Eureka Video DVD Synopsis: Classic seventies anime series Yatterman flies to the silver screen in a brilliant crime-fighting explosion of candy-coloured camp, over-the-top adventure, and pure popcorn entertainment. Directed by legendary cult director Takashi Miike (13 Assassins, Ichi The Killer, Audition) and featuring a brand new plot and re-imagined characters, this live-action debut of Yatterman will re-define the robot action adventure genre. Gan, the only son of a toy shop owner, and his girlfriend Ai are just normal teens who like to tinker away with robotic inventions – that is, when they're not keeping the world safe from evil! Together with their giant robot dog Yatterwoof, and their small incompetent robot Toybotty, Gan and Ai transform into crime-fighting duo Yatterman to fight for world peace. Waging battle against perennial nemesis, the Doronbo Gang (formed by sexy villainess Doronjo and her lackeys Boyacky and Tonzra), the trio will stop at nothing to recover the powerful wish granting Skull Stone, but they'll have to get past Yatterman first!

​

Views: Well-loved director Takashi Miike delivers a live-action adaptation of the popular 70's children's anime, Yattaman, that plays like a blend of Power Rangers and Looney Tunes – with a large dash of hit UK children's series Lazy Town thrown in for good measure! That said, there is a little maturity among the subtext and characters in between the madness, a little romance and emotion, and plenty of crazy cartoon action. It tales the tale of Gan, a toy shop owner and his assistant Ai, who moonlight as Yatterman – a heroic duo who continuously fight against the leather-clad Doronjo and her subordinates with the help of giant (cartoon-like) mecha's and wild gadgets. In their latest battle, Yatterman must stop Doronjo and her team from acquiring the pieces of a mystical skull in order to save the world...

​

While there's a small twist here-and-there, that's pretty much it. Yatterman was clearly made with a lot of passion by Miike, and will most likely appeal more to the older generation who grew up with the anime series in the 1970's as opposed to the random Western viewer looking for another sick and twisted gorefest from the man. In fact, it's safe to say that this is definitely a kids movie made for adults and not just a kids movie with adult humour. Much like The Great Yokai War (2005) and a few of his other family-based titles, Miike offers up some darkness throughout although without ever losing track of the tongue-in-cheek insanity going on. It certainly has a few flaws, albeit minor, and could have done with a good 20 minutes shaved off – but I have to admit that I did love the work put into the sets and FX for the most part, which really brought the cartoon aspect of it all to life. From riding around on a giant robot dog to the design of the city, and the fun OTT action scenes – there's plenty to enjoy visually, although definitely not on a Hollywood level. There's also a brief teaser of what's to come in a second chapter (as a post credit scene), but as of yet I have yet to see or know of any sequel that has come out.

​

Although there have been a few different series of Yatterman over the decades, from the original 1977 version through to Yatterman Night in 2015, this re-imagining has been the only live-action feature to date. It has always amazed me how a director such as Takashi Miike can jump from extreme-violent gangster-thrillers, to family orientated movies with musical numbers and such broad humour without any problems. The main duo of Gan and Ai come across like Pokemon's very own Team Rocket, except on the side of good. Gan is played by Sho Sakurai, a television star and actor who has appeared in titles such as Kisarazu Cat's Eye, Yellow Tears, The Quiz Show, and The After Dinner Mysteries. He is joined by Saki Fukuda, another television actress from shows like Raifu, Ghost Friends, Meido Deka, and more. And the beautiful Kyoko Fukada stars as Doronjo, the villain of the piece who gets her own musical number and a lot of laughs alongside her two lackeys. I first saw Kyoko in the fun Kamikaze Girls (2004) although she has also starred in a host of television series as well as Takeshi Kitano's wonderful film, Dolls (2002), which came out just a couple of years prior. Anime voice actor Kendo Kobayashi and popular television star Katsuhisa Namase, who also starred in films such as the 20th Century Boys Trilogy (2008), Grave Of The Fireflies (2005), the aforementioned Kamikaze Girls (2004), and Miike's very own Zebraman 2: Attack On Zebra City (2010) – join the main cast as Doronjo's sidekicks, with each of the cast members clearly letting their hair down and having a lot of fun with what's going on. So should you!

​

Overall: Absolute madness guaranteed, Yatterman is one hell of a crazy ride but a lot of fun if you just switch your brain off!

​

DVD Extras: Behind The Scenes Featurettes, Trailers, Cast & Crew Interviews, Cannes Film Festival Promo, Stills Gallery