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 - p.91
Ultraman UltraSeven X 2007 - p.99
UltraGalaxy: Mega Monster Battle 2007-2009 - p.100
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
FALMAGAN AND MICHIRU:
A high school-age girl, Michiru, was in some sort of an accident and has lost the use of her legs. The prognosis of her regaining the ability to walk is grim. She takes the news particularly badly because she was a track star. She also had a crush on one of her teammates. Everyone treats her differently now: her mother, her friends, her coach. She is being treated by Jin. Soon after the episode begins, she meets Falmagan, an ogre who lives in the junkyard. Falmagan is half organic, half trash, but he has the ability to fix things... he's just not necessarly very good at it. The first time they meet, Michiru takes it pretty much in stride, but Falmagan accidently knocks over her lunch, a container of a honey-lemon dish. That's how she first learns of his ability: he puts the food back together, but only in its component parts. He tries some, but it is alternately too sweet or too sour. She promises to make him some from scratch.
During this same meeting, a small piece of jewelry given to her by the boy on the tracj team is also broken. Falmagan repairs it, but not perfectly. she engourages him to practice. The next day, he has taken a broken milk bottle and attempted to restore it, but instead creates two smaller milk bottles. She has neglected to bring the honey-lemon dish. After more practice, he restores the jewelry to its original form. In the meantime, Michiru has observes the boy she is interested in being friendly with another girl. Heartbroken, she cries to Falmagan, who encourages her to practive walking. She falls, and he uses his power to restore her legs. she is now able to rejoin the track team. That night, she makes the honey-lemon dish and takes it to the junkyard to give to Falmagan, but she finds Jin there instead. He informs her that Falmaga used all of his energy to fix Michiru's legs and he passed away during the night.
ARGOS DEMOCRACY:
A do-gooder politician is holding an anti-ogre meeting and Emi (full name Emiko Watarase) is covering it. She objects that many orges are completely harmless and points out some which are helpful. She is in the process of being ejected when the rally is taken over by the O.L.F. (Ogre Liberation Front) demanding equal rights for ogres). A hostage situation develops. Most of the attendees are mothers and children. Suddenly a giant spaceship appears in the sky overhead and throws a force field around the building. A voice identifying itself as "Argos" says that it is there to learn about democracy. Argos says that the matter will be put up to a vote: in 24 hours, Argos will kill either everyone in the building (hostages as well as terrorists) or the Prime Minister.
Jin attempts to negotiate with Argos, to explain exactly what democracy is and why this "experiment" is not a true test of it. When the time limit is up, one of the hostages, a little boy, drops his ball and it comes rolling out the front door. The force field is no longer in place! The outcome of the vote is never revealed, but it doesn't really matter. Argos explains that he set up this "game" to get people thinking about a different form of government. (I'm glossing over a lot of philosophical ideas here, but after the election year we just had...) Argos flies away, telling Jin they will meet again. Every Ultra-series I have watched has had at least one standout episode. I wish I had kept better track of them (in addition to just mentioning them in this thread), but this episode is one of the better ones of this series. At the end, Jin and Emi and Shohei share a bottle of champagne on the rooftop of the bar.
HOMINIS DIGNITATI:
This one's pretty heavy, so prepare yourself. Before I get to that, though, I'd like to point out that Neo Ultra Q is the only Ultra-series that translates its credits. This sometimes makes it difficult to read the subtitles if there is a lot of dialogue or narration up front because, in an effort to show both, they flash by very quickly. Neo Ultra Q is also the only series to have a narrator (one that introduces the episode, I mean, not one that tells us Ultraman's power is fading or whatever). The narrator doesn't appear on screen, like Rod Serling, but his usual catchphrase is, "For the next 30 minutes..." This episodes narration explains that the human genome has revealed that the maximum possible human lifespan, barring aging, is 144 years. I don't know if that's true or not, but I imagine it is.
The fossilized remains of an ancient trilobyte were discovered to contain DNA which can extend the human lifespan. A company named Hominis has cloned the creature and is grafting it to young subjects, but only certain ones. In order to be one of the "lucky" ones, the child must be in perfect physical health and have an IQ of at least 150. They are raised and educated in seclusion and, at the end of their education, their lives are dedicated to the state (very dystopian). What's more, the cloned trilobytes, called "Sohma", are physically grafted to the children's backs. Two girl subjects, Yuri and Hikaru, rebel against the lack of freedom and of choice in their lives and pledge to live an "anti-Shoma" lifestyle. Yuri commits a small act of rebellion and is taken away for counseling. when she returns, for whatever reason, her personality is just not the same.
Hikaru grows despondent, ties some sheets together and throws them over a pipe near the ceiling. It looks as if she is trying to hang herself, but instead of a noose, to the end of the sheet is tied a large safety pin. (It is at this point the Sohma grafted to her back is revealed for the first time.) She jabs the pin through the creature and leaps off the chair, painfully ripping the Sohma from her back.
Jin is associated with (or perhaps has been hired by) Hominis to interview Hikaru and bring her around to accept the Sohma. She tells him she yearns for the freedom of leaving the facility. He asks for permission to take her home, and it is granted. She asks him to read a children's bedtime story (which mirrors her situation) that her father used to read to her when she was a little girl. He does, and she quickly falls asleep. Then the CEO of Hominis arrives to "save Jin the trouble" of taking her back; she has important surgery scheduled for the next day: they are going to inject the Sohma DNA directly into her spinal cord. Jin and the CEO raise their voices to each other, waking Hikaru. She is obviously frightened.
