Ultra Q

[Jeff of Earth-J]

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
Ultraman Omega 2025
Ultraman Theo 2026

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!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Well, that has scratched a 35-year-old itch. I'm glad now that I didn't see it back then because I wouldn't have liked it. (I was much more serious then than I am now.) Back in 1993 I was unable to find the "virgin" cover of Ultraman #3, but that won't stop me from posting it here.

The story picks up either three (according to #1) or five (according to #2) years after the end of the TV series. Shindo still works for the Universal Multipurpose Agency, but none of the other TV show regulars do. After the recap that opens the first issue, Shindo is sent out to engage a pterodactyl-like creature, which (somehow) ends up being Gudis. Gudis smashes Jack's hummer to the ground. Jack still has the Delta Plasma Pendant, and uses it to set off a flare. Gudis mistakes it for an attack and drops a building on Jack, but Jack actually sent a distress signal to Ultraman.

As Ultraman approaches Earth, UMA mistakes him as a threat and attacks, delaying his arrival until after Gudis has gone. He finds Shiddo's smashed body and once again they merge life forces in order to save Jack's life. UMA soon becomes aware that Gudis is attacking the Seti Base Moon Colony. Only Jack knows that that is where Ultraman imprisoned the monsters he did not kill. It is Gudis' intention to free them so that he will have an army of monsters at his command. This he does, and Ultraman must fight them one-by-one. He energy light begins flashing, and he suddenly reverts to Jack Shindo (who is now wearing a spacesuit somehow). 

Gudis chucks him into a deep crevasse, but the Delta Plasma Pendant has not had enough time to recharge and he is unable to transform. then he hits the bottom and suddenly he can transform. By this time, Gudis is attacking the moon base and is being repelled by the colony's defense forces. Ultraman joins the fight and engages the remaining monsters. Finally, only Gudis is left, and he damages the base's protective dome, giving Ultraman the choice of pursuing him of saving the colonists. Ultraman transforms back into Jack Shido and flies a ship back to Earth after Gudis. Ultraman and Gudis fight, culminating with Ultraman throwing Gudis into the Sun. 

It is a good thing that artist Ernie Colon is skilled at presenting pages of wordless action, because there is a lot of it in this series. This series continues into an "ongoing" series (which lasted four issues). I don't have any of those, but summaries of the series two, two-part stories are available onliline.

"The Robex Dynasty" - Ultraman defends the human race when a computer network gains sentience and starts creating Terminator-style killer robots. In the face of widespread destruction, Ultraman struggles to defeat the sentient computer network that has declared war on humanity. 

"The Incredible Return of Gudis" - In the aftermath of the battle with Robex, Ace fights the superhuman criminal Raptor. But when a tentacle of space monster Gudis is discovered, Raptor gains both its power and that of Ultraman himself. Now Ultraman must deal with an evil blue Ultraman, as well as the return of Gudis. Losing hope, Ace faces the prospect of battle with both the evil blue Ultraman and the space monster Gudis. But an otherworldly event in space allows both Ace and Ultraman to see their original versions in Japanese mythology and legend, inspiring them to fight on. 

So, what's next? I have an idea, actually, but I must consult with Headquarters on M78 (i.e., Jeff) first.

We're on the same "channel" here (i.e., YouTube). Please proceed.

[The Baron]

Next up is Ultraman Powered, a.k.a. Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero (no distinguishing marks).  From what I've read, this series was filmed in the U.S., but never broadcast here.

Episode 1: "On a Mission from M78"

1. In a pre-credits sequence, a mysterious spaceship approaches the Earth and fores three balls of light at the planet.
2. Next, we meet our heroes, the men and women of WINR, which stands for "Worldwide Investigation Network Response", which is pronounced "Winner".
3. They are:
   1. Captain Russell Edlund, known as "Cap", an African-American man, and the leader of the team.
   2. Rick Sanders, a White guy. He seems to be the cocky hothead of the team.
   3. Kenichi Kai, a Japanese-American man.
   4. Julie Young, a blonde woman.
   5. Theresa Beck, a woiman with reddish-brown hair.
4. At their base, they try to analyze a space bug that they found.
5. Fun With Closed Captioning:  "Chitinous elements"  becomes  "kindness elements".
6. Elsewhere, two cops investigate a warehouse, where they find a critter that laughs at them and then kills them.
7. An Earth satellite tries to shoot the spaceship from the pre-credits sequence, but a ball of red light intercepts the shot and destroys the satellite.
8. Kai and Young take a plane called a "Hawk" to investigate where the red light fell to Earth.
9. Cap and Sanders investigate the warehouse from before. They fight the laughing critter.
10. Kenichi investigates the crater where the UFO landed. The red light turns out to be Ultraman, who explains that the enemies are the Baltans, "the invaders of the universe". The Baltans are recurring enemies, going back to the earliest days of the franchise. Ultraman asks Kenichi to bond with him, and givee him a Beta Capsule.
11. Baltan becomes giant-sized and begins attacking warehouses. Kenichi turns into Ultraman and fights Baltan verrry slowllly.
12. Fun With Dialogue:  Cap (as Baltan flies overhead): "Duck!"  Jack: "That was no duck!"
13. Ultraman wins and then flies off. The slien spaceship is reported to have withdrawn. Ultraman asks Kenichi if it's OK if he sticks around for a while until he's sure that the Earth is safe.

