Edited & released back in 1994 by the twisted mind of Go Nagai (who, in my opinion, should be nominated for sainthood) and released in the U.S. back in 2004, New Cutey Honey takes place 100 years after the original show. A lot has happened since the original show, and the only character to have survived is Danbei Hayami. He's now 150 years old, outfitted with various cybernetic implants, and a bit more pervy. As far as the city itself, things have become a bit darker, forcing some of it's citizens to associate with the darkness (as one character puts it).
Perhaps the three biggest influences on the city's criminal element are Dolmeck, Black Maiden, and Peeping Spider. These individuals control most of the crime and other vile elements within the city, but despite that control, there are a few things standing in the way, namely Mayor Light (the leader of the city), Chokkei Hayami (Danbei's grandson), Chokkei's parents (reformed criminals), and Honey. Together, they fight back against Dolmeck and his minions, but release another evil in the process (more on that later).
For such an old show, New Cutey Honey really does have a lot going for it. For starters is Honey herself. She mixes two things that you don't always find in anime girls: brains & sexiness. She outwits every opponent that she comes across, and looks good (hot or sexy would be better terms to use, but good works) doing it at the same time. Honey is also one of the biggest hopes that she has to offer, as she is constantly hopeful about the future, and has a heart that shines more brightly than the sun.
The rest of the cast have equally interesting personalities. Danbei still acts a lot like his old self from the original show: perverted, loud mouthed, yet oddly caring. Chokkei is a lot like Honey: hopeful, kind, and brave. Chokkei's parents are the dirtiest (especially the father) & twisted tag-team to have graced the world of anime. At times they still embrace their criminals elements, but when it comes to their son, they put crime aside just for him.
As for the villains, they are all evil. Dolmeck practically runs all of the dark elements in the city, and has a sinister vibe about him. Black Maiden is equally sinister, and hides a old secret (more on that later). Peeping Spider is the only member of this trio that can sorta be liked. He's not quite as sinister as Dolmeck, and has an element of perviness to him (if he wasn't so evil, he and Danbei would be friends).
An interesting plus for New Cutey Honey is it's length. The show runs at 8 episodes, which fits right in the medium range of show lengths. It's actually works out well, as just about anyone can watch the full show in one or two sittings. Despite the turn in story and loss of a 9th episode (more on that later), 8 episodes of a sexy girl fighting evil and outsmarting them at the same time, is quite okay.
Another positive aspect of New Cutey Honey is it's animation. Despite being a early 90s show, everything is actually quite fluid. Considering that a good portion of the show is fast paced, the quality of the animation really stands out. The characters (whether major or minor) look really good, and that especially applies to the girls. The environment definitely invokes feelings of despair and darkness, despite looking a tiny bit goofy.
Voice Acting is also a plus for this show. Jessica Calvello, the voice of Honey, was personally handpicked by Go Nagai to voice her. If you're recommended by a legendary anime editor to voice an equally legendary character, chance are you really impressed the guy. The other voice actors do an equally impressive job, with David Nance giving a young, hopeful tone to Chokkei, and Tristan MacAvery provided a pervy yet wise voice to Danbei.
Yet, for all of it's positives, New Cutey Honey has some pretty big negatives. For starters, New Cutey Honey is actually pretty hard to find. With ADV Films (R.I.P.) out of the picture, no new copies have been released. If you're looking to find a new copy, then you're pretty much out of luck. The best bet for you is to head over to Amazon, a pick up a used copy. As I'm typing this, there are currently only 10 used copies on Amazon. Prices of these copies range from a little over 15 dollars, to about 33 dollars. The link below provides the complete list of used copies.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B003ZKC2JY/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1321132942&sr=1-6&condition=used
In case you were wondering how much my used copy cost, I can tell you that while I got it as a Christmas gift back in 2009, it was still in the 15 dollar range.
A second negative of New Cutey Honey is the 2nd half of the story. If you haven't watched the show, you may want to look away if you don't want to spoil the show for yourself At the very end of the first half after Dolmeck is defeated, it's discovered that Black Maiden is Honey's ancient foe Panther Zora (the main villain from the first Cutey Honey show). From there, things kinda take a nose dive as far as the story is concerned. Instead of having a single solid story, the second half of the show takes on a monster-a-day theme. What makes all of that interesting is that despite Panther Zora coming into being once again, she actually takes a back seat to what's going on, despite (sorry for using the word again) clearly having some kind of influence as to what's going on.
New Cutey Honey's 3rd negative aspect is the missing 9th episode. From what I've been able to uncover during my research, there was supposed to be a 9th, Christmas themed episode. Whether it concluded the show or not, I'm not sure. However, this 9th episode was never made. Instead, the episode was converted into a drama CD that, to the best of my searchings, can't be found anymore. Ironically, the script for the 9th episode can be seen on the DvD.
This final negative aspect of New Cutey Honey is perhaps the one thing that impacts it the most. New Cutey Honey is the only anime of that specific story that has ever been picked up by a U.S. company. You can't find any other cartoon in the Cutey Honey universe for sale, at least as far as a U.S. release is concerned. Your only choice if you want to watch the older & newer shows is to go on website like youtube or veoh and look it up, and that's if you want to do it legally.
New Cutey Honey gets a 7 out of 10. The characters have eye-catching personalities, a nice medium length, an equally nice animation quality, and good voice acting, but it's difficult to find, the 2nd half of the story is weak, the 9th episode is missing, and no other Cutey Honey series has been acquired by a U.S. company.
Okay everyone, stay tuned until my final review from the ADV Films (R.I.P) Essential Anime Collection. Until then, stay Otaku!
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