Customer Reviews

Zebraman Special Edition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Takashi Miike--the acclaimed director of such nail-biting horror films such as "Audition" and "Gozu", such gritty yakuza-themed films such as "Dead or Alive" and "Fudoh", the cult-hit "Ichi the Killer", his contribution was banned from the Showtime "Masters of Horror" series for "Imprint"--one wouldn't be hard-pressed to assume that Miike is only capable of such macabre and violent films. Nope, Takashi Miike is actually better known in his native land for his "family-friendly" films such as "the Great Yokai War", and this film, "ZEBRAMAN". This film is Takashi Miike's comedic parody of the superhero genre.

Shinichi Ichikawa (Sho Aikawa) is a grade school teacher. He is a humble man, with some major family issues--his wife is cheating on him, his daughter Midori (Yui Ichikawa) doesn't respect him and his youngest son is being bullied at school just because he is his son. Back in 1978, he is also obsessed with a TV show called Zebraman which is set in 2010, now when that year rolls around, Shinichi attempts to escape his issues by fashioning himself a "zebra man" costume and begins to play the character at night. What began as escapism, soon becomes a bizarre reality as a monster from the original show actually appears. Shinichi finally realizes that his beloved TV show wasn't fantasy but a prophecy foretold. And now, dressing up as Zebraman, he elects himself its fulfillment. Now, he has little choice but to take the role seriously as hostile aliens does surface and he must protect the people of Japan!

The film's strength lies in its energetic direction. The film may seem rather comical and silly in many ways but the "cheesiness" and goofy feel is a main part of its premise. Appreciating the occasional cheesy sequences is just a matter of being in the correct state of mind. The premise of the movie is rather simple but the energy and pacing of the film's structure does keep it from becoming too predictable, it maintains an interesting quality throughout. The film also has a theme--as with believing in yourself and Miike's doesn't hold back on some social and political commentary, very subtle and not entirely obvious until the final act. While it doesn't deliver everything with a straight face, the film's main message is self-reliance and it does somewhat condemn the use of nuclear arms.

The film's action is rather "cartoonish" and comical; it is meant to be this way. The costumes looked very inspired by Japanese serials such as "Ultraman" and the action contains some martial arts also reminiscent of the series. The villains are your usual men in rubber suits and they move as they would in such TV series. There is some CGI images and the aliens have that "Flubber"-like look but they do look menacing in a very cartoon-like manner. The film is decently acted and I really had fun watching its odd touches of humor.

Honestly, the film is the type of experience not to be taken seriously and one may miss the importance of exactly what it is trying to say--"Believe in yourself and your dreams will come true" is the film's powerful message. Miike is telling his audience that self reliance and hard work is always the answer and dependence on an outside force may prove to be disastrous. After all, Japan is a country that had suffered an atomic attack, but it managed to still become an economic powerhouse after the 2nd world war. Sakinichi's friendship with a young boy on a wheelchair named Shinpei Asano (Naoki Yasukochi) is the strong catalyst for his resolve. His mother, a hard working single mother (played by beauteous Kyoka Suzuki) also adds a lot of needed humanity as Shinichi imagines her as "Zebra-Nurse". (What the heck?) Oh, yes, as with most Japanese films, I've seen in this genre, it does have a good number of scenes which made me say: "What the Heck?!"

All in all, this may not be one of my favorites from Takashi Miike, but I do appreciate what it was trying to do. The film does leave certain aspects of its plot undefined as to Shinichi's newly acquired powers, but I guess the answers are there if you look hard enough (the manga it inspired never had Zebraman gain any real powers). Some elements were also underdeveloped (you barely see his wife and daughter) and the final act of the film is definitely those very used to the "Ultraman" style and it is NOT for everybody. Still, Miike's energetic direction kept the film grounded and the film is never boring. "Zebraman" isn't one of Miike's best but it does stand well as a testament to this director's versatility.

Recommended! To fans of Japanese cinema [3 ½ Stars]

"Zebraman" is a hilarious comic book satire film from director Takashi Miike! This came as an absolute surprise to me--I'm sad to say I'm not usually what one would call a "Miike" fan. His movies simply aren't, usually, my thing. However, this film proved that I can never completely ignore a director so open-minded and imaginative.

From the special features of this particular DVD set(2), I learned some fascinating facts about the film, and more specifically, the lead actor: Sho Aikawa. His performance in "Zebraman" actually marked his 100th role as a lead actor in a film, which I was given to understand is especially uncommon in Japan. One of the special features is an interview with him, while another follows his experience.

