Jun
15
2008
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin)
Posted by luna6 Leave a Comment
Movie: Big Man Japan / Dai-Nipponjin
Release Date: June 2, 2007
Country: Japan
Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Ua
Runtime: 113 min.
Editor Rating: 8.0
Users Rating: 7 
(8 votes)
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Coming from the land that has produced such legendary monsters as Godzilla, Mothra, and Gamera comes a new “monster” named Big Man Japan. But rather than follow the familiar path of traditional daikaiju pics, this one has the indie flavor of a Satoshi Miki helmed film rather than Ishiro Honda. The movie also employs a straight faced “mockumentary” format, interspersed with actual kaiju battles between Big Man Japan and his various foes. The question that’s probably crossing your mind by now is, “does this work?” My answer would be, “you betcha.”
In “Big Man Japan” Masaru Daisatou (Hitoshi Matsumoto) conducts an interview with an unidentified documentary maker. He seems a bit particular, but nothing of the sort that would hint at anything truly out of the ordinary. Masaru carries a mini-umbrella, owns a cat, and orders the special 3 times a week at his local neighborhood diner. When his cell phone rings, he asks to be excused and walks away from the camera. The conversation appears to be your typical conversation, but when Masaru comes back, he mentions that the person he spoke with was his enemy and he may have to fight him.
Shortly afterwards, Masaru Daisatou enters a secluded lot. Although the camera isn’t permitted inside, we can see Masaru Daisatou walk across an elevated tunnel wearing a white robe. A few moments and a gazillion volts of electricity later, Masaru Daisatou is then transformed into “Big Man Japan” (Dai-Nipponjin), the star of a reality tv-show depicting his epic battles with monster foes.
Yes, the premise is as wacky as anything you have likely encountered. Stylistically, the movie is even more bizarre with its mockumentary style and very well done CG drawn monster battle scenes. But, if you have watched enough Japanese films, you probably know by now that pure weirdness doesn’t always equate to a great film. What makes “Big Man Japan” truly stand-out as film is its humor: low-key, off-beat and 100% funny. A few examples would be when Big Man Japan encounters a red demon like foe (he runs for his life), the flashback to Masaru Daisatou as a young child, and the interview conducted with his 10 year old daughter. All these moments come at you without any warning and at the most unexpected moments. Making those moments even funnier would be the straight faced manner in which other scenes segued into those comical moments. In fact, there’s moments when you feel like you’re watching a documentary on a washed up porn star rather than a super hero. That probably says something about Japanese society, but to be honest, I was just to busy laughing to figure that out.
Hitoshi Matsumoto’s “Big Man Japan” certainly won’t appeal to everybody and exists in a idiosyncratic vacuum all to itself. If that sounds appealing to you, then by all means check out “Big Man Japan.” You’ll likely find yourself raving about it to all your friends.
Cast:
Hitoshi Matsumoto – Dai Nipponjin/Masaru Daisatou
Ua – Manager Kobori
Itsuji Itao – Female Niounojyuu
Ryunosuke Kamiki – Dounojyuu
Daisuke Miyagawa – Super Justice
Hiroyuki Miyasako – Stay With Me
Riki Takeuchi – Hanerunojyuu
If you like this film you may enjoy: Funky Forest, Survival Style +5, The Insects Unlisted in the Encyclopedia
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2007 Movie Reviews, Japanese Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies |