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28 Hours Of Gridman!

Tuesday, September 19th, 2023

In 1993 Tsubaraya, makers of Ultraman, released a show called ‘Lightning Superman Gridman’, also called ‘Gridman The Hyper Agent’, that I’ll here refer to simply as Gridman. Over the last few years I’ve watched the entire series, as well as a couple of truly extraordinary spinoffs. It’s time to discuss this mysterious show…

Gridman The Hyper Agent (1993, 39 episodes, 16.3 hours)

This series was created to capitalize on the popularity amongst children of home computers, and tells a story of a group of youngsters that – with the help of a mysterious being called Gridman – battle evil viruses in the ‘computer world’. It’s a bit like ‘Tron with kids’ except the humans never actually go into the computer world. Since it’s a Tsubaraya tokusatsu production, there is of course a battle in every episode between men in suits; in this case the hero Gridman and a ‘virus’ which is (of course) a giant kaiju monster. Humorously, these creatures are created by a being known as ‘Khan Digifer’, who manifests the monsters using the anger and frustration of an eternally (sort of) bullied almost-friend of the hero kids:

These are our heroes that work with Gridman to defeat him:

These days the computers on the show are hilariously dated, although it was fun to see such things as people playing games on PC-88 machines. The fight scenes are interesting since they’re always on the same set and therefore get creative with the kaiju suits to spice things up. But ultimately there’s a disconnect between the real-world and computer-world segments, and Gridman himself seems to take a back seat to the main story toward the end. I enjoyed it as a glimpse into early 1990s Japan since there’s so much on-location filming, but it doesn’t hold a candle to a good Ultraman series.

SSSS.Gridman (2018, 12 episodes, 6 hours)

To everyone’s amazement, in 2017 Tsubaraya announced an anime sequel to Gridman! Or was it a sequel…? The show was SSSS.Gridman, and it took the anime world by storm when it screened in 2018, becoming one of the most popular series of the year. The story is based around an amnesiac boy named Yuta, who discovers Gridman (yes the same one from the 1993 show) on an old computer. Gridman tells him he has a mission to complete, and thus begins a rollercoaster of events as Yuta fights to save his town from Kaiju, all the while trying to work out the many mysteries going on around him.

This show is incredible. It’s one of the best anime series ever made, and a shockingly good retelling of the Gridman story from a different perspective. What are the kaiju? Why does no-one remember their attacks or even the people killed by them? Who is Akane, the frustrated girl who creates the Kaiju for a mysterious villian on her computer? And who are Gridman’s friends who eventually turn up to help Yuta?

The visuals are bright and colorful, and the battle scenes use tokusatsu motion capture methods which gives them Ultra-DNA. The show is a love letter to Gridman via Evangelion (which itself was a love letter to Ultraman…) and countless other giant robot series, and it’s so meticulously scripted and directed that when you get to the very last shot – one of the very best final shots of any anime – you immediately want more. I can’t recommend this enough.

SSSS.Dynazenon (2021, 12 episodes, 6 hours)

After the success of SSSS.Gridman, a sequel was inevitable, and when it came in 2021 it took the series in a new and unexpected direction. Nothing from the first series returned: here we had all-new characters, all-new heroes, all-new villians and all-new kaiju. Was this even Gridman?

The story tells of a young man, Yomogi, who is recruited by a mysterious man named Gauma to help fight off a kaiju attack. Gauma does this by summoning a giant robot named Dynazenon, which can split into several independent vehicles, each piloted by Yomogi and his (new) friends. They fight the ‘Kaiju Eugenicists’ for the sake of the world itself, but as the show progresses we learn that each pilot -and Gauma – has personal struggles of their own that make the conflict even more difficult…

This is another triumph of a series, with even more over the top action and characters. The transformation scenes of Dynazenon in particular are incredible, and if you’ve ever watched any giant robot anime from the 70s or 80s you’ll be laughing out loud at how good they are. At the same time the characters are charming and their struggles resonate even after the show has ended. This is not a happy-go-lucky story of kids saving the world, perhaps unsurprising since they attend Neon Genesis high school. The mystery quota of this series is high as well – including the links to Gridman – and you’ll be guessing at what will happen until the very end. Another highly recommended series.

And that would be that, except for the fact that SSSS.Gridman and SSSS.Dynazenon were followed up by a theatrically released film called Gridman Universe, which was released in Japan this past March. As is often the case, this has been slow leaving Japan, and with releases in other Asian countries still a month away who knows when it will make its way to the US?

