Alternative title(s): Cutey Honey Universe
Manga Adaptation by Production Reed
Streaming on HIDIVE

Premise

The latest revival of a long-running franchise about the tit-ular Cutie Honey, a form-changing android who battles the nefarious organization Panther Claw.

Iro’s verdict: Not Cute Enough

This is, uh, sure some Cutie Honey. It’s got all the ample ass, bouncing boobs, and clawed-up clothes that you’d expect from a modern revival of a classic Go Nagai work. The Good Girls are sexy while the Bad Girls are downright monstrous, and all of them get naked on a regular basis. Sound fun? Well, the key issue here is that Cutie Honey Universe simply isn’t fun. It takes a deft hand to play most of these outdated (and often, pretty disgusting) fanservice tropes in a way that’s actually enjoyable to watch, and the premise’s inherent camp factor is at odds with the new version’s desire to be taken completely seriously. It feels like someone went down a checklist of the elements in a Cutie Honey adaptation but didn’t care about actually putting any heart into them. I find myself groaning instead of laughing, and that’s just a real pity.

Also, they changed the fucking theme song. It’s been 40 years, why break with tradition now of all times?