Overall: An OK start. I dont really have a sense of the characters yet.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Thoughts...

• All of the members of WINR are young, hot and good-looking.
• These "Baltans" are a redesign of the originals; the originals didn't wear clown-size pixie boots, for example.
• The aircraft in Great were called "hummers"; the ground vehicles in Powered are actual Hummers.
• The episodes of Powered on YouTube are much cleaner than those of Great, which looked like second gen dubs.
• The model-work on Powered is awful the worst I've ever seen. The buildings look as if they were made from my childhood construction set.
• "Sanders" looks and acts like Pete Hegseth.

These non-Japanese Ultraman series remind me of the Doctor Who movies in that they "are" but also "are not."

[The Baron]

It is funny to me that the Ultra series that I've been watching are all "non-Japanese" ones.

[The Baron]

Episode 2: "Catch a Kemura by the Tail"

1. We open with Sanders being interviewed by a TV reporter. She "hilariously" gets his name wrong. Apparently, monster attacks are a common thing in this series. Also, WINR's existence is publicly known.
2. Elsewhere, a forest ranger finds a guy with gunge all over his back. The WINR team goes to investigate. They find the trail of something very large in the forest.
3. A rancher reports that his cattle have gone missing. They spot a gisnt critter on the ranch.Becl ID's it as Kemura that appeared in China in 1976. Seconds of internet research tell me that Kemura is also as "Powered Kemular".It is based  on a "Kemular" that appeared in the original Ultraman series. Its name is derived from "kemuri", the Japanese word for "smoke".
4. Sanders is trigger-happy and fires on Kemura in defiance of Cap's orders.  Kemura shoots sulfur gas at them, after which it withdraws. Back at HQ, Cap tells Sanders not to worry about disobeying orders. To me, this is less realistic than giant monsters.  I hate hothead, "maverick" characters. to me, they're the last kind of people thst you'd want around in a llife-or-death situation
5. .WINR receives the OK to kill Kemura. The team goes out in a large aircraft whose name escaped me, except for Kai, who goes out alone in a Hummer, quite convenientif he needs to be alone to transform. WINR tries to lure Kemura with a large bag of meat. Sanders and Young go after Kemura ikn a Hawk.  (The Hawk turns on a dime, which strikes me as unlikely.) Kai turns into Ultraman. Ultraman appears so suddenly thst Sanders accidentally shoots him, but no harm seems to be done. Kemura has two beetle-like "wings" that serve it as shields. Ultraman holds these open, allowing Sanders to shoot Kemura in the brain, killing it.

Overall: Another pretty good episode I'm enjoying this series so far. I wonder if they're all going to be revamped versions of old monsters.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I forgot to mention last time that the first few seconds of the opening credits are obviously designed to evoke the opening of the original show.

WINR, which stands for "Worldwide Investigation Network Response", which is pronounced "Winner".

WINR, WINR, Chicken DINR

Rick Sanders, a White guy. He seems to be the cocky hothead of the team.

I can't get over his resemblance to Pete Hegseth, especially with his helmet on and when he makes that cocky smirk. Rick in Powered is going to be for me as Charlie was in Great for you.

All of the members of WINR are young, hot and good-looking.

They are "TV diverse."

The aircraft in Great were called "hummers"; the ground vehicles in Powered are actual Hummers.

I am reminded of the days before Cybertrucks when it was the drivers of Hummers who were ridiculed. (I don't see too many hu8mmers on the road anymore.)

Beck ID's it as Kemura that appeared in China in 1976... It is based  on a "Kemular" that appeared in the original Ultraman series. 

Huh. I thought it might be a play on the word "chimera."

Sanders is trigger-happy and fires on Kemura in defiance of Cap's orders. 

See!? It's not just the way he looks, but the way he acts.

...they're the last kind of people that you'd want around in a llife-or-death situation

...or Secretary of Defense.

(The Hawk turns on a dime, which strikes me as unlikely.)

Yeah, it did that a couple of times and it struck me the same way each time.

