OK, there was one thing I did…

I downloaded more or less at random a Japanese animation (“anime” the kids call it) called Cutey Honey Flash. Somewhere it was listed as a top download. It is a 3-episode reprise of a 1970’s TV series, done in the last couple of years. It’s about your typical super-popular high school girl, idolized by all her classmates, especially expert at fencing (judging by anime, these girls really are typical), who, by touching her brooch and shouting (in English) “HONEY FLASH!” awakens super powers so she can fight an all-female band of supernatural villains known as Panther Claw. (Pronounced “Panthl Crawl” – they choose to use English at the oddest times.)

This story has been redone several times, apparently, including a live-action movie. You just can’t get enough Cutey Honey!

I have only seen the first episode, but there are two things I really like about this silly show. First, the modern version does a great job staying in the whole ’70’s feel, especially the opening song in which, over trumpets and bongoes, a woman sings this (copied from the subtitles):

A right now, en vogue girl
a small bottomed girl
Look my way, Honey
Come on… Come on, just a little bit!
Please, oh please don’t hurt my feelings
My heart is racing!

No! No!
No, don’t look at me~
HONEY FLASH!

Please, oh please don’t come close
My nose is twitching!
No! No!
No, don’t look at me~
HONEY FLASH!

I’m changing!

HONEY FLASH! Is sung in English. My nose is twitching? Your guess is as good as mine.

My second favorite part is that at the end of episode one her father is lost in a fiery blimp crash. I’m a big fan of blimps.

6 thoughts on “OK, there was one thing I did…

  1. It seems Cutey Honey Flash! May not be a three-parter at all, but might be a TV series done in 1997, based on the original TV series done in 1973. If that’s the case, I’ll never be able to tell you how it turns out. Three episodes is as far as I go. We’ll see.

  2. It’s like Shonen Knife covering “Top of the World” — let’s pick out the hardest words in the English language for a Japanese person to pronounce, and build a whole story around them.

    It’s like me acting in a english drama and saying “čtyřy” any time I meant to say “four”.

  3. I watched episode one of the original series for comparison. The opening song is longer, with even more silly lyrics.

    The original is racier, as well.

    And… ooo! In the original series they come right out and tell us – her father is not her father at all, but her CREATOR! Yes! She’s a robot! Right after we learn this we are treated to scenes of her growing up.

    The bad guys’ motivation is better explained in the original as well. They like pretty things.

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