I was a big fan of Ultraman when I was a kid. In the early ‘90s I discovered there was a new “Ultraman” show, but unfortunately I was more interested in acquiring episodes of the old show on VHS than I was episodes of the new one. Somewhat later I discovered that there have been many, many “Ultraman” series over the years, rivaling Doctor Who in its longevity. A brief search of the internet yields the following results (but I’ve probably missed a few).
Ultra Q
Ultraman 1966-67
UltraSeven 1967-68
Return of…(Jack) 1971-72
Ultraman Ace 1972-73
Ultraman Taro 1973-74
Ultraman Leo 1974-75
Ultraman 80 1980-81
Ultraman USA (The Adventure Begins) 1987
Ultraman Great (Towards the Future) 1990-91
Ultraman Powered (The Ultimate Hero) 1993
Ultraman Hero 1995
Ultraman Zearth (parody) 1996-97
Ultraman Tiga 1996-97
Ultraman Dyna 1997-98
Ultraman Gaia 1998-99
Ultraman Nice 1999-00
Ultraman Neos 2000-2001
Ultraman Cosmos 2001-02
Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy 2004
Ultraman: Next 2004 - p.82
Ultraman Nexus 2004-05 - p.82
Ultraman Max 2005-06 - p.86
Ultraman Mebius 2006-07
Ultraman UltraSeven X 2007
Ultraman Retsuden 2011-13
Neo Ultra Q 2013
Ultraman Ginga 2013
Ultraman Ginga S 2014
Ultraman X 2015-16
Ultraman Orb 2016
Ultraman Geed 2017
Ultraman R/B 2018
Ultraman Taiga 2019
Ultraman Z 2020
Ultraman Trigger 2021
We’ve been discussing other tokusatsu series in this forum lately, and because those series were produced later than Ultraman, I expected them to be technically better, but I ended up being somewhat disappointed in Super Robot Red Baron and Iron King. I enjoyed them, but I didn’t like them as much as I hoped to. Now I’ve started watching Ultraseven, and it’s everything I hoped it would be.
As the liner noteson the DVD set point out, “the difference in the overall quality in production between Ultraman and Ultraseven was marked, and made the show memorable 45 years later. According to Wikipedia, “Such is his popularity that Ultra Seven (or simply 'Seven') has appeared or at least made cameos in nearly every Ultra Series following his own and has had far more exposure than even the original Ultraman (though the original Ultraman is without a doubt the face of the Ultras).”
My wife and I disagree about the relative merits of Ultraseven in comparison to SRRB/IK. I would like to start the discussion with a look at the opening title sequence and music, then open the floor for rebutal.
The title sequence of Ultraman, as you will recall, looks as if it had been spelled out in a can of paint, slowly stirred, then run backwards. Ultraseven looks more like it had been spelled out in brightly colored confetti, placed atop one of those old electric football games, shaken apart, then run backwards. Whereas the soundtrack of Ultraman is jazzy, that of Ultraseven shows more of a classical influence.
Here is the English translation of the lyrics…
Seven… Seven… Seven… Seven…
Seven! Seven! Seven!
Seven! Seven! Seven!
A distant star was once his home
Ultra Seven! Fighter Seven!
Ultra Seven! Seven! Seven!
Onward to the edge of the galaxy
Use your Ultra-Eye and… STRIKE!
Seven! Seven! Seven!
Seven! Seven! Seven!
Dan Moroboshi is his borrowed name
Ultra Seven! Hero Seven!
Ultra Seven! Seven! Seven!
Defeat the great fire-breathing monster
Use yout Ultra-Beam and STRIKE!
Replies
OBLIVION - A.D. 2004: "With the machinations of Unknown Hand beginning in earnest, the North America TLT headquarters dispatches Sara Mizuhara to Japan, where she reveals shocking new truths about the Prometheus Project and the Space Beasts."
A young girl goes up to Ren and asks him for a date. Mizuo is watching from nearby, snaps a picture and sends it to Yōichirō Matsuna, her boss (the man in black). When he sees who it is, he tells her that the girl need not be followed. Then we find out that the mystery girl is Hazuki Matsunaga, Matsuna's daughter. (I don't really know how Japanese names work, other than that the family name comes before the given name. In the captions and in the summary booklet they are presented "American style," but they are cleary saying it the other way around.)
Sara Mizuhara from the North America TLT headquarters along with an assistant named Kaimoto, whom she refers to as her subordinate (at least that's the way it's translated). She revels a couple of shocking things. First of all, the reason that the Prometheus Project was discontinued is because it was discovered that the subjects are succeptible to a genetic disease which kills them when they are 16 or 17 years old (Ren's approximate age now). The medicine used to treat this disease is code-named "Raphael."
Also, this show is from 2004, but it takes place in 2009. (I was previously unaware of that.) She shows film of a space Beast attacking the city of Shinjoku in 2004 and Ultraman fighting the monster in defense of the city. No one remembers because everyone other than the upper echelon on TLT was mind-wiped. (The general population thinks a natural disaster occurred there.)
