Zebraman

Plot synopsis:
It is 2010. A failure as a 3rd grade teacher and a family man, Shinichi Ichikawa lives with his cheating wife, his teenage daughter who dates older men, and his son who is bullied because of his father's presence in the school. Escaping from everyday life, Shinichi secretly dresses up nightly as "Zebraman", the title character from an unpopular 1970's tokusatsu TV series he watched as a child before it was canceled after the seventh episode. As a result of meeting a wheelchair-using transfer student named Shinpei Asano, also a fan of Zebraman, Shinichi not only regains his love for teaching but also develops feelings for the boy's mother. At the same time, a rash of strange crimes and murders have been occurring around the school at which Shinichi teaches. On his way to Shinpei's house in his costume to give him a surprise, Shinichi fights a crab-masked serial killer whom he defeats when he starts exhibiting actual superpowers. Confronting more criminals who are possessed by a strange slime-based alien force, Shinichi learns that the Zebraman series was actually a cautionary prophecy of an actual alien invasion written by the school's principal, revealed to be an alien who refused to go through with the invasion and attempted to keep his kind from getting out from below the school before they kill him off and attack in full fury. Though he knows how the show ends, Shinichi defies his predestined fate as he is the only person who can stop the aliens from taking over the Earth. As a result, when the aliens emerge from the ground, the government informs the United States, which will perform an airstrike on the aliens. Realizing this, Shinichi learns of his powers and defeats the aliens.

Tags: cult, violence, comic

Review:
Shinichi spends all of his free time fantasizing about a show he watched as a kid called Zebraman, that was cancelled after only a few episodes due to low ratings.
He even goes as far as to make his own Zebraman costume, and that's when the fun truly begins.As the Earth is invaded by aliens (what did you expect) Shinichi is called into action as Zebraman and he transforms from mild mannered teacher to Earth's last hope.
I laughed the hardest at the introduction of ZebraNurse, though.This is a different kind of film than what you'd expect from Miike.
My only regret was that Takashi Miike wasn't present to witness a world class response to this outrageously funny film.
If you do, Zebraman is sure to please, being a very fun yet dark spoof of superhero films with high production values and the ever-wonderful Sho Aikawa.
There's nothing in Zebraman that would class as particularly shocking or offensive, if you've only seen ICHI THE KILLER or VISITOR Q before and that's your only objection to Miike, but the mix of dark, deadpan humour and absurd silliness probably aren't going to win any new converts.
It's a very Japanese film in style and tone, and though still doubtless low budget by Hollywood standards, has impressive special effects and a good feeling of quality.
Except when it doesn't want to :)If you're an undecided, Zebraman may well be one of the best Miike films to sample to help make that decision :).
Great for the first hour and 20, but needed some serious editing.A normal family man and school teacher, who is despised by his family, enjoys one thing in his free time.
When not being insulted by students, strangers, family, and friends, our hero likes to wear the suit in his bedroom alone and practice his super movies, which is all oddly endearing and funny enough, until townspeople begin showing signs of possession by a mysterious, possibly alien force.
Good watching for Miike fans, and those interested in the lighter side of super-heroes and nostalgia, others stay away.
I had read that it was a "spoof of the super hero genre", but I strongly disagree; Zebraman IS a true superhero, and this film is not a spoof of any kind.
I've seen a view movies by Miike Takashi, and they all had elements of gore and typical Japanese-over-the-top-violence.
America doesn't!The story about a failed teacher/familyman, daydreaming about his alter-ego Zebraman who after construction of his ducktaped superhero outfit gets more then he could ever hoped for, will keep you on the edge for the entire length of the movie.Those of you familiar with Miike's previous work do not need to dispare: It wouldn't be Miike if there wasn't any blood, body fluids or slurry involved, but I can't tell you anything without spoiling, so: GO SEE!.
