Category: TV

Ultraman Cards!

  • February 6, 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!

59 More Hours of Ultraman!

  • June 3, 2021

I’ve been continuing with the Ultraman series, watching each as they have been released. Here’s an update with what I’ve seen since the last post.

Ultraman Taro (1973, 53 episodes 22.5 hours)

This was the first ultra-series made after I was born! As with all others, it tells the story of an alien superhero that possesses the body of an earthling to protect the planet against extraterrestrial threats. By now the format was established and the series had won the hearts of Japanese children, and as such most episodes featured a child-in-peril who is then saved by Ultraman Taro. Many kaiju return from earlier series, and overall the production quality felt higher than it was for Ultraman Ace.

Once again much of the series is shot outdoors and on location, and as with earlier series I loved seeing the ‘normal’ Japan of the early 1070s. I always enjoyed glimpses into peoples apartments, shops, tourist sites (even an unusual amusement park!) and restaurants. The fashions are great as well, as with most media created in the 1970s!

What made Taro particularly good was the frequent cameos by other Ultras. Not only does this series introduce Mother of Ultra, but Father of Ultra makes a few appearances as well. Better yet, all previous Ultramen (including Zoffy) feature more than once, and there’s a wonderful two-part episode that even features the original actors of the human hosts from all previous series. I imagine this was incredible special for parents watching the show with their kids back in 1973, seeing Shin Hayata and Dan Moroboshi returning to the series for cameos.

I enjoyed this series quite a bit, and can see why it’s one of the more beloved of the original Heisei-era Ultraman series.

Ultraman Ginga/Ginga S (2013, 27 episodes, 13.5 hours)

This is a strange series, since (more than any other Ultra series) it seems to exist in a world unconcerned by the goings-on. Hikari Raido awakens to the power of Ultraman Ginga, an Ultra ‘from the future’ and uses the power to defend the Earth from evil aliens. Except mostly he’s defending an abandoned school, which he randomly visited in episode 1 for nostalgic reasons. He has a few friends that assist him, but the lack of any concerted government response to the attacks from giant kaiju feels more unusual here than in other series.  It’s extremely fast-paced as well, wrapping itself up in only 11 episodes. I wonder if even the creators felt the show lacked a bit of spark as they were making it?

The solution: a quickie sequel! Ultraman Ginga S came out the following year, and added a second new Ultraman to the show: Ultraman Victory. In almost every way he’s cooler than Ginga and the dynamic between the two (first jealousy, then brotherhood) works well as they battle off the evil Alien Chibull, who is trying to steal resources from Earth. Ginga S as a series works much better than Ginga, and the two followup movies wisely include both Ultramen. Ginga S also includes Japanese idol Moga Mogami in a guest role as an android named Mana, and she steals the scenes every time she turns up 🙂

Overall Ginga is a little weak, but Ginga S is great and redeems Ginga quite a bit.

Ultraman Geed (2017, 27 episodes, 11.5 hours)

This is a great series. Rika Asakura (played by a 16-year-old) is Ultraman Geed (pronounced ‘jeed’) who we eventually learn is the son of the evil Ultraman Belial. Through the usual hijinks, he lives in a teleporting base with an alien and a cute girl, and collectively the three fight off the efforts of Ultraman Belial to destroy the universe. It’s an absurd setup to be sure, but the show is so fast-paced and insane it doesn’t matter.

There’s lots to love here. Belial’s host is an author specializing in books about mysteries (such as lost cities, unexplained phenomena etc) and the actor plays the role very well. Riku’s got a childhood friend who pretends to sell insurance but is actually a space policewoman with an (extremely cool) android boss, and there’s some great episodes where she is jealous of the girl Riku is living with. But the best inclusion is an office worker who is the unwilling host of Ultraman Zero (historic nemesis of Belial and all-around badass Ultraman). This guy does the whole Clark Kent/Superman thing perfectly – down to the glasses – and his transformation into Zero is always grand. He’s not just a cameo either, and is in almost every episode (as is his family). They could have just as easily called this Ultraman Geed/Zero!

Geed has some insane transformations, especially once he assumes the powers of Ultraman King. Zero also goes through various levels of upgrades in this series, and the battles in the last few episodes (and the movies) feature all sorts of dazzling effects and special attacks. As a very recent series the kaiju suits are often breathtaking as well, and many times I wondered if they were all physical effects or enhanced with CG.

A truly wonderful Ultra series. Maybe it’s even better than Ultraman Orb 🙂

Ultraman R/B (2018, 25 episodes, 11.5 hours)

The followup series to Geed (yes they make a new one every year) features not one but two Ultramen! Brothers Katsumi and Isami are Ultraman R and B, who together must fight against the machinations of Aizentech president Makoto Aizen, who is using a dark alien power to turn himself into an evil Ultraman…

…except that doesn’t last long and mid-series we find that the true villian is extremely cute gothic princess Saki Mitsurugi, who wants to destroy the world and just may have the power to do it!

Without giving too much away there’s more to the story than I just described, and it’s got quite a few twists and turns to keep you guessing down to the very last episode. The two brothers start a bit irritating, but quickly endear themselves as they realize there’s strength in brotherhood, which they point out to each other (ie. the audience) almost every episode! The villians are great, but goth-girl Saki has such screen presence that you will almost completely forget the first-half villian as soon as she appears! This series has a lot of comedy as well, including the few (usual) comedy episodes some of which break the fourth wall as they joke with Ultra conventions.

