Re: Cutie Honey Vol-2 [Re: = Return/Renewal/Regarding] (2004)
By Jmaruyama

Note: This review is for Episode 2, additional updates will be appended to this review as future episodes become available.

For more information on this series visit Toei’s Official Website http://www.re-cutiehoney.com and Gainax’s Series Website http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/re_cutie/

General Information

Air Dates:
Episode 1 (7/24/04 – Sky PerfecTV! PPV; 9/21/04 – DVD Release)
Episode 2 (8/28/04 – Sky PerfecTV! PPV; 10/21/04 – DVD Release)
Episode 3 (9/25/04 – Sky PerfecTV! PPV; 11/21/04 – DVD Release)

Episodes:
Episode 1 – “Ten” (Heaven)
Episode 2 – “Chi” (Earth) -- To be reviewed when released.
Episode 3 – “Hito” (Human) – To be reviewed when released.

Broadcast by: Sky PerfecTV! Cable PPV
Original Story: Go Nagai
Producer(s): Anno Hideaki (Gainax)
Series Planning: Nakajima Kazuki
Screenwriter(s): Nakajima Kazuki; Kasai Takeo; Taki Koichi
Director(s): Imaishi Hiroyuki; Ito Naoyuki; Masayuki
Character Designs: Hiramatsu Sadashi
Animation: Gainax;Toei Animation
Music: Ueda Susumu
Produced by: Re: Cutie Honey Planning Committee

Theme Song:
Opening:
"Cutie Honey”
Lyrics: Nagai Go
Original Producer: Krodo Q (Claude Q)
Original Composer: Watanabe Takeo
Modern Arrangement\Music: n-wonder & Avex Group
Performed by: Koda Kumi

Ending:
"Into Your Heart"
Lyrics: Koda Kumi
Arrangement\Music: n-wonder & Avex Group
Performed by: Koda Kumi

Cast:
Horie Yui (Kisaragi Honey/Cutie Honey)
Noda Junko (Inspector Aki ‘Nat-Chan’ Natsuko)
Ishikawa Hideo (Reporter Hayami Seiji)
Nakao Ryohei (Detective Mikami)
Tanaka Kazumi (Detective Tokimura)
Itakura Kazue (Sister Jill)
Toma Yumi (Black Claw)
Kingetsu Mami (Cobalt Claw)
Konno Hiromi (Scarlet Claw)
Shimada Bin (Assistant Manager Mainen)
Kiyokawa Motomu (Butler)
Sugiyama Kazuko (Izumiya Kyoko)
Kaneda Tomoko (Takahashi Mayumi)
Komatsu Yuka (Terada Rinko)

The Story

Continuing from the previous episode, the forces of Panther Claw are on the attack and Cutie Honey fights valiantly to defend Tokyo. Unfortunately, her battle with Cobalt Panther (one of Sister Jill’s “Shi Ten Oh”) leaves much of Tokyo’s high class Shibuya and Ginza districts in shambles.

Another “Shi Ten Oh” member, the mischievous Scarlet Claw uses this opportunity to further lay waste to Tokyo. Aided by her underlings Tank Panther, Sky Panther and Bazooka Panther they etch out in the decimated landscape the words “Honey No Baka” (Honey Is Stupid). Aki Natsuko and Seiji come to Honey’s aid but the damage has already been done. Cobalt Claw and Scarlet Claw escape and vow to cause further mayhem.

The following day, the News Media blasts Cutie Honey and blames her for much of the destruction that occurred. Public sentiment is also becoming mixed as many question whether or not it is worth having Cutie Honey around at all. Naturally Honey’s catty co-workers and boss echo this viewpoint much to Honey’s sadness. Honey’s only ally at work is kindly custodial worker Kyoko who suggests that she spend time with friends to lift up her spirits. Honey decides she will confide in Natsuko and goes home to cook dinner for her.

