For a show that is essentially a series based on the opening credits of the live action film based on the anime, Re: Cutie Honey is surprisingly strong.
Well, two episodes of it are.
Ostensibly directed by Hideaki Anno, Tadashi Hiramatsu is the actually the force binding the project together and luckily for us he gives the individual episode directors free reign. That pays off big time with the first and third episodes, though it leads to a merely adequate middle episode.
The first episode comes from Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann), teaming with playwright Kazuki Nakashima (Gurren Lagann) for the first time. The end result is a cartoon that feels like it has been transported from an alternate reality where Yoshinori Kanada had worked at Hanna Barbera making Go Nagai shows. Or that the otaku boom caused by Yamato and Gundam never happened and anime had proceeded along some alternate route. Great comedic animation abounds throughout the episode, and Imaishi proves a master at turning limited animation into greatness through timing and rhythm.
The third episode from Masayuki (Evangelion 1.0, 2.0) is a tour de force of action animation as Natchan and Seiji attempt to rescue Cutie Honey from Sister Jill. As great as Imaishi is at comedy, Masayuki kills at directing straight ahead action and the sequence where the pair fly a jet to attack Sister Jill is one of my favourites of the last 10 years.
So, the second episode from Toei’s Naoyuki Itou (Toei’s Kanon, Digimon Data Squad) is a little disappointing. There’s nothing terrible about it, but on the other hand there’s nothing there that makes you want to see more from Itou. And in contrast with the other two episodes it looks even worse. Nevermind, as the strength of the other two episodes still make it one of the best shows of the ‘oughts.
Oddly this hasn’t been released in English, despite rumours of it being licensed. Given the Gainax involvement, the involvement of Imaishi, the involvement of Anno, the success of the live-action film (MVM say it does great for them), and for years the old Cutie Honey OAVs being a mainstay of the market, I am curious why it’s gone unreleased this long.
Too expensive? The people who’d buy (well made) Go Nagai material aren’t buying anime any longer? The shift from OAV to TV in the market? I can’t believe it’s this one, as for much of the last 10 years they’ve been trying to sell us TV animation as if it were OAV animation.
Whatever. If someone wanted to release this in English, I’d buy it.