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
I have heard that same thing (about the large number of homophones), but in this case. part of Odo's charm was that his jokes were bad. like "dad jokes." Having said that, though, there's a good possibility that the joke used in the episode was changed, to play on the phoneme "step" but which still made a modicum of sense within the context of the scene.
THE AFTERNOON WHEN THE STAR MAGIC FADED: "Hiroyuki runs into a woman who is a witch with magical powers. As Alien Zeran is trying to exploit her magical power, mysterious tentacles suddenly appear and attack people in the streets. Underground Monster Pagos arises from its sleep and emerges breaking through the ground. Will Taiga be able to overcome the power and tough skin of Pagos?"
Alien: Oshoro
Kaiju: Underground Monster Pagos, Vampire Monster Gymaria
Kana's friend Horoka, who has just opened a bakery, drops by EGIS with some chiboust pastry (which is described as an "apple cake" but look more like flan to me). On her way back to work, she is attacked by tentacles rising from the ground. Meanwhile, Hiroyuki meets a woman named Maria who has the powers of telekinesis and telepathy. She uses her telekinesis to save a little girl's hat from blowing away, and with her telepathy she can "hear" Taiga communicating with Hiroyuiki. She is a self-proclaimed sorceress, but she is actually an alien who weilds a power which might have been described as the "Force" a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. The tentacles are draining all "magical" energy from the Earth; from normal people (such as Horoka), it robs them of the ability to dream. Suddenly, Maria is abducted by Oshoro from the planet Zeron who needs a sorceress to help him control the kaiju he summoned. Taiga defeats Underground Monster Pagos, but its not the problem. The "tentacles" appear again, but this time they are clearly the tongue of Vampire Monster Gymaria.
THE COSMOS WILL KEEP ON DREAMING: "The culprit of the mysterious tentacles attacking people is that of Gymaria, the Vampire Monster. Gymaria uses its tentacles to suck the energy that fills the universe, and under this influence, Hiroyuki's power to transform is sealed. Maria's lost magical power is the only hope for overcoming this crisis."
Kaiju: Vampire Monster Gymaria
Taiga manages to knock Gymaria unconscious, but not to put it out of commission for good. While unconscious, it continues to draw "magic" from the Earth. By the time it reawakens, Maria has lost her powers and Hiroyuki is unable to transform. In order to defeat the monster, both must learn the true nature of magic.
E.G.I.S. SUPER CONFERNCE: "Kana brings up the topic that she wants to make Ultraman their official mascot but the other member disagree on which Ultraman: Taiga, Titas or Fuma. A huge presentation competition begins to decide which hero will play the important role in the future of the organization. Will this meeting of the E.G.I.S. members come to a peaceful end?"
Kana suggests making one of the Ultaman the EGIS mascot and awarding a cash prize to the member who nominates the winner. Homare votes for Fuma, Pirika votes for Titas, and Kana votes for Taiga. (Really this is just an excuse to show a lot of clips from previous episodes.) Hiroyuki is to cast the deciding vote, but he slips away. Kana declares Taiga the winner and claims the cash prize because she is the boss, but Homare and Pirika object. Meanwhile, Hiroyuki encounters Kirisuki but doesn't recognise him as Tregear. Taiga senses something about him, though, so at least Hiroyuki will be on guard against him should they ever meet again. Then Hiroyuki is called back for an assignment, with no decision having been reached. All in all, a pretty pointless episode.
THE POWER TO PROTECT AND THE POWER TO FIGHT: "Hiroyuki is restrained by a mysterious man named Iruto. The man is under a chase [?] for Gigadelos, the Planetary Guardian Deity. When Gigadelos appears, the monster duplicates itself every time it is shot by a beam. Will Hiroyuki and Taiga find a way to defeat Gigadelos?"
Kaiju: Planetary Guardian Deity Gigadelos
A long, long time ago, a planet was besieged by monsters, so a scientist invented "planetary guardian dieties" which dealt with the problem. Soon, many planets wanted to buy PGDs of their own to deal with their respective monster problem. Eventually, though, the PGDs went rogue and the scientist/inventor, Iruto, has made it his mission to track them down one by one and destroy them. Kirisaki has lured one to Earth for reasons of his own. Oh, and "under a chase" means "in pursuit."
