Re: Cutie Honey
Encyclopedia
is a three-episode OVA
(original video animation) series based on the 2004 tokusatsu
(live-action) film Cutie Honey
, both being adaptations of the 1970s manga
written and illustrated by Go Nagai
. The series was co-produced with Gainax
and Toei Animation
, directed
by Hideaki Anno
, and shown on the Animax
satellite television network
in 2004. The first episode aired on July 24, two months after the live-action film was released. DVD releases for each episode followed, with the first released on September 21. The series tells the same story as the film, but contains nudity
and additional character development.
and Sailor Moon
, and many references to Kill Bill
. As with prior Cutie Honey series, the OVA also features cameos from some of Go Nagai's other works, including Akira Fudo of Devilman, Kouji Kabuto and Boss from Mazinger Z, Duke Fleed from Grendizer, and previous Cutie Honey regular Danbei.
Each of the episodes in the series had its own director in addition to Anno; a reviewer on the Gainax fansite
Gainax Pages said that the episodes have such differing styles that "each episode director must have had considerable autonomy
".
Re: Cutie Honey, like the 1970s manga, portrays Cutie Honey with dark-reddish eyes
, not green eyes as in New Cutie Honey and Cutie Honey Flash; in Re: Cutie Honey she also wears an outfit that covers more of her cleavage
than the other versions, but shows her midriff
and other parts.
The opening theme, used for both the OVA and the live-action movie, is "Cutie Honey" performed by Koda Kumi, whilst the ending theme is "Into your Heart", also by Koda Kumi.
(the '70s series), Michiko Neya
(New Cutie Honey), Ai Nagano
(Cutie Honey Flash), and Yui Horie
(Re: Cutie Honey).
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
(original video animation) series based on the 2004 tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
(live-action) film Cutie Honey
Cutie Honey (film)
is a 2004 Japanese tokusatsu film adaptation, produced by Gainax, of the 1970s manga and anime series Cutie Honey.The film stars popular Japanese model Eriko Sato as the hyperactive Honey. Directed by Hideaki Anno, the film loosely retells the classic story of Cutie Honey's battle to defend...
, both being adaptations of the 1970s manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written and illustrated by Go Nagai
Go Nagai
, better known by the penname , 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 Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
. The series was co-produced with Gainax
Gainax
is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
and Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
, directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Hideaki Anno
Hideaki Anno
is a Japanese animation and film director. Anno is best known for his work on the popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. His style has come to be defined by the touches of postmodernism that he injects into his work, as well as the thorough portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions,...
, and shown on the Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
satellite television network
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
in 2004. The first episode aired on July 24, two months after the live-action film was released. DVD releases for each episode followed, with the first released on September 21. The series tells the same story as the film, but contains nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
and additional character development.
Plot
A mysterious organization known as Panther Claw make their presence known by terrorizing Tokyo and giving the cops a run for their money. Police are further baffled by the appearance of a lone cosplaying vigilante who thwarts all of Panther Claw's evil schemes before disappearing. That cosplayer is Honey Kisaragi, the result of the late Professor Kisaragi's prize experiment. A master of disguise, Honey can magically alter her physical appearance and outfits. But with a push of the heart-shaped button on her choker, she transforms herself into Cutie Honey, the scantily-clad, sword-wielding warrior of love and justice.Protagonists
- Kisaragi Honey works as a temp at an office in Tokyo. She's also an android out to get revenge against Panther Claw for killing her father. Her weapons are a boomerang, a rapier, a lance, and the power of Love.
- Hayami Seiji claims to be a newspaper reporter, but he seems to know a good deal about the technology that Cutie Honey utilizes, and seems to be studying her closely.
- Inspector Aki Natsuko is in charge of bringing Panther Claw to justice. She has incredible aim with firearms and can be fearless even if it is raining bullets.
- Know by everyone as "Granny", she is the janitor at Honey's work who's always bringing onigiri for her. Granny's food is the best because it is made with love.
Panther Claw
- The Club of the Four Gods, Gold Claw is the first truly powerful foe that Honey faces. Heavily armed and armored, Honey needs to be resourceful to find a way to defeat her. Gold Claw has Destroyer Panther, Doctor Panther, and Scope Panther as goons.
- The Diamond of the Four Gods, Cobalt Claw has a pair of tentacles that extend out of her mask that can wrap around a foe and generate an incredible amount of electrical current. Cobalt relishes the opportunity to show off her strength to Sister Jill and defeating Cutie Honey.
