Japanese Name

Cutei Honey Flash

English Name

Cutey Honey Flash

Air Dates

2/15/1997 - 1/31/1998; Asahi TV

Number of Episodes

39

Producers

Ota Kenji, Ueda Megumi, Yatta Koichi, Higashi Irihiro

Original Story

Go Nagai

Story

Isaka Yukako (from her Manga Serialization in the Weekly Magazine “Chao”)

Production

Matsuzaka Kazumitsu

Character Designer

Shimogasa Miho

Designer

Kano Yoshiyuki

Series Organization

Yamaguchi Youta

Series Director

Sasaki Kazuyuki

Production Company

Toei Agency, Toei Animation, TV Asahi

Cast/Voices

- Nakano Ai (Kisaragi Honey)
- Chiba Shinbo (Hayami Seiji)
- Hayami Shou (Prince/Prince Zera)
- Omoto Makiko (Aki Natsuko)
- Okohira Shizuka (Ms. Miharu)
- Matsuo Ginzou (Principle Danbei)
- Hiramatsu Akiko (Hazuki Seira)
- Okawa Chiho (Sister Jill)
- Habe Yumi (Panther Zora)
- Kamiya Akira (Dr. Takeshi Kisaragi)

Story

Kisaragi Honey is the most popular student at Saint Chapel Academy. Not only is she the school’s top academic student but she is also a star on the school’s fencing team. Every year Honey makes a pact with her father Dr. Takeshi Kisaragi to meet with him on her birthday. This year is particularly special because it’s her Sweet Sixteenth Birthday. As she rushes off to see her father, Dr. Kisaragi is kidnapped by agents of the World Crime Syndicate Panther Claw. Detective Hayami Seiji is barely able to save Honey from Panther Claw.

Stunned Honey goes to her father’s laboratory to see if he had been taken there. She arrives only to find the facility totally destroyed. A handsome and mysterious figure calling himself Prince appears to Honey and tells her he is an associate of her father’s. He hands her a Heart Shaped Ring and Neck Broach (Choker). He tells her that these are her father’s gift to her and that they will give her great powers. When Honey puts these items on, she undergoes a “change” and becomes Cutey Honey – The Warrior of Love. Using her newfound abilities she goes on her long
quest to save her father and destroy Panther Claw.

Along the way, Honey is confronted by Hazuki Seira, who claims to be her “lost” younger sister. Not only does she equal Honey in every way (beauty, intelligence and fencing skill), but she also is able to “change” into the dark figure of “Misty” Honey. With powers equal to and greater than Cutey Honey, Misty Honey was a continual thorn in Honey’s side until their final battle, which resulted not only in Misty Honey’s tragic death but the death of their father.

Before he dies Honey’s father reveals a shocking truth. Honey was conceived via the powers of the Kuchu Genso Kotechi Shochi (Lit. Air Element Fixation System or Air Matter Transmutation System ) AKA Airborne Element Solidifier. Both she and Seira were artificial beings created by this technology by Dr. Kisaragi and Prince.

Panther Claw had wanted to use the device for their own nefarious and greedy purposes but Dr. Kisaragi betrayed them and instead implanted the system into both Honey and Seira (Seira’s device was “flawed”).

Upon Misty Honey’s death, Cutey Honey was able to “power up” using the remnants of Misty Honey’s power.

With new resolve Honey continued her battle against Panther Claw eventually battling Panther Zora herself and using the powers of the Air Matter Transformation System to encase her in diamond for eternity. Cutey Honey and Seiji later married and had a child. Their finale with a resurrected Sister Jill occurred on their wedding day.

