Cutie Honey (2004)

Touches You

Purely Joyful Movie!

One of my all time favorites.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Aww, this is a tricky one. As you can see from the rating I have given this film I did not like it at all. However, writing a bad review for it just seems kind of, y'know, wrong. It feels like kicking a puppy. But the truth of the matter is that I more-or-less hated this film.The combination of wafer-thin story and characters, with the awful special effects and annoying humour meant that I struggled to find anything redeeming at all. Even the presence of a lingerie model (Sato Eriko) in the title role surprisingly didn't make much difference either. While pretty, she was just too asexual. I guess this is a movie aimed primarily at a younger audience and perhaps that's why I just didn't get it. It reminded me of the Power Rangers. And this was not a good thing. This was a bad thing.I suppose it helps if you are well-versed in all things Anime to truly appreciate what they were trying to do with this film. It is very comic-like. And it certainly doesn't take itself seriously; in fact it almost came across like it might be a parody of the genre. Although I really think that ultimately they would have been better making an animated version of this rather than a weak live-action interpretation. It was probably done this way purely to showcase the cuteness of Sato Eriko. I suppose if she rocks your boat then this movie might offer something.But as I said earlier I derive no pleasure in slagging this movie off for some reason. I guess I would like to say at least one kind thing about it but this is just an impossible task for me sadly. Watching it was painful and to be honest I thought it was completely rubbish.

Its brilliance is perhaps its downfall. CUTIE HONEY is a profound and thought-provoking vision disguised in a comic book plot. Unfortunately, those looking for a straight action flick will be put off by the philosophical themes; and those of you looking for an art film will be put off by the flashy theatrics. You'll notice many of the reviewers have panned it for its "sappy ending" (that's the philosophical part), while others have panned it for being too gaudy (as in Black Claw's song & dance fight routine--oh c'mon, who doesn't like a villain who kicks your ass while singing to a string quartet?!). Just keep your minds wide open on this one, folks. Enjoy the colourful action scenes and the quippy humour as well as the thought-provoking themes that run under the surface, and you'll have a great time.I'm more of an "art film" fan myself, and I was drawn into Hideaki Anno's work by his masterpiece SHIKI-JITSU. Though this is certainly a crowd-pleaser, it's not lacking in Anno's signature poetics. In particular, pay close attention to the dichotomy of Sister Jill & Cutie Honey: two immortal beings who are essentially the same but separated by one key philosophy. If you are in tune with this theme, the ending will be a treat for you.One other thing I must mention: the music is perfect. It illustrates exactly what I'm talking about; Honey's "themesong" is at first a goofy romp, sung in that high-soprano, staccato j-pop style. But when the scene calls for seriousness, we get the same melody presented on a somber piano. The effect, along with the dynamic cinematography and lighting, shows us the two extremes of Hideaki Anno, a man whose work I'm very much looking forward to exploring in the years to come.

Not to degrade the movie, but if you can't get over a "Power Rangers" feel, then pass this title by. However, if you enjoy humor, weird costumes, crazy action, and insane levels of Cuteness, then this may be the movie for you. Based on an old anime (manga too?) by Go Nagai, this live action version is quite amazingly a live action anime. I was never a huge fan of the original animation, but this move almost makes me want to go back and recheck it out. The movie is fast-paced, and action-oriented. It has decent character development (but don't look for anything too deep) and best of all, it was just silly. If it weren't for that last factor, the movie would have completely sapped an hour an a half from my life. The cast was great, considering the roles, but the thing that stands out is the way they were able to combine the live action with a very cartoony style (watch as Honey dodges all those missiles in the beginning, it a whole new style on it's own.) It was very entertaining, and it was definitely an example of camp gone right.

Saw Cutie Honey at the Leeds Film Festival on Saturday... not sure if James Maruyuma had been paying attention until the last half of the movie, because people breaking into song for no particular reason and "metaphysical" (actually psycho-sociological but nevermind) thoughts about love and opening your heart to people are there throughout. The film is 95% very very very silly, with a couple of curveball moments where things get a bit more serious, then right back into silliness and fluffiness again. The film is shot and edited in a very anime-esque way, with extensive use of CG to enhance the stylisation and "cartooniness" that's already quite abundant from the costumes and overacting. In fact, so much effort has been spent making the live action film feel like an animated film that one sometimes wonders why they didn't just animate it ;) The answer is, of course, the super-cuteness of Sato Eriko (though I was actually more partial to Ichikawa Mikako's super-repressed detective character, make of it what you will).Overall, very very camp and silly fun with a fluffy message about the power of love n' stuff. Not the stuff classics are made of, but worth seeing if the opportunity arises.