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IMDbPro

Zebraman

  • 20042004
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
Zebraman (2004)
  • Action
  • Comedy
  • Sci-Fi
A down-and-out school teacher receives the calling to become the real life personification of an old television superhero, Zebraman.A down-and-out school teacher receives the calling to become the real life personification of an old television superhero, Zebraman.A down-and-out school teacher receives the calling to become the real life personification of an old television superhero, Zebraman.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Takashi Miike
  • Writer
    • Kankurô Kudô(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Shô Aikawa
    • Kyôka Suzuki
    • Atsuro Watabe
Top credits
  • Director
    • Takashi Miike
  • Writer
    • Kankurô Kudô(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Shô Aikawa
    • Kyôka Suzuki
    • Atsuro Watabe
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 31User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos7

    Shô Aikawa in Zebraman (2004)
    Atsuro Watabe and Kôen Kondô in Zebraman (2004)
    Zebraman (2004)
    Kyôka Suzuki in Zebraman (2004)
    Shô Aikawa in Zebraman (2004)
    Zebraman (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Shô Aikawa
    Shô Aikawa
    • Shin'ichi Ichikawa…
    Kyôka Suzuki
    • Kana Asano…
    Atsuro Watabe
    • Oikawa at the Defence Agency
    Yui Ichikawa
    Yui Ichikawa
    • Midori, Shin'ichi's daughter
    Kôen Kondô
    Kôen Kondô
    • Segawa
    Naoki Yasukôchi
    • Shinpei Asano
    Makiko Watanabe
    Makiko Watanabe
    Keisuke Mishima
    Yu Tokui
    Yôji Tanaka
      Arata Furuta
      Arata Furuta
      • Owner of Candy Shop
      Kumiko Asô
      Kumiko Asô
      • Newscaster
      Akira Emoto
      • Kani-Otoko
      Yoshihiko Hakamada
      Yoshihiko Hakamada
      Ryô Iwamatsu
      • Kanda
      Ren Ôsugi
      Ren Ôsugi
      • Kuroda, vice principal
      Teruyoshi Uchimura
      Teruyoshi Uchimura
      • Ippongi
      G.K. Bowes
      G.K. Bowes
      • TV Announcer
      • (English version)
      • (voice)
      • (as Gina Bowes)
      • Director
        • Takashi Miike
      • Writer
        • Kankurô Kudô(screenplay)
      • All cast & crew
      • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • 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".
      • 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).
      • Quotes

        Shin'ichi Ichikawa: Striping evil!

      • Connections
        Followed by Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City (2010)

      User reviews31

      Review
      Top review
      7/10
      Benevolently Reflects Vivid Childhood Memories Controlled By Superheroes
      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?
      helpful•2
      2
      • jzappa
      • Feb 18, 2009

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • August 15, 2007 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • Japan
      • Language
        • Japanese
      • Also known as
        • Человек-зебра
      • Filming locations
        • Mitsukaido City, Ibaraki, Japan
      • Production companies
        • Bingo Y.K.
        • DENTSU Music And Entertainment
        • Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS)
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

      Edit
      • Gross worldwide
        • $3,070,596
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 55 minutes
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Dolby Digital
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.85 : 1

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