The next day, Jin enters the room where Hikaru has been prepped for surgery. He tells her, "I've decided. I won't let you suffer like that." He stands up, turns his back to her and takes off his shirt, reveal that he, too, has a Sohma grafted onto his back! He sneaks her out of the facility and is met by Emi and Shohei. Later, Jin takes Hikaru to an amusment park where they ride on the carousel. This is the only scene this episode in full color. Then the scene switches back to the hospital room. Jin enters and says, "I've decided. I won't let you suffer like that," but this time the camera stays on Hikaru's face the whole time. And that's the end.
I don't really know quite what to make of that. Was the entire carousel scene in her mind? Did Jin kill her? I'm so confused.
Also, this is the last episode of the series. These episodes have been as long as those of all the other series (24 minutes without commercials), but the end of every single one of them has sneaked up on me, making them seem shorter. Very good series, very deep, very thought-provoking. Tomorrow I start a new one. Neo Ultra Q is from 2013; the one I start tomorrow is from 2018. That's because, when I first started this discussion, I jumped back and forth between 20th century series and 21st century series, so I have already watched and commented upon Ginga, Ginga S, X, Orb and Geed. Next up is Ultraman R/B. It's hard to believe I started this discussion in 2013. The series I'm moving into now (and some of them I've already watched by this time) hadn't even been made then! I know I must have taken at least one lengthy break between series, but it seems like I've been watching Ultramen forever. It's like trying to get through all of Dark Shadows or Doctor Who or Prisoner: Cell Block H or Star Trek or...
Oh! "Hominis Dignitati" means "human dignity" if you hadn't figured it out.
And they're still making them, as far as I know.
Yep. There's...
At some point, Ultraman Decker has to say, "There was, but not anymore!"
Heh.
ULTRAMAN R/B:
Series overview: When two brothers with clashing personalities obtain incredible powers, they focus on overcoming their differences to defen Earth as a superhero team. Families are always around us and hence they are likely to be taken for granted. This is a story of brothers, revolving around the main theme of "Bond" and "Love". One day, the brothers encounter a monster and almost lose their lives in the mountain. Then, two transformation items appear there suddenly, and the brothers will throw themselves into the battle world as Ultraman...
It's obvious that the "R" and "B" of the title stands for "red" and "blue". It is equally obvious that their powers are element-based.
Ultraman Rosso Flame: The primary form of Ultraman Rosso. Ultraman Rosso Flame fights with power generated from the energy of flame. Each type of Ultraman Rosson is suited for long to middle range combat, and Ultraman Rosso Flame's special moves are mainly bullets. His secondary forms are Aqua, Wind and Ground.
Main Special Moves: Flame Sphere Shoot, Flame Ax Kick, Strike Sphere, Flame Darts
Ultraman Blu Aqua: The primary form of Ultraman Blu. In this type, Ultraman Blu Aqua converts the energy of the fluent water into the power to fight. Ultraman Blu Aqua battles the enemy with the quickness and brisk attacks which take the enemy by surprise. His secondary forms are Flame, Wind and Ground.
Main Special Moves: Aqua Strium, Aqua Jet Blast
R/B Crystals:
For once (lately) this set comes with summaries so i don't have to write my own.
FROM TODAY WE ARE ULTRAMAN: "Brothers Ultraman begins now! The peaceful city of Ayaka is suddenly attacked by a monster, Grigio Bone. Select shop 'Quattro M' staff and sons of Ushio Minato, brothers Katsumi and Isami, are embroiled in the fire-breathing monster's rampage. When they thought it was the end... gaining the power to transform into Ultraman, the story of the brothers and their family begins..."
Kaiju: Grigio Bone
This epsiode is pretty much just the two brothers gaiing their powers and learning how to use them. Their powers [and the toys that go with them (sold separately)] are so complicated that it takes a full minute for them to activate their powers. Both of them are shown transforming, twice; this is going to get real old, real quick. Katsumi and Isami also have a younger sister, Asahi. This series is very definitely targeted at children. This show is a minute longer than all of the others because of all the toys they hawk at the end. Tracy's comment: "This is the only Ultraman I've ever seen uproot a tree and hit something with it."
THEME
It's obvious that the "R" and "B" of the title stands for "red" and "blue".
Too bad it wasn't "Rhythm and Bluies".
BOND OF BROTHERS: "While younger brother Isami is ecstatic about his new powers, older brother Katsumi on the other hand was in fear of his great power. The brothers' opinions collide. Little sister Asahi and her trademark phrase "Happy!" brings peace between the brothers with her smile and also candy. But yet another monster appears and Isami is trapped under rubble, unable to move!"
Kaiju: Black King
The brothers practice using their powers. This is apparently a universe where no Ultramen have appeared before, yet Katsumi and Isami call on specific ones by name when activating their powers. With her candy obsession, Asahi reminds me of an older, female Spritle Racer (without the money). Another character is Makoto Aizen, a sort of self-styled preacher of love and good will. He's like a televangelist, but his heart seems to be in the right place. I wish there was a comprehensive "Ultraman" reference book (in English, I mean; I'm sure there are many in Japanese). I guess if I want one I'm going to have to write it myself; I've certainly been doing the "research." At the end, it is revealed that their deceased mother wrote about Ultraman in her diary. Also, Aizen knows more about Ultraman than he should.
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