Go Nagai's popular manga "Cutie Honey" has been adapted into a live-action short drama, "Cutie Honey: Belived Enemy," which began streaming on November 25th on the video streaming service "DMM Short." The protagonist, Kisaragi Honey, is played by Abe Natsuki, a model known as the "Reiwa era's Fujiko Mine." Abe is known for her outstanding figure, but she says she "gained weight" for the role of Honey. Abe spoke about her role and the highlights of the drama.
◇Reiwa's Cutie Honey "fits perfectly"
"Cutie Honey," which was first released in 1973, has been a beloved series for over half a century, spanning a variety of media formats including TV anime, live-action films, and stage performances. Cutie Honey, a beautiful android warrior of love, uses her transformation and combat abilities to fight against a criminal organization in order to avenge her father. This latest installment features original plot developments not found in the original work, and is set in a modern-day office.
For 26-year-old Abe, Honey has been a familiar character since she was a child. "My parents loved her, and we had a figure at home, and even our picnic blanket was Cutie Honey (laughs). Of course, I watched a lot of the anime too. I had the impression that she was a sexy character who was popular with men, but as a child I also had the image of her as a 'colorful and cute heroine.'"
The setting of this drama is that Honey is working in an office as part of an undercover investigation.
"When I first heard about it, I thought it was very modern and suited me. It dealt with modern themes such as power harassment, and I felt like, 'If Honey were to appear in that situation, I'd definitely feel refreshed!' I also thought it was very modern that the villain was a woman."
In preparing for the role, he studied past works, mainly anime, and also watched past live-action versions, but in order to avoid being influenced by those images, he practiced voice tone and facial expressions using the TV anime as a reference. He also worked on building his physique.
"I thought that being thin alone wouldn't bring out Honey's sexiness, so I gained a little weight and did some strength training, focusing on feminine lines. I built up muscle mass by eating a diet centered on protein, such as tofu and chicken, and achieved a healthy, feminine body. I really like the shape of my body now, and I think it's all thanks to Honey (laughs)."
While preparing for the role, I felt a sense of empathy for Honey's popularity.
"In an interview with Go Nagai, he said, 'I didn't intend to make this for women, but it ended up becoming popular with women.' I learned a lot from learning that Honey's unselfish strength and cuteness lead to empathy. I myself initially had a lot of male fans on social media, but after I started sharing my true self, I also saw an increase in female fans, so it made sense to me, 'Oh, so that's what Honey is like!'"
◇There are 11 different costumes. Which is your favorite?
The popular theme of transforming into costumes for various professions by shouting "Honey Flash!" is still alive and well in this game. A total of 11 different costumes will be available, from office suits to professional wrestlers and charismatic hosts.
"There's a wide variety, and they're all really cute. The default costumes are made very faithfully to the original, and when the information ban was lifted, we received feedback from X saying, 'The costumes look just like the original!', which made us really happy. They made detailed adjustments to make the body lines look even more beautiful, and created 'one-of-a-kind costumes!'"
Her favorite scene is the pro-wrestler-style costume. It's a scene that shows off her "wrestler-like" side, with loud, threatening voices, but the costume is cute. "I enjoyed the contrast between the scene and the costume, and there was a lot of action, so it's a scene with a lot to see," she says.
This work has now been made into a live-action short drama. "It's in a format that's easy to watch and fits the times," he said of its appeal. "I think it's great that you can watch it on your smartphone anytime, such as after work or during your break. It's a work that you can watch quickly and that will cheer you up!" he emphasized.