- The Heart of the Four Gods, Scarlet Claw is a pint-size villain with an umbrella that can vaporize a foe. Very manipulative, Scarlet Claw is able to turn the general populace against Honey. Scarlet's goons include Tank Panther, Bazooka Panther, and Sky Panther.
- The Spade of The Four Gods, Black Claw's primary attack is with vocal sound waves that she amplifies with her microphone and staff. As much as she tries to comprehend, she can't figure out what Sister Jill truly desires. A homage to Baron AshuraBaron Ashurais a fictional character featuring in the works of Go Nagai. It is the main henchman of Dr. Hell, the antagonist of Super Robot series Mazinger Z. It plagues the hero Kouji Kabuto for much of the series' run, until finally being killed in one of the later episodes....
and Count Brocken, the classic Mazinger ZMazinger Z, known briefly as Tranzor Z in United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In...
villains also created by Go Nagai.
- Sister Jill is the leader of Panther Claw. The Four Gods of Panther Claw act to realize her wishes. Her preferred weapon is a whip which can summon shadow hands. Jill is served by The Four Gods of Panther Claw as well as a mysterious butler. In the last episode she possesses a demonic body that heavily resembles Demon Lord DanteDemon Lord Danteis the title of several horror-themed manga series written by Go Nagai as well as an anime series.During 1971, Go Nagai wrote the original Demon Lord Dante manga, which was published in Kodansha's Bokura Magazine. After its original run in 1971 from January to June, Go Nagai went on to author the...
, one of Go Nagai's earliest works.
Production
The series makes references to other anime such as Lupin IIILupin III
, also known as Lupin the 3rd, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Kato under the pen name of Monkey Punch. The story follows the adventures of a gang of thieves led by Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of...
and Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
, and many references to Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
. As with prior Cutie Honey series, the OVA also features cameos from some of Go Nagai's other works, including Akira Fudo of Devilman, Kouji Kabuto and Boss from Mazinger Z, Duke Fleed from Grendizer, and previous Cutie Honey regular Danbei.
Each of the episodes in the series had its own director in addition to Anno; a reviewer on the Gainax fansite
Fansite
A fansite, fan site, or fanpage is a website created and maintained by a fan or devotee interested in a celebrity, thing, or a particular cultural phenomenon...
Gainax Pages said that the episodes have such differing styles that "each episode director must have had considerable autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
".
Re: Cutie Honey, like the 1970s manga, portrays Cutie Honey with dark-reddish eyes
Eye color
Eye color is a polygenic phenotypic character and is determined by two distinct factors: the pigmentation of the eye's iris and the frequency-dependence of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris....
, not green eyes as in New Cutie Honey and Cutie Honey Flash; in Re: Cutie Honey she also wears an outfit that covers more of her cleavage
Cleavage (breasts)
Cleavage, anatomically known as the intramammary cleft, is the space between a woman's breasts lying over the sternum. Cleavage is exposed by a garment with a low neckline, such as ball gowns, evening gowns, swimwear, casual tops and other garments....
than the other versions, but shows her midriff
Midriff
Midriff is a particular term to denominate the section of the human body between the thorax/chest and the pelvis/hips. It is used as a genteel avoidance of synonymous belly ; as a synonym for waist; and as a name for the area around the diaphragm Midriff is a particular term to denominate the...
and other parts.
The opening theme, used for both the OVA and the live-action movie, is "Cutie Honey" performed by Koda Kumi, whilst the ending theme is "Into your Heart", also by Koda Kumi.
Series
The Re: Cutie Honey Complete DVD, released on September 21, 2005, includes a CD drama starring the four seiyū that have voiced Honey up to then: Eiko MasuyamaEiko Masuyama
is a Japanese voice actress who works for Aoni Production. She is most known for the roles of Fujiko Mine , Kisaragi Honey , and Bakabon's Mama .-Notable voice roles:...
(the '70s series), Michiko Neya
Michiko Neya
is a female Japanese voice actress born in Echizen, Fukui . Neya is a freelancer, although she worked at Arts Vision.-Anime:*Aka-chan to Boku *Cardcaptor Sakura *Chrono Crusade...
(New Cutie Honey), Ai Nagano
Ai Nagano
is a Japanese voice actress. She has been voice-acting since 1997.Ai is famous for her role in Cutey Honey Flash as Honey, which was her debut role...
(Cutie Honey Flash), and Yui Horie
Yui Horie
is a popular Japanese singer and voice actress. She is sometimes affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans.She hosts a radio show called and is the founding member of the singing group, Aice5. She is also a member of the band Kurobara Hozonkai, with the name YUIEL...
(Re: Cutie Honey).