Go Nagai is legendary in the world of anime and manga. His vision has brought us many series throughout the years and he is credited with helping to form the magical girl genre with Cutey Honey way back in the 70's. With many renditions under its belt Honey has been a popular franchise for the better part of thirty years. The series themselves may be hard to find but the latest rendition has finally hit store shelves here in America.

When I first heard about the live-action version of Cutey Honey I was naturally skeptical. I have been a fan of the franchise for a long time and didn't think a live-action release would be able to capture the spirit of the original. Other similar endeavors have been met with failure in my opinion but I may just be a stickler for things the way they were originally intended to be seen. That being said Cutie Honey is a mildly entertaining romp through the Honey universe and is worth checking out if you enjoy low-budget, campy films.

The movie starts with Honey Kisaragi (model Eriko Sato) soaking it up in a bathtub and having a good time of it. Unfortunately her moment of respite is interrupted by a phone call from her uncle who is in some kind of trouble. Naturally Honey jumps out of the tub and yells "Honey Flash!" which is supposed to transform her but doesn't because she's low on energy. Wearing nothing but a trash bag and underwear she runs down the street to grab a bite to eat so she can transform into Cutie Honey.

When she arrives on the scene she goes to the aid of Squad Chief Natsuko Aki (Mikako Ichikawa) who finds herself in a bit of trouble. It seems that the Panther Claw Organization is up to their old tricks again and Gold Claw has taken an interest in Honey's uncle. In good form with many explosions Honey saves the day, rescues her uncle, and ticks off the authorities in the process. Along the way she is also introduced to a mysterious reporter, Hayami Seiji (Jun Murakami), whose ultimate goal is undefined until later in the film.

With a good days work behind her Honey goes back to her normal life of chilling around her apartment and working a menial desk job. When she attempts to call her uncle to say hi she learns that he was kidnapped by Panther Claw again and sets out to rescue him. At this point the movie brings Natsuko and Seiji into the fold as her sidekicks and the trio reluctantly begins to work together. When Honey isn't fighting a Panther Claw minion she's developing a relationship with her new friends. It's one of the driving forces for the picture and in all honesty makes the kidnapped uncle plot seem like a mere distraction.

At any rate Sister Jill, leader of Panther Claw, wants to get her hands on Honey's power system when she learns about the lovely hero. This escalates into a final showdown between good and evil that leaves a resounding impact on Tokyo. It's good, cheesy Cutie Honey form from start to finish and as far as live-action films derived from anime are concerned this is one of the better endeavors that I have seen.

It should go without saying that you have to take this movie with a grain of salt. As long as you don't come expecting to be blown away by a sweeping narrative or award winning performances you'll be reasonably entertained. Cutie Honey stars models who look better than they act and low-budget effects akin to Power Rangers but thanks to direction by Hideaki Anno it actually works somehow.

As a fan of Cutey Honey I had a lot of fun with the live-action version. Sato may not be the best actress for my money but her cute looks, perky charm, and presence in front of the camera matched by expectations for Honey perfectly. The rest of the cast churns out performances that leave a lot to be desired but given the campy nature of the film they are acceptable. This movie may not make an otaku out of you but if you hold a place in your heart for anime you owe it to yourself to check out. It stands out as one of the better live-action attempts and is something Honey fans shouldn't miss.

Cutie Honey is presented on DVD with a brilliant 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. The film features a wide and vibrant color palette and every frame absolutely pops no matter how you look at it. The picture is relatively free of flaw though some film grain and softness appears from time to time. There was no compression to gripe about and contrast stayed fine with natural tones throughout.

One thing worth mentioning while talking about the film is the visual approach to recreating the look of the anime. There are a few clips tossed in here and there and the entire affair has a certain cartoon-like appearance. For instance when Honey leaps and flips through the air this is handled by clipping live-action stills together to create a frantic sense of movement. There are other throwbacks to the anime as well and it definitely gives the film the look of being animated at times.

As one might expect, Cutie Honey comes with English and Japanese language tracks. Both dubs receive a 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround which is something that doesn't happen often with anime related discs. While both dubs are competent I found the original Japanese to be the better of the two in terms of quality. As far as the technical aspects of the disc are concerned the stereo offerings sound just like you'd expect them to. The 5.1 surround mix offers a greater sense of immersion with the rear speakers kicking in when the action heads up. My system really came to life at a few points as bullets whizzed and swords clanged.

Unless you spring for the Limited Edition release of Cutie Honey you can expect to find few features on the regular edition. There is a teaser included for the film as well as the theatrical trailer. A twenty-three minute making of featurette can be found in the extras menu as well. This provides some light commentary about the project with some behind the scene and candid moments from the cast. Presented in Japanese with English subtitles this feature was entertaining enough and was the perfect accompaniment for the movie. It's relatively light on content but fun to watch regardless.

Cutie Honey was campy from start to finish. The special effects were weak, the acting was poor, and the story elements were pretty light. With all of that being said this movie was actually more enjoyable than it should have been. The cast had some great chemistry and in many instances the film captured the spirit of the original anime. Fans should definitely check it out though really anyone who would consider themselves an otaku will find something to like about it. Come expecting a low-budget movie with a lot of personality and you won't be disappointed.

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