Another great thing about the special features was the amount of Behind the Scenes footage you got to see compared to American filmmakers' interpretations of the same with their films. With "Zebraman" they showed the whole process--good and bad--the long hours, the injuries, the exhaustion, the little things...truly it was fascinating. I almost felt like I was on set watching the filming. Whereas with American versions of Behind the Scenes previews and Making Of clips, I've only ever seen glimpses, prepped interviews, or very limited views of anything else. For me, the Special Edition was worth buying just for that experience, if nothing else.

If you're not one for satire, or you can't take comic book humor, this movie wouldn't be for you. However, if the two appeal to you, and you happen to love Japanese movies as well, this movie will rock your world!

"Zebraman" is the funniest movie I've seen in months!!!

I've only ever seen two of Miike's films, Great Yokai War and this one. I dare say, it's one of the best comedies to ever come out of Japan. I think it should be made apparent that this is far from a kid flick. I believe it was more meant for the fist and second generation Tokusatsu fans who grew up with Kamen Rider and other Henshin heroes. The main hero is a guy who grew up idolizing the underdog of these heroes, Zebraman, whose show flopped after six episodes. Through his interaction with a young boy who through miricle of the Internet had rediscovered his hero, the hero finds the power within himself to become a true hero.

My favorite part of the film is the climatic final battle where Zebraman ascends and becomes a true superhero. The very purpose of this scene is to parrellel the contemporary movement in Japanese media to bring back and modernize classical superheroes with a newer and more high grade appearance. It has been done to Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and even Lion Maru.

Zebraman is worth watching, both for fans of the henshin hero genre, but also those who like comedy. the English voice cast was also pretty okay as far as quality.

"Zebraman" is a male fantasy fairytale involving a repressed/milquetoast's attempts to embody the characteristics of his favorite TV series character (a not so popular 'Zebraman' who survived 8 episoides.) The idea of this film is pretty good, actually, and if I was still in Hollyweird I might be tempted to try to develop this. The plot, however, falls apart and is predictable in the last third of the film (which doesn't however, impact too much the enjoyability level. It's supposed to be cliched and comfortable - not like the usually disturbing Miike fare.)

Miike, suprisingly, always works well with young actors, but his low-key male lead is also nuanced here. The film is slow, allowing emotional involvement with the characters (doesn't always pull it off but it tries.)

The 'force' payoff (where Zebraman learns to fly based upon his belief system and the faith of a young boy) is pretty lame, but I think it's supposed to be. More interesting is the surrogate family Zebraman adopts (it threatens to explode into infidelity - in this, a kid's film?)

While this film is a mixed tonal bag at times, it's ultimately warm and nostalgic, very pro-human at it's core. Worth seeing, even if the story is a little wayward and the 'family fare' a little 'too adult.'

Believe it or not, I found out about this film in Otaku,USA(a magazine dedicated to all things Japanese). Zebraman is a 2004 film about Shinichi Ichikawa, who-in every sense of the word-is a failure. He lives with a cheating wife, a daughter who digs older men and a son who's bullied at school just because of the fact that Shinichi teaches third grade there. Escaping from everyday life, Shinichi secretly dresses up as "Zebraman", the title character from an unpopular 1970's tokusatsu TV series he watched as a child. A rash of crimes and murders happen around the school where he teaches so, when he dresses up as Zebraman to surprise a good friend who's also into the character, Shinichi unexpectedly gets caught up in a battle with a serial killer dressed up in a crab mask who actually exhibits real superpowers. Little does he know that he's stepped into something much bigger.

The superhero angle was what sold me on getting this movie but, let me tell you, it is so much more. I've never seen one Japanese film that ever made me laugh till Zebraman. It is downright hilarious.

I hear that there is a second film that follows up this first one, of which I aim on purchasing. If you love Japanese movies, comedies or superhero films..give Zebraman a look. I really enjoyed it.

Shinichi Ichikawa (Show Aikawa) is a complete failure in his roles as 3rd grade teacher and family man. He fetishizes a superhero character from an old, short-lived TV series, spending his evenings dressed as Zebraman in a suit of his own construction, striking poses. The arrival of a new student (Naoki Yasukochi) and a wave of bizarre events lead him to discover the power within.

This is not one of director Takashi Miike's ultraviolent films. Instead, he has made a very bizarre comedy that is mostly family friendly, always compelling, and often extremely funny. The script gets a bit sloppy at times in order to place characters where the filmmakers want them, but all of that is trumped by sheer goofy charm.

This is one of those movies that is so bad it's good. It tries to be a superhero film but doesn't take itself too seriously. This is what Batman would be if he were poor and a bit stupid: Zebraman.

There's a weird Easter Egg hidden on the main menu, to find it, either let the main menu sit there for a long time and the cursor will move to it; or move the cursor to each of the main menu selections and push down. When you highlight a little box near the bottom, enter that.

