I said it would be a year between updates, but I haven’t slowed down in my watching of the entire Ultra franchise. So here, reviews of the last five series/movies I’ve watched.
Ultraman Tiga (1996, 52 episodes 20.4 hours)
Ultraman Tiga was the first new series in 15 years, and was a relaunch of the entire franchise in Japan. It was a phenomenon when it came out and to this day Tiga remains one of the more popular Ultramen of all time.
Set in a new universe from the original Ultras, Tiga tells a familiar story of Earth threatened by giant monsters and aliens. A defense force called ‘GUTS’ works to save humanity, and one member (Daigo) has the ability to transform into the giant Ultraman Tiga and send the aliens packing.
The writing is very abbreviated, because they try to fit hour-long stories into half hour episodes. The characters know nothing about the enemies one episode and the next say something like “oh that must be the true devil from the hell realm” seconds after sighting a foe. It’s all a bit bonkers and out-of-control but it’s heart is in the right place and it grabbed me fairly quickly. The second half is much better, with a fantastic episode featuring the original Ultraman and a very strong series ending. I loved the romance in particular, which is expanded upon in the various films in which Tiga would eventually appear.
As a late 90s show the early CGI effects are slightly embarrassing today, but this series is acclaimed for its music with a notable theme song and track reserved for the romantic scenes.
Tiga was the first Ultra series I watched on TV, since it was dubbed and screened in the US in the late 1990s. In time I bought a few DVDs (which I still own), but the licensor in those days changed the characterization and didn’t release every episode so this new release of the series was long-awaited.
Ultraman Dyna (1997, 51 episodes, 21.5 hours)
Ultraman Dyna followed on from Tiga – literally starting the week after the final Tiga episode! We have a new team (Super GUTS), a new hero (Asuka) and a new Ultraman (Dyna). At first I was a bit put off: Asuka is a very different character from Daigo in Tiga, but the writing is strong and the charm of the characters won me over fairly quickly.
The effects are better, the quality of the writing better and in general I’d say this is a better show than Tiga. Despite Tiga resurrecting the series for a new generation (and let’s be clear, this is very much a kids show), many of the Dyna scripts dealt with adult themes including aging and loss and the pathos was high. The ending was magnificent, and it may have even brought a single tear to a 50-year-old eye. Overall one of my favourite Ultra series so far.
Superior 8 Ultra Brothers (2008, 1.5 hours)
This film was a monster hit when it was released in Japan and tells the tale of an alternate Earth in which seven very normal men learn than in an alternate universe they are the hosts of Ultramen. When a threat comes to their Earth, can they transform and save the world?
I loved the hell out of this. It stars the original actors from the first four Ultra series as well as the from Tiga, Dyna and Ultraman Gaia. They all play their original characters, and it’s great to see them all interacting as ‘normal’ people in what seems to be our world. The slow-burn before they transform into their respective Ultras is fantastic, and the 8 giants defeating the mega-villian is very satisfying. It’s basically just two hours of fan-service for anyone that has ever enjoyed Ultraman, and an easy recommendation.
Ultraman Zearth 1 & 2 (1996/7, 2 hours)
Here we have a two-film series of a ‘joke’ Ultraman! He’s afraid of dirt, uses an electric toothbrush to transform, and the secret team that defends earth uses a gas station as its base.
Everything about this show is silly, and it’s incredible that it was made as a cinematic feature! There’s a lot of very dry jokes, and I suspect many more than were lost on me since they’re based on Japanese culture. Was it funny? No. Was it good? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes, but only out of a bizarre fascination of its weirdness.
Ultraseven X (2007, 12 episodes, 5 hours)
This was a ‘darker’ series made for adults that played late-nights in Japan. It’s easily the strangest Ultra series I’ve seen, given that there’s very little actual Ultraman and most of what is happening isn’t explained until the last episode.
In short: a dystopian Earth is being controlled behind the scenes by weird aliens, and when they open a portal to another Earth and try to invade Ultraseven comes through, possesses a dying man, and fights the aliens. The show is a bit like Ultra-Q since it’s a series of monster-of-the-weeks with the true villains only being revealed at the very end.
Even stranger are the fight scenes: when Ultraseven turns up, he usually defeats the monsters in seconds. One quick beam or blade attack and they’re dead. No wrestling; very few punches. His strength is off the charts and he doesn’t mess around! This is very interesting for an Ultraman show, and I liked they took the chance to do this.
Ultimately the show once again seemed to have a bolder idea than it could convey, but it wraps up fairly well with some nice fan-service in the final episode.
Ultraman (2019/22, 19 episodes, 10.5 hours)
This Netflix series is based on the Ultraman manga that has been running for over a decade now. It’s yet another retelling: now the Ultraman are not ‘giants of light’ from another star, they are suits worn by young men that seem to have extraordinary abilities. Or are they…?
This cgi-animated series is fantastic, with tight storytelling and incredible fight scenes. At first I was (very!) put off by the Ultra’s being suits, but this becomes a non-issue fairly quickly as the intrigue and mystery – not to mention action – caught me. The characters are great, especially Ultraseven and the unusual Bemular, and I couldn’t wait for season two.
And then, last year, it arrived. While it was half the length of season one, it ramped up the stakes and action tenfold and even added a few new Ultras. I binged the whole thing in one go and absolutely loved it. A third and final season has been announced, and I can hardly wait!
So what’s next? Well I’m already well into Ultraman Gaia, have about 5 or 6 other series already in-hand ready to watch, as well as more on the way. But what I really want to see is the film Shin Ultraman, which has only recently been announced for a US cinematic release in January. Will it be the film that finally gets me into a cinema again, or will I watch it while I’m in Japan. Wait and see…
