Oh thank goodness that the Leito Ultra Access card is being released normally!

I was worried that was going to be like a Card Prize exclusive deal.

They better let him have a go at it in the Z movie if it ever happens. Matter of fact, it would be funny if all the new gen Ultras just were handed out Z risers like they were free smartphones and everybody has a crack at it.

I've seen people comment on how this endgame with Ultroid Zero is really simily to the endgame of Dyna with the Terranoid, a sentiment I thought too while watching. Funny enough, it seems Tsuburaya is also wholly aware of the parallels! :lol

https://i.imgur.com/EWYPPgv.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9p0zhXNn58

This week on Ultraman Z, I'm not even going to belittle the episode with a dumb joke in this spot because it's just really freakin' good. Like, holy s***.

Uh yeah it's hard to come up with words other than, "Holy shit this escalated big time and I really love it!"

Never thought I'd feel bad for a Kaiju's death. Red King's screams are something alright..

The part where Z tell Haruki that his body sustained heavy damage and if they transform one more time it could kill him, I thought they were gonna merge or something. Something like how Zero merged with the dude from the Revenge of Belial movie.

This had a lot to try to unpack!

Seeing Juggler with his human face is just a wild visual on its own.

Kinda wondering what's gonna happen to that glasses-wearing boot stomper who's been following the Director's orders when she finally learned things aren't as clear-cut as she thought.

My knowledge of Ultra is not enough to call me a go-to of information, cause I didn't recognize half of the Kaiju names which were absorbed off-screen.

Didn't expect that to happen to Yoko, and I'm wondering what her actor was thinking on set when she did all that!

Destrudo is a weird WTF name for an honest-to-crapola, weird-as-hell WTF Kaiju!!!

I did wonder if Haruki would meta-morph into an Ultra for a moment or two! I'm now thinking that's an unlikely expectation.

The egg may become more significant. Will Z use a Red King Medal to pull one last surprise? I can't confirm that, but I'm leaning towards it until I have reason not to.

Which major cities were destroyed?

It's all coming to a head...so what am I gonna do when Z ends!? I've been situating this as a Friday Night fixture, but what happens after next week?

After Z ends starting on January 9th 2021 will get get our annual filler recap show this time being about Z & Tiga.
https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/wp-c...KVfix-1126.jpg
You see because Ultraman has half of a Sentai/Rider episode Tsuburaya need something on the air for the next half of the year until the next Ultraman can start. So they bascially make these recap shows in order to fill in the time. Though usually these shows do hint at what the next show elements. For example in 2017 there was the Orb Chronicle and Orb is an O-50 Ultra and the next show R/B were also from O-50.

So, is the fact that they're celebrating Tiga hint at the possibility that the next Ultra is Tiga related or someone from the Tiga-Verse?

Are we not getting an Z movie next year then?

Shit, man. Shiiiiiit. That was a HELL of an episode. Not a lot to say but... is it next week yet?

What makes you think that? I'm expecting an announcement at the end of next week's episode.

Yeah, assuming corvid hasn't changed up any movie plans, we should get a trailer or news for the Z movie sometime within the next week or 2.

That may have been the best lead up to a finale of any Toku. It's way up there, at any rate.

While I am not surprised the Juggler ended up staying on the good guys side, he did think about it a minute.

Still a michievous rebel is pretty much what they need right now. Really looking forward to next week!

Yeah basically sums up everything since Celebro's huge plan and game is "I will kill this planet with their civilizations own hubris."

I'm glad that we finally got an explanation about Celebro, and it was a good one that directly ties into the themes of the show.

Oh, and now that they're done, I'd just like to take a second to say I loved the Z & Zero Voice Dramas over the show's run. I definitely appreciated what Taiga did with its occasional multi-part epics (really appreciated, in some cases), but I think the consistent format of slightly more elaborate versions of Taiga's lighthearted and meta shorts from last year is a perfect way to make something fun for fans while also being totally inessential viewing, as side material like this probably should be. There's great chemistry between the title characters, and they say a bunch funny things while gradually growing closer over the 24 episodes. Simple and sweet.

Yeah, the voice dramas were a lot of fun, even if my Jpanese wasn't good enough to understand most of it. :lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7puULL1DUU

This week on Ultraman Z: Holy. S***.

It doesn't get much better than this.

Ok, as someone that Z was the first Ultra show I finished, why was Juggler here? No, seriously. Why was this character here? I can for the life of me not figure this out beyond fan service. He could have been cut from the show entirely and I wouldn't have noticed, or at least, his alien antics.

... what is there to say?

