I have a sneaking suspicion about this film: while the original Japanese title is clearly a transliterated version of the English title, they probably thought the name of mysterious superhero figure at the center of this film had the same format as all those American superhero characters: “SlaveMAN” rather than “SlaveMEN.”
But that’s just my theory, so don’t quote me.
Mind you, if that’s the case, then that would be about the only thing about this film which makes much sense.
After an introduction which tells us that the Slavemen helmet is the most incredible weapon ever made, and turns its wearer into a superhero, we soon learn, after a nebbishy young photographer, Yasuyuki, finds it, he learns that it allows him to eliminate someone from existence or change them.
Although the consequences of trying to digitize an enemy and failing are dire.
But changing the universe to suit himself doesn’t seem to be working out too well. It certainly isn’t helping him to win the girl handing out free samples he’s fallen in love with, and things keep getting worse.
Only that isn’t what the film is really about…
This one seemed quite promising at first, only the connections between the hero’s actions and their results get stranger and stranger, until we reach a situation which really can’t be explained by merely changing a few details in the past.
And it only gets more confused from there.
When we finally do learn what is going on, it does make more sense, but turns the film into something far different from what the film promised (and takes it out of the realm of Science Fiction). It doesn’t really help that we’ve strayed into one of my least favorite movie endings, although I have to give them credit for the finale, where Slavemen swings back into action and saves the day.
However, you might compare that ending to certain other films.
You never know what you are about to get yourself into when it comes to weird Japanese fantasies, other than that they are going to be very weird.
And that’s certainly true here.
Although there a lot of far more successful Japanese fantasies out there you could watch instead…
rivets on the poster 