In April 2016, the live-action zombie film "Please call me a hero" directed by Sato Shinsuke and co-starring Oizumi Hiro, Arimura Kasumi and Nagasawa Masami was released in Japan. After the film was released, it not only achieved good box office results in Japan, but also gained a good reputation. In the end, the live-action zombie film "Please call me a hero" achieved a box office of 1.624 billion in Japan, becoming the highest-grossing live-action zombie genre film in the Japanese film industry at that time!
The official poster of the zombie film "Please call me a hero"
movie "Call me a hero" is a comic film adapted from the comic of the same name by the famous Japanese otaku manga artist Hanazawa Kengo. The film shows the Japanese society infected by the ZQN virus through the perspective of Suzuki hero played by Oizumi and the narrative method of the road film to the audience. At the same time, the audience can also see how the hero Suzuki of the film gradually became brave and strong in the zombie environment, and finally became a real hero!
From the point of view of a commercial genre, although the movie "Please call me a hero" has problems with narrative rhythm and character creation, it is undeniable that the film is the closest live-action zombie in the Japanese film industry so far. The film, its 1.624 billion high box office is the best proof. In addition, while the film is moving closer to the mainstream, it also does not forget to add character settings that belong to Japanese culture and the corresponding storyline!
Next, according to the title of the article, I divided the following content into two parts, namely "What is it moving closer to the mainstream" and "What is a Japanese zombie movie"!
One: What is moving closer to the mainstream?
As everyone knows, the zombie genre was created in the United States. The first zombie film in movie history was "Night of the Living Dead" directed by George A. Romero in 1968. Therefore, for Japan and other countries in the world, the zombie genre is an imported film and needs to be recreated in accordance with the culture of the country!
, the first zombie film in the history of world film,
Looking at the history of Japanese film, the time when the zombie element was added to the category of Japanese live-action film creation is probably after the new millennium. An earlier and well-known live-action zombie movie should belong to the 2001 "Zombie Action" directed by Naoyuki Tomatsu. Later, "Tokyo Zombie" (2004), "Infection" (2004), "Sister Rose" series (2008), "Giant Lady vs. Zombie" (2010), "Zombie's Butt" (2011), "Lust of Lust" Movies such as the "Death" series (2012) are broadening the scope of Japanese live-action zombie genre movies!
"Zombie Action" directed by Tomomatsu Naoyuki
Although the creation of live-action zombie genre films has reached a certain scale in Japan, in terms of investment scale, most zombie films are produced at a low cost. Therefore, real-life zombie genre films shot in Japan often give people a crude look and feel. In addition, with the exception of a few comedy zombie films such as "Zombie Action" and "Tokyo Zombie", most of the live-action zombie genre films shot in Japan are related to eroticism, and even the actresses participating in the film are AV actresses. Therefore, live-action zombie genre movies have been difficult to be accepted by mainstream audiences!
Sora Aoi starred in "Giant Lady vs. Zombies"
, a live-action zombie film "Call me a hero" produced by Toho Corporation, has changed the awkward situation faced by live-action zombie films in Japan!
First of all, from the perspective of investment scale, the film is produced by Japan's largest film company Toho Co., and its input cost is by no means inferior to other mainstream commercial films on the market. The high cost of investment brings at least two advantages to the film: first, the actors. The protagonist of the film Suzuki Hero is played by the famous Japanese comedian Yoo Oizumi, and the two female characters Hiromi and Yabori are played by Arimura Jun and Nagasawa Masami respectively. The former is a popular new idol in Japan, and the latter is a leader among Japanese Mesozoic actresses. Coupled with the participation of a number of powerful supporting actors, the film is impeccable in the cast of actors; second, Special effects. As Toho Co., Ltd. has produced the "Godzilla" series, its achievements in the field of movie special effects have always been at the forefront of Japan. Therefore, when this live-action zombie film "Please call me a hero" with excellent special effects was released, the audience changed their previous stereotypes of the Japanese live-action zombie genre!