Suffice to say as soon as I can I’ll be watching this, since I want to know more about the links between Gridman and Dynazenon, but more importantly I want to see these characters again, even if just for one last time. Both these anime series are amongst my favourites ever, and I think if you give them a chance you may love them too.

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89 More Hours Of Ultraman!

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

My previous four posts covered 270 hours of ultra-series but only a fool would think that was enough. And I’m no fool. So let’s continue with dozens more hours over six series and a film…

Ultraman Gaia (1998, 51 episodes 20.5 hours)

This series had a somewhat tedious opening arc, despite the inclusion of a second antiheroic Ultraman (Agul) to introduce some tension. It got better mid-series, but the ‘big bad’ (some sort of ‘dark being’) was ill-defined, I was never a fan of the main character and the supporting cast lacked charm. Overall one of the weaker series.

Ultraman Neos (2000, 12 episodes, 5.2 hours)

This was a short direct-to-video series with a more adult tone. It had very impressive special effects for its era (mid 90s) and with no need for filler episodes it never outstayed its welcome. As a bonus the girls were cute and the fanservice addition of ‘Ultraseven 21’ was wonderful.

Ultraman Cosmos (2001, 65 episodes, 26 hours)

This was great! I loved the characters and the fx/monster suits were leagues beyond Gaia. The ‘pacifist Ultraman’ premise worked well enough, and the series included story arcs and returning guest characters that worked well. Some episodes were very poignant, and the ending a tear-jerker. My only negative: the prequel film isn’t great. One of the better ultra series.

Ultraman (Season 3) (2023, 12 episodes, 4.6 hours)

The third and final series of the Netflix animated series (based on the comic) was phenomenal. It has a wonderful story with nice twists, and the final villian reveal, although not unexpected, was magnificent. It introduced a new Ultra and – even better – a new suit for the hero, and the last episode is one of the best anime episodes I have ever seen. Fantastic!

Ultraman Nexus (2004, 37 episodes, 18.5 hours)

This is a strange show. Tsuburaya wanted an ultra series for an older viewer, and Nexus was the result. It departs from the usual setup in many ways, such as having multiple hosts for Nexus throughout the series, and monsters that stick around for several weeks. In some episodes Nexus barely appears! Unfortunately it mostly fails due to flat characters and a too-slow story. The last third redeems it somewhat, but I see why this was canceled early.

Ultraman Taiga (2019, 36 episodes, 13 hours)

The first of the Reiwa era Ultras! Taiga is a fast paced show full of colour and energy. There’s a lot to love here: a very likeable ultra, a mysterious and charismatic villian, fantastic and flashy special effects, cute girls and some wonderful self-referential writing. This is a series for fans of all ages and I loved every moment of it!

Shin Ultraman (2022, 2 hours)

Hideaki Anno drew obvious inspiration from Ultraman in his famous Evangelion series, and I knew when it was announced he was writing this film (and especially after his superb Shin Godzilla) that it would be something special. I was not disappointed! Everything here is crafted with style and care and love, from the first appearance of the redesigned Ultraman, through the episodic sequences that reimagine familiar (to a fan) foes in interesting ways, and finally to the confrontation with the ultimate antagonist. Absolutely sublime, and immediately one of my favourite ever films.

If you’re keeping track, I’m at about 360 hours of Ultraman series watched so far, but I’m not done yet. In the next installment there’ll be at least six additional full series, and maybe a film or two. And depending how long that takes me, maybe even the US-made animated film may be out as well?!

But before then I think it’s time for a review of some Ultraman-adjacent material. I’ll probably get to that soon…

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61 More Hours Of Ultraman!

Saturday, November 19th, 2022

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…

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75 More Hours Of Ultraman!

Tuesday, April 5th, 2022

It’s time for another update in my (endless?) watching of all the Ultraman series! As with before, I’ve watched a mixture of older and new series since the last update.

Ultraman Leo (1975, 51 episodes 21.6 hours)

By the mid 1970s the Ultraman franchise was almost 10 years old, had been airing continuously on Japanese TV, and was expanding into other markets. To keep itself fresh it kept reinventing, and Ultraman Leo – the 7th series – was quite unique compared to its forbears.

For starters Ultraman Leo himself was not from the same planet as the other Ultramen, and transformed via a ring and not due to any inherent power. He had a brother, and at the start of the series while he was undeniably superheroic, he was still inexperienced and had to learn from a mentor. This mentor was none other than Dan Moroboshi, the human form of Ultraseven, who could no longer transform due to an injury.

