| Cutie Honey Flash | |
| キューティーハニーF (Kyūtī Hanī Furasshu) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Magical girl |
| Manga | |
| Cutie Honey F | |
| Written by | Yukako Iisaka |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Magazine | Ciao |
| Original run | May 26, 1997 – April 23, 1998 |
| Volumes | 4 |
| TV anime | |
| Cutie Honey F | |
| Directed by | Noriyo Sasaki |
| Studio | Toei Animation |
| Network | Animax, TV Asahi |
| Original run | February 15, 1997 – January 31, 1998 |
| Episodes | 39 |
Cutie Honey Flash (キューティーハニー フラッシュ Kyūtī Hanī Furasshu, also known as Cutie Honey F)[1] is a 1997 anime television series in the Cutie Honey franchise. In its native Japan, the series assumed the timeslot of Sailor Stars,[2] the final story arc of the long-running Sailor Moon anime. Employing many of the same animation staff of Sailor Stars, including animation director Miho Shimagasa,[2] Flash features very similar character designs and fits the more traditional mold of magical girl series, aimed at the Sailor Moon demographic. The series was also broadcast in Germany.[3]
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Honey Kisaragi is a perfectly normal, beautiful high school student... until her scientist father is kidnapped by the evil organization Panther Claw, that is. However, her father left behind a device that she can use to transform into the red-haired sword-wielding heroine, Cutey Honey. Aided by Seiji, a private eye who specializes in Panther Claw, and the mysterious "Twilight Prince", she fights members of Panther Claw in order to rescue her father.
Like New Cutie Honey before it, Cutie Honey Flash makes references to other series from Cutie Honey creator Go Nagai. Recurring Honey characters Honey Kisaragi, Seiji, Danbei, Natsuko, Panther Zora, Sister Jill, and Miharu return here,[4] along with Alphonne, Principal Pochi (as a dog), Gorgon Claw, a female version of Archduke Gorgon of Mazinger Z, and Freddy Claw, a female blend of Dr. Hell and Count Blocken from Mazinger Z. Three boys from Honey's school are based on pilots from Getter Robo and Getter Robo Go, and Great Mazinger briefly appears on a TV screen early on in the series.
The main protagonist of the series, as with other Cutie Honey media, is Honey Kisaragi. However, unlike other Cutie Honey incarnations, Honey is not an android but possesses a fully functional human body including reproductive capabilities (though she not exactly human either). Consequently, she is indeed a 16 year old girl at the beginning of the series, not a robot posing as one.
Honey studies at the boarding school, St. Chapel Academy, along with best friend Natsuko Aki (who is nicknamed "Nat-chan") from the original 1970s versions of Honey. The academy's faculty includes former Honey characters as well: here, Miharu returns as a dreaded teacher, while Danbei Hayami is the academy's director.[4] Later in the series, Alphonne, also from the original Cutie Honey, appears as Danbei's older sister.
Honey receives help, advice, and white flowers from a mysterious "Twilight Prince" (Tasogare no Prince). Among the things the prince gives Honey are objects invented by her father, the scientist Takeshi Kisaragi. Honey can use the objects, by saying the phrase "Honey Flash", to transform in various ways.[4] Honey can transform into a variety of personas in this series; she can change into versions of Hurricane Honey and Cutie Honey from the 1970s versions, as well as these:[5]
In Cutie Honey Flash, Honey must deal with a version of the Panther Claw organization, composed of Panther Zora, a stone figure that reigns over the group; Sister Jill, who is Zora's second-in-command; Prince Zera, a Panther Claw leader who jealously seeks Sister Jill's position in the group; and various henchmen.[4] When fighting enemies, Cutie Honey uses attacks such as the Honey Boomerang, Honey Lightning Flare, Honey Rouge Arrow, and Honey Virginal Invitation.
A fourth character from the original Honey series, Seiji Hayami, appears as a detective whose father was killed by the Panther Claw. Seiji often meets Honey in her Cutie Honey form, not knowing that she is Kisaragi.[4]
The fourteenth episode of the anime introduces Misty Honey, a rival and self-proclaimed twin sister of Cutie Honey, whose name was chosen through a contest in Japan.[4] Ironically, Misty Honey was one of her alter-egos in the original cartoon. Misty Honey, unlike Cutie Honey, cannot turn into anyone she wants; she can only change to Misty Honey. She has a band around her thigh that resembles Honey's choker which acts as the activator for her Airborne Element Fixing Device but she uses a ring to transform with the words "Honey Flash". Seira's heart was "poisoned" by Panther Zora. The darkness in her heart (and her flawed transformation device) creates Panther Claw minions. She can be seen as a negative version of Cutie, since Misty Honey has long blue hair and a more revealing outfit, while Cutie has short pink hair and a less revealing outfit. Her alter ego, Seira Hazuki,[4] shares her given name with Seiji's child, who appears only in the 39th and final episode.[7] While the anime and manga versions of the characters of Cutie Honey Flash mostly look similar, the two versions of Hazuki differ greatly in appearance.[4] Misty Honey's attacks include Honey Sexy Dynamite.
Cutie Honey Flash uses hand-drawn animation; according to Shimagasa, the use of digitally-animated characters on hand-painted backgrounds was planned and tested, but later rejected.[2] Its theme music was performed by Salia.[8]
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