There's some footage of guys having some fun together (in English) followed by a trailer full of nude girls in super hero outfits (looks like another super hero parody, but it's in another language and I have no idea what film it is.. but the girls are cute)

Zebraman (Takashi Miike, 2004)

Takashi Miike is [censored for Amazon consumption] insane. Anyone who's watched a handful of Takashi Miike movies knows this. And yet it never fails to surprise me. The most recent evidence of this, at least in my household (I'm pretty far behind in my Miike viewing) is Zebraman, which is basically Kick-Ass for Japanese audiences from six years ago. (Did no one make that connection? Really?)

Zebraman focuses on Shinichi (Miike regular Sho Aikawa), a teacher who's pretty much a personal and professional failure. In order to escape from the stress of his everyday life, at night he enjoys dressing up as Zebraman, a cartoon superhero from his childhood days. At one point early in the new term, a transfer student named Segawa (Kabei: Our Mother's Koen Kondo) joins Shinichi's class. It turns out Segawa, as well, remembers Zebraman, and gives Shinichi the courage to actually take his superhero act to the streets--where he finds out he's the only person standing in the way of an imminent alien invasion. He'd better get to practicing that Zebra Screw Punch...

Screenwriter Kankuro Kudo (Kisarazu Cat's Eye) had one heck of a year in 2004, both with this, which was written directly for the screen, and with his adaptation of Ryu Murakami's novel 69 for Sang-il Lee. Both were big hits in Japan (interestingly, Miike has also done a Murakami adaptation, and both Miike and Lee were catapulted to fame outside Japan thanks to those films; Miike's was Audition). And I don't think it's a spoiler to reveal my rating early in the review, but both are well worth your time. Miike continues to push the boundaries of what we think of as a Takashi Miike film; he was doing it as early as the mid-nineties, but that envelope now being a shapeless mass hasn't stopped him in the least. In a two-year period, he made a costume drama (Sabu), a traditional ghost/demon story (Gozu), this superhero comedy, a straight-up Japanese New Horror flick (One Missed Call), a bunch of the yakuza movies upon which he made his name (including the well-regarded Deadly Outlaw: Rekka and the, um, less well-regarded Yakuza Demon), and the last (and best) of the Dead or Alive martial arts flicks. And that's about half his output for those two years. All are at least worth seeing, though obviously they're not all destined to be classics. (Personally, Sabu is my favorite of the bunch; it's one of my all-time favorite Miike movies. But I'm in the minority.) It's a lot of fun. It's also incredibly stupid, so be warned, but you'll have a ball killing your brain cells. ** ½

I consider myself to be a pretty well seasoned movie "guru" and I take pride in voicing my personal opinion whenever the moment arises. For the most part, I can watch any type of movie (unless I find it to be truly awful) but Horror is really my genre of expertise. I enjoy finding strange and obscure films all the time, many of which happen to be foreign movies. I'm pretty familiar with the works of Takashi Miike, AUDITION being my absolute favorite. It's a shocking film that was only topped (in my opinion) by another movie called STRANGE CIRCUS, directed by Sion Sono. In regards to Miike's AUDITION, I had never seen a movie so twistedly demented in my whole life! I won't go into the details of that film (we're here to talk about ZEBRAMAN after all) but I will say that it's very good! AUDITION is the type of movie that leaves a lasting impression on you for many days after watching it. Hopefully you remember it for the rest of your life, although I'm sure there are some people who wouldn't want to. Takashi Miike's films speak from the heart, even if they are dark and terrifying in subject matter.

I happened upon a copy of ZEBRAMAN at my local used DVD store. The copy I acquired ended up being a "bootleg" version made by some low rent company. Normally I don't purchase underground copies of movies I intend to add into my personal collection (especially since the American subtitles for this one seemed to be a little off) but ZEBRAMAN isn't the type of film that you just run into on a daily basis. In a case such as that, you buy it as you see it. I was familiar with the movie prior to purchasing my copy but it never struck me as one of Takashi Miike's films that I just "had to own." After watching this movie I can safely say that my assumptions were more or less right about it. This isn't the best film he's ever directed. Yet, at the same time, it does seem to be a "deep" movie in it's own off beat way. I will say this, ZEBRAMAN is a very strange film indeed!

As I watched this movie I couldn't help but ask myself, "who is this film made for?" It's very much far removed from Takashi Miike's more visceral works like ICHI THE KILLER, SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, VISITOR Q and the above mentioned AUDITION. Heck, it doesn't even come close to his horrifying "made for television" episode "Imprint" for MASTERS OF HORROR. Yet, it's also very unconventional all around on a "main stream" level. I'm not talking about Pop culture main stream either. What I mean is if you're just a passing Miike fan, ZEBRAMAN will definitely weed out the uninterested no matter what. You either enjoy subject matter such as this or you don't. Plain and simple. Also, this is considered one of his more comedic outings, which he's been known to do. Yet I still asked myself, "Who is this movie made for?" Well, it seems to made for Takashi Miike himself and those who understand his off beat sense of humor only.

