Dai-Nihonjin
Who knew, that being a modern Japanese superhero was this hard? It's a dirty job but somebody's got to do it. In a way being extraordinarily gifted in one sense, leaves the hero extraordinarily burdened by the "thousand cuts" of postmodern Japan.Big Man (Sato) must be on-call 24/7 to the decrepit ministry of monster prevention, a sub division of the defence ministry, who arrange for him to physically transform into gigantic proportions when needed. This has taken it's toll on his mental balance. He is not paid anywhere near what he feels would be just compensation for this government job. Sadly forsaken by the Japanese public, deeply estranged from his own wife and daughter, he is reduced to earning extra pay by offering advertising "spots" on his body during his bouts with the monsters. However his ennui and frustrations with his station in life leave him constantly arguing with his talent agent, as the "ratings" of his monster bouts dip on T.V. Sato, also has aspirations of being financially successful enough to provide personal care for his aging and senile grandfather, who was also quite the monster slayer in his time, and from whom Sato's father and himself have inherited the ability to physically transform. The story is told from the perspective of a biographical documentary-in-the-making about his life, for Japanese TV.In his career, Sato succesfully dispatches the tossing monster, one-legged leaping monster, and the evil-eye monster, but accidentally kills a rather harmless monster baby provoking a mass outcry against his cruelty. Each monster encounter is carried in a separate episode live on TV as part of a reality show. Also he proves incapable of getting rid of the stink monster who actually mates with another monster on his live telecast bout, upsetting public morals of decency. To make matters worse, his senile father, bulks up one day and busts out of the senior care hospice where he lives, in order to have a fun, solo "night on the town (Tokyo)", reliving his glory days, but disrupting the busy city's efficient civilian life. This entails more bad press for Sato, portraying "his kind" in mock hues, and making it even more difficult to sell his TV show and body advertising.During one of the encounters, a "foreign" gangster type monster actually overcomes Sato, breaking his nose, while stomping on him, and scaring Sato enough to run away from the battle. His reputation is now vulnerable. This professional challenge in addition to his other personal problems proves most burdensome until he meets "Justice" Family, who turn up like guardian angels to kick the heck out of the foreign red monster.
bleak, boring, satire