Along with the incredibly popular Devilman Crybaby and Mazinger Z INFINITY, Go Nagai’s properties have been coming back in celebration of his 50 years of work in the manga and anime industry.
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Cutie Honey is the latest to come back with Cutie Honey Universe, and to promote the premiere in Japan, the series brought on Japan’s famous Kano sisters cosplay duo in full Cutie Honey and Sister Jill costumes.
Cutie Honey Universe released April 7 in Japan, and is produced by Production Reed with Akitoshi Yokoyama (Photo Kano) directing. Natsuko Takahashi (Yuyushiki) is handling the series’ composition, while Syuchi Iseki (Kill la Kill, Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt) is designing the characters and serving as the chief animation director.
The Kano sisters were brought out during the series’ event at Anime Japan 2018, in which the series not only premiered its opening theme for the first time and even creator Go Nagai was impressed with the sisters’ cosplay. While younger sister Mika-san dressed as Cutie Honey, the older sister Kyoko-san dressed as villain Sister Jill as it was highly requested by fans (rather than wearing a cosplay of Honey Kisaragi, out of costume, as planned).
[Start Gallery Call-to-Action Key=7371] You can check out the cosplay photos of the two in the gallery, and Nagai was happy to see that his characters were recreated so well according to reports from Manga.Tokyo. The series has already premiered in Japan, but fans are patiently waiting to hear when the series would release domestically as well.
The cast includes Maaya Sakamoto as Honey Kisaragi, Yui Horie as Natsuko Aki, Shintaro Asanuma as Seiji Hayami, Atsuko Tanaka as Sister Jill, Rie Kugimiya as Tarantula Panther, and Maaya Uchida, Tomoyo Kurosawa, Kana Hanazawa, Yukari Tamura, and Suzuko Mimori as the different versions of Honey, Hurricane, Fancy, Flash, Misty, and Idol (though who each actress will play is still a surprise).
Series creator Go Nagai had this to say about the new project:
“I am really happy that Cutie Honey is getting a new anime following my other representative works, Devil Man and Mazinger Z. I think it will conclude the anime project for the 50th anniversary of my works. My heroine, who started her activities in a weekly manga magazine and a TV anime at the same time, has been active in anime, manga, and films over and over again. Since the concept for this new anime is ‘Kakko Kawaii Onnanoko (Cool and Cute Girl),’ I am already looking forward to seeing how Honey Kisaragi will revive in modern times and show what kind of her ‘cool and cute’ action.”
For those unfamiliar with Cutie Honey, the series was originally created by Go Nagai in 1973. First published in Weekly Shonen Champion magazine, the series follows an android named Honey Kisaragi who transforms into the hero Cutie Honey in fights with various villains. Sparked by the death of her creator, Honey must protect the special thing inside of her body that villains seem to be after. Go Nagai claims that she is the first female protagonist in a shonen comic series, and her transformations into Cutie Honey often involve a complete loss of clothing in between transformations.
The series has run in many different forms, reinventions, two anime series, two OVA series, a live-action film adaptation, and a live-action television series. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the original manga for an English language release, and the Cutie Honey aGoGo! spin-off manga written by Shinpei Ito with collaborative efforts from Hideaki Anno as well.
via Manga.Tokyo