Honey Honey no Suteki na Bouken
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo
manga
by Hideko Mizuno
first published in 1966 and made into a 29-episode anime
TV series in 1981 by Kokusai Eiga (Movie International Company, Ltd.). The anime was released in the English language
in the United States
as Honey Honey and also broadcast in various European countries and in Latin America.
Meanwhile, a young teenaged orphan named Honey Honey is working as a waitress. Her pet cat and constant companion, Lily, spies the fish that the princess threw out the window and proceeds to eat the entire fish, thus swallowing the ring. Since Princess Flora has declared that whichever of her suitors successfully returns the ring to her shall become her husband, the princess's suitors and Phoenix immediately fan out all over the city pursuing Lily and her owner, Honey Honey.
Phoenix catches up with Honey and Lily and helps them hide from their pursuers. Honey proceeds to tell the handsome jewel thief the story of how she was orphaned and brought up in a convent, and of how she befriended Lily, who, like her, was abandoned. Phoenix then tries to persuade Honey to sell Lily to him, but Honey, who is still unaware that Lily has swallowed the princess's ring, furiously refuses (after driving Phoenix's initial offer of a million dollars up to ten million dollars, and then coming to her senses) and immediately flees. Honey and Lily hide in the basket of a hot-air balloon, which soon lifts off with Phoenix and Princess Flora's suitors still in hot pursuit. Thus begins an adventure in which Honey and Lily are pursued by Phoenix, Princess Flora, and her suitors to various cities around the world, including Paris
, New York City
, Oslo
, London
, Monte Carlo
, Tokyo
, and Gibraltar
. Along the way, Honey falls in love with Phoenix and tries to keep Lily out of the clutches of the selfish, vain princess.
Eventually, Flora's ring is removed from Lily's body, but this is not the end of the story. The series concludes with the discovery that Honey Honey is in fact Flora's younger sister, a princess of tiny prussian country named Priscilla. when she is captured by a nomadic people who force young women to run over a pit of hot coals to see if any one of them revealed a tattoo of a rose on her foot. Honey Honey turned out to have that tattoo that they were searching for so long. Honey Honey is captured by the evil Slag, a man who caused her kingdom to be defeated and destroyed. Slag takes Honey Honey into his castle in siberian wastes. Honey Honey manages to escape with help from Phoenix, after he somehow managed to help mystical alien with flying saucer (this explains the tunguska event in 1908). Sometime later Honey Honey is reunited with her father, who is working as gardener for russian aristocrats in Moscow. Honey Honey, her father and Phoenix escape, but they are sold into slavery at Constantinopole. Honey Honey is bought by indian Sultan who is obsessed with magic tricks. Honey Honey gets her hands into Sultans magic carpet, which she uses to fly into Japan and Los Angeles and finally to the shows climax city in New York. At New York Princess Flora, her suitors, Phoenix and Honey Honey's father have managed to get into the city as well. The final episode also involves King Kong to be shown in the series, after it captures Princess Flora when it manages to break free from the show held by Princesses suitors. Honey Honey manages to save Flora from King Kongs by using her kind heart and sympathy. Honey Honey finally learns why everyone wanted Lily, makes peace with Flora after their sisterhood is revealed at New York in the final episode. Honey Honey also marries Phoenix (the son of the nomadic tribe's leader, actually). Also in the end of the final episode, Princess Flora tosses the ring from the window second time. Her servants starts to chase small dog, which swallowed the ring this time, by accident.
's Korean division, lasted 29 half-hour episodes and was broadcast across Japan
on the Fuji TV network Saturdays at 18:00 local time from October 1981 to May 1982. Minori Matsushima
(Sayaka Yumi
in Mazinger Z
and Candice in Candy Candy
) provided the voice of Honey Honey, Fuyumi Shiraishi
(Mirai Yashima
in Mobile Suit Gundam
) voiced Princess Flora, and Phoenix was voiced by Makio Inoue
. Masaki Tsuji
, previously a writer for the unrelated Cutie Honey
and numerous other works (anime and otherwise), was the series' head writer.
The anime aired in the same Saturday-evening time slot as several popular Super Sentai
shows, and achieved low ratings as a result; thus, the series was canceled early, and several manga storylines, including one in which Honey Honey visits Hollywood, did not appear in the anime. However, the TV series would later achieve a fair amount of success in Europe and Latin America (although many of the character names were changed in the non-English dubs; i.e. Honey Honey is Pollen in French, Fiorellino in the first Italian dub, Favos de Mel in Portuguese, and Silvia in Spanish).
First dubbed into English by Modern Programs International, then by Sound International Corporation, the anime series aired, uncut, in the United States on the CBN
cable network (now ABC Family
) in 1984 and was also partially released on home video by Sony. Enoki Films
U.S. currently holds the American license to the anime series.