The dead-on recreations of a cheesy Japanese TV show, the relationship between the low-key teacher and the disabled child, the final amusing superhero battle, but I was never fully invested in the story, perhaps because it lacked rationality or perhaps because it was just kind of slow moving and a bit muddled.Neither as weird or as good as Miike's Happiness of the Katakuris, Zebraman is acceptable but not much more..
Being a pushover as a teacher and family man, the true humble, mild-mannered identity of our hero tries to escape everyday life by dressing up as Zebraman, a superhero from a TV series that was canceled after only a few episodes.
But when he discovers that the Zebraman show was a prophecy of a true alien invasion, disguised as the show's hero he is the only person who can stop it.Miike always chooses material not only with an unusual premise but with over-the-top details that are slowly, gradually revealed to us.
It has Miike's sometime stoic feel, but what we are shown is often hilarious, like the non-sequitary title shot of a fat woman in a beauty parlor who is passed by a sauntering zebra, or Radioactive Ranger, a perfect rendition of a TV show not unlike Power Rangers and its various, progressively obscuring incarnations, or countless others.Even if Miike's more studious sense of pace is a hindrance to the potential impact of the film, leaving it without a tone and thus making the memory of the movie pretty fuzzy over time, it reflects very benevolently vivid childhood memories controlled by our superheroes.
But once again it's Miike Takashi's sparkling imagination, sense of humor and original filmmaking that makes watching this movie such a joy.A teachers escape fantasy turns out to be more than he could ever wish for, when his alter-ego seems to be the only thing to stand between absolute (green) evil and a happy ending..
I'd heard about this film a long time ago and had waited eagerly for a chance to watch it.The premise - a school teacher turning into the TV "Power Ranger" he idolised as a kid, to fight off invading aliens - sounded ideal for a camp, wide-audience genre spoof, but oh man, did it suck.20 minutes into this, you may start to wonder if someone had access to some old Kamen Rider props, scrawled a plot on a napkin during lunch and said to their mates, "Let's make a film!"The fact that Miike has such a big cult following (I'm a big fan of a lot of his work...
even if I've only seen around 50% of it!) is most likely what drew attention to this disaster in the first place, but does give a valuable lesson to wannabe film-makers in: DO NOT SHOOT YOUR FIRST DRAFT.If only this unfocused mess of a story had a little bit more time put into it...
70 cult classic television, now a takashi miike film....
Zebraman is certainly not Takashi Miikes best film (the best is Dead or Alive 2) but it is still worth your time if you are a Miike fan.
Like all Miike films the costume design is excellent, so trust me on this you will love the zebraman costume.
This film made me feel like I was watching a made for TV movie (stylistically)But either way I'd suggest the film, just to say you saw it....
Then suddenly he does have super powers, and goes out to battle the bad aliens that's covertly infesting his town !The movie has elements of other movies Miike has directed.
When you talk about Takashi Miike, you usually bring up Graveyard of Honor, Bodyguard Kiba, Ichi the Killer, or Audition: films that feature horror and extreme violence, but that is not the whole of this great director.There is also The Bird People in China or The Happiness of the Katakuris.
Miike stretches himself as a director further than anyone I know.He does it again with this film, which is a comic book like tale of a failure who is a teacher (Shô Aikawa), who becomes Zebraman.
I loved this film, and had a great time watching it.
You're just placing your own mistaken impressions and trying to make them apply to everyone.I thought little boys had to wait until they were 16 to watch mean old yakuza films, or something as great as Imprint.If you tell anyone "I rented this movie but you won't like it", chances are you're setting yourself and your partner up for disappointment.
Miike is actually a very good director-for-hire, but he never seems to feel comfortable when he's directing a movie for younger audiences.
Like The Great Yokai War and Andromedia, the two other Miike films of this type I've seen, Miike keeps the worst part of his normal aesthetic  that is, the incredibly drawn out, Asian art-house dialogue scenes.
The film concerns an ineffectual teacher and father, played by Sho Aikawa, who longs to become a super hero he remembers from TV when he was a kid.