Natsuko is also having her share of problems. Called in by her Supervisors, they chastise her for allowing Cutie Honey and Panther Claw to cause this much destruction. While Natsuko tries in vain to defend Honey, her Police colleagues urge her to bring put a stop to her Cutie Honey’s exploits.

That night Honey invites Natsuko to share dinner with her. Natsuko coldly refuses and rebuffs her by saying that “they’re not friends”. Devastated, Honey withdraws into isolation.

Scarlet Claw and Cobalt Claw step up their attacks on Tokyo and begin capturing every young female in the Shinjuku district in hopes of finding the alter-ego of Cutie Honey. They broadcast these mass abductions on TV and Scarlet Claw warns the Tokyo public that if Cutie Honey doesn’t show herself not only will they destroy Tokyo but that they will kidnap and kill every young woman in Japan until they find her.

Natsuko and Seiji frantically search for Honey. They soon find her withdrawn at home. They convince Honey to continue her fight against Panther Claw irregardless of what the public thinks.

Urged on by Seiji and Natsuko, Honey goes into battle.

Honey and Cobalt Claw fight to a standstill. Scarlet Claw double-crosses Cobalt Claw and proceeds to eradicate her using her “Scarlet Flash” attack. Scarlet Claw then merges Cobalt Claw’s remnant “nano-technology” with Cutie Honey’s “Imaginary Induction System”. The merge process throws Cutie Honey into an uncontrollable frenzy where “phantom” images of Honey begin attacking everyone in site.

Revealing himself to be “Honey’s Guardian”, Seiji threatens to destroy Honey with an “Anti Nano-Tech” gun to prevent her “Ai System” from going out of control. Natsuki stops Seiji and offers to bring Honey back to her senses.

Natsuki allows Honey to “absorb” her emotions to repair her “Ai” system.

Once repaired Honey defeats Scarlet Claw’s underlings and then gets her revenge against Scarlet Claw by impaling her with her “Lightening Lance”.

Honey and Natsuki make up and agree to be friends.

Natsuki gets a call from Police Headquarters and they inform her that all the women in Shinjuku and neighboring districts have mysteriously disappeared. In the distance Black Claw (the last of the remaining “Shi Ten Oh” muses that now it is time for her to fulfill Sister Jill’s dreams her way.

Who is Cutey Honey?

“Cutie Honey” is the super heroine persona of Kisaragi Honey. Honey is the only daughter of a famed scientist who was brutally murdered years earlier by agents of Panther Claw.

Hayami Seiji tells Honey that she is not human at all but rather an artificial construct built by Prof. Kisaragi using DNA Code from his real daughter who had died in childhood.

Through the “heart shaped” choker jewelry that Honey wears around her neck, Honey is able to activate the “I <Ai> System” (Love System) that can give her various superhuman powers and abilities. These abilities include superhuman strength, speed, stamina and near invulnerability. Honey uses these abilities to fight as the super heroine Cutie Honey.

Another aspect of her powers includes the chameleon-like ability to change and transform into various disguises, outfits and personas. This ability is powered by what’s called the “Imaginary Induction System” which uses Nano-Technology to power these various costume and fashion changes.

These powers are very physically draining and thus Honey needs to consume vast amounts of food in order to sustain these abilities. When her powers start to drain, Cutie Honey’s uniform/clothing begins to dissolve, exposing her ample “assets”.
While Honey is an android, she is so well constructed and designed that for all intents and purposes, she can pass as human (she shows emotion, needs to eat and sleep, and desires love). This can be attributed to Prof. Kisaragi’s skills as a scientist as well as the DNA Code he used to create Honey.

Seiji hints that Panther Claw’s various agents also incorporate a variation of Prof. Kisaragi’s Nano-Technology for their powers. Sister Jill in particular is somehow connected to Prof. Kisaragi and may also use a form of the “I System” for her powers.

Review

More outlandish mayhem ensues in this the second installment of the ‘Re-vitalized’ Cutie Honey DVD series based on Anno Hideaki’s rousing film adaptation of the Nagai Go manga.

