by Hitoshi Matsumoto. Japan, 2007, 113 min. Japanese spoken with Dutch and Frech subt. A middle-aged slacker living in a rundown, graffiti-ridden slum, Daisatos job involves being shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high who is entrusted with defending Japan from a host of bizarre monsters. But while his predecessors were national heroes, he is a pariah among the citizens he protects, who bitterly complain about the noise and destruction of property he causes. And Daisato has his own problems an agent insistent on branding him with sponsor advertisements, an Alzheimer-afflicted grandfather who transforms into a giant in dirty underwear, and a family who is embarrassed by his often cowardly exploits. A wickedly deadpan spin on the giant Japanese superhero, BIG MAN JAPAN is an outrageous portrait of a pathetic but truly unique hero. Cast: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Ua, Mitsuyoshi Takasu