"Village Flower" hasFrom the point of view of the film's narrative, the film's narrative is more compact in rhythm than the previous Japanese live zombie genre, and it is easier to mobilize the audience's emotions. In addition, in the overall narrative structure, the film adopts the structural model of Hollywood zombie films, making it easier to be accepted by mainstream audiences!
2: What is a Japanese zombie film
As I mentioned in the previous article, the zombie genre film was created in the United States, and the more classic zombie films in film history also come from the United States. Therefore, if other countries want to introduce this type of film, they need to recreate it in accordance with their own culture. For example, the Korean zombie film "Travel to Busan" released in the same year as "Please call me a hero" and the British zombie film "Zombie Shaun" directed by Edgar Wright are all examples of recreating in combination with the culture of the country!
, the smash hit classic zombie film "Travel to Busan"
, the same, the above-mentioned point, the movie "Please call me a hero" also did it!
Douban user No. 2 wrote in a short review of "Please call me a hero": "Every country has the characteristics of shooting zombie films (zombie films). The United States: personal heroism leverages; South Korea: the government is uncomfortable if it is not black; China: After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it can’t be refined; Japan: Going into the inner world of Diaosi!” (slightly changed)
First of all, the film contains otaku culture!
Otaku culture is a subculture worldwide, mainly concentrated in Japan, composed of people who are passionate about the secondary culture such as animation and video games. The people who make up the otaku culture at the same time are called otaku! The reason why
contains otaku culture is because the original author of the movie Kengo Hanazawa is a famous otaku cartoonist, and the hero Suzuki in the film is based on the author himself. The hero Suzuki in the film was a LOSER from the beginning. Not only did his career fail to progress, but his relationship with his girlfriend became increasingly tense. Despite this, he still has a "second dream" and his hobby is guns.
Suzuki hero with gun
Later, with the outbreak of the ZQN virus, the Suzuki hero, who is a LOSER plus an "otaku", not only survived, but also met "cat girl" Hiromi and "Nurse Sister" on the way to escape. "Saber. Finally, with the blessing of guns and self-breakthrough, Heroes of Suzuki successfully changed from LOSER to HERO! The
movie "Please call me a hero" in addition to the plot is very in line with the "taste" of the otaku, the film still has many pictures "Two-dimensional" visual elements such as comics and animation have been added again! The particularly interesting scene in the movie
is
, followed by the zombie setting with Japanese characteristics!
When talking about the screen image of zombies in film and television works, most viewers first think of: 's dull eyes, ugly appearance, and low roar!
The zombie image in "Please call me a hero"
has actually not changed much since the advent of "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968. Although "alternative" zombies like the "Resident Evil" series and "I Am Legend" were also born during this period, the screen image of zombies in the traditional sense has not changed. However, in different countries, the zombie films shot by different directors are essentially different, and this essence refers to the setting of zombies!
is like the setting of zombies in "Land of the Living Dead" to eat human brains, and the setting of zombies in "Blood and Flesh" is to eat human brains, and they will have the memory of each other. The zombies in "Please call me a hero" are set to retain some of their habits after being infected, such as office workers on the subway, taxi drivers with zero violations, middle-aged women on shopping spree, etc.! The appearance of
in "Blood and Flesh" is responsible for the zombie settings in the
movie "Please call me a hero", which seems to have little connection, but actually corresponds to various industries in Japan, including company employees, taxi drivers, police, and college students. And if these corresponding industries are combined together, the whole Japanese society is revealed. As we all know, the overall work pressure and life pressure in today's Japanese society are very high, coupled with the Japanese character, making it one of the countries with the highest suicide rate in the world!
The movie "Please call me a hero" adopts such a setting with obvious Japanese characteristics, which will make the audience unconsciously associate and think accordingly!
Generally speaking, if it is based on the category of world movies, then no matter from the perspective of commercial films or zombie genre films, the movie "Please call me a hero" is not a top-notch work. But only from the perspective of a Japanese live-action zombie genre, the movie "Please call me a hero" is undoubtedly an innovative work, with new shooting techniques and a new theme!
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