a5c7b9f00b A streetwise New York police officer transforms into the world&#39;s most unusual superhuman hero. Harry Griswald is a NYPD cop who is possessed with the spirit of a great Kabuki master. This has made him &#39;the chosen one&#39; to do battle with &#39;the evil one&#39;. He is also out to do good deeds and fight crime in the name of the law. The only problem is that a number of corrupt people in the community and their henchmen want him dead so that they can gain power when &#39;the evil one&#39; come to take over the world. Sgt. Kabukiman must use his special superpowers to outsmart and out-fight the bad guys. I really don&#39;t want to spoil anything, but Kabukiman has to be seen to be believed. So here&#39;s the story, detective Harry Griswold goes to a Kabuki theater and there&#39;s a big shoot-up there. He happens to be heroic and tries to stop the men, but one gets away. One of the kabuki actors then kisses Harry, then next thing you know Harry is wearing a kimono and kabuki face-paint. He then later finds out he has to stop a certain event from happening coupled with the fact that he still has to do his police duties. Kabukiman&#39;s arsenal includes many oriental themed attacks suchchopsticks that pierce skin, fans, a sword, and my personal favorite turning people into sushi. When he transforms into Kabukiman for the first time it&#39;s enjoyable to watch, and the second transformation that happens (No spoiler here!) is just so hilarious that it creates one of the best chase scenes I have ever seen put to film. The final battle can be a bit upsetting, but Kabukiman is to New York what Toxie (The Toxic Avenger) is to Tromaville, New Jersey. In other words check it out for the absurdity, but there is also a heartwarming story about becoming an oriental superhero involved also. After being kissed by a kabuki master, Harry Griswold (police detective) transforms into the superhero Kabukiman. Harnessing his new kabuki powers, he faces corrupt businessmen, drug-dealing ministers… and must prevent the monkey from riding the jaguar.<br/><br/>I first watched this film years (2000?) ago at my friend Jason&#39;s apartment and loved it,I love all Troma releases. Today I watched it for the second time after picking up the DVD at Fangoria&#39;s Weekend of Horrors in Chicago 2007 from the director himself, Lloyd Kaufman. The movie was everything I remembered it being and more.<br/><br/>The humor is cheesy and full of bad puns, the acting is decent but not Oscar-worthy, and some scenes are just not politically correct (though by far much less gross than any other Troma movie ever made). We get the first instance of the legendary car crash scene and some good fights. Heck, even the flying special effect is tolerable. Though after seeing &quot;Puma Man&quot; pretty much all flying scenes are tolerable.<br/><br/>Troma is known for their anti-capitalism views, and it shows here (though more subtle than in &quot;Troma&#39;s War&quot; or &quot;Terror Firmer&quot;). I mean, the villains are a business tycoon and a reverend! This is a strength for the films, I feel, because it really helps the target audience rally around the hero. If you&#39;re watching these films and enjoying them, clearly you like independent films, which makes you a natural for being opposed to huge organizations. Or maybe it&#39;s just me.<br/><br/>So, yes. Cheesy plot and acting. A little gore (but not too much). Some bare breasts for no good reason. It&#39;s everything you expect from Troma, though more tame and with a little more plot. You really ought to see &quot;Toxic Avenger&quot; first, but if you like that one, this is a great follow-up.
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