Cutey/ie Honey The Live

Through the wonders of the Net, I’ve been able to watch the first episode of the live action TV series just days after it aired in Japan. I’m not quite sure what to think yet. I don’t think Hideaki Anno had anything to do with this incarnation, I believe its directed by a dude responsible for a bunch of current modern tokusatsu Kamen Rider shows. Perhaps its best going in not knowing anything and entering with an open, blank mind. But with how many versions its been through and originating from the mind of Go Nagai, how can an J-pop culture otaku not. We have yet another version of the Cutie Honey OP theme. To be expected, its also a Go Nagai creation and is so heavily associated with the franchise that there would much screaming if a new theme and song were penned. This time its a Eurobeatish version. It is in danger of straying too far, the emblishments don’t add to staying power of the music, I could get tired of hearing this version. So now then, the most important question, what about Honey? She actually doesn’t even make her appearance  until almost 3/4 the way through the episode. She’s more endowed in the bust than Eriko Sato from the movie version, but she’s not as cute. And she’s teetering on the edge of believablity to be a high school girl. The movie made no such attempt. And although it was kind of cute to have Honey doing the cute ditzy even while fighting, that strays quite far from the original. On the other hand the Panther Claw minions were played pretty straight and fairly menacing. Now that I think about it, this is almost a complete reversal from the movie and to a lesser extent the original anime where the hero’s are played straight and serious and the villans have the camp going. And what’s with the dude villian? Aren’t only the Panther Claw minions supposed to be male, shouldn’t all Panther Claws above pawns be female? Didn’t bother me too much though. But I don’t like how Seiji is given the bumbling private detective role. In other incarnations he’s been a cool dude and pretty capable and a potential romantic match for Honey. But here he’s played the idiot. Who knows, maybe its an act. I also miss the old school retro BG music. The fighting is decent, with some funny moments, but who knows how well that’ll hold up with the budget of a long running TV series. There’s a bunch of fanservice. So in the end, what’s the verdict? Well, I found myself entertained for the 24 minutes. I think it’s worth sticking around for a bit. I’ll be attempting to translate this ep.

http://ani.tv/honey-thelive/