A fusion of retro and new! And look out for Maaya Honey's sexy performance that you usually don't get to hear! Interview with Yui Horie as Akinatsuko from "Cutie Honey Universe

The TV anime "Cutie Honey Universe" will start this April. Cutie Honey has been adapted to film many times, and this time it will be adapted to TV animation again as one of the animation works commemorating the 50th anniversary of Go Nagai. This time, Kisaragi Honey is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto, showing a new "cool and cute honey. Another highlight is that six voice actors including Ms. Sakamoto voiced Honey after her transformation. We asked Yui Horie, who plays the role of Akinatsuko, the best friend supporting Kisaragi Honey, to talk about the highlights of this work.

I love Maaya Sakamoto, so I'm going to talk to her at .......

─ How did you feel when you were chosen to play the role of Akinatsuko, Honey's best friend?

Yui Horie (Yui Horie): I had played Honey for a little while before ("Re: Cutie Honey" in 2004), so I was asked if it would be okay. I was asked something like that. Of course, I answered, "It sounds like a lot of fun. But then I asked him, "Who is Honey-chan?" But when I asked him, "Who is Honey? Why is that? Because of the consideration of the office, ....... That ...... I am a big fan of Maaya Sakamoto, so they felt sorry if I couldn't be Natsuko-chan. I heard that she had to cover it up, but when I got the part, I was happy, very happy (laughs)! That's how I felt (laughs).

─ ─ I knew that you are a big fan of Maaya. And this time, you are playing her best friend!

Horie: I wondered if this was a dream I was having (laughs). (Laughs) I was so happy to be cast in this work and to play Akinatsuko-chan that I thought it was a dream because it was so convenient.

─ You have worked with Maaya in the past, but how was the recording studio this time?

Horie: It's a little awkward to say "I'm happy" because it's my job (laughs). (Laughs.) I personally respect the actor, and I think Maaya's honey is wonderful, but at the same time, I also have to do my job properly. Of course, I do the same thing at every job site, but I am trying to do it better. I don't want to drag her down.

─ ─ What do you find attractive about Maaya Sakamoto's Honey?

Horie: During the postrecording of the first episode, the director explained to me that this was the kind of character that Honey would be this time. When I read the script, I thought, "I see, I see," and I was simply amazed at how well she embodied that!　I think the fans must be happy to hear such unique Cutie Honey lines as "Don't tell anyone" and "Honey Flash". I don't know how the story will end, but I think that in the end, Kisaragi Honey will make sense and be very convincing. I will do my best to act out the director's vision of the world of Honey.

May I ask what attracts you to acting?

Horie: That she can do anything. She seems to be able to play any role without hesitation. She may say, "It's not that easy! but I feel that I can do anything. Also, the staff at the site trusts him a lot. I don't really know the truth, but that is the image I have of him, and I would like to be like that, an actor who is trusted by many people.

─ ─ I think you also have a lot of trust from the staff around you. ......

Horie: No, no, no, no, no, no. I wish I could be like that! I wish I could be like that!

Natsuko is a comfort when Honey-chan comes home from battle.

─ ─ What is the difference between "Cutie Honey Universe" and the previous "Cutie Honey" series?

Horie: I had the chance to play the role of Honey in the past, but this time it's a little different from the Honey I know, and it has a nuance closer to the atmosphere of the original work. This time, it's a little different from the Honey I know. I think the nuances are closer to the atmosphere of the original work. I felt that the retro aspects were combined with the fast pace and coolness of modern anime.

─ What kind of character is Akinatsuko, the character you play?　She is a character whose position differs slightly depending on the work, isn't she?

Horie: That's right. Akinatsuko appears in various positions. In my time ("Re: Cutie Honey"), she was a police officer. In this film, she is a normal female student who goes to the same all-girls school as Honey and is best friends with her in the same dorm room. I genuinely love Honey-chan and know that she is fighting, and I respect and worry about her there. She is a character who is straight-forwardly concerned about Honey-chan, so it was easy for me to get into her emotionally, and I think it is easy for viewers to relate to her as well.