Of course R/B eventually learn to individually power up and when that’s not enough they actually merge together to create Ultraman Reube. Even that’s not enough for the final boss, so Reube himself powers up via special crystals. It’s all bonkers and a means to sell toys to kids, but it gives me a laugh every time. In a great surprise the movie introduces an extremely unique new Ultra as well, but I can’t say more without spoiling it 😉

The effects are great, the story is interesting, and the characters likeable: another fun and enjoyable Ultra series.

So that’s another 60-odd hours down, but of course there’s loads more. I don’t even think I’m halfway through all the Ultra series that will eventually be released, and indeed I already have Ultraman Leo in my possession and Mega Monster Battle and Ultraman Zero Chronicles are soon to be released. Look for another set of reviews in a year or so 🙂

Oh yes that last pic? That’s from the upcoming film Shin Ultraman, which I’m looking forward to more than any other film. If it’s anywhere near as good as Shin Godzilla was, it promises to be something special indeed.

  • Posted in Miscellaneous
  • Robert

Q

  • September 20, 2019

Five years ago I had a surreal experience at New York Comic Con. I hinted about it on the day, but I think it’s finally time to recount the strange tale.

The tale of the day I met Q.

That’s Q, the near-omniscient all-powerful extra-dimensional being from Star Trek. He is played with appropriate bombast by the actor John de Lancie and I, for one, have always considered him absurd.

Florence loves Star Trek. I think she’s mostly a TNG fan and of course, as such, she’s a fan of Q. I’ll be bold enough to suppose he’s not her favorite by any stretch, probably not even top five, and possibly not even above Chief O’Brien. Regardless though she’s a Q fan, and therefore since John de Lancie was making an appearance at NYCC 2014 I took it upon myself to get her his autograph as a birthday gift!

So on a certain day a little under five years ago today I joined a line for de Lancies signature. Many Star Trek luminaries were signing that day, and I don’t remember why I lined up for Q over (for instance) Riker, but I do recall the original goal – Patrick Stewart’s autograph – had unfortunately failed due to a cancellation.

I stood silently in line alone while KLS camped out somewhere else guarding the loot we’d collected that day. All the lines were tightly packed together and I was surrounded by, let’s say, intense fans. Not of my caliber of course, and certainly less charming; the sort that endlessly blathered about their trivial knowledge of Trek and other topics. I tried to close my ears but failed.

It was an experience.

What I recall:
– One guy had a comic with three Trek characters on the cover. I believe they were Kirk, McCoy and Data (for some reason). He already had Shatner and was in line for Brent Spiner’s auto. He was boasting about getting them all and his friend informed him (how didn’t he already know?) that DeForest Kelly was long dead. The guy was undeterred though and simply said he’d forge the Kelly autograph!
– Another chap had a giant poster with loads of cast members on it and most of them had already been signed. Clearly he’d taken this thing to many conventions and was close to getting every signature. Someone asked him what he would do with it when he finished and he said he was going to print duplicates and sell them!
– A third person was strangely focused on LeVar Burtons singing (or musical) talents and even eventually spoke with him about it as he was getting his autograph. Burton was humble, but I got the distinct feeling the fan had confused him for someone else…

There was more weirdness but time dulls the memory. It was an excruciating wait for de Lancie to arrive. Eventually he did.

de Lancie’s line wasn’t the longest but there were several ahead of me and some behind. While waiting I had become aware of the fact that I seemed to be the only one there for Q’s autograph and the rest of the line was there since he was at the time voicing one of the Little Ponies! Indeed, of the photos he was selling most of them were ponies and only two were Q! I watched those ahead of me talk pony with him, or rather at him since although he was sitting right there it seemed he was elsewhere. I watched him look straight at a young girl and apparently talk to her before I (and she?) realized he was actually speaking to his assistant behind him. It was strange. Then it was my turn.

Now I forget exactly what I said to him, but it was mostly a total lie. I spun some eloquent and moving tale about my BFF Florence who ‘always wanted to meet him’ and loved Q since ‘he was funny but mischievous and had a heart of gold’. There’s a nonzero chance I said she read the Q novels, and I may have even told him that she thought that utterly alien Q was ‘the most human’ of the TNG characters, in no small part due to his wonderful portrayal.

He ate it up, looking me right in the eye, nodding knowingly once or twice. Through my words I was sure he felt the love of his distant fan Florence. How would he reply?

“And what is it”, he said, “that you do?”

And that was that. In one simple question he utterly dismissed the reason I was there. He didn’t care at all about Florence, and demonstrated not the slightest of hints that he had listened to anything I had said.

Money was exchanged. A photograph was signed. No personal photos taken (they cost extra) and I was done. Q who?

And that was that! It was weird and surreal and irritating and funny. Five years later I still vividly remember the experience and I’ve always wondered was it just me or is he always like that?

The upside was I got an autograph for Florence, but I don’t remember what he wrote or even if he personalized it. Regardless now she knows the whole story maybe it’ll bring a smile the next time she looks at it: the day I thought I was ‘meeting’ John de Lancie, but walked off feeling more like I’d – albeit briefly – actually met Q.