 

[The Baron]

Episode 3: "A Quartet of Monsters"

1. A team of documentarians is in Guyana, where they have found the monster Chandra (a.k.a. Chandlar and Powered Chandlar), another old Ultraman monster. Roger, the director, is played by Jeffrey Combs, who played around nine thousand different aliens in several Star Trek series, but mostly in Deep Space Nine. Red King (who is yellow-colored), another old Ultraman critter appears and scuffles with Chandra.
2. Back at WINR HQ, the women are mocking Sanders because he mistook a guy with long hair for a woman.  This is, of course, just relentlessly funny (Sarcasm!). Cap shows up and reports that they have received a distress call from the film crew, and our heroes set out to the rescue.
3. Chandra attacks the cave that the film crew are hiding in, but then the Red King attacks it again. Pigmon, another other old Ultraman critter, shows up in the cave. Roger wants to make the spectacularly unappealing creature a TV star.
4. As the WINR team arrives, Red King defeats Chandra and then goes after the film crew. One Hawk is sent out to distract Red King, while the other goes to rescue the film crew and Pigmon. Kai gets the film crew on their way to safety, and then turns into Ultraman.
5. Ultraman fights the Red King when  a red Red King (apparently the yellow Red King's mate) shows up and joins the fray. Ultrasaman is getting his butt kicked when the yellow Red King falls off a cliff to its doom. Ultraman restrains the red Red King from jumping after it.  He leaves the despondent creature to its grief. 
6. On board the ride home, Ropger quizzes Kai about his own brush with death earlier in the episode.  It almost feels like Roger is being set up to be this series' Jack McGee, but we shall see.
7. We end with Pigmon chirping goodbye to its new friends, its dream of a career in show business dashed.

Overall: Another good episode. It does seem like it's going to be a parade of recycled monsters.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Roger, the director, is played by Jeffrey Combs...

I recognized Combs' name from the opening credits but didn't remember who he was, exactly, and didn't recognize him when he came onscreen. Tracy, OTOH, didn't see his name in the credits (and wouldn't have recognized it if she had), but when he appeared on screen said, "We know that guy from somewhere." Then she looked him up and announced she wanted "major points" for recognizing him without make-up. (She thinks of him primarily as the Andorian from Enterprise.) This could be the first time I've seen him play a human.

I wonder if they're all going to be revamped versions of old monsters.

"Revamped" is a good word, as they all seem to be redesigns. Red King's head, for example, was never so "skull-like" before. Even Pigmon was updated.

This is, of course, just relentlessly funny (Sarcasm!).

I got it.

Ultraman restrains the red Red King from jumping after it.  He leaves the despondent creature to its grief. 

That was sad. (No sarcasm.) The original show would often elicit sympathy for the monsters, but most of the others didn't.

We end with Pigmon chirping goodbye to its new friends, its dream of a career in show business dashed.

I got the impression that Roger left Pigmon behind in gratitude for its help, but this idea wasn't fully developed.

Also, that had to have been the slowest kaiju fight scene I ever saw.

Plus, both times Ultraman was thrown into the mountain, it was obviously made of foam rubber.

 

[The Baron]

Episode 4: "The Dark Past"

1. Some seismologists detect a mysterious underground disturbance. Kai and Beck are sent to investigate. There's a tremor while they're in a cave. Kai disapppears and Beck feels guilty.
2. Kai finds himself the prisoner of some Subterraneans who summon Teresdon (a.k.a. Telesdon, a.k.a. Powered Telesdon), another recycled Ultraman critter.
3. Kyle the Seismoogist reports that the disturbance is moving and is not natural.
4. Teresdon attacks the city and WINR springs into action.
5. The Subterraneans tell Kai that they used to rule the surface world in dinosaur times, but fled underground when Adric crashed into the Earth. Now they want to reclaim the surface world. They worshiop a statue of UIltraman and take Kai's Beta Capsule.
6. Sanders attacks the critter to no effect, but it still retreats underground.  WINR determines that it is sensitive to light. 
7. The model work in some of the city scenes is awful. Tsuburaya did better work back in the 50's. There's one car that is obviously a toy, and not even a good toy, more like one of those "Not Wheels" that you see on sale at the Dollar Store.
8. Fun with Closed Captioning: ""I understand" becomes "Weinstein".
9. Teresdon re-emerges and WINR tries to use light on it, but it is unaffected. The Army's weapons don't work on it, either.
10. Kai cons the Subterraneans into giving him the Beta Capsule back. (These guys aren't very swift.) He transforms into Ultraman and goes to fight Teresdon. 
11. Cap says "Make it so".  This would be around the time for it to be an ST:TNG reference. 
12. Ultraman beats Teresdon with help from WINR. We end with Kai back at WINR HQ giving his usual BS explanation. He doesn't mention the Subterraneans to them.  Maybe he figures that they're all demoralized by their "god" showing up and killing their pet monster.

Overall: Another OK episode. I'm enjoying this series so far. I think that I liked the characters of Great better so far. 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

The model work in some of the city scenes is awful.

Yeah, it has been all along, very unconvincing.

Teresdon attacks the city

This is not a great monster design, uninspired. In addition, Ultraman beats him without working up a sweat (meaning his warning light never even went off).

The Subterraneans tell Kai that they used to rule the surface world in dinosaur times, but fled underground when Adric crashed into the Earth.

They reminded me of hairy (rather than scaly) Sleestaks. (This would also have been right around the time of the Land of the Lost remake.)