Zebraman

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 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!!!

Before you guys out there start ragging on this movie , just remember we have OUR own brand of animal-based superheroes. Such as Spider-Man, Batman, Blue Beetle ,Black Panther,Robin, Raven, Nightwing, Hawkeye, and Falcon.And that's not all of them, there's WAY more than that. Anyway this movie stars veteran actor Show Aikawa as Shinichi a grade school teacher , who as a child back in 1978. Was obsessed with a Japanese tokusatsu t.v. show named Zebraman, which was set in the year 2010 . So when 2010 finally rolls around, he's living an unhappy life. The students that he teaches don't respect him, and neither does his family. His son is bullied by the other students, his teenaged daughter is sleeping with a unknown man that she met online, and his wife is cheating on him. So he creates a Zebraman costume on starts prowling the streets at night, until after he defeats his first bad guy. He later finds out that the Zebraman t.v. show wasn't fake it was a prophecy fortold. And now he has to save the world form an alien invasion, I liked this movie cause in a way . It seemed like a Japanese version of the movie Kick-Ass, but it was still very enjoyable!

Crazy yet entertaining. Skip the second one for your own good.

To be brief, a surprising gem. While not a big budget film, it runs on creativity. It blurs the lines between cinema and realityand keeps you guessing what is around the corner. Entertaining!

I hate Power Rangers, but love the aesthetic of the physical effects used in that genre of show. Zebraman respects that genre in a tongue and cheek manner while providing love for the genre through the eyes of a dedicated fanboy. The fanboy, failed in most life pursuits, is lovable and followable as his exploits become surreal. This is a hero tale with heart mixing fandom back into childhood dreams.

I saw this movie years ago with my kids in the middle of the night on HBO or something. It was awesome and I am glad to saw I have my own copy now. Hokey but good.

Wonderfully silly. Always entertaining.

Du grand n'importe quoi, tellement n'importe quoi que j'ai vu le film jusqu'au bout. L'absurde élevé au rang de religion, et une grande leçon d'humilité, le ridicule ne tue pas et zébra 2, Et dans la même veine. Prévoyez de refaire le plein de l'armoire à pharmacie et le bar. Je n'ai pas osé le visionner en VO, je ne suis pas assez fort(psychiquement parlant ).

Ein absolut hinreißender Film! Ich wurde durch einen Film-Podcast (Ohrensessel) auf "Zebraman" aufmerksam und bin nun endlich dazu gekommen, ihn mir anzusehen und was soll ich sagen: Ich war mehr als beeindruckt. Nicht (nur) die unterhaltsame und groteske Action, die trashigen Aliens oder das Kostüm des Helden machen "Zebraman" sehenswert, eher ist es die herzerwärmende Story. Zebraman ist der mit Abstand menschlichste und sympathischste Superheld aller Zeiten und schafft es, anders als andere Filme mit diesem Ziel, den Gedanken "dass alles möglich ist", glaubhaft rüberzubringen. Ein glücklichstimmender, herrlich bescheuerter Film (im positiven Sinn)der auch noch richtig gut aussieht. Fünf Sterne.

Good movie from the notorious Takashi Miike, it is not as far out or violent as his usual movies but a good movie that delivers

pas de 5 parce que la personne ne doit pas rester sur ses acquis et elle doit continuer sur ce beau rapport qualite-prix.....et la rien a dire super en temps que fan takashi mike et merci !!! recu dans les temps ... bonne continuation

Honestly I downloaded this film from seeing the trailer online, expecting a hilarious film to watch with mates one night then delete. Instead what I was met with was one of the best superhero films I've ever seen. The acting is great, the fights are choreographed excellently, and the story feels pulled straight from an anime. Couldn't wait to get my hands on an actual copy of the DVD!