Film Review: "Dai-Nihonjin"

Starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Ua, Ryūnosuke Kamiki

Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto

Initial Release Date/s: 06/02/07 [Japan]

Running Time: 113 Minutes

The Land of the Rising Sun maybe a small archipelago, in contrast to its other fellow-First World countries. But its dreams, will and creativity, are far larger than all First World countries combined. And no one, I means no one, can deny that.

Presented to us is a mockumentary film-style that follows the life of Masaru Daisato [Matsumoto]. He looks like your average Japanese man walking around town, going to his favorite ramen shop, or tavern, sometimes sleeping in house/office, and at times wondering the streets as a form of  leisure. Daisato also has a daughter, which he really loves dearly, with his estranged wife. He rarely gets to see her due to his unusual occupation. Now you begin to wonder, why would a documentary film is perusing around town with this typical? It’s revealed that Daisato is a superhero. Yes. You heard me say it, “superhero.” Daisato – or “Big Man-Sato,” as he is referred to by the public – comes from a long line of “Big Men,” which are these giant humanoid beings that grow to an exponentially high size, through the aide of high-voltage electricity. His job, when transformed into this 30 meter high meta-human, is to defend Japan from the constant terror of mythological monsters, called daikaiju [which means strange beast, or monster, in English], that come from ancient Japanese folklore. The main thing that makes his job a little bit harder than most is that he is the last of his kind. His grandfather, called Big Man IV, is still alive, but is at the edge of senility and resides in a retirement home. Our hero is more of an antihero, because he is more stricken by melancholy than heroic valiance, and fights with ennui. To top it all off, he not only has to face giant demons, but his inner-demons as well, like alcoholism, depression, and his flip-flop celebrity status, which is where the majority of his income comes from.

The film in itself is a satirical symbol of capitalism in contemporary culture, Japanese pop culture, Japanese values towards familial relationships, and the internationally popular Japanese’s monster film industry. The two main aspects which I want to talk about is the satirizing of the monster film industry and capitalism. For the monster film industry, the production uses CGI, by creating the giant for of Daisato and the daikaijus. The strange beasts are given these very, very peculiar attributes, which are distinct human features [commonly the face], and sometimes bizarre modus operands [i.e. sleeping, coitus]. I found that to be creepy, yet hilarious at the same time. The mockery of the capitalist aspect was showcased when Kobori (Ua), Sato’s manager and publicist, suggests places where to put advertisements on his body. Now you know why I said that a huge chunk of his income is derived from his celebrity status. Not only that, but his hard work doesn’t really equate to his typical Japanese governmental employee’s salary really help him make a good enough living. Daisato comments to the interviewer that during the heyday of the Big Men, when his father and forefathers donned the hero’s burden, they were usually given stuff for free and rarely had to pay for anything at all.  It’s usually difficult for him to get good ads, because of his reputation as a mockery, rather as a hero, which are revealed through a series of fake street interviews with paid actors to be like random citizens. Big Man-Sato’s fights with the monsters are usually broadcasted across Japan [probably the World], but at 2 in the morning, the videographer comically comments that the weather report gets higher ratings than his fights.     

What I also loved about this film is the explanation of how Daisato, transforms into Big Man-Sato. This in my opinion is way better than other superhero transformation, ever. What happens is he gets alerted by the government, through phone mostly, and travels all the way to a far out electrical power plant. When he gets to the power plant, he is clothed in religious garments, which preps him for blessings, yet he and several others admit that it is useless in modern times, but must still does it because of respect for tradition. After the long blessing ceremony, he disrobes, and gets inside a giant purple brief and has electric clamps attached to his nipples – I kid you not! As soon as all is set in order, a person in the control station flips a switch that lets high volts of electricity surge into his body, thus causing him to become this physically towering monster deterrent. It is also noted that the specific branch of government he works for is called “The Ministry of Monster Prevention,” which is subsidized by Japan’s Defense Ministry.

Generally speaking, I say that this film is absolutely brilliant and a piece of comedic, nestled between dark humor and outlandish gags, with satire as a its predominant character.  You can compare the qualities of this film’s protagonist to the central character summer-action/drama, Hancock [2008], played by Will Smith, but Hitoshi Matsumo’s portrayal has a more multi-dimensional depth. The film garners a sense of humor; only a few would get, at first, but none the less sneaky. Every moment in this film is out righteously surprising, and definitely worth paying your undivided attention to.  

Verdict: A Must See!