Almost every episode of the series follows a similar format: Leo fights a monster but lacks the power to defeat it, then goes away and trains, then at the end achieves victory via a new ability or power. The show is heavily inspired by kung fu movies of the era, and the training sessions and unstoppable determination of the main character can at times be alarming.

And yet Gen – the human form of Leo – is a charismatic sort and it doesn’t take many episodes before the show grabbed me. It didn’t hurt that the show was notably more adult than Taro – perhaps by now Tsuburaya was actively catering to their aging fans?

Toward the end the plot makes a sharp left turn, killing off almost the entire cast in the first few minutes of an episode and essentially rebooting itself with no warning. But it ends well, and when Gen removes his ring to spend the rest of his days exploring his ‘new home’ (Earth) the audience, having seen what he’s gone through, can only wish him the best.

Ultraman 80 (1980, 50 episodes, 20.4 hours)

A couple of years passed before the next Ultra series, and in that time the world got Star Wars and science fiction storytelling changed overnight. Except for the Ultra series, since Ultraman 80 – a new series for a new decade – was in many ways a return to form after the experimental storytelling of Leo.

The setup is familiar: an Ultraman (called ’80’!) lives in human form on earth, protecting the world from the threat of aliens and giant monsters. The series begins with an interesting premise: Takeshi (the human form of 80) is a teacher at a school and he moonlights as an special agent of the organization UGM fighting off monsters – which initially are all based on human weakness.

In time this was dropped (the school and his personal life are never mentioned again) and it became a very formulaic series. There was some innovation toward the end with the addition of the first female ultra – Ultrawoman Yulian – but mostly this was a by-the-numbers series.

That said, I loved this show. The main actor was extremely likeable, the simple stories well written, the special effects respectable (for their time) and the location shooting was, as always, charming. We’re in the 1980s now as well, and I personally loved hearing the first mention of video games in an ultra series! One episode is also based around being an excessive fan of a hobby, and when one character says “Being a man means giving your all to your hobbies” I nodded knowingly.

Also Ultraman 80 has not only the best theme song of any Ultra series, but one of the best TV theme songs ever recorded! Who wouldn’t be moved by a line like: ‘The man who came to us from a star will teach you about love and courage‘?

Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle (2007, 12 hours)

This is a box set that include both series of Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle and the cinematic sequel film.

The first season is a bonkers show about soldiers from the interstellar agency ZAP SPACY becoming stranded on Planet Boris were they meet and eventually befriend a mysterious dude named Rei who uses a ‘Battlenizer’ to catch and fight with monsters.

Oh and there’s virtually no Ultramen in it at all. At least not until (literally) the last few minutes.

This was a pay-per-view show in Japan, and was based on an IC card arcade game. It shows, and I can imagine children eagerly purchasing their own battlenizers from Japanese toy shops then collecting the cards in game centers!

Is this a good show? Of course not. But just as there is no bad Star Wars, there’s also no bad Ultraman, and I enjoyed the lunacy of the show and the fact it didn’t outstay it’s welcome.

I was very surprised by the second series where the now very powerful Rei is pursued by a series of aliens who want to destroy him and steal his power. It’s a lot more creative, with spectacular battles and a few more explicit nods to other Ultra series. Oh and the girls are prettier, which is always a plus 🙂

But the true gem of this set is the movie, which introduces two characters that have become integral to the Ultra franchise: Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Belial. The movie has little to do with Mega Monster Battle and instead tells an insane story of an evil Ultraman as he attempts to destroy the universe and is so strong that he can only be defeated by Zero, the son of Ultraseven. Tsuburaya spared no expense here and the battle scenes are spectacular and Zero himself is fantastic from his first appearance. The movie was a massive success when it was released in Japan in 2009 and rightly so!

Ultraman Zero Collection (2009, 6 hours)

This set contains a few miniseries and DVD specials all featuring Zero and a few of his companions.

Belial returns as ‘Kaiser Belial’ (and his design is breathtaking) and of course Zero has to power up to eventually defeat him. There’s giant mecha and pretty princesses and legions of evil robots even a hand-shaped spaceship big enough to crush a planet!

The stories are as insane as they sound but it’s all so fast paced and sparkly that it’s enormously entertaining. This is Ultraman junk food; as tasty as it is flashy!

