HK: Hentai Kamen

Hentai Kamen is obviously the greatest film ever made, its only real competition being Invaders from Space starring the late, great Ken Utsui as Starman. If you watch this, be sure to watch it with the whole family, children included. The younger, the better. After you watch this, you will feel the urge to wear your girlfriend's panties on your face. Do not fear or try to resist this urge.

It is a very rare and funny movie that has everything from epic battles to extremely dramatic moments and a well-polished cgi for the time and budget and above all it is a great parody of spiderman in my opinion and that of my friends is a 10 / 10 suitable for all pulico and especially to see with friends.

Chances are if you are a fan of the manga that you would already be waiting in line to watch this live-action adaptation, which also of course means that you know what you are in for. But for the uninitiated, consider this fair warning that 'HK Forbidden Super Hero' isn't your typical superhero movie; rather, the 'HK' in the title stands for 'Hentai Kamen', literally translated as 'masked pervert', which is an apt description for our titular superhero, whose powers are derived from the smell of a pair of used panties pulled over his face.

That's not all - no thanks to the source of his superpowers, most of his killer moves revolve around stuffing his crotch into the face of his enemies, them "golden balls" shielded from view only by skimpy white Speedos. Besides the pair of panties, some facial makeup and the Speedos, our hero wears nothing else while in the line of duty - but really, we're quite sure when the ladies in the audience get sight of his ripped body that they will wholeheartedly agree that he is better off with as little cloth as possible.

You should know better than to take such a superhero seriously, so there's hardly any point criticising how shallow the premise is; rather, if you're going to watch a movie about a ordinary person who transforms himself into a superhero by his perversion, then you should jolly well know what you are in for. Indeed, the only way you are going to enjoy this parody if you like is if you are prepared in the first instance to accept it on its own terms - and for a start, that means being prepared for countless in-your-face crotch shots that are designed precisely to elicit a reaction out of you, no matter delight or disgust.

To match his signature over-the-top move, there are also a bunch of equally caricatured baddies - including one that calls himself Very Serious Mask, another that goes by the nickname Cool Guy, another with the moniker Gay Mask and yet another with an equally baffling name of Skinny Macho Mask. Still, all serve little purpose than throwaway comic relief before Hentai Kamen meets his match in an impersonator, who proves to be an even bigger pervert than he is and is most importantly not ashamed about it.

Yes, despite his abilities, our hero is really a sweet-natured and kind- hearted high-school student called Kyosuke Shikijo; in fact, he discovers his powers inadvertently while rescuing the object of his affection, Aiko Himeno (Fumika Shimizu). Afraid of what Aiko would think of him if he discovers his perversion, Kyosuke keeps his identity a secret from her, despite turning up time and time again to rescue her from the brink of danger. It is in his ultimate battle with his evil twin that Kyosuke will overcome his own insecurities and be enlightened about the true nature of his superpowers.

That's some self-realisation for you, no matter how unlikely such a theme might seem in a movie like this. Nonetheless, besides giving manga fans some twisted fun, director Yuichi Fukuda wants to tell both an unusual high-school love story as well as an even more bizarre coming- of-age tale - and for what it is worth, we can say that it is fortunate that his movie is much more than just about face-fulls of crotches, sexual poses and BDSM techniques.

Fukuda also has his cast to thank for gamely stepping up to the challenge of such an outlandish movie. Shimizu is suitably sweet and demure, while Ken Yamada is befittingly off-putting as Hentai Kamen's antagonist. But truly amazing here is Suzuki Ryohei, who plays our titular superhero; more than just his physique, what impresses is how he manages to switch between his shy awkward persona and that of his decidedly showy superhero alter-ego - panties, crotch-thrusting and all.

Still, despite Ryohei's best efforts, we're sure this will be a movie you either love or hate. It's weird to say the least, the humour mostly in-your-face (pardon the pun) and largely vulgar. Yet there is something undeniably engrossing about it, its mixture of teenage romance and disturbing perversion within the superhero genre making it a captivating watch. Don't say we didn't warn you about what you should be prepared for, so don't get your panties in a wad when you find them pulled over the face of our superhero.

It's not unheard of for American superheroes to wear their underwear on the outside, but Japanese superhero The Masked Pervert goes several steps further by wearing young womens' silky scanties—over his face!!! Whenever schoolboy Kyosuke Shikijo (Ryôhei Suzuki) pulls a pair of used knickers onto his head, crotch positioned over the nose, the sense of perversion he experiences transforms him into his powerful alter ego, a buff crime-fighting hero whose revealing costume (womens' panties aside) consists of a pair of white briefs (pulled up over his shoulders to apply pressure to his crotch!), fishnet stockings, and sneakers.

As with any self-respecting superhero, Kyosuke suffers from internal conflict, struggling with the perverted nature of his alter ego while wishing that it was he, not The Masked Pervert, that his pretty new classmate Aiko Himeno (Fumika Shimizu) had the hots for. His life becomes even more complicated when tough new student Ogane Tamao and his gang attempt to take over the school, hiring a series of assassins to deal with The Masked Pervert after he gets in their way. These include such crazy characters as Goody Two Shoes Man (a stickler for the rules), Manly Man (who is anything but), Slender But Fit Man (not much of a threat), Pleasant Man (genial but deadly) and Teacher Towatari (Ken Yasuda), who proves to be a far bigger pervert than The Masked Pervert.

Based on the manga Kyūkyoku!! Hentai Kamen, HK: Forbidden Super Hero is a hilarious exercise in outrageousness that, despite its vulgar nature, is simply too silly to take offence at. The story explores standard superhero themes such as self doubt and being true to oneself, but in the end, it's all about the over-the-top action, our hero striking a variety of hilarious poses before using unforgettable special moves such as Golden Power Bomb, Flying Kick Bondage (which involves the Japanese art of shibari), the Spinning Fire of Death, and my favourite, the Pervert Dance (a sure-fire hit on the dance floor), most of which involve The Masked Pervert pushing his package into the face of his enemy.

Actually, this entire movie can be summarized by three words: only in Japan!

With a mother who is a bondage mistress and a father who was a cop, the future holds something very Unique for Young Kyosuke Shikijo. And this plays out well in a truly unique and bizarre storyline. By putting women's panties over his head, Kyosuke can become The Perverted Mask - the one and only superhero to reach such levels of weirdness ever.

Based on a Manga, "HK: Forbidden Supherhero" (aka. "HK: Hentai Kamen") is somewhat of an acquired taste. And if you enjoy this kind of oddity, then the movie is definitely well-worth watching and you will more than often be laughing hard or blown away by the sheer weirdness and absurdity of it all.

The movie works well on many levels and in many aspects. And the people who star in this bizarre movie were all doing fantastic jobs and seemed to be having heaps of fun making the movie.

Wacky costumes, over-the-top sexy poses, odd humor, and lots of entertainment, "HK: Forbidden Superhero" is a live action Manga not to be missed. It is great fun from start to end.