The Super Inframan!
Thanks to my bud (also named Matt) for reminding me about this one.
Here’s The Super Inframan, from 1975:
The deal: I was probably 9 or 10 or so. My brother and his wife were babysitting me, and I chose Inframan (the simpler title of the English dub that was released in the U.S.) off the rack at their local video store.
I can only imagine that my already-established love for Johnny Sokko prompted me to do so. I only saw the movie that one time, but boy has it stuck with me. The two things I remember most:
1) A classic scene where Inframan defeats a giant bug monster in its shrunken state by stepping on it like a cockroach.
2) Inframan having a giant ass tear in his cheap suit throughout a whole protracted sequence.
I don’t remember the plot or many of the details, but picture Godzilla mixed with Power Rangers mixed with Play-Doh.
It’s totally worth watching, even if you’ll have to spend an hour reading to do so. (Well, unless you can understand Japanese, in which case I’m jealous.)