While I still don’t care much for the overly cartoonish Anime style, I found the story a bit better this time around. Taking its cue possible from this Summer’s “Spiderman 2” movie, Kisaragi Honey like Peter Parker also comes at a crossroads of sorts in her heroic career. Does she continue to fight evil despite all the negative fallout she receives from her actions or does she give up and lead a normal life. In both cases, the final choice is obvious.

While Cobalt Claw is reminiscent of Cutie Honey’s more horrific and deadlier villains from the 70’s manga and anime, Scarlet Claw seems too out-of-place and is more suited to being the villain to heroes like Goku (Dragon Ball) or Sailor Moon. Her impish design and irritating voice make her more comical than menacing even when she’s threatening to kill half the populace of Tokyo.

We get to learn more about the three main characters (Natsuki, Honey and Seiji) this time around and some of the revelations are quite surprising. As a fan of the older Anime series and manga, I found the changes somewhat refreshing albeit a bit contrived.

The relationship between Natsuki and Honey begins to become a bit more ambiguous and recalls the hints of lesbianism that were shattered throughout Nagai Go’s manga (in the manga, Natsuki and Honey are very much in love with each other).

Of course because this is Anime, the relationship is less one of physical/sexual attraction and more one of female-bonding and innocent friendship, although some scenes make you wonder.

It is pretty interesting how Cutie Honey seems to mirror a lot of the characteristics of the American Comic Book heroine Wonder Woman.

Like Wonder Woman, Cutie Honey struggles to find her place in “man’s world” and is constantly confronted with concepts that shatter her naïve view of the world. Both are very much strong female heroines but yet they are both vulnerable to their emotions and loves.

“Re: Cutie Honey “ doesn’t really expand on anything that has been set forth in both the manga and all the other series before it but rather repackages those elements and themes for a younger generation of viewers (a growing trend it seems in Japan as well as America).

While I would have enjoyed it more if it were a bit more edgier or more adult oriented, I still thought it was okay entertainment for a Sunday afternoon. Hopefully the third installment will be worth the wait and will give us the grand climax that it promises.

Trivia

“Cutey Honey” is the creation of prolific manga artist/creator Nagai Go who has created some of the most memorable manga characters in Japanese comics including Mazinger Z, Devil Man, Great Mazinger, UFO Grand Dizer, Getter Robo and Violence Jack.

Nagai Go was an apprentice to the famous Tokusatsu Creator Ishinomori Shoutaro.

Nagai Go got the idea for Cutey Honey from the Kawauchi Kohan creation “Ai No Senshi Rainbow Man”.

"Re: Cutie Honey” is based on the Toei Movie “Cutie Honey” which was directed by Anno Hideaki, the writer/director behind the revolutionary and influential anime series “Evangelion” (Gainax; 1995).

Horie Yui’s voice credits also include “Kikaider: The Animation” (Ishimori Pro Inc./ SME Visual Works Inc./Bandai; 2000 - voiced Komyoji Mitsuko), “Love Hina” (Studio I.G./Bandai/TV Tokyo; 2000 - voiced Narusekawa Naru) and “Kanon” (Fuji TV/Toei; 2002 - voiced Tsukimiya Aya). Horie appeared in the Tokusatsu TV series “Sen Nen Okoku San Kishi – Bunny Knights” (TV Asahi/KSS; 1999 – voiced Alice and portrayed Kimishima Seriya).

Noda Junko is also an alumnus of the TV series “Love Hina” (portrayed Konno Mitsune). Fans of the seminal series “Last Exile” (Gonzo – Digimation; 2003) may also recognize her as the voice behind Dio Erakurea.

Kiyokawa Motomu portrayed another butler, Norma Burg in the stylish series “Big O” (Sunrise; 2003).

Sugiyama Kazuko will always be remembered as the voice behind G-3/June in the landmark series “Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman” (Tatsunoko Pro; 1972).

Jmaruyama