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
Ultraman Decker 2022
Ultraman Blazar 2023
Ultraman Arc 2024
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
LAST GAME: "Suddenly Ignis grabs Yuna and leaves... for some great plan he opens the door to the Eternity Core. Despite the many obstacles appearing in front of them, Kengo and his friends trust in Ignis' plan and wait for the pair to return. Can Ignis and Yuna get back to the others? And waht trials await to test the trust between them?"
Alien: Mecha Musashin, the Clockwork Warrior
Ignis plans to use Yuna's power to tap into the Eternity Core and resurrect his planet, which Hudram destroyed. Hudram betrays Carmeara and awaits Trigger Dark's attack. Meanwhile, Ultraman Trigger is kept busy fighting Macha Musashin. Trigger wins and reverts to his human form, while Trigger Dark is on the verge of losing. A light shines from within Kengo, and Yuna uses Yuzare's power to send it to Trigger Dark. (Trigger and Trigger Dark were once a single being, but always meant to use the powers of Light and Dark together.) Trigger Dark defeats Hudram but lets him live. Ignis walks away, then Carmeara arrives and kills Hudram by absorbing all of his darkness into herself.
MY FRIEND: "Darrgon is finally able to understand the true strength of humanity. Yet even with his new understanding, Carmeara's darkness continues to eat away at him. Darrgon! Stop! Despite how special she is to him, he even tries to hurt Yuna. Do Kengo and Akiko stand a chance to stop him now?"
Kaiju: Megalothor, the Evil God
Carmeara attacks Darrgon, absorbing his darkness and controlling him like a puppet. She sends him against GUTS-Select, but when it comes time to attack Yuna directly (he is secretly in love with her, remember), he shakes off Carmeara's mental control and resumes human size. He admires humanity and now realizes that we are our best selves when we are protecting others. He agrees to join forces with GUTS-Select, but first he challenges Trigger to a dual to settle a point of honor from 30 million years ago. As they are fighting, Carmeara appears, regains control of Darrgon, sends him against GUTS-Select, and fights Trigger herself. She defeats Trigger, takes Yuzare's ring from Yuna's hand, and uses it to access the eternity core, where she is transformed into Megalothor, with enough power to destroy the Earth.
We're closing in on the end of the series; just two episodes left.
A Megalothaur?
Megalothor (first form):
(Yes, that means there will be a "second form" - SPOILER)
It evolves, like a Pokemon.
THE DARK RULER: "Carmeara finally gets ahold of the Eternity Core and is transformed into the repuolsive form of the Evil God, Megalothor. Then the dark energy she emits begins to engulf the world... at this rate the Earth is doomed! To save the world from imminent darkness, Kengo and the crew's decisive battle begins."
Kaiju: Megalothor, the Evil God
Trigger manages to beat Megalothor back, but only just barely with the help of Ignis/Trigger Dark. Yuna had tried to sacrifice herself (as her ancestor, Yuzare, did), but Akito stopped her. While in a coma, Kengo sends an image of himself to his mother on Mars. (I thought she was going to play a bigger role in this series, but this is the first time we have seen Reina Manaka since the first wpisode.) She tells him the details of his origin and he recovers. Back aboard the Nursedessei, Kengo finally admits to his teammates (those who did not already know) that he is Ultraman Trigger. Then Megalothor appears in a new form, and Trigger and Trigger Dark go off to fight her.
Megalothor (second form):
TO THE ONES WHO BELIEVE IN SMILES: PULL THE TRIGGER: "The Eternity Core is out of control. Moment by moment the Earth nears annihilation, and the most sinister evil enemy Megalothor stands in the way of its salvations. But no matter the cost... faced with impossible odds, Kengo and the crew will never give up. To make everyone smile. For a future where that becomes reality."
This is a pretty typical action-oriented final episode. After a big strategy-planning session, everyone has a part to play. Basically, because Trigger was originally a being of Light and Darkness 30 million years ago, Ignis returns the power of Trigger Dark to Kengo so that he can become Trigger Truth. Also, Yuna uses Yuzare's abilities to transfer the power of the Eternity Core to Nursedessei, and Trigger truth taps nto the power of children's smiles. Megalothoris defeated, but the Eternity Core has become destabilized and only Kengo can stop it. It's a bittersweet ending because, even though he promises to return, they are all acting like they will never see him again. Just before he leaves, the hybrid flower that he created on Mars in the first episode finally blooms for the first time. the credits sequence shows how life at GUTS-Select goes on without Kengo.
And that's the end of the regular series. There are three "recap episodes," but I don't plan to watch them. I watched only one of the ones for Ultraman Z. They tend to be individual "themed" episodes, each dealing with a different aspect of the show. There's a movie, too, which I will watch... next.
EPISODE Z (Movie): "Two years have passed since the final battle and peace has been restored around the globe. However, things don't stay quite for long when monsters once again begin to appear on Earth. At the same time, a series of mysterious break-ins takes place at super-ancient ruins around the world. Expert team GUTS-Select, led by a new captain, prepares the squad to launch an investigation. Little do they know, it is the beginning of a fierce battle with the fate of the universe in the balance.
"GUTS-Select and Ultraman Z rush into battle with our hero, Kengo Manaka, in the lead. A sinister figure emerges from the shadows: Evil Trigger, a sinister giant that inherits the shadow.
"Ultraman Trigger and Haruki, human host of Ultraman Z, join forces with the new members of GUTS-Select as well as Ignis, human host of trigger Dark, will take part in the ultimate battle between light and shadow!"
Each regular episode was 25 minutes long, and this "movie" is 1:15, and that a lot for a single sitting. It's like a triple-length episode of unrelenting plot, plot, plot, plot for 75 minutes. To be perfectly honest, none of the post-series "movies" have been very good, IMO.
That's it for Ultraman Trigger. Next up is Ultraman Decker, but it doesn't ship until August 12, so this thread will go on a brief hiatus.
At least I will have "War Games" and season one of the Ncuti Gatwa Doctor Who to fill the Ultraman-shaped hole in my viewing scedule until that time.
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