Again, I like the idea of an uplifting Miike film.
I purchased this movie from Amazon simply because it was a Takashi Miike film, but now having seen it, I am just disappointed - to say the least."Zebraman" is nowhere near the usual league that director Takashi Miike moves around it.
There is just not the same level of action, violence, character build, or same feeling and atmosphere that he usually have to his movies.The story is rather plain and tends to drift a bit, leaving the audience (well, me, at least) sort of seeking excitement elsewhere.
There is just very little in the movie to get worked up over and get your thrills from.Of course, every director can't keep striking gold every time they touch something, and I suppose this was a strike out from Takashi Miike.I will say that the people hired for the various roles throughout the movie were doing good enough jobs with their given characters.
And also, the characters were extreme enough to be out there, I mean, just look at their costumes.If you enjoy superhero movies where the heroes have no superhero powers, then there are some better choices out there.
Takashi Miike takes a shot at the tokusatsu genre and gives us the entertaining Zebraman.In Yachio-ward strange events are happening.
During this unusual time, unpopular school-teacher Mr. Ichikawa has a rather strange form of escapism.Back in the 70's, Ichikawa was a fan of a TV show called Zebraman.
Most notable similarity is the story of a guy wanting to be a superhero especially a scene where Ichikawa, dressed in his costume is striking poses in front of his mirror before exclaiming (well, according to the subtitles) "Kick ass."Either way, I enjoyed this and just found it to be a very entertaining and fun movie.
I really do not know what Takashi Miike was thinking when making this movie.
If you know Takashi Miike, you will have to watch it to understand it all.
The movie also makes fun of old and new superhero type movies, but the cheezy ones, like the Power Rangers.
I did enjoy the movie for the most part, but I would not recommend this film to Miike fans for they may look at him in a wrong way..
This film is quite possibly the best feel good movie I have seen in 10 years, and this from a director best known for graphic violence, moral ambiguity and razor-booted kung fu kicking crybaby psychos.
The final scene with Shinichi transforming into a "real" hero is amazing and had me cheering more than any movie I watched as a kid.
If you're familiar with the genre that's spawned Hakaider, Guyver, Kamen Rider and many a movie based on the TV show harking back to the seventies then a Dirt-bike riding Zebra judo-chopping aliens won't seem quite out of the ordinary.The story approaches the genre in the uniquely Miike fashion, and like a good editor he knows which parts of the story to emphasize.The story starts off with a socially impotent father figure who seems to be failing as a role model to his children, spouse, and community...he gets no respect from anybody.
The action is excellent and over the top as usual, but still family oriented you could say (ichi the killer was NOT a good first date movie).
Zebraman is at its best when Takashi Miike kicks back and lets his mania go at its most fun.
This isn't your typical ultra-violent or taboo smashing fare from the director; if anything, it's Miike at his most playful- if you can call a man in a zebra costume fighting little green men from outer space in Power Rangers style as playful- and actually hearkens to his mode of nostalgia that happens in his work, that the characters have for past events that have shaped them, or let them slip by.
Sho Aikawa, in his funniest performance in a Miike movie, plays a man who is hapless school-teacher by day, and Zebraman by night.
He's inspired by a TV show from when he was a kid (which in turn was inspired by real programs like these in the 70s), and to see flashbacks to this show, with Zebraman fighting a crab man and other nefarious figures, is unequivocally hilarious, and exciting in the same way that Power Rangers could be in the cheesiest ways possible as a kid.
There's also government agents tracking down alien presences, of which there are many, a secretive principle at the school, and most importantly the teacher's good friend, a 3rd grade student bound to a wheelchair, who is also a huge zebraman fan, and who's interest is heightened when seeing his hero out and about in the city streets at night.The first half of Zebraman, needless to say, is vintage Miike, and save for the one government agent who has his own crab problem (and not from a man in a costume, which is hysterical in its own right) and a couple of curse words could be appealing to some youth round the world.
