Cutie Honey a Go Go!

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This manga is now available by Seven Seas. Cutie Honey A GoGo is a retelling of the Cutie Honey series by Go Nagai. This 2003 iteration was made alongside the OVA series RE: Cutie Honey & the 2004 live action movie. GoGo's story is a mix of the two and borrows some elements from the original 1973 manga by Go Nagai.

What you need to know beforehand is this story doesn't finish properly as the serialization stopped prematurely. In other words, this probably isn't the best method for starting the Cutie Honey franchise. This version is encouraged for those who are already familiar with the ... character.

The plot is mostly from the viewpoint of Natsuko while investigating the recent crimes committed by Panther Claw; the series staple thieving villains. In this version, Panther Claw performed many attacks on the city & civilians with no clear motive hence the investigation. A superhero appears being Cutie Honey who can transform into anyone & create anything out of thin air. Most of the story is set on conspiracies involving the creation of Honey who was a military project. The tone of A Go Go is mostly serious but it does have some of the wacky antics expected from Cutie Honey such as the ridiculous panther enemies like Dragon Panther, Tarantula Claw, Fire Claw, etc.

Prof. Kisaragi has a bigger role to play than most incarnations adding a sentimental attachment to Honey that's rarely seen. It provided a more in depth look to the character as she was a weapon who was given a human life. Honey as a character behaves how she's normally seen but has a greater interest in eating gyudon. There's a few moments of intimacy coming from the Honey giving her a bit of an identity struggle between human and machine but it's not fully developed due to the abrupt ending. Like the mentioned movie & OVA, Honey gradually develops a friendship with Natsuko as they battle Panther Claw. Seiji behaves like he does in RE even having a secret agenda. Sister Jill is the least utilized of the main cast which could've progressed into a new direction as her creator was Dr. Hell (the villain from Mazinger Z).

There's a few moments that made this manga funny and cool but there's certainly a lot of exposition & dialogue focusing mostly from the police perspective. In short, there's not enough Honey & maybe a little too much Natsuko especially in the beginning of the story. I felt the manga was starting to feel good around halfway through but it never quite pushes an exhilaration as I hoped from a Cutie Honey series or a Go Nagai related manga. It's a decent read but I think you have to be a Cutie Honey fan to really enjoy this book.