Watch Big Man Japan

Big Man Japan, a film from 2007, is a mockumentary that tells the story of Masaru Daisato, a middle-aged man who is tasked with protecting Japan from kaiju, giant monsters that attack the country on a regular basis. Masaru, who is the third generation of his family to have this job, is not a typical superhero, and he is mostly unknown to the public.

The film is structured as a series of interviews with Masaru and the people around him, who explain his life and his job. They discuss the challenges he faces, both personal and professional, and how he feels about his role as Japan's protector. Masaru is depicted as a lonely and introspective man, who has a complicated relationship with his wife and daughter, and who struggles with the expectations that society puts on him.

The movie is shot in a deliberately low-key and realistic style, with a mix of handheld camera work and static shots. The kaiju attacks are shown in a pseudo-documentary style, with news footage and interviews with witnesses. The kaiju themselves are presented as weird and silly-looking creatures, with a design that subverts the typical monster movie tropes.

One of the most interesting aspects of Big Man Japan is how it plays with the genre conventions of superhero and kaiju movies. Masaru is not a typical hero, and his powers are not flashy or spectacular. He becomes giant by electrocuting himself with power lines, and his main weapon against the kaiju is a stick that emits an electric current. The battles between Masaru and the kaiju are often clumsy and awkward, highlighting the absurdity of the genre.

The film also subverts the usual narrative structure of superhero movies. There is no clear villain, and the kaiju attacks are not orchestrated by a mastermind. Instead, the movie shows how the kaiju attacks are often random and unpredictable, and how they have become an accepted part of Japanese society. The film is critical of the way that the Japanese government and media treat the kaiju attacks as a spectacle, rather than a serious threat.

At its core, Big Man Japan is a satire of Japanese society and culture. The film uses the kaiju genre as a metaphor for the challenges that Japan faces in the modern world, such as environmental disasters, economic decline, and cultural homogenization. The movie critiques the way that Japanese society has become atomized and disconnected, with Masaru's isolation and loneliness reflecting a broader social malaise.

The film also makes fun of the way that Japan has been fetishized by Western culture, with references to Godzilla, anime, and J-pop. The movie suggests that the image of Japan as a high-tech, exotic, and futuristic society is a myth, and that the reality is much more mundane and bleak. The film's humor is often dark and deadpan, with a mix of visual gags and absurd situations.

Overall, Big Man Japan is a unique and original film that defies easy categorization. It is a superhero movie without superheroes, a kaiju movie without monsters, and a satire without a clear target. The film's quirky style and offbeat humor may not be to everyone's taste, but for those who appreciate something different, it is a refreshing and entertaining experience.