What Miike has in mind as a kid's movie, however, is also greatly accessible to adults, and to see both the scenes of the 'present-day' (err, 2010) Zebraman fighting against his opponents, saying his moves before doing them, as well as the usual lot of scenes where Miike just lets the camera stay still on the characters in an interesting position as some development goes on, is to see a filmmaker at the peak of his own powers.
Although it starts to a lag a little in the second half- I didn't care too much for the conspiracy let out about the principle and the script and the whole flying thing, albeit the end result of zebraman learning to fly is a truly mouth-gaping moment- Miike doesn't let up for the wildness that comes out of the climax, and how Aikawa, probably taking a bit of a cue from his DOA days, is all game for whatever comes next, even if it means literally turning into a flying zebra!
And yet, Zebraman has a quality which is more endearing than any other superhero movie of recent memory (even Tobey McGuire's Spiderman, God love him, doesn't elicit as much sympathy as Zebraman).This may be due to Sho Aikawa's affably inept hero: even in grislier Miike films, Aikawa's quirky sputterings and perpetually buggy expression are hard not to like.
But even more relevant to Zebraman's success is its director, Takashi Miike.Of course Miike made his reputation as director of the most unbelievably violent films ever put to screen, but the truth is there are plenty of slasher flicks out there gorier and more depraved than even Ichi the Killer (hard to believe, right?).
Believe it or not this is an Takashi Miike film!
Believe it or not this is an Takashi Miike film!
The best scene in the movie is near the end when Zebraman becomes a real hero, good effects, not a the original theme but in the scene mentioned earlier (when he becomes a real hero) is pretty cool, overall Zebraman is a nice family film, in fact the only Miike film you can watch with your family or your girlfriend.
Our soon-to-be hero is actually enamored of one such show and his eventual reincarnation as ZEBRAMAN is about as much fun as you could hope for in a movie like this.
A man dresses as his favorite childhood superhero, Zebraman, from a television show that was canceled after only a few episodes.
However, once again Miike surprises by playing with audience expectations.Zebraman is a superhero movie, but the moments of action and frenetic stylizations are actually quite rare and reserved.
Sure to be a new staple Halloween costume for film geeks for years to come, Zebraman's costume is its own character, first because of its hilariously ironic black-and-white style and also in the way it slowly falls apart throughout the film.Miike is also not strictly a "filmmaker", in that he throws any visual media into his stories as he desires.
I'm a huge fan of Miike's work and I think he made this movie to mock at his usual audience.
That's the thing I like about Miike, he always changes and surprises his fans.
Now he is an adult who works as a teacher but his relation with his family is getting worse and worse.After a little introduction about a murder case that involves a mystery that the government is hiding, the film focuses in the present life of Ichikawa.
All this problems ends when he put on his own Zebraman suit, feeling like a real superhero.
Suddenly his life will change when he meets a little boy who is also a fan of the show and also when he begins to go out with the Zebraman suit on.I really love this part of the film, before we see the real desires of the writer of the show, because we all feel identify with the fact that a show of our childhood could make a big impact in us and of course in our imagination.
There is always the classic message of a superhero, in this case that if you believe your dreams will come true and also that if you want you can change the way of the things.
The last part of the film is also pretty cool having a pure superhero story but with the bizarre style of Miike and really good visuals that make really cool aliens.
And all ends with a satisfactory conclusion and with a new superhero, now a real one.After watching this film I'm more and more fan of Takashi Miike and now I really don't know what to expect of the next one, probably will be "Gozu" or "Sukiyaki Western Django" both that I have recently acquired.
Anyway, Miike is just unique.Conclusion: "Zebraman" is a funny, original and of course really bizarre film that definitely is just very different from the previous films that I watched of Miike.
Zebraman can fly!!!DVD: is kind of hard to find a DVD of a Miike film in Mexico.