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
WELCOME TO AIZENTECH: "The three siblings visit President Makoto Aizen of the enterprise 'Aizentech' in Ayaka City, and enjoy experiencing the most advanced technology. There, they are surprised to learn that their missing mother had been working together with President Aizen on some research in the past. Meanwhile, Gargorgon appears in the city. How will the Ultraman brothers defeat this enemy, whose beams turn everything into stone?"
Kaiju: Gargorgon
Okay, so I guess Makoto Aizen is not a preacher (he is an industrialist), and Mio Minato is not dead, she's missing. In this episode, Katsumi and Isami ask their father (Ushio) about their mother (Mio), but is is unable to shed any light on the "ultra" symbols in her diary. 15 years ago she was a "cosmoarcheologist" working for Aizentech, so they brothers (and Asahi) go to visit Makoto Aizen. He is annoying, but likeable. He's kind of like Elon Musk if Musk were a televangelist (and likeable). When they arrive at Aizentech, Makoto Aizen has just finished test-flying a new jetpack. His assistant follows him everywhere, and takes copious notes of his "brainstorms" (such as the slogan for the jetpack: "Out of the frying pan, into the sky").
He gives them a tour of the facility and lets Asahi try some "bio-jumping shoes." He tells the fable of a dragon (or perhaps a meteor) which fell from the sky 1300 years ago, but he believes it was two Ultras and a monster fused together. When they hit ground, they broke up into multiple small pices, which are the power crystals. He has spent his life trying to find them and gather them together. He obviously knows more about their mother's work than he's letting on, but before they can press him further, Gargorgon attacks. Katsumi and Isami sneak away to fight the monster off. They trade powers back and forth and they learn how to use them. Each power they discover undoubtedly results in a new toy. I'm sure the kids in the audience are able to keep track of which crystals generate which toys, but I can't.
Each power they discover undoubtedly results in a new toy. I'm sure the kids in the audience are able to keep track of which crystals generate which toys, but I can't.
This is the sort of thing that led Bob Keeshan to become Captain Kangaroo, because so many kids' shows were essentially extended toy commercials. I wonder if Japan had its own counterpart to Captain Kangaroo.
[I am happy to have summaries back, but they are definitly written by someone who knows English as a second language. I'm sure whoever writes them has a better grasp of English than I do of Japanese, but I have so far had trouble determining, sometimes, exactly what message he or she is trying to get across. I have been changing a word or two hear and there to better reflect what I think the intent is.]
WINNING BALL OF LIGHT: "Katsumi was a well-known pitcher during his high school years. He unwillingly turned down the offer to play professional in order to support his family, and is now trying to set a retirement match for his sandlot baseball team's head coach. But his injuries from previous battles affect his his pitching, and the head coach gives him a few words. Katsumi is determined to accomplish his missions as a pitcher, as well as Ultraman"
Kaiju: Red King
Red King appears and Katsumi and Isami change into Ultraman R/B and fight it off. A drone is witness to the battle. Later, Katsumi's basball coach seems to have figured out his secrets by observing Ultraman Rosso's moves. The coach announces to the team that the next game, against their arch rivals, will be their last. Katsumi is determined that the team win that game. He begins drilling his teammates and alienates some of them. On the day of the big game, Minato, Isami, Asahi and Aizen are all in the stands cheering the team on. Aizen excuses himself and apparantly summons Red King himself. Isami transforms into Ultraman Blu Aqua to fight Red King by himself, but doesn't make a good showing. The coach tells Katsumi that his responsibility is to the world, not the game, and urges him to transform and fight alongside his brother. The coach's family once found some Ultra power crystals, which he gives to Katsumi. Katsumi, the team's pitcher, leaves to fight Red King with the new power obtained from the crystals. The coach himself takes Katsumi's place on the mound. (A visual parallel is drawn between the fight and the baseball game.) When the Ultramen destroy Red King, it leaves a power crystal befhind, and a drone arrives and snatches it up. With Red King defeated, Katsumi returns to the field, only to discover that the coach gave up a grand slam and the other team won. the coach retires happy, though, because he felt he played a good game. Apparently Aizen manipulated the battle in order to obtain the Red King Crystal.
FAREWELL ICARUS: "Yuha Ninomiya, with her passion for flight, continued to fail and injure herself with the wings she invented in college. Isami Minato gets involved with his classmate's reckless challenge and both aim high for the sky, until storm producing monster Guebasser appears. Go fight, Isami (Ultraman Blu) with your new power of wind!"
Kaiju: Guebasser
Aizen pays a visit to Minato's shop and plants a bugging device. I don't think he is a true villain, but he is unscrupulous, taking advantage of the brothers' "inside information" to collect the crystals for himself. Yuha Ninomiya is one of Isami's classmates. Other students make fun of her, but Isami admires her drive and ambition. He visits her in her lab and accidentally breaks a piece of equiptment. She asks him to be her assistant, but his classload won't permit it. She kind of blackmails him by telling him the piece of equipment he broke costs 200,000 yen (or something). Her parents have arranged a marriage for her and want her to finish her education abroad.
I haven't mentioned this before, but Katsumi and Isumi have worn the same outfits in each episode so far. Isami's has the number "3" on it (that looks like "Channel No. 5" logo), and Katsumi wears a shirt with a slogan emblazoned on the front. It's difficult to read because he wears a jacket over it, but what makes it really odd is that the shirt is button-down, not a tee-shirt. The slogan fills up the whiole front: "We should seek the greatest value of our action" (whatever that means).
Aizen summons Guebasser, a bird-like monster, and Ninomiya must use her wings to fly withing the wind it creates, while Isami (Ultraman Blu) must learn to use the wind crystal (acquired in the previous epsiode). Aizen gets the new crystal this time. Ninomiya must leave leave the country after that to follow her parents' wishes, but she's happy because she acheived her dream of flight.
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