As part of theotaku discussion I'll be reviewing three anime, a spinoff, a reboot and a sequel, this is the reboot Cutey Honey Universe.
Brace yourselves, this is the worse one. Like previous series, Cutie Honey is about a super human android girl with powers that allow her to hide her identity to get an advantage over the bad guys Panther Claw and use super strength and sword skills as the titular Cutie Honey. The Universe season made as part of the 50th Anniversary of Go Nagai's works along with Mazinger and Devilman, but this is not only the worst of the three but one of the worst anime period.
The first strike was when the iconic opening theme was removed, the second strike was the lack of colour and enthusiasm the story had but the final strike was the deeply uncomfortable sexual tensions between much of the cast.
Cutie Honey's design doesn't lend itself to being serious, the other two, Mazinger and Devilman can to some extent being more edgy than anything else but Cutie Honey can't and it's painfully obvious watching this. Not helping is Go Nagai's not quite hentai but should be mind set that just makes the whole thing even worse.
I've not heard the dub but considering who dubs it, I'd rather not hear it.
Final Verdict: A reboot that misses the point entirely of how Cutie Honey works. Deeply uncomfortable, bland and insulting.
I'm sorry these are not better examples of spinoffs, sequels and reboots but the underlying theme of all three reviews and in general is the notion of still being relevant. Tenchi in Tokyo was past it's sell by date, Boruto is a stale retread of Naruto, Cutie Honey Universe is a reboot that tries a formula it's design can't handle. Even looking at better examples, Card Captors Clear Card is the third retread of the same story, Dragonball Super is running out of Saiyan forms, Sailor Moon Crystal played it too safe and Pokemon's current season is the least inclusive of the whole franchise. What it means for Shaman King is this, they either go up the age rating or don't bother, Shaman King deserves a good anime.
I'm almost finished with NieA 7, so in the meantime, lets look at Cutey Honey Flash.
Honey Kisaragi is a normal high school student, all this changes when Panther Claw kidnap her father, to fight Panther Claw her father leaves her a device to transform into Cutey Honey, like all previous shows prior, Honey uses a selection of disguises including classics like reporter and biker to new ones like nurse and bride.
Fundamentally the story hasn't changed but there are some notable differences.
Other than the already mentioned new disguises, there's a rival Cutey Honey named Misty and Honey herself is the first human incarnation in the franchise, the other noticeable feature is the animation which is very Sailor Moonish, not surprising as this replaced Sailor Moon when it finished it's broadcast and much of the staff jumped onto Cutey Honey Flash.
The show is beautiful to look at and it truly feels like a proper Mahou Shoujo production unlike it's more violent predecessors, but saying that it also feels like a much safer version as it takes far less risks but that can be down to taste more than weakness of the show.
No dub but having seen previous dubs of older shows it would work well.
Final Verdict: Of the Cutey Honey shows, this is argubly the most beautiful, it takes less risks than the much older shows but hardly a criticism as it works just as well as them.
Time to look at a major list as we come to the Top Ten Best Magical Girls, to make this list, you need to have a few qualities, you must promote benevolence, have a memorable look and stand out among others within a team should they be part of one; a cute mascot helps to. Without further delay lets begin.
Honorable Mentions
Any Student from Aikatsu
The cast of Aikatsu certainly are memorable with their revolving door wardrobes but none of the cast standout on their own.
Ichigo Momomiya from Tokyo Mew Mew
The pink haired Catgirl was one of the major Magical Girls that bridged the gap between Sailor Moon and Pretty Cure, sadly the show is a casualty of 4Kids and never recovered.
Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Lyrical Nanoha
It's difficult to really call this show a proper Magical Girl show as it's closer to Mai-Hime rather than the norm, while that's not a bad thing it just makes this show a little too serious.
10. Yui Kasuga from Corrector Yui
The Magical Computer Fairy is the most forgettable on this top ten but as a Magical Girl she suits her role better than many of the higher ups on this list.
9. Akane Isshiki from Vividred Operation
Akane suffers from Miracle Rookie syndrome so isn't as high up as she should be but she's on this list anyway for her awesome fusion forms which are some of the best in the Genre.
8. Meimi Haneoka from Saint Tail
The result of a Reformed Thief and a Stage Magician creating the Magical Girl equivalent of Robin Hood with the additions of being blessed by god as her best friend is a nun. Horribly underrated but she's a little too close to a certain higher up Magical Girl on this list.
7. Momo from Minky Momo
One of the so called originals of the genre, Minky Momo's task was always solving problems rather than fighting the forces of evil, doing so in an older form created by Magic. Would be higher except that during her era there were several shows like hers competing for ratings.
6. Miyuki Hoshizora from Smile Precure
There are enough Precures now in the franchise to compete with Power Rangers for numbers so finding one to fill this list wasn't easy until I came to Smile Precure, arguably the best team of the franchise and leading them was Cure Happy Miyuki Hoshizora who should really be the poster child for the franchise.
5. Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon
The most famous Magical Girl of all time but not the best as anyone with a long memory remembers how Sailor Moon used to be which is a whiny teenager, which the Crystal series seem to forget. Nevertheless Sailor Moon has achieved more than most Magical Girls in the same position.
4. Momoko Hanasaki from Wedding Peach
Yeah, Sailor Moon's closest rival is better than Sailor Moon herself, surprised? Well I'll explain, Wedding Peach is still the only Magical Girl show to fully promote love as a core part of the genre without losing it's focus, it knows what it is and it's headed by the perfect character in Momoko.
3. Honey Kisaragi from Cutey Honey
Cutey Honey invented the Transformation Sequence, an element that all Magical Girl shows have relied on since this show's creation, and to think this show was created by Go Nagai, an artist more famous for Devilman and one of the main people behind the ultra violent 80s era.
2. Amu Hinamori from Shugo Chara
If you want a character that's just right for it's audience and suits the attitudes of the current era then look no further than Peach Pit's pink heroine Amu Hinamori, with this girl you get a choice in style that will suit all types of interests as well as a storyline that suits a slightly older audience.
1. Sakura Kinomoto from Card Captor Sakura
But the most perfect Magical Girl ever created is Clamp's Card Captor Sakura, she's not perfect so her achievements are more believable when she accomplishes them, she has a revolving door wardrobe actually made for her by her stalker, I mean best friend Tomoyo, and you get more out of an episode as it replaces transformation sequences with Magical Incantations which suit the show more and you have a cute mascot that becomes awesome later. I have my reservations about the way Clamp operate but Card Captor Sakura is their best.
