The ''Cutie Honey''
opening theme A title sequence (also called an opening sequence or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often a opening theme song with vis ...
, which appears throughout all of the ''Honey'' anime and live-action versions, except for ''Universe'', is known for its lyrics by ADV's ''Essential Anime Collection'' release of ''New Cutie Honey'' contains two different opening sequences: the one for episodes 1 through 4 credits the theme's lyrics to "Krodo Q", and the version used in episodes 5 through 8 credits them to "Clode Q". describing Honey and her body. The 1973 series' theme, originally intended for Linda Yamamoto to perform,. was sung by Yoko Maekawa. In ''Cutie Honey Flash'', it is performed by SALIA. In the ''New Cutie Honey'' OVA, the original song is performed by les-5-4-3-2-1, (English subtitles) and the English language version by Mayukiss. Opening sequence.
Kumi Koda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single " Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, " Real Emot ...
performed it for the ''Re: Cutie Honey'' OVA and its live-action adaptation. In '' Cutie Honey: The Live'', the theme is sung by
Minami Kuribayashi is a Japanese singer, songwriter, lyricist and voice actress from Shizuoka Prefecture. From 2016 to 2019, she performed under the stage name Minami. Her involvement in the game and anime ''Kimi ga Nozomu Eien'', where she voiced the role of on ...
as part of Wild 3-Nin Musume. Other artists have also covered the song, including
GO!GO!7188 GO!GO!7188 (Go Go Nana Ichi Hachi Hachi), also known simply as Gogo, was a Japanese rock band with influences spanning from surf rock to punk rock to enka. History In June 1998, Yumi Nakashima (nicknamed Yuu) and Akiko Hamada (nicknamed Akk ...
for their Tora no Ana album, Masami Okui in the ''Masami Kobushi'' album, and a version by TWO-MIX. Animetal Lady also did a cover of the song for their 1998 album '' Animetal Lady Marathon'', with the lyrics sung by Mie of the Japanese pop group Pink Lady. Pop star Ahyoomee's solo debut was a Korean adaptation of Koda's version; it became highly popular online, despite controversy over her pronunciation of the lyrics and her "unambiguously Japanese" outfit in one performance. Harp player Mika Agematsu covered the theme—and songs from ''
Lupin III , also written as ''Lupin the Third'', ''Lupin the 3rd'', or ''Lupin the IIIrd'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It follows the endeavors of master thief Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsèn ...
'', ''
Candy Candy is a Japanese series created by Kyoko Mizuki. The main character, Candice "Candy" White Ardley is a blonde girl with freckles, large emerald green eyes and long hair, worn in pigtails with bows. ''Candy Candy'' first appeared as a man ...
'', and others—in her album ''Anipa'' (UCCS-1088); it was released by
Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
in June 2006 in Japan, and in February 2009 in the United States. In the fourth edition of her 2016 "BELIEVE" single, Mariya Nishiuchi recorded a "CUTIE HONEY -TEARS- version" of the song for the B-side; "BELIEVE" is the theme song of the live action movie CUTIE HONEY -TEARS-, in which she played the title character. The song can also be heard during episode 27 of the 1974 magical girl TV series '' Majokko Megu-chan'', when the main character Megu watches Honey, in her pop idol persona (Misty Honey), perform it on TV.Yoko Maekawa performed the opening themes for both ''Cutie Honey'' and ''Megu-chan''. In the seventh episode of the 2006 series '' Princess Princess'', the Princesses also perform it, singing a few lines from the theme for an opening to a choir concert. A "self cover" CD, ''Cutie Honey (21st century ver.)'', with new versions of the opening and ending themes by Maekawa herself, was released on February 27, 2008.


Connections to other works

Since its creation in the 1970s, ''Cutie Honey'' and its heroine have been referenced and parodied in various works by Nagai and others.