ZEBRAMAN is about this guy named Shinichi who also happens to be a school teacher and a family man. His personal life is anything but happy considering almost every member of his family seems to think he's a loser. His wife cheats on him, his daughter sleeps with much older men and his son is harassed at school because Shinichi is his school teacher. Life couldn't get any more depressing for our main character it would seem. Whenever he's not trying to gain approval from his cold hearted family, he retreats to his study and dresses up in a mock superhero outfit of a guy named "Zebraman." This fantasy seems to be Shinichi's only escape from the drudgery of his everyday life at home and he does it often. Meanwhile, his family doesn't seem to notice. The character of "Zebraman" happens to be from one of Shinichi's favorite childhood television shows, which was cancelled after only seven episodes. This seems to resemble how Shinich's private life is. Cancelled before it even really got started.

Meanwhile, a serial killer wearing a crab mask has been slaughtering people in the local area. It would seem this guy has some kind of connection to our "hero", although the two of them are unaware of it at first. Through out the course of the movie, we watch as Shinichi eventually gets enough courage to go out one night while wearing his Zebraman outfit. On the first night, while sneaking off the roof of his house, he slips and falls in a very painful fashion. This happens to Shinichi a few more times to much comedic effect.

After a few more attempts at being a "hero in the night", Shinichi eventually runs into the crab mask wearing lunatic down a dark alley way. It would seem that he's in a bad situation here (after all, he's not really a super hero) but only after a few attacks, Shinichi realizes that he does have powers! Out of nowhere he's able to dodge punches and kicks with ease, while exhibiting the ability to jump at great distances. After defeating the "crab man", Shinichi understands what he was meant to do with his life. He must become ZEBRAMAN!

*Whew!* Talk about the plot being all over the place! Well my friends, that isn't half of it! There are a few other random sub plots running rampant in this movie too. ZEBRAMAN is a hard film to describe, no doubt about it. Even if I tried, my review might come off more confusing than it already is! For the sake of my review and longevity, I'll do a "foot notes" version here real quick. On top of Shinichi thinking he's "Zebraman" and some other random guy dressing up as a crab (not to mention all of his family issues), there's a plot for an alien invasion (they look like "flubber" of all things), a little boy who thinks he's the real "Zebraman" from the TV show and a love interest for our hero to boot! This movie is filled to the brim with seemingly random plot twists and a lot of it doesn't make sense.

It's hard for me to rate and review ZEBRAMAN because I was indifferent about the movie from the get go. I'm a huge fan of Takashi Miike and the obscurity of this film in my local area helped convince me of the sale. Yet in the end, I can't help but think that something was lost in translation for me in this movie. The character of Zebraman is kinda' based on superhero's like ULTRAMAN (something I'm not really familiar with), so I tried to imagine the concept through one of my own favorite hero's like SPIDERMAN or BATMAN. By doing this, I think I got a greater appreciation for the over all artistic perspective behind this film. A lot of the enjoyment to be had with ZEBRAMAN is if you personally know and love comic books and their heros. If you don't, the over all message will become lost in translation I think. Super hero's have never truly been embraced by society, even if they do become successful like SPIDERMAN or THE DARK KNIGHT.

One thing I didn't like about this movie is how long the middle seemed to drag on. After a some what interesting and enjoyable beginning, things slow down to a snail's pace because the movie starts to take itself far too seriously. Maybe that's what Takashi Miike wanted (he is the director after all) but I really think it hurts a good portion of this film. Things start to pick up towards the end but by then I think it's too late and the damage has already been done. A lot of this movie is just kinda' boring. I can see movie buffs everywhere (usually it's guys who like this type of stuff) renting this film and collectively becoming bored with their girlfriends while watching it. Which is sad really because there seems to be a lot more beneath the surface here. It does have it's "Miike" moments (general strangeness) and his trademark commentaries about family, isolation and perversion are as poignant as ever. It's just too bad that it all gets lost in a rather boring execution and it's unusual plot.

Gore Hounds, I don't know if I can recommend this one to 'ya. Sure, there are some bloody moments (not to mention a really nasty alien melt down scene) but they happen few and far in between. That on top of the long and boring moments become this movies "kiss of death." Add the strange plot and a few scenes with some incredibly bad looking CGI effects into the mix and I find myself hard pressed to recommend ZEBRAMAN to anyone. I personally thought the movie was just okay but that might not be enough for some people. If you read between the lines, there's a lot of social commentary here. It's just too bad that it gets lost in the clutter.

For only the most die hard of Takashi Miike fans.

Just rent or buy AUDITION instead. It's much better.

I hope I've been helpful.

Over and out.