Big Man Japan 2009

Who would have thought that being a modern Japanese superhero would come with such immense challenges? It’s an arduous task, but someone has to handle it. In a sense, having extraordinary abilities brings with it the weight of the “thousand cuts” of a postmodern Japan. Our protagonist, Big Man, played by Sato, is perpetually on call for the dilapidated Ministry of Monster Prevention, a minor division under the Defense Ministry. They arrange for him to undergo a physical transformation into a gigantic figure whenever the need arises, which has significantly impacted his mental stability.

Unfortunately, Sato feels he isn’t compensated fairly for his hazardous government job, leaving him feeling abandoned by the very people he protects. The disconnection from his wife and daughter has left him feeling isolated, and in a desperate attempt to supplement his income, he resorts to advertising spots on his own body during his confrontations with various monsters. His ongoing dissatisfaction with his life leads to frequent disputes with his talent agent, especially as the ratings for his televised monster fights begin to plummet.

Sato holds aspirations to become financially secure enough to provide proper care for his aging and senile grandfather, a former monster slayer who passed his unique abilities down to Sato and his father. The narrative unfolds through a biographical documentary project about Sato’s life, intended for Japanese television. Throughout his career, he manages to defeat a range of monsters, including a tossing monster, a one-legged leaping monster, and the evil-eye monster. However, a seemingly harmless monster baby meets an unfortunate end at his hands, which triggers a public outcry against his perceived cruelty. Each monster encounter becomes a separate episode for a reality show broadcast live.

In addition, Sato finds himself challenged by the stink monster, who not only eludes him but also engages with another monster during a live bout, leading to an upset of public decency standards. To amplify his troubles, Sato’s senile father escapes from the senior care hospice determined to indulge in a nostalgic “night on the town” in Tokyo, thereby disrupting the city’s smooth operation. This act generates negative press for Sato, painting him and his kind in an undesirable light and complicating his efforts to sell his TV show and body advertising opportunities.

The challenges reach a peak when he confronts a “foreign” gangster-type monster who overpowers him, leaving Sato with a broken nose and forcing him to flee the scene. His reputation is now at stake, creating a burden that compiles on top of personal problems. Just when things seem most dire, he encounters the Justice Family, who emerge like guardian angels to skillfully tackle the intimidating foreign red monster.