─ ─ Mr. Horie also likes Maaya (laughs).

(laughs) Horie: In that sense, too, it was very easy to get into! (laugh) Natsuko is a cute and straightforward character, so I wanted to be able to play her so that her love could be conveyed to the audience without reserve.

───Did you receive any direction from the director?

Horie: The director told me about it in the first episode. Natsuko is on Honey's side and cares about her. She knows that she is fighting the enemy as Cutie Honey, but she doesn't know that she is an android. She also said that she is a comfort to Honey when she comes back from a battle, so I hope I can be that kind of person for her. However, I had inadvertently forgotten that she was an android, so I was surprised when she told me again (laughs).

(laughs) - even though I was playing the role (laughs).

Horie: That's right!　Even though she is an android, there is something very human about her. It's partly because I forget things so easily. She is very straight and pure, and I think that's the charm of Honey-chan.

─ ─ I guess that's because I was acting almost as if she were a human being when I was playing her. I think the main topic of "Cutie Honey Universe" is the "Seven Transformations of Honey," in which Honey's voice changes after her transformation.

Horie: Actually, I haven't been able to see all the honeys yet. And we haven't been told who is which honey. So I make predictions while looking at the script. I think it's fun to watch the show while trying to guess. It's gorgeous to think that we may hear various honey flashes.

There are gags and sexiness! It's a bit of everything!

─ ─ Are there many girls in the recording studio?

Horie: Yes, the school is full of women. It's a fun place to work! We all guessed who would be which honey. We all try to guess which honey is which, and make various comments on interesting scenes. We have a lot of fun during postrecording.

─ ─ From the very first episode, there are a lot of things to comment on, aren't there?

Horie: In the first episode, it's the mysterious whip (laughs). We all laughed at that part. But there is also something unexpected that is surprisingly funny. I thought it was interesting that Honey was so quick to defeat her enemies, or that she would defeat them without even listening to them. There are gags, there are sexy parts, and it's a bit of everything. When I watched it, I was really caught up in various parts.

───This work is an animated animation commemorating the 50th anniversary of Go Nagai's death. What kind of impression do you have of Nagai's works?

Horie: I watched reruns of "Devil Man" and read the manga when I was a child. It's a work for children! I have an image that it is interesting for children to watch, though the style is not for children. There are some hard scenes, and even in this film, there are scenes that would be scary for children! But I think it is a work that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

─ ─ Sometimes I'm not sure if children are allowed to watch the sexy scenes.

Horie: Natsuko had a sexy scene in the first episode (laughs). (laughs) But it was strangely interesting. It's hard to find a scene like that nowadays, where a girl is being whipped (laughs).

───That's a bit of Showa-era sex appeal, isn't it?

Horie: It's like a "Oh no! Honey has a great style, so she has a healthy beauty! She's very beautiful and healthy! Also, it's an all-girls' school, and the enemies are women, so I think there is a lot of female adoration and admiration for each other. There are people who admire Honey. I think you will be thrilled by that kind of all-girls school.

─ ─ We also interviewed Shintaro Asanuma, who plays Seiji Hayami.

Horie: Actually, not so much. I am in charge of the school and Mr. Asanuma's character, Seiji, is in charge of the crime scene, so we don't see each other very often, but I wonder how Seiji will be involved in the story. I am personally looking forward to seeing how he will be involved in the story.

─ ─ Finally, do you have a message for those who are looking forward to "Cutie Honey Universe"?

Horie: "Cutie Honey Universe " incorporates the funny parts of the old manga and the good parts of the current anime. There are scenes that will make you giggle, and others that will horrify you with the cruelty of the enemies. I think the work is really full of various elements. Above all, Honey-chan is an attractive girl. The fact that she changes seven times is also appealing, and you can look forward to seeing how she fights. Whether you know Cutie Honey or not, I would be happy if you could watch it again!

(Reporting and writing by Junichi Tsukagoshi)