Also, Mizuo secretly follows Ren and Hazuki on their date. Hazuki asks Ren if there is anyone he really cares about, and the girl he describes is obviously Mizuo. Then, aware that Mizuo has been following them all along, Hazuki finds her hiding behind a bush and brings her out into the open, bringing Ren and Mizuo together.
That's a lot for one episode! They're really pulling out all the stops heading into the end of the series.
BLOCKADE - A.D. 2009: "It becomes clear that even the officers of TLT have had their memories tampered with, specifically regarding an incient in shinjuko five years ago involving Ultraman and the space Beasts."
Five years ago it was Sara Mizuhara's boyfriend who was turned into a Space Beast, and she made it possible for the Dunamist of the time (a different one with a different secret I.D.) to defeat him. Hazuki Matsunaga is reunited with her father. I didn't realize this yesterday, but they have been estranged for five years. They reconcile, and Hazuki has her father promise to meet her in the park on her birthday. He agrees, just before sending her off with the Memory Police woman... to have her mind wiped. What a heel! (Hazuki didn't know she was about to lose her memory.)
REVOLT: "With the drug that could save Ren's life on it's way to Japan, Komon begins to suspect that TLT intends to perform dangerous experiments on his young friend to learn more about the nature of Ultraman. Is this the beginning of war between the Night Raiders and TLT?"
The answer to that question is, "Yes." When Komon convinces the other members of the Nuight Raiders that TLT is going to conduct experiments similar to those that killed Himeya on Ren (Nagi was easiest to convince), they mutiny and free Ren from TLT custody.
FAREWELL: "The drug that could save his life is on its way, but if Ren transforms into Ultraman before it arrives, he won't live long enough to take it. Complicating matters is the fact that the Unknown Hand has created a deadly new Space Beast."
Ren is dying. He grabs Mizuo's mindwipe device and tries to remove her memory of him to spare her pain, but in his weakened state, she easily over comes him. Yu telepathically contacts Ren. Ren and Komon discuss the nature of the Light, and how/why it must transfer from one host too another. Ren is forced to transform to Ultraman to combat the new space Beast, which is an amalgam of several of the previous monsters. He defeats the Beast at great cost. The light leaves him and he transforms back to his human self, but he will survive. There is some heavy foreshadowing as to whom the Light might go to next (and it might not be who you think).
NEXUS: "The Unknown Hand is finally revealed, a new Ultraman is chosen, and the final battle for the Earth begins."
Mitsuhiko Ishibori and Shiori Hiraki are two members of the Night Raiders who haven't really been played up at all. As the episode begins, Ishibori is sitting at the meeting table, cackling madly. Shiori approaches him and asks what's so funny? He pulls out his sidearm and aims it at her, but she still thinks he's joking. Suddenly he fires, hitting her point blank in the chest and revealing himself to be the Unknown Hand, a.k.a. Dark Zagi. "Lethe" is the project designed to be a shield against Space Beast incursion, and Ishibori is determined to make sure it never goes online. The captain and Nagi confront him, and he refers to Nagi as the "fourth successor." Yes, it is Nagi who has recieved the Light.
Let's see... in this version, Ultraman Next would have been the original Ultraman; the one from the flashback to 2004 would have been the first successor; Himeya the second; Ren the third; and Nagi the fourth. Yes, that tracks.
A flashback to "Colorado, USA" 18 years ago reveals that Nagi and Ishibori and Yu's origin stories are all intertwined, and that it was Ishibori who killed Magi's parents. (Nagi and Yu are children in the flashback, but Ishibori is an adult.) In the present, Space Beasts are running amok worldwide. Nagi transforms into Ultraman for the first time, and Ishibori into Dark Nagi. As the two Giants of Light fight, the citizens of Shinjuku who had their minds wiped after the battle in 2004 begin to regain their memories. after a brutal battle, they both transfer back to the human forms. Ishibori opens a vortex to suck Nagi into the dimension of the space beasts. She succumbs but Koman leaps in after her. In the process of rescuing her, the Light somehow transfers to Komon. Finally! I've been waiting for Komon to become Ultraman since the very first episode. Now, in the last episode of the series, he finally does. They return to reality, Nagi gives Komon the nod, and the "fifth successor" defeats Dazrk Nagi and routes the Space Beast invasion.
The scene then jumps to a year in the future, showing what life in like now that the Beasts have been defeated. The episode ends with the original theme song, and the scenes shown encompass the entire series.
NEXUS: "It's the bond of the spirits passed on and on."
Before moving on to Ultraman Max, let's review.
Ultraman Neos - Very good, but short (12 episodes)
Ultraman Cosmos - Very good, but long (65 episodes)
Ultraman Nexus - The first Ultraman to appeal to adult sensibilities (37 episodes)
Ultraman Max - Again designed to appeal to adolescent sensibilities (39 episodes)
ULTRAMAN MAX:
OPENING THEME
[Tracy's comment: "I can already tell this is going to get old."]
ORGANIZATION: United Defense Federation (UDF). The Japanese branch headquarters is Base Titan, a seaborne base in Tokyo Bay.
