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Zebraman

Original title: Zeburâman
  • 2004
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
Shô Aikawa in Zebraman (2004)
ParodySuperheroComedySci-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.

  • Director
    • Takashi Miike
  • Writer
    • Kankurô Kudô
  • Stars
    • Shô Aikawa
    • Kyôka Suzuki
    • Atsurô Watabe
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    3.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Takashi Miike
    • Writer
      • Kankurô Kudô
    • Stars
      • Shô Aikawa
      • Kyôka Suzuki
      • Atsurô Watabe
    • 35User reviews
    • 56Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Photos19

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    Top cast35

    Edit
    Shô Aikawa
    Shô Aikawa
    • Shin'ichi Ichikawa…
    Kyôka Suzuki
    • Kana Asano…
    Atsurô Watabe
    • Oikawa at the Defence Agency
    • (as Atsuro Watabe)
    Yui Ichikawa
    Yui Ichikawa
    • Midori, Shin'ichi's daughter
    Kôen Kondô
    Kôen Kondô
    • Segawa
    Naoki Yasukôchi
    • Shinpei Asano
    Makiko Watanabe
    Makiko Watanabe
    Keisuke Mishima
    Yû 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
        • All cast & crew
        • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

        User reviews35

        6.53.7K
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        Featured reviews

        8simon_booth

        Fun Miike comedy with good special effects

        Well, you probably know by now whether you like Takashi Miike or not, so that's probably the first thing to consider. If you do, Zebraman is sure to please, being a very fun yet dark spoof of superhero films with high production values and the ever-wonderful Sho Aikawa.

        There's nothing in Zebraman that would class as particularly shocking or offensive, if you've only seen ICHI THE KILLER or VISITOR Q before and that's your only objection to Miike, but the mix of dark, deadpan humour and absurd silliness probably aren't going to win any new converts. It's a very Japanese film in style and tone, and though still doubtless low budget by Hollywood standards, has impressive special effects and a good feeling of quality. Except when it doesn't want to :)

        If you're an undecided, Zebraman may well be one of the best Miike films to sample to help make that decision :)
        8sauron-15

        Zebraman kicks!!!

        I watched Zebraman at the IFFR in Rotterdam, and it was a coaster ride from beginning to end. I've seen a view movies by Miike Takashi, and they all had elements of gore and typical Japanese-over-the-top-violence. Not this one though!!! From the first second up it's totaly wicked. It has all the elements you've already seen in this sort of action-figure-based movies, but in the hands of Miike it turns into movie magic. In a nutshell: Goodbye Hollywood! Sadako rock's! America doesn't!

        The story about a failed teacher/familyman, daydreaming about his alter-ego Zebraman who after construction of his ducktaped superhero outfit gets more then he could ever hoped for, will keep you on the edge for the entire length of the movie.

        Those of you familiar with Miike's previous work do not need to dispare: It wouldn't be Miike if there wasn't any blood, body fluids or slurry involved, but I can't tell you anything without spoiling, so: GO SEE!
        anthrapoid

        ZEBRAMAN is brilliant.

        I saw Zebraman for the first, but surely NOT the last time today. I had read that it was a "spoof of the super hero genre", but I strongly disagree; Zebraman IS a true superhero, and this film is not a spoof of any kind. Sure, there is very mild slapstick, but it works perfectly well. The heart of the film is tender and hopeful, and at the end I was left in that rare state in which I could deny no possibilities. I was laughing and crying at once, knowing no boundary between the two. I love this film. The message is a simple one, but given the age in which we live, vitally important: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. I will offer no details regarding the plot or the technical innovation of the work; I only hope that this wonderful film will be seen by all, with a truly open heart. Thank you Takashi Miike...
        7jzappa

        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?
        6cherold

        quirky and interesting, though not always compelling

        This is an odd little movie. Some nebbishy teacher sews a recreation of a suit from a short-lived superhero show, and find himself dealing with aliens. The movie doesn't make a lot of sense, unless it's all this guy's fantasy, and the movie doesn't really play much with that possibility, instead just letting it all unspool. I like some sort of rationale for what happens in a film, but the audience is expected to just accept that all of this happens for no good reason at all. The silliness of the aliens and a few other things give it the quality of a kid's movie, but even kids movies generally make some attempt to explain stuff.

        There are some cool things in this movie. The dead-on recreations of a cheesy Japanese TV show, the relationship between the low-key teacher and the disabled child, the final amusing superhero battle, but I was never fully invested in the story, perhaps because it lacked rationality or perhaps because it was just kind of slow moving and a bit muddled.

        Neither as weird or as good as Miike's Happiness of the Katakuris, Zebraman is acceptable but not much more.

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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
          Featured in Horror's Greatest: Japanese Horror (2024)

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        FAQ18

        • How long is Zebraman?Powered by Alexa

        Details

        Edit
        • Release date
          • February 14, 2004 (Japan)
        • Country of origin
          • Japan
        • Language
          • Japanese
        • Also known as
          • 斑馬人
        • 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

        Tech specs

        Edit
        • Runtime
          • 1h 55m(115 min)
        • Color
          • Color
        • Sound mix
          • Dolby Digital
        • Aspect ratio
          • 1.85 : 1

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