- Amazon Panther Honey (29)
- Ballerina Honey (5)
- Bazooka Honey (13)
- Belly Dancer Honey (5)
- Boxer Honey (14)
- Carpenter Honey (18)
- Cassiopeia Honey (15)
- Chiropractic Honey (19)
- Circus Honey (27)
- Cowboy Honey (2,26,28)
- Cupid Honey (15)
- Cutey “Kani” (Crab) (15)
- Cutey Honey Flash (All)
- Death Honey (23)
- Delivery Messenger Honey (9)
- Elegance Honey (3,20,25,31,37)
- Equestrian Rider Honey (8)
- Escort Honey (1,2,25,30,31,34,37,39)
- Excavator Honey (25)
- Female Ghost Honey (19)
- Fire Fighter Honey (8,18)
- Flying Acrobat Honey (3)
- Hurricane Honey (1,3,4,6,9,10,11,13,14,20,
   21,26,27,32,33,35,37,39)
- In-Line Skater Honey (5)
- Jungle Honey (29)
- Karate Honey (14)
- Kitchen Girl Honey (30)
- Knight Honey (23)
- Kunoichi Honey (24)
- Lion Tamer Honey (17)
- Madras Honey (34)
- Magician Honey (11)
- Magnet Honey (24)
- Matador Honey (9)
- Mermaid Honey (19)
- Monk Honey (14)
- Nurse Honey (1,4,7,12,20,26,37,39)
- Panther Claw Honey (6)
- Pirate Captain Honey (7)
- Pro Golfer Honey (36)
- Race Queen Honey (27)
- Robin Hood Honey (13)
- Rock Climber Honey (10)
- Scientist Honey (31)
- Scoop Honey (1,3,4,11,20,32,37,39)
- Scuba Diver Honey (7,19)
- Showgirl Honey (11)
- Sky Diver Honey (10)
- Space Honey (33)
- Stage Honey (1,4,20,26,32,37,39)
- Synchronized Swimmer Honey (2)
- Venus De Milo Honey (34)
- Violinist Honey (16)
- “White Horse” Honey (15)
- Wing Glider (Sky) Honey (12)

The New Cutey Honey
Kisaragi Honey was conceived through the powers of the Kuchu Genso Kotechi Shochi (Lit. Air Element Fixation System or Air Matter Transmutation System ). This system enables her to effortlessly alter her appearance into whatever persona she wishes. This power is activated through the “Heart Shaped” Ring and Neck Broach (Choker) she wears. With a call of “Honey Flash” she is instantly transformed into her various guises. Her most powerful persona is Cutey [Cutie} Honey, The Warrior of Love. In this form she possesses various superhuman powers such as increased strength, stamina, agility, speed and resilience.

As Cutey Honey she carries a fencing foil she calls her “Honey Lightening Flare”. Imbued with almost “magical” powers, she is able to stab, slash and cut through almost anything. Her skills with this sword are matched only by her sister, Seira. Her “finishing blow” involves the literal carving of the letter “F” into an enemy. Honey also uses another weapon she calls her “Honey Boomerang”. Disguised normally an armband, she can fling this device at her enemies, slashing them.

Cutey Honey can also “Power Up” her powers even further thanks to the powers bestowed upon her by Seira. In this form her powers are double and she can call upon another weapon, her “Rouge Arrow” to blow enemies apart.

Cutey Honey's Seven Forms
While the Kuchu Genso Kotechi Shochi can enable Honey to a potentially “change” into a limitless number of guises, personas and costumes, she prefers seven forms in particular:

“Hurricane Honey”: Honey’s Extreme Sports disguise. Expert                                      motocross rider.
“Nurse Honey”: Honey’s Nurse persona. Expert in medical treatments                               and procedures.
“Stewardess Honey”: Honey’s Air Stewardess disguise.
“Scoop Honey”: Honey’s Camera Woman and Reporter persona. Uses                              this disguise to do undercover work.
“Stage Honey”: Honey’s lounge singer persona. Is decidedly more                              mature and feminine than her other disguises.
“Elegance Honey”: Honey’s Bridal disguise. Another more mature and                                    feminine disguise.
“Cutey Honey”: Honey’s main fighting form. Spunky redhead with a                              body “to die for”.

Panther Claw
Panther Claw is a Global Criminal Syndicate dedicated to the acquisition of wealth and power. They routinely are involved in a number of criminal activities including robberies, murder, mayhem, terrorism and extortion. They are lorded over by the mystical entity known as “Panther Zora”. Panther Claw incorporates an army of female agents with supernatural and almost demonic powers. They are also aided by a number of male minions who are also supernatural in origin.

The following is a rundown of the main Panther Claw agents:

Panther Zora: The diabolical primeval entity that leads Panther Claw. Has claimed itself to be as old as time. Assumes a “female” persona and resonates from a gigantic stone statue hidden deep beneath the Earth. Has incredible reality manipulating powers. Has an uncontrollable fixation on jewelry, diamonds and other precious jewels.

Sister Jill: Panther Zora’s primary minion and Head Priestess. Is said to be immortal. Becomes stronger with each “death” and resurrection she undergoes. Has numerous mystical powers and abilities including shape-changing, body morphing, electrical current generation, monstrous strength, and ESPer Powers. Dresses in “S & M” domination style attire and carries a leather whip. Was responsible for the death of Hayami Seiji’s father.