STRIKE FORCE: Defense Action Squad Heroes (DASH).
BIRTH OF ULTRAMAN MAX!: "Monsters, once thought to be imaginary, have begun to attack. Kaito Touma becomes Ultraman Max to defend Earth."
It is explained that once a species becomes to prolific, another species rises to keep it in check. (In this case, the kaiju have arisen as a check to humanity.) In the first episode, a fire monster (Grangon) and an ice monster (Lagoras) both appear. They attack each other, but Tokyo is caught in the middle. Kaito Touma is doing volunteer work when he hears of a little boy lost in the woods when the kaiju battle is taking place. He rescues the boy, but is later reprimanded by DASH pilot Mizuki (the obligatory pretty girl character) for putting himself in danger. Later, when he aircraft, Dash Bird 1, is knocked out of the sky, Kaito comes to her rescue. she is stunned, and he puts on her helmet, explaining that he went through DASH training but flunked the final exam. Then he gets in the Dash Bird 1 and takes off.
When he gets in trouble, a "fireball" appears from the sky and engulfs the Dash Bird 1. It is Ultraman Max, who offers to lend him his strength. Kaito's transformation item is the Max Spark, which he uses to become Ultraman Max for the first time, defeating the monsters. Later, because of his bravery, he is made a member of DASH. So far, Mizuki is the only member of Dash we have really met; I figure I'll introduce the others as we go along. There is also a cute "girl" named Elly, but I think she's an android (clockwork gears can be seen behind her eyes).
THE GIRL WHO KEEPS A MONSTER: "The electric monster Eleking appears. UDF's counter-monster team, DASH, investigates."
Is that a generic summary or what? I suspect that, save for the name of the monster, that description could be used for 90% of the episodes. The "girl" in question is actually a lonely young woman. It turns out she is being mind-controled by the alien Eleking, which she keeps in a little terrarium in her apartment. Kaito spots her picture with a dog in her apartment. When he later finds the dog runnig around loose, he suspects something is up. I forgot to mention yesterday that this Ultraman comes from Nebula M-78, just like several of the originals.
MARK OF A HERO: "DASH questions whether Max is truly an ally of all humanity. Kaito tries to prove that Max can be trusted."
All DASH is saying is that all of a sudden there are Earth-based monsters and outer-space monsters, and now this "Giant of Light" comes from outer space, too. Leadership says trust him for now, but keep an eye on him. That's it. Kaito then decides to switcvh to Ultraman in the the middle of a mission, but the Max Spark doesn't work because he's using it, essentially, to benefit himself, not out of any real need. The monster swats his Dash Bird out of the sky, but he survives. when he wakes up in the hospital, his C.O. and Mixuki are both there. Mizuki asks if he let himself get into trouble hoping that Max would swoop in an save him. Then she asks not to be his partner anymore. She believes Max is an ally, but she doesn't plan to put all of her trust in him.
The Max Spark attaches to Ultraman's wrist after Kaito activates it.
"Dash Mother" is like a flying aircraft carrier which contains Dash Birds 1-3.
Kaito named Ultraman "Max" because his is "the ultimate... the maximum."
Sean is the token American on the team. He speaks Japanese mostly, but he does toss off some phrases in English once in a while such as, "Hey, relax!"
INFINITE INVADERS: "DASH rookies Kaito and Mizuki are sent on a mission together. Can they stop the alien invaders?"
Another non-descript summary. Alien Sran is not only a shape-shifter, but it moves at super-speed (which is new for Ultraman, I think). It's spaceship disguises itself, too: as a sports stadium. Kaito and Mizuki are teleported aboard the ship inside the Dash Alpha (a land vehicle). When he awakens, he appears at first to be floating in the sky thousands of feet above the city, but actually the floor of the alien ship is transparent. When they escape, in the car, they drop like a rock. Kaito, who is behind the wheel, doesn't know what to do, but fortunately Mizuki knows which controls shift the car to fyling mode. Sean's English dialogue this episode includes "Oh, Jesus!" and "Gotcha!" Apparently the android "Elly" is one duty 24/7; this is the second time we have seen her at her station in the middle of the night when all of the other DASH agents are in their quarters sleeping.
MONSTER ISLAND APPEARS!: "A mysterious island appears in the Pacific. DASH investigates."
This episode Tracy's favorite Ultraman monster: Pigmon, who dates all the way back to Ultra Q and has been seen many times since. The main threat is Red King, who eats the exploding rocks of which the island is composed. That means DASH cannot fire missiles at it because Kaito and Mizuki are on the ground, too close. But Red King can spit the boulders from its stomach, which explode on contact.
Other monsters include Paragler and Salamadon. I remember reading about The Return of Ultraman, the third series (or fourth, if you count Ultra Q), that all of the monsters were unique. While that is certainly true, I have found it to be egually true of all succeeding series (except when specific monsters return, of course)... until now. Salamadon is the least inspired monster design I have ever seen on any Ultraman series.
I always mispronouce Japanese names. If I were reading it, I would pronounce Mizuki "miz-OO-key," but on the show it sounds more like "MEEZ-oo-kai."
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