Manga

Honey appears as a secondary character in Nagai's ''
Violence Jack is a Japanese manga, co-written and co-illustrated by Go Nagai since 1973, all the way to 2008. It has had several serializations and one-shot stories which have run in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Most of the stories have bee ...
'' manga. There, Honey is the younger sister of Ryou Asuka and is living in New York City. When she hears of the earthquake that devastated Kantō, Honey and several of her friends go to Japan to search for Ryou, who has become the pet of the Slum King. Honey's friends are alternate universe versions of her transformations in the 1973 series: *Cutie ( fencer) *Hurricane (military) *Idol (
stewardess A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...
) *Flash (photographer) *Misty (police officer) *Fancy (
bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...
) In the last volume, Flash, Misty, and Cutie are killed when they fall into a spiked trap when they try to free a chained up Miki Makimura. Honey is electrocuted when she tries to rescue Ryou from the Slum King. Idol, Fancy, and Hurricane die in an explosion. The spirits of the seven women come together to form
Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
Honey, whom Ryou sees in his dreams. When Ryou returns to his true form, as Satan, he fights in his sister's memory. Also, Honey's best friend Nat-chan (Aki Natsuko) – or a girl strongly resembling her – appears in the ''
Devilman is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The manga focuses on a high school student named Akira Fudo who absorbs the powers of the demon called " Amon" with help of his friend Ryo Asuka in order to batt ...
'' manga. Her appearance is brief before she is killed by a demon.


Anime

Honey makes an appearance in the last episode of the OVA adaptation of ''
Kekkō Kamen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. It was serialized in '' Monthly Shōnen Jump'' from September 1974 to February 1978, with the chapters collected into five ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shueisha. It ...
'' as a student; her teacher from the 1973 TV series, Alphonne, also makes two brief appearances there. Danbei is a main character in Go Nagai's 1975 anime ''
UFO Robo Grendizer , known as '' Grandizer'' in the United States, is a Japanese Super Robot anime television series and manga created by manga artist Go Nagai. It is the third entry in the ''Mazinger'' series, however it is non-canon due to '' Mazinger Z: ...
''; in episode 50 of ''Grendizer'', Seiji Hayami appears taking pictures in a crowd. This scene also featured cameos by Hayato from ''
Getter Robo is a Japanese mecha media franchise created by Ken Ishikawa and Go Nagai. An anime television series produced by Toei Animation was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4, 1974, to May 8, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes. The manga was seria ...
'' and Babel II from ''
Babel II is a Japanese 1971 manga series by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It was translated into an animated format in 1973 as a television series, in 1992 as an original video animation series and in 2001 as a thirteen-episode television series. Yokoyama' ...
''. In the Japanese opening of '' Super Milk Chan'', there are moments that directly parody the 1973 series' opening sequence.


Video games

A
strategy video game Strategy is a major video game genre that emphasizes thinking and planning over direct instant action in order to achieve victory. Although many types of video games can contain strategic elements, as a genre, strategy games are most commonly defi ...
, '' Majokko Daisakusen: Little Witching Mischiefs'', was developed by
Toys for Bob Toys for Bob, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Novato, California. As the creators of the award-winning '' Star Control'' and '' Skylanders'' series, the studio originated as a partnership between Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford ...
and released by
Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
in 1999, and features Cutie Honey and other magical girls from the animation studio Toei. An RPG, ''Legend of Dynamic Goushouden: Houkai no Rondo'', was developed and released by
Banpresto (formerly Coreland Technology Inc.) was a Japanese video game video game development, developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It had a branch in Hong Kong named Banpresto H.K., which was headquartered in t ...
in 2003, and features Honey and other characters created by Nagai.


Notes and references

;General * ;Specific


External links


Cutie Honey anime (original)
at Toei Animation
Cutie Honey F (anime)
at Toei Animation
Re:CUTIE HONEY
at Toei Video * * {{Tomoharu Katsumata 1973 anime television series debuts 1973 manga 1992 manga 2001 manga 2003 manga 2004 manga ADV Films Akita Shoten manga Android (robot) comics Discotek Media Fusosha Publishing manga Futabasha manga Ken Ishikawa Kodansha manga Magical girl anime and manga Manga adapted into films Science fiction anime and manga Seinen manga Seven Seas Entertainment titles Shōjo manga Shōnen manga Shueisha manga Toei Animation television Tokuma Shoten manga TV Asahi original programming