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Classic yet refreshing, Cutey Honey Flash offers a totally different perspective on one of Go Nagai's biggest cult shows.

Cutey Honey (or Cutie Honey) made her first appearance back in 1973 and she is known for being the first ever Magical Girl who transforms to fight evil. Many people refer to her as Sailor Moon's great predecessor (or even grandmother), which is both correct and incorrect. Even though Sailor Moon did what Cutey Honey had already done two decades before, there is a great difference between the two franchises that often goes unmentioned. Sailor Moon was aimed at teenage girls, on the contrary Cutey Honey was ... aimed at teenage boys. But what happens when you take the Cutey Honey franchise and decide to turn it on its head and aim it at teenage girls? The answer is Cutey Honey Flash.

Cutey Honey Flash is a Magial Girl show, not a shonen, not an ecchi. It was made in 1997 to replace Sailor Moon in its time-slot, considering Sailor Moon Sailor Stars was reaching its end. Hence, it was conceived with the unmasked intention to appeal at the demographic of Sailor Moon fans, mainly made up of teenage girls, little girls, many young adults and many boys as well. Because of this, a big part of the creative team that worked for Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, directly went on to work on Cutey Honey Flash. Therefore, at a first glance many may think this is nothing but a direct Sailor Moon rip-off. You could not be more wrong.

Cutey Honey Flash has an identity of its own and what I like most about the show is its attentiveness to tradition. Aside from the basic stuff (teenage girl protagonist fights evil), nothing else in Cutie Honey Flash reads as rip-off or caricature of Sailor Moon. They took a lot of aspects of the original Cutie Honey show and pressed refresh. Honey Kisaragi is a 16 years old student and she is definitely not the girl next door (or, to say, not the lovable airhead clumsy protagonist that is so common in shojo shows). Honey is strong, determined, very agile and incredibly charming. She is also very sweet and considerate and though she could be snob or act superior, she is actually down-to-earth and extremely kind to anyone she meets. She possesses many great qualities that could make a character look completely flat and one-note, but this is not the case. Without giving out much, let's say that Honey can become very emotional very easily, and the way she always tries to hide this aspect of her personality makes her even more entertaining and it gives her depth. 'Entertaining' is a word that can be easily used to describe most characters on this show. The villains, the likeable love-interest Seiji, the caring friend Natsuko, the mysterious Prince of Moonlight, the comic relief Danbei, they each possess unique characteristics that instantly make them interesting and well defined. Even minor characters and episode-villains are interesting, well defined and amusing. There is not one dull moment around these people.

Aside from its likeable and interesting characters, Cutie Honey Flash presents a really well written plot. The show could easily be divided in three parts, three distinct narrative arcs. The storytelling is what makes it; it is rich in humor, action, great plot-twists and many intense moments. Cutie Honey Flash takes its time when trying to develop a character's path, but it never becomes boring or God forbid uneventful and bland. Aside from some minor parts, with which I had a problem or two, it is not rushed. It should also be noted how the storytelling often manages to do things the unconventional way. Sure, the evil organization Panther Claw wants to take over the world like it happens in most Magical Girls shows, but trust me when I tell you it's not as simple as that with this one. In other words, you know the writing is great when it manages to make you love and feel sympathy even for the most crazy and evil-willed characters.

The entertaining development of the story is enriched by the great visuals. I am simply so in love with the character designs and art-style all around. Honey can take multiple forms and she looks breathtaking every single time, her outfits are creative, fashionable and the color palette is always on point! What's even better is the character design of the villains. Most episodes feature new enemies that vary in style, colors and even form! It is incredible how much the character design can help enrich the writing of the characters. It is not just clothes and colors: the visual aspect of the characters is part of the storytelling. Most episodes (if not all, really) are well animated, especially during the fights scenes. Cutie Honey doesn't just stand there, she fights and she fights well. The lighting should also be mentioned. It is apparent that no choices were taken lightly while developing the show. The lighting plays a big part during the storytelling; some scenes have such great and intense lighting that really boost the moment and make the scene so much better. Hence, I feel the need to declare that I am absolutely amazed with the visual aspects of the show.

As if all of this wasn't enough, everything is accompanied by some great music. The opening theme for the show is the same used for (almost) every Cutey Honey production and this version is probably my favorite, it's just so catchy and it goes perfectly with the pretty visuals. The soundtrack really enriches the atmosphere of each scene and it really helps enhance and take out the intensity of the characters' emotions. Special shout-out to the transformation music, it really makes the moment ever so iconic!

One of the few things that bugged me was the way they treated the fan-service. If you know Cutey Honey at all you definitely know that it is a brand that heavily relies on fan-service, we could even say it takes pride in it. This version is definitely not as fan-service-y as other versions, but there is still some. That was the problem with me: the show doesn't really know what it wants to be when it comes to fan-service. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's just another everyday Magical Girl show. It feels as if the staff hadn't really planned how far they wanted the fan-service aspect to go with each episode and it looks like the choice was for each episode director to make.

In conclusion, I would say that Cutie Honey Flash is a massively underrated show that deserves to be watched and I would suggest anyone to do so, especially if you like Magical Girls. Aside from the more technical aspects I referred to above, it all comes down to how enjoyable it is, and it was. The show knows how to find the right balance between intense moments and lighthearted everyday adventures and it keeps the watcher constantly entertained. I know I loved a show when I press play on the final episode and think to myself of how much I don't want it to end. Doesn't happen as often as I wish it did sadly! If you like adventure, a well-written story with interesting characters and great visuals, Cutie Honey Flash is absolutely a must-watch.