Kara Dennison
August 15, 2021 
In a surprising move (and that’s saying something), Discotek Media have announced Cutie Honey THE LIVE on Blu-ray! The 2007 tokusatsu series reimagines the original Go Nagai story yet again. You’ll see familiar characters and story beats, but there are a lot of wild changes, too.
If you’re not familiar with this particular remake, let us give you a taste of what to expect:
It’s still pretty lewd.
One thing that (almost) never changes about Cutie Honey is its rating. With the exception of the 1997 version, made specifically to fill the programming gap left by Sailor Stars, the story is pretty consistently full of fanservice. Cutie Honey THE LIVE is no exception. And you’ll see that for yourself within the first episode. While Honey’s transformation is conveniently censored by handy light flares, it doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
There’s also a member of the new Panther Claw who’s notably sadistic on main. She seems to be having a great time, though, so good for her. And all this is without mentioning Duke Watari, our favorite sweary bilingual fighter.
There’s lots of fighting.
Back in her original 1973 run, Cutie Honey was the first “transforming heroine.” She wasn’t technically a magical girl (as she’s an android), but she did lay the groundwork for future magical girls. Eventually, heroines would go from solving neighborhood problems to suiting up in a dedicated outfit to fight evil.
Naturally, there’s fighting to be had in Cutie Honey THE LIVE. And since it’s tokusatsu? Even more so, albeit more close-combat. Of note is the aforementioned Watari, played by Mark Musashi (a toku stuntman with roles in GARO and Samurai 7). But all the fights are fun to watch, and introduce us to new baddies with their own quirks. Plus, Honey isn’t fighting alone…
Honey and her sisters.
Cutie Honey THE LIVE has more than one girl wielding an Elemental Manipulation Device. Why? You’ll have to find that out for yourself. Suffice to say, Honey goes from a solo act to a somewhat fractured sentai team over the course of the series. It’s not smooth sailing, because not everyone is as happy to be being up mooks as Honey is. But it’s an inventive twist on the story, and one that affords its own brand of drama.
The multiple Honey concept returned for the recent stage play Cutie Honey Emotional. Don’t expect to see the girls from the 2007 live series back, though: it’s a whole new crop including Cyber Honey, Sweets Honey, and a few evil ones in the mix as well.
Look forward to Cutie Honey THE LIVE when it comes to Blu-ray!