Neo Ultra Q (2013, 12 episodes, 5 hours)

Ultra Q was a 1965 series that predated the original Ultraman, and is often described as a sort of Japanese ‘Twilight Zone’. I own it (and should probably have reviewed it in a previous post) and loved it so was looking forward to see this followup made almost 50 years afterwards.

First of all this has nothing to do with Ultraman in that it’s absolutely not for kids and there’s no guys in rubber suits fighting giant monsters. Instead this is about three people that investigate mysteries in a Japan that seems to exist in a world one or two dimensions away from ours.

People take monsters and aliens for granted, and very weird things happen in this show. Very rarely is anything fully explained, and as the show continues the director seems to deliberately up the weirdness factor while cutting back even more on explanations. Some episodes even seem to end prematurely, and since this includes the final one this is definitely a series that I think could have done with a sequel.

It’s beautifully written, acted and shot. The tone is dark and unusually pessimistic (for TV), and I got the impression that the creators knew they only had one season so went for it to make the most memorable thing they could. In my opinion they succeeded. Of all the shows I’m reviewing in these posts, this is probably the best one for a non-Ultra fan to watch. Highly recommended.

I’m not even close to done. I’ve already got four more box sets and two movie sets all ready to go, and first on the list is the 1979 animated series The Ultraman. Then it’s time to move into the now-classic mid 1990s Ultra series, as well as a few more recent shows including another one (like Neo Ultra Q) aimed squarely at adults.

Look for more reviews in a year or so!

Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Movies, Otaku, Retro, TV | Comments Closed

Ultraman Cards!

Sunday, February 6th, 2022

Just before Christmas this arrived:

It’s a box of Ultraman trading cards! This is the first item I have ever Kickstarted, and was released by a boutique trading card company here in the USA of all places. It contains cards based on Ultra Q and the first Ultraman series.

The 36 packs were hand-collated and packed, but had security and tamper-proof seals. I opened one pack a day for about a month, which I’ve found is the best way to enjoy a full box of cards.

The bulk of the set is 67 story cards and 91 monster cards, and I got them all. The numbering is such that about the first third of each type is for Ultra Q and the remainder Ultraman.

The story cards have full episode summaries on the back, which seems normal for those of us that have been collecting cards since the 1980s but is very rare for modern sets.

The monster cards have pictures on the back that can form ten different nine card mosaics. I love when cards do this and these are particularly great!

One cool subset are 3D cards, and the box actually comes with a pair of glasses. The 3D effect is incredibly good – easily the best I’ve seen on a trading card – and I’m very impressed with these!

Other subsets include copies of some of the sketch card art (a very nice inclusion)…

Stickers based on the opening credit silhouettes…

And several types of character portrait cards.

But you want to see the chase cards I got don’t you? Well my (actual) metal ‘box topper’ was this:

A bit bland I admit, especially compared to some of the other ones, but this is my first ever metal card and it’s very impressive. I also got (in a pack) this original sketch card:

That alien is called ‘antlar’. Obviously getting a sketch of someone like Ultraman or Zoffy or Zetton would have been amazing all original sketch cards are special. I looked up the artist and she’s done cards for many different series, always in a comical, cartoony way like here.

I also got a lenticular card (which doesn’t photo well) and as part of the Kickstarter they threw in some test print cards as well:

And this was one of the more unusual things in my box:

It’s a ‘DIY sketch card blank’! Should I draw my own Ultraman on it?

This is a set with a mind-boggling amount of variant cards. In fact the checklist spans the inside of three pack wrappers and even then doesn’t include every possible card:

I daresay it would be impossible to collect everything, but I’m happy that of the 360+ cards I got, I completed the basic set of episode and monster cards, got all the stickers, all the 3D cards, all of the lenticular and metal art cards, over 90% of the sketch art cards and a good selection of limited variants of most of the above!

I even have a full second set of episode cards, which of course will one day go to Bernard. All told, only one card in my box was an un-needed duplicate, but even then I’ve got an idea for it…

Needless to say this is a great card set and I’m extremely happy with my purchase (which was about $70). The Kickstarter itself was very delayed due to the pandemic (many sketch artists were overseas and the mailing of the art slowed considerably) but the company was extremely communicative and as you can see delivered in spades. I will certainly be joining the follow up set which will include Ultraseven and Return of Ultraman!

Posted in Art, Collecting, Otaku, Trading Cards, TV | 1 Comment »

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