Japanese Name

Cutei Honey

English Name

Cutey Honey

Air Dates

10/13/1973 - 03/30/1974, Saturdays 8:30-9:00 PM; NET TV (Currently Asahi TV)

Number of Episodes

25

Producer

Katsuta Toshio

Original Story

Go Nagai

Story

Tsuji Masaki

Chief Director

Katsumata Tomoharu

Chief Animator

Araki Shingo

Character Designer

Urata Mataharu, Ito Eiji

Production Company

Toei Animation, Dynamic Pro

Cast/Voices

- Masuyama Eiko (Kisaragi Honey/Cutey Honey)
- Mori Katsuji (Hayami Seiji)
- Sawada Kazuko (Hayami Jyunpei)
- Yomita Kosei (Hayami Danbei)
- Yoshida Rieko (Natsuko)
- Yamamoto Keiko (Pochi)
- Tsune Nobuyo (Histora/Panther Zora)
- Tsukase Noriko (Alphone)
- Watanabe Mieko (Sister Jill)

Story

Kisaragi Honey is not your typical Japanese teenager. She has a penchant for getting into trouble and being both naughty and nice. One day her carefree life is suddenly rocked when she receives an odd message from her father. Rushing to his laboratory, Honey finds her father murdered. The perpetrators are agents of the evil organization called Panther Claw. They are after Prof. Kisaragi’s invention – The Air Matter Transmutation System. Honey fights off Panther Claw and finds the consciousness of her father alive within a robot facsimile. Prof. Kisaragi shockingly reveals to Honey that she is herself a cyborg which he had created. Prof. Kisaragi had built her to be the perfect cyborg, capable of human emotion as well as independent thought. To this end he had raised her as he would a human daughter. Prof. Kisaragi had also placed the Air Matter Transmutation System into her body. Using its powers, Honey is able to “change” into a unlimited number of different personas, the most powerful of which is the spicy redhead “Cutey” [Cutie] Honey. Honey vows to avenge her father’s death and wages a personal war against Panther Claw. She is aided (hampered) in her battles by the Hayami Clan consisting of brothers Seiji and Jyunpei, and their perpetually “horny” father, Danbei.

Cutey Honey
Using the powers of the Air Matter Transmutation System, Honey can “change” into a limitless number of different personas, each complete with a different set of skills and powers. She activates these powers with a shout of “Honey Flash!” While she can basically change into any number of different personas she wants, she seems to prefer “six” unique forms in particular:

Kuchu Genso Kotechi Shochi
The Kuchu Genso Kotechi Shochi (Lit. Air Element Fixation/Fixer System or Air Matter Transmutation System ) AKA Airborne Element Solidifier is a device created by Prof. Kisaragi as a means to literally create matter from the air (solidifying molecules). The applications of this system were limitless. Unfortunately, Panther Claw saw a very different and greedy use for this system. They had hoped to steal the device so that they could create an endless supply of jewels and diamonds for themselves. Prof. Kisaragi placed this device into Honey. Honey can now call upon its powers to “change” herself into any number of different costumes and abilities.

The Six Forms of Cutey Honey

“Hurricane Honey” – Motocross and Racing Expert. Ranked the No.1                                         Motorcycle Racer in Japan.
“Idol Honey” – F.A.L. (Foreign Airlines) Stewardess persona.
“Misty Honey” – Dusky voiced, jazz singer persona. Sometimes seen                                playing a jazz guitar.
“Fancy Honey” – Mature, classy adult model persona. Smokes a long                                 filtered cigarette.
“Flash Honey” –  Camera Woman and Reporter persona. Uses her                                 camera’s “flash” to blind enemies.
“Cutey Honey” – The Warrior of Love - Honey’s most                                 powerful persona. In addition to possessing                                 incredible strength, stamina, agility and fighting                                 prowess, Cutey Honey is also a master fencing                                 athlete of Olympic caliber. Her main weapon of                                 choice is the “Silver Foil” which can stab and slash                                 with incredible power. She also wields a “Honey                                 Boomerang” which can cut and tear through object                                 miles away.

Panther Claw
Panther Claw is a vast criminal cartel dedicated to the selfish accumulation of wealth. They are headed by the mysterious entity known as Panther Zora, who may in fact be a primal mystical force of evil. She is aided in her schemes by her venomous “child (?)” Sister Jill. Most of Panther Claws’ minions are female agents with various mystical and supernatural abilities (hinting demonic origins although they are referred to as “androids”). Panther Claw also incorporates a number of male henchmen who are also “androids” that assist the female agents in their missions.

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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.