Zebraman (2004)

A down-and-out school teacher receives the calling to become the real life personification of an old television superhero, Zebraman.

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writer:

Kankurô Kudô (screenplay)

Stars:

Show Aikawa, Kyôka Suzuki, Atsuro Watabe

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Show Aikawa	...	Shin'ichi Ichikawa / Zeburâman (as Shô Aikawa)
Kyôka Suzuki	...	Kana Asano / Zebra Nurse
Atsuro Watabe	...	Oikawa at the Defence Agency
Yui Ichikawa	...	Midori, Shin'ichi's daughter
Kôen Kondô	...	Segawa
Naoki Yasukôchi	...	Shinpei Asano
Makiko Watanabe
Keisuke Mishima
Yu Tokui
Yoji Tanaka
Arata Furuta	...	Owner of Candy Shop
Kumiko Asô	...	Newscaster
Akira Emoto	...	Kani-Otoko
Yoshihiko Hakamada
Ryô Iwamatsu	...	Kanda

Storyline

Being a failure as a teacher and a family man, Shinichi tries to escape everyday life by dressing up as "Zebraman", the superhero. Although the TV series was canceled after only 6 episodes, this cannot stop him from acting out his escape fantasy in a self made zebra-suit. He gets more then he could ever wish for when his black-and-white dressed alter-ego seems to be the only thing to stand between absolute (green) evil and a happy ending.

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Plot Keywords:

non comic book superhero | character name as title | zebraman character | scene of the crime | teacher | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the introductory section of the film, Shinichi Ichikawa/Zebraman, is watching a parody of Super Sentai/Power Rangers where the hero fights Sadako Yamamura from "The Ring". Ironically, this seems to predict the plot of the 2007 film, "Kamen Rider: The Next", which features a Sadako-like antagonist and a plot similar to "The Ring".

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Goofs

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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Connections

Spoofs Kairo (2001)

User Reviews

Aside from a little lull here and there, this film is terrific

Takashi Miike is a very, very difficult director to label. Some of his films have been incredibly violent and gory (such as ICHI THE KILLER and AUDITION)--so much so that I could never recommend them. Some of his films have been strange and highly enjoyable comedies (especially HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS). In recent years, his films have even tended towards being children's movies (such as his Ultraman series on TV and THE GREAT YOKAI WAR). Because of this wide, wide range of films, I was apprehensive to watch ZEBRAMAN, as I had no idea what type of Miike film it would be. Fortunately, it was a blend of both his weird quirky films AND his excellent family-friendly films.

Here in ZEBRAMAN, you have the story of a very nerdy elementary school teacher who secretly longs to be his TV hero, Zebraman. It seems that in the 70s, Zebraman was a very short-lived show and the guy has loved it ever since. This isn't so odd, but the fact that he's made a Zebraman costume and imagines himself to be this great superhero is!! What makes it even weirder is where it all goes next--into a strange and surreal direction that I just didn't anticipate. Rest assured, the direction is very odd and it involves this nerd having to save the planet from evil aliens!!!

The film is all in good fun and does it all tongue in cheek--never taking itself too seriously. Excellent direction and a nice story make this a winner--even if there are a few lulls here and there before the crazy and very exciting conclusion.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Zebraman

Filming Locations:

Mitsukaido City, Ibaraki, Japan

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,070,596

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bingo Y.K., DENTSU Music And Entertainment, Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1