2004, Japan
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Sho Aikawa

Plot: Ichikawa is a loser. He is a boring teacher, his wife is having an affair, his daughter is a prostitute, and his son is bullied at school. The only thing that makes him happy is when he puts on a homemade costume of Zebraman, a character from an old superhero series. One night, when he wanders around town in his costume, he bumps into a man who is dressed in a Crab costume. He turns out to be one of the invaders threatening Japan. That is when he discovers that, by making a homemade superhero costume, he can literally transform into Zebraman. Now Zebraman fights a war against the invaders trying to defend Japan.

Review: This is a Miike film and stars his regular Sho Aikawa (this is his 100th film). This is not a typical Miike film, though. If you expect to see milking breasts, ultra violence and unusual sexuality, get ready to be disappointed. This is the first film of his that can be watched by minors.

One can easily argue that it’s somewhat ridiculous. Yes, it is on many levels. But it is obvious from the start that the entire film is silly on purpose. At the same time, the film has such a tremendous heart and sensibilities that it speaks to those who have been disrespected at one time or another. It speaks to those who have a nostalgia for the old Tokusatsu hero series of Japan (they are parodied in the film as well). Ichikawa has a secret that he wears his own Zebraman costume and escapes from his sad existence by immersing into an imaginary world where he can be the hero. Who hasn’t done it in their own time?

Director Miike did brilliant work with this material. As was in SHAOLIN SOCCER, films like this are very risky. He just went with it. He approached this film as a superhero film, and not a campy comedy. The story goes all over the place. It contains superhero cliché moments. Everything gets more inexplicable as the story goes without much explanation. But all of that is very intentional. Here he is proving that he can make any types of films for any types of audiences. As for Aikawa, this is the film people will remember him for.

That said, this is Miike’s first film that is a pure entertainment. It would sure get a PG rating from the MPAA. It plays as a comedy in a first half as Ichikawa costume plays and fights a pillow and tries to understand just what is going on around him. And the second half goes a little deeper as he tries to save the planet. There is no reason for audiences to try to understand the storylines. One must just go with it, as did the filmmakers. Best Miike film yet.

Review by Shogo.