Tasogare No “Prince”/Prince Zera: The Twilight Prince is a mysterious figure who seems to always shadow Honey and act as an occasional adviser to her. His signature mark is a lone flower stem that he always leaves for Honey. Is later revealed to have been an associate to Dr. Kisaragi, Honey’s father and to have helped in her “birth”. Prince also inexplicably acted as Hazuki Seira’s companion and compatriot when she launched her attacks on Honey, much to the shock and dismay of Honey. Prince is in actuality Prince Zera, a creation of Panther Zora like Sister Jill and one of Panther Claw’s leaders. He betrays Panther Zora so that he may feel the emotion and power of “love”.

Gorgon Claw: One of Panther Claw’s main Generals. Recruited from Panther Claw’s Sumatora branch. Is a composite entity with the torso of a woman and the body of a raging tiger.

SCUD Panther: One of Panther Claw’s main Generals. Recruited from Panther Claw’s Middle East branch. Has a massive SCUD missile attachment on her back. Was known as the fearsome “Sand Devil”. She was eventually killed by Sister Jill for betraying Panther Claw.

Freddie Claw: One of Panther Claw’s main Generals. Recruited from Panther Claw’s European branch. Is said to be Immortal. Can detach her head effortlessly.

The Mystery of Seira
Fourteen Year Old Hazuki Seira is the younger “sister” of Kisaragi Honey. She and Honey were conceived through the Kuchu Genso Kotechi Shochi (Lit. Air Element Fixation System or Air Matter Transmutation System ). Dr. Kisaragi imbedded parts of the Kuchu Genso Kotechi Shochi into both Honey and Seira. It is later revealed that the device within Seira was “flawed” and contributed to her dementia.

While Dr. Kisaragi was able to steal Honey away from Panther Zora, Seira was not so lucky. Trapped in Panther Zora’s hellish realm, she was reared to be full of hate. Seira, thus grew to resent both Honey and their father.

Like Honey, Seira can also activate the powers of the Kuchu Genso Kotechi Shochi to become the powerful figure of Misty Honey, “The Warrior of Hate”. She is Honey’s equal in everyway, even down to using the same type of “special attack”. Strangely, Seira doesn’t utilize any type of “change” powers opting instead to switch only between her Hazuki Seira and Misty Honey personas.

A Black Rose tattoo marks the area where Seira’s device is located.

Honey is eventually able to help Seira “purge” her rage and come to terms with her past. Unfortunately, the powers of Panther Zora are too strong and Seira is “split” into two separate beings, Hazuki Seira/Misty Honey and the monster within her Dark Panther.

Seira heroically battles Dark Panther but during the melee Dr. Kisaragi is killed protecting her. In a last gambit Seira destroys herself and Dark Panther. As a final gift she gives Honey all of her remaining powers and abilities.

Review

No opportunity to review yet.

Trivia/Factoids

Cutey Honey is the creation of prolific manga artist Nagai Go who has created some of the most memorable manga characters in Japanese comics (Mazinger Z, Devil Man, Great Mazinger, UFO Grand Dizer).

Nagai Go was an apprentice to famous manga writer and Tokusatsu Godfather Ishinomori Shoutaro.

Nagai Go got the idea for Cutey Honey from Kawauchi Kohan’s creation “Ai No Senshi Rainbow Man”. Kawauchi Kohan was also responsible for “Gekko Kamen” (Moonlight Mask).

While only alluded to in the Manga, Cutey Honey could be a Lesbian. Honey and Natsuko often were involved in “sex play” in their dorm room. In fact the entire Saint Chapel Academy was wrought in Lesbianism, an example of which can be seen in the physical relationship between female teachers Alphonse and Poki.

Histora was also in a love/hate relationship with Honey and often was seen trying to be with her (although she never succeeded). This salacious theme was never used in the anime.

Nagai Go was responsible for the creation of two other “unique” heroines but could they never duplicated the success he had with Cutey Honey:
Kekko Kamen (Kekko – Slang for Big, Plenty, Ample) -1975
Kekko Kamen was a parody of Kawauchi Kohan’s landmark Japanese Serial Hero, Gekko Kamen (Moonlight Mask) [1958]. Like Gekko Kamen, Kekko Kamen was a defender of justice and the “people’s hero”. Kekko Kamen’s unique gimmick was that she wore next to nothing. Using this tactic she would distract her opponents with her “ample assets” and kill them by crushing their heads in between her thighs.

Maboroshi Panty (The Legendary Panty)-1980
Maboroshi Panty was another school girl turned “super heroine”. Fashioning a mask from one of her panties, she fights crime as a mysterious vigilante.