MR Yatterman

A new movie review for the day!
I really wanted to make this one for quite some time...
Finally managed to find some time for it now~

Movie: Yatterman 
Directed by Takashi Miike
Release date 2009
Genre anime live/action comedy
Country Japan
 
This crazy movie was made by Takashi Miike, who's one of my favorite movie directors, it's a live adaptation of the long running anime franchise Yatterman.

First off, 
What exactly is Yatterman?

It's an ol' seventies anime series that itself was part of a much larger franchise called the Time Bokan series.
It was part of the programs done by animation studio Tatsunoko Production (mostly known by gamers nowadays thanks to the Capcom "Vs. series" of fighting games). Which itself has done hundreds and hundreds of series, though they're mostly known in Japan, Asia South America, Europe and North Africa. Yep, they've never been quite popular in the North America (apart from the couple of different traductions of Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets).

Anyway, back on Yatterman, like most "Time Bokan" animes, was about a duo of Superheroes having to deal and defeat every week a trio of ineffectual villains.
(most of Tatsunoko animes are about japanese superheroes, like Gatchman, Samurai Pizza Cats, Casshern, etc..)
Every time they would try to steal/catch/conquer something, and every time, the heroes would come, fight them giant robot to giant robots and win the day.

How would a movie based on such a looney premise work, live action?

Our heroes! Yatta-yatta-yatta-Man!

Our story opens with (yet) a(nother) fight between the Dorombo Gang, the evil team who always tries to steal artifacts/make money/collect all the pieces of the Skull Stone, and the local superheroes of Tokyoko (fictive Tatsunoko city), Yatterman-1 and Yatterman-2!

Who are all these characters? The movie takes its time to introduce us to all of them directly into the action.
The Yatterman duo operates from under the "Takada Toys" building. Gan Takada, aka Yatterman-1, lives a double life of a crime-fighting hero and tries to protect the world from all the evil-doers. In his quest for truth and justice he's helped by his girlfriend, Ai Kaminari/Yatterman-2 and several giant robotic toys his father left him, Yatterwan a giant red mecha and Omocchama their own sidekick.

Meanwhile the Dorombo Gang needs to complete the Skull Stone, which is a mysterious artifact their own "spirit boss" has them searching for.
This evil trio is composed of Doronjo, the sexy leader, Boyacky, the smartest of the two henchmen and mad scientist in love with Doronjo, and finally the big brute and glutton-lackey Tonzura.

They all fight, mechas against mechas, explosions, and at the end the heroes win the day once more time!

When a girl seeks the helps of our heroes. Her father (a brillian parody/homage of Indiana Jones, may I add-), they decide they'll join her in her search for answers.
But not far from that, it seems the Dorombo Gang is dangerously close to reunite the Skull Stone and help their mysterious chief-entity enter our world.
Now that all seems to be getting dangerously close, do all these plots share a common menace?
Who really is this "Dokurobei"?
Is Ai jaleous of Gan-chan's popularity with this movie's other girls?
Will Boyacky confess his love for Doronjo?
And why am I narrating this like a Saturday morning cartoon's voiceover??

The original "Team Rocket".

You see, this is not a very serious movie.
But you know what, that's exactly why I love this movie and why you will also. (if you haven't seen it already)
Takashi Miike is usually more known for his violent, gory or realistic action movies and thrillers.
But for this movie, he perfectly catched the original anime's sillyness and crazyness.

It's colorful, fun, fresh and quite dynamic.

The movie uses a ton of (pretty neat) special effects. Of course, it's not your usual Hollywood-CGi if you're only used to American blockbuster movies. But they're pretty well done and impressive nonetheless.

The movie takes the anime's spirit and adapts it into a full feature movie. It even ends with a note "On the next episode..." (at this time it doesn't have a sequel nor do I think such sequel would really follow that fake-plot hint).
It has that episodic feel. This is a big epic storyline, with a big epic threat maybe, but nothing less to expect from our heroes!

The movie also contains several songs, what you'd expect from, say, a cartoon (Disney) movie.
They're in-fact songs adapted from the anime itself (opening, ending and villain themes).
With the usual japanese-zaniness twist.

Overall, I really recommend to check out this movie!
If you like animes, japanese movies or even just Superheroes. It might be fun a try, to see what other countries offer to the genre ;)

It also works great as introduction to the show(s) for those who didn't knew a thing about Yatterman.

You can just as easily dip into the 70s or modern Yatterman animes.

Also if you liked Tatsunoko characters (in the game Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom game for exemple), it's a great way to show them in action.

The music, the score and songs are perfect.
The directing is well done. For such an usually intimate director, it's well done on the more action-fuelled large scale battles.

Of course, the movie isn't without its own problems.
It's a world that doesn't make much sense (they travel at the speed of light across the Earth around stereotypical "parodical places"), the ending is a bit confusing plot-wise (compared to much simpler and funnier first half) and it may be too japanese for people who only watch Transformers, Twilight and those other Pirate of the Carribeans films.

But personally, I love it!
Give it a try and you'll probably end up loving it~

I give it:

 2.5 / 3 Astroboys!