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
by Hideko Mizuno
Hideko Mizuno
is one of the first successful female Japanese shōjo manga artists. She was an assistant of Osamu Tezuka staying in Tokiwa-sō. She made her professional debut in 1956 with Akakke Pony...
first published in 1966 and made into a 29-episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
TV series in 1981 by Kokusai Eiga (Movie International Company, Ltd.). The anime was released in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as Honey Honey and also broadcast in various European countries and in Latin America.
Story
The story begins in the city of Vienna in 1907, as the city holds a lavish birthday celebration for its beloved Princess Flora. The princess entertains a variety of suitors from around the world who have come to propose marriage. Also on hand for the celebration is Phoenix, a handsome, suave jewel thief who has his eye on stealing the princess's precious gemstone, the "Smile of the Amazon," which the princess wears as a ring. Phoenix remarks that Flora, though renowned worldwide for her great beauty, wouldn't be nearly as beautiful without her ring. Furious at the insult, Princess Flora then drops the ring holding her gemstone into a cooked fish and throws it out the window, to the shock of everyone present.Meanwhile, a young teenaged orphan named Honey Honey is working as a waitress. Her pet cat and constant companion, Lily, spies the fish that the princess threw out the window and proceeds to eat the entire fish, thus swallowing the ring. Since Princess Flora has declared that whichever of her suitors successfully returns the ring to her shall become her husband, the princess's suitors and Phoenix immediately fan out all over the city pursuing Lily and her owner, Honey Honey.
Phoenix catches up with Honey and Lily and helps them hide from their pursuers. Honey proceeds to tell the handsome jewel thief the story of how she was orphaned and brought up in a convent, and of how she befriended Lily, who, like her, was abandoned. Phoenix then tries to persuade Honey to sell Lily to him, but Honey, who is still unaware that Lily has swallowed the princess's ring, furiously refuses (after driving Phoenix's initial offer of a million dollars up to ten million dollars, and then coming to her senses) and immediately flees. Honey and Lily hide in the basket of a hot-air balloon, which soon lifts off with Phoenix and Princess Flora's suitors still in hot pursuit. Thus begins an adventure in which Honey and Lily are pursued by Phoenix, Princess Flora, and her suitors to various cities around the world, including Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. Along the way, Honey falls in love with Phoenix and tries to keep Lily out of the clutches of the selfish, vain princess.
Eventually, Flora's ring is removed from Lily's body, but this is not the end of the story. The series concludes with the discovery that Honey Honey is in fact Flora's younger sister, a princess of tiny prussian country named Priscilla. when she is captured by a nomadic people who force young women to run over a pit of hot coals to see if any one of them revealed a tattoo of a rose on her foot. Honey Honey turned out to have that tattoo that they were searching for so long. Honey Honey is captured by the evil Slag, a man who caused her kingdom to be defeated and destroyed. Slag takes Honey Honey into his castle in siberian wastes. Honey Honey manages to escape with help from Phoenix, after he somehow managed to help mystical alien with flying saucer (this explains the tunguska event in 1908). Sometime later Honey Honey is reunited with her father, who is working as gardener for russian aristocrats in Moscow. Honey Honey, her father and Phoenix escape, but they are sold into slavery at Constantinopole. Honey Honey is bought by indian Sultan who is obsessed with magic tricks. Honey Honey gets her hands into Sultans magic carpet, which she uses to fly into Japan and Los Angeles and finally to the shows climax city in New York. At New York Princess Flora, her suitors, Phoenix and Honey Honey's father have managed to get into the city as well. The final episode also involves King Kong to be shown in the series, after it captures Princess Flora when it manages to break free from the show held by Princesses suitors. Honey Honey manages to save Flora from King Kongs by using her kind heart and sympathy. Honey Honey finally learns why everyone wanted Lily, makes peace with Flora after their sisterhood is revealed at New York in the final episode. Honey Honey also marries Phoenix (the son of the nomadic tribe's leader, actually). Also in the end of the final episode, Princess Flora tosses the ring from the window second time. Her servants starts to chase small dog, which swallowed the ring this time, by accident.
Anime distribution
The anime version of Honey Honey, produced by Kokusai Eiga (Movie International Company) and animated by Toei AnimationToei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
's Korean division, lasted 29 half-hour episodes and was broadcast across Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on the Fuji TV network Saturdays at 18:00 local time from October 1981 to May 1982. Minori Matsushima
Minori Matsushima
, born December 1, 1940, in Chiba Prefecture, is a veteran female seiyū. She currently works for Aoni Production.She is most known for the roles of Candice White , Meat-kun , Sayaka Yumi , Hiroshi , Dororo , and Gyopi .-Notable voice roles:*Candice "Candy" White in Candy Candy *Alexandria Meat in...