I CAN'T HEAR YOUR VOICE: "A boy named Kanta comes to EGIS asking for help to look for Moko, the Little Peculiar Creature. However, Moko was taken away by Mabuze, a scientist from planet Chibull. At the same time, Skull Gomora, the Cultivated Synthetic Monster that is created from Belial's genes, appeared and is rampaging in the city. To defeat Skull Gomora, Taiga wants power -- and that is when something weird happens to Taiga..."
Kaiju: Little Peculiar Creature Moko, Cultivated Synthetic Monster Skull Gomora
Alien: Mabuze
A little boy asks for help finding his missing pet but, thinking it's a dog, Kana turns him down. Hiroyuki, however, having flashbacks to his own childhood pet kaiju Chibisuke, accepts. He traces Moko to a laboratory run by the Villain Guild, where Alien Mabuze is conducting genetic experiments with kaiju genes. Skull Gomora is a combination of three different sets of genetic material. Kirisuki has something to do with its creation as well, and "conducts" it like an orchestra while it and Taiga fight, as Beethoven's 9th Symphony plays in the background. Moko has a telepathic bond with Skull Gomora, however, and pleads with Taiga to spare its life... too late. After Taiga destroys Skull Gomora, Kirisuki transforms into Tregear and they fight. For the past several episodes, Taiga has been collecting talismans from defeated kaiju, but they have actually been a multi-layered trap, and Tregear turns Taiga to the dark side.
WE ARE ONE: "Tricked by Tregear, Taiga fell to the dark side... Is there any way to save him? Stand up Titas, Fuma and Hiroyuki to save Taiga! When all members of the Tri-Squad come together and the power of bond increases, miracles occur with a dazzling light! Here comes the new Taiga!"
Kaiju: Nightfang the Nightmare Monster, Hellberus the Ultimate Disaster Monster
This episode begins with a flashback to Taiga taking leave of his father Taro back on the Planet of Light. Taro tells his son of the bond he once made with a human being, but Taiga rejects the notion. Then we cut back to the present, at the end of Taiga's fight with Tregear. Tregear tells him that overnight, his transformation to the dark side will be complete. Hiroyuki is forced out of Taiga's body, and Taiga collapses into a building. Hiroyuki is fighting a battle on both the physical and the mental plane, but his EGIS colleagues have a device with which they inject themselves into his mental plane. The next morning, Taiga is still unconscious in the remains of the building he fell into. He arises, and Hiroyuki calls on both Titas and Fuma to help turn Taiga back to the light. But Kirisaki calls forth Nightfang and Hellberus to stop them. At one point, one of the Ultras changes back into Hiroyuki in midair, and he falls directly into and through Taiga's chest light. Once there, he calls on Titas and Fuma to help redeem their friend from the inside. they do and defeat the monsters, seemingly driving Kirisaki insane.
GUARDIAN ANGEL: "Alien Semon Meed is a childhood friend of Kana. He is targeted by the Villain Guild, so Kana and the members of EGIS end up protecting him. But right before they reach their destination, the Villain Guild appears. Kana's life is in danger! What did Meed do? And what is the reason for him being targeted?"
Alien: Semon Meed
Kaiju: Demaaga, the Molten Iron Monster
Alien Meed isn't exactly Kana's "childhood friend"; he is an alien scam artist she knows from her Division X days before she quit to start EGIS. Also, his name is Meed and he's from the planet Semon. When he finds himself in trouble with the Villain Guild, he comes to EGIS for protection until his transportation back to Semon arrives. Meed thinks of Kana as the "guardian angel" of aliens, and Kana thinks that, deep down, Meed is a decent person. Meed is to meet his transport in a crowded shopping mall. Just before it is set to arrive, the Villain Guild shows up. It turns out that Meed lied to Kana, and actually has stolen a "monster-luring" device, and Kirisaki (evidently not insane) put him up to it. Everyone is soon caught in the crossfire between the Villain Guild and the buyer. Then Kirisaki activates the device and lures Demaaga. Hiroyuki uses the ability he gained last episode (to call on the power of Taiga, Titas and Fuma all at once) to defeat DeMaaga. Later, when all of the danger seems past, a sniper takes a shot at Kana, and Meed sacrifices himself to save her. It was Kirisaki who fired the shot. Later, Kirisaki appears before Hiroyuki and really gets inside his head.
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