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Zebraman (2004)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Kankurô Kudô (screenplay)
Release Date:
15 August 2007 (USA)
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Plot:
Being a failure as a teacher and a familyman, Shinichi tries to escape everyday live by dressing up as "Zebraman"...
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Awards:
2 wins
&
1 nomination
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NewsDesk:
(10 articles)
DVD releases for Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
(From QuietEarth. 10 November 2009, 5:50 PM, PST)
The Good, The Bad And The Wtf: Let's Exploit Dead People
(From JustPressPlay. 25 October 2009, 6:24 PM, PDT)
(From QuietEarth. 10 November 2009, 5:50 PM, PST)
The Good, The Bad And The Wtf: Let's Exploit Dead People
(From JustPressPlay. 25 October 2009, 6:24 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Benevolently Reflects Vivid Childhood Memories Controlled By Superheroes
more (23 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Shô Aikawa | ... | Shin'ichi Ichikawa / Zeburâman |
| Kyoka Suzuki | ... | Kana Asano |
| Atsuro Watabe | ... | Oikawa at the Defence Agency |
| Yui Ichikawa | ... | Midori, Shin'ichi's daughter |
| Koen Kondo | ... | Segawa |
| Naoki Yasukôchi | ||
| Makiko Watanabe | ||
| Keisuke Mishima | ||
| Yu Tokui | ||
| Yôji Tanaka | ||
| Arata Furuta | ... | Owner of Candy Shop |
| Kumiko Asô | ... | Newscaster |
| Akira Emoto | ... | Kani-Otoko |
| Yoshihiko Hakamada | ||
| Ryo Iwamatsu | ... | Kanda |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
115 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Anachronisms: At the end of the movie, the Colonel (the military officer in charge of the task force that is investigating the alien invasion through out the movie) refers to President Bush in his phone call when the movie takes place in 2010 (two years after Bush's last term in office).
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Quotes:
Shin'ichi Ichikawa:
Striping evil!
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (23 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Zebraman (2004)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Premium Japanese Box | El_Lep |
| This proves it yet again... | opted |
| This movie rules! | lordgoblinking |
| Was it all a dream? | clopton |
| Kudos to Kudo Kankuro | simon_ariel |
| Genius!!!!! | stormshadow_99 |
Recommendations
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| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb Japan section |
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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 escaping into his fantasy world in a self-made zebra-suit is the only thing keeping him going. 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. Aside from the way in which its plot unfolds, the film's real charm is in what decides to show us about superheroes, why we identify with them on such a whimsical level and how the ridiculous mentality of a superhero could be formed in a man's solitude. The movie is not serious though. 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. Where the film's spirit hits the nail on the head is in its blurring of zeal and absurdity. The film knows escapism because it's acuity in what it evokes really allows you to escape back into that unadorned young spirit. And what's the point of escapism if you're not truly escaping?