(Sayaka Yumi
Sayaka Yumi
is one of the heroine of Go Nagai's manga and anime Mazinger Z. She was a bit hot-tempered and tomboyish, and had a habit of clashing with the story's hero, Kouji Kabuto even though she had a romantic interest in him....
in Mazinger Z
Mazinger Z
, known briefly as Tranzor Z in United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In...
and Candice in Candy Candy
Candy Candy
is a Japanese novel, manga, and anime series. The main character, Candice "Candy" White Ardlay is a blonde American girl with freckles, large emerald green eyes and long, curly hair, worn in pigtails with bows. Candy Candy first appeared in a prose novel by famed Japanese writer Kyoko Mizuki in...
) provided the voice of Honey Honey, Fuyumi Shiraishi
Fuyumi Shiraishi
is a Japanese voice actor.-Voice Roles:*Ashita no Joe *Osomatsu-kun 1966 *Obake no Q-Taro 1985 *Kaibutsu-kun 1968 *Mobile Suit Gundam 1979-1980 *Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam 1985...
(Mirai Yashima
Mirai Yashima
is a fictional character from the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. She is one of the three White Base crew to display Newtype abilities, along with Amuro Ray and Sayla Mass.-History:...
in Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam
is a televised anime series, created by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes...
) voiced Princess Flora, and Phoenix was voiced by Makio Inoue
Makio Inoue
is a Japanese voice actor. He began voice acting in the '60s, landing small roles in Astroboy, and was the actor of choice for deep-voiced, serious males in the '70s. These days, he rarely takes on new roles...
. Masaki Tsuji
Masaki Tsuji
is a Japanese scenario writer of TV series and films as well as mystery fiction novels. Tsuji was most active in the business from the 1960s through the 1980s, and worked as a script writer on many popular anime TV series for Mushi Production, Toei Animation, and Tokyo Movie Shinsha.Among the...
, previously a writer for the unrelated Cutie Honey
Cutie Honey
is a Japanese media franchise created by Go Nagai. Cutie Honey first appears on volume 41 of the 1973 edition of Shōnen Champion. According to Nagai, she is the first female to be the protagonist of a shōnen manga series....
and numerous other works (anime and otherwise), was the series' head writer.
The anime aired in the same Saturday-evening time slot as several popular Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
shows, and achieved low ratings as a result; thus, the series was canceled early, and several manga storylines, including one in which Honey Honey visits Hollywood, did not appear in the anime. However, the TV series would later achieve a fair amount of success in Europe and Latin America (although many of the character names were changed in the non-English dubs; i.e. Honey Honey is Pollen in French, Fiorellino in the first Italian dub, Favos de Mel in Portuguese, and Silvia in Spanish).
First dubbed into English by Modern Programs International, then by Sound International Corporation, the anime series aired, uncut, in the United States on the CBN
Christian Broadcasting Network
The Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, is a fundamentalist Christian television broadcasting network in the United States. Its headquarters and main studios are in Virginia Beach, Virginia.-Background:...
cable network (now ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
) in 1984 and was also partially released on home video by Sony. Enoki Films
Enoki Films
Enoki Films Co., Ltd. is a producer of anime based in Tokyo.Enoki Films also has a North American division, established in 1986, headquartered in the Encino area of Los Angeles, California, United States called Enoki Films USA, Inc.. Enoki Films USA acts as a middle-man between Japanese companies...
U.S. currently holds the American license to the anime series.
Anime staff
- Original Story
- Hideko Mizuno
- Executive Producer
- Juzo Tsubota
- Chief Directors
- Takeshi Shirato, Yoshikata Nitta
- Episode Directors
- Takeshi Shirato, Minoru Hamada, Shoichi Yasumura, Hiromi Yamamoto, Yoshikata Nitta, Kozo Takagaki, Hiromichi Matano, Kazuya Miyazaki, Eikichi Kojika
- Script
- Masaki TsujiMasaki Tsujiis a Japanese scenario writer of TV series and films as well as mystery fiction novels. Tsuji was most active in the business from the 1960s through the 1980s, and worked as a script writer on many popular anime TV series for Mushi Production, Toei Animation, and Tokyo Movie Shinsha.Among the...
, Shun'ichi YukimuroShun'ichi YukimuroShun'ichi Yukimuro is a veteran screenwriter for television anime series. During a career spanning some four decades, Yukimuro has written over 3,000 TV anime scenarios, including episodes of many classic series produced by the Toei Animation studio...
, Toyohiro Ando, Naoko Miyake
- Masaki Tsuji
- Character Designs
- Kozo Masanobe
- Animation Directors
- Takeshi Shirato, Akira Daikuhara, Akira Shinoda, Joji Kikuchi, Eiji Uemura, Hiroshi Iino, Nobumichi Kawamura
- Art Director
- Yoshiyuki Yamamoto
- Music
- Akihiro Komori
- Theme Song
- OP- Hāto wa Ōsuwagi, ED- Niji ni Shōjo, performed by Youko Seri
- Production
- Kokusai Eiga (Movie International Co., Ltd.) / Toei Animation / Fuji TV