Cutie Honey is a technologically advanced android with the ability to manipulate matter. She's is a standard Japanese character dating back to the 70s who has appeared in manga, anime, tv shows and film. Traditionally, Cutie Honey is portrayed as a bit of an airhead that beats the bad guys using her fearless beauty more than her brains. Cutie Honey: Tears is probably the darkest, most serious version of the character so far. So, if you're looking for an android that can knock a bad guy out cold with her breasts, this isn't the droid you're looking for.
So... It's the end of the 21st Century. The worlds cities are being built higher to get away from the pollution. The film starts with Cutie Honey and her "father" (the scientist who built her) being chased onto a skywalk by a woman and some thugs. The scientist is shot and Cutie Honey falls onto the street below. She wakes up in a street filled with rubble and walks away. The movie picks up 20 years later when Cutie Honey become entangled in a plot to destroy the AI running the city. Sorry. No spoilers.
Mariya Nishiuchi plays the role of Cutie Honey seriously in a world of serious villains. This gives the character a completely different personality and range of possibilities than the Cutie Honey most people are familiar with.
I've always described Cutie Honey: Tears as the Japanese version of Blade Runner. While that's pretty accurate most people don't really see the reference because Blade Runner is gritty and dirty and oppressive. Tears takes place in a uniquely Japanese dystopia where people still sweep the streets by hand even though they're living in a polluted, irradiated city and have to wear gas masks to take out the garbage when the weather's bad. Technically, the world of Cutie Honey: Tears is more grounded in reality than Blade Runner, LOL.
Personally, I give Cutie Honey: Tears a 10/10, but I'm biased because Mariya Nishiuchi is one of my favorite actresses. Realistically, I would say 7/10 for anyone unfamiliar with Nishiuchi-sama or previous versions of Cutie Honey. I'd probably have to say 5/10 for any die-hard Cutie Honey fans that might be lurking about.