That was AWESOME. Awesome, awesome show. I felt like it had lost its way a little in the middle but Z's really turned into something special for me -- I hope it's something Kōta Fukihara can be proud of, because he really laid the groundwork for a fantastic series as far as I'm concerned :')

That was AMAZING!

Ultraman Z is a solid 10/10 for me all the way! The shorter episode runtime was a bit unusual from what I'm used to, but I feel this is for the best since everything was so packed and not much for the toys to be blatant!

Definitely looking forward to a movie and his future appearances! I'm actually a bit surprised that Haruki went with Z (and Belialrok! Love him.) to space. Maybe marriage was too expensive for him! ;)

Now I'm kinda itching for a SHF Juggler or a Delta Rise Claw for a Belialrok. Maybe base Z? Ahhh! :confused:

Also, they never really resolved the Devil Splinters... Or the Barossa. Movie content, I guess? Or more Geed content since I remember Geed was the one handling the splinters.

Absolutely fantastic episode. The series as a whole was really stunning and perhaps my top pick for Toku in 2020.

I loved the ending. I super loved the bit at the end. I do wish we got the marriage however or at least a dramatic kiss! Rima Matsuda is such an incredible actress and within Ultraman Z alone she covered a lot of range.

Zero has long been my favorite Ultra and it feels fitting for Z to become a new favorite in a perfectly cannon lineage.

I hope this show has paves the way for future shows in terms of accessibility. The world wants toku and brining it to a multi-national streaming site was long overdue. I can't wait to pick this show up on Blu-ray.

Also who was the random guy at the end with Yuka?

I believe that was Celebro's first host. His hair was just cleaner, I guess.

I do feel like the Devil Splinters are sort of the more pressing one compared to the Barossa purely because they were sorta the reason that Z and Zero ended up near that Earth. I feel like they could have been integrated better, and they'll be the one I mostly nitpick about in regard to the show.

The Barossa on the other hand, I honestly see them more as setup for a recurring alien race that just doesn't know when to give up. Who knows, they could just form a blood feud with Ultra's in general after the three that got killed.

But as for this finale? HOLY SHIT I LOVED IT SO MUCH. It's hard to articulate my thoughts but just everyone banding together for the final battle, the mid-air transformation, the usage of Z Original, it was all just real good. And it's cool to just see where Haruki and Z ended up after it all.

Also goddamn Beliarok is a drama queen and I love him.

If I could describe Z in one word, it's straightforward, which I think is its best and weakest aspect. The show is very direct about what it's doing and what it's trying to say, it excelled at being high energy and high impact, something which I think the finale showcased very well. However, at least for me, I think it's a little lacking in term of thematic nuance and depth for me to really sink my teeth into, compared to some of the previous ultra shows. Z is very much, what you see is what you get, it's simple and uncomplicated to digest, which given all the production issues that went on behind the scenes, from the passing of the head writer and corvid, the fact the show was able to come out the way it did should be commended.

Edit: I"ll also add that I really appreciated that base form Z was the one to finish the fight

I get the feeling I'm gonna be the stick in the mud again.

First I'll say that Z was the first Ultra show I actually finished, got halfway through X before kinda forgetting about it, and it's defiantly not bad, but it's an incredibly average toku.

The characters are charming and some ideas are nice, but ultimately, they just end up being very... Unengaging when it comes to emotional moments for me? I can't really point my finger on it, but they almost feel flat at times, even when I understand where they all are coming from. Haruki sadly falls under that as well. I get why he acts the way he does, but it just doesn't connect with me in any meaningful way.

The second part of the dynamic duo is even worse. Z... Yeah, Z is almost none existent in his own story, beyond his "hip" way of speaking. He only ever matters when a fight starts. He feels like an afterthought honestly.

Now to the antagonist. First Juggler. Why is he here? Why did this need to be a legacy character when it doesn't feel like there is anything meaningful being done with him? I'm gonna use that to harp on about the way Z uses it's legacy aspects. Remember, I have not seen any other show to completion and my knowledge is nothing but hearsay, but it feels incredibly intrusive without any sense that it adds to the material most of the time. For example, Celebro is tied to Belial in some way. Ok, I know roughly who that is. Are they gonna use that relationship in any meaningful way, like when Geed showed up or with Beliarok? No? It's just there to give the villain a backstory? The second being Juggler's motivation "Long ago... I cut down a big tree. It was to stop a war and carry out my justice. But it was all spurned. That's why I need this toy. To show those who think their justice is absolute, just how fragile their assumptions are." It doesn't really give me any good ideas about what his deal is. It almost reads like a joke at the expense of people who don't know.

And Celebro... Dear god, he's just a big amount of nothing. He doesn't feel like a threat. He never really manages to achieve much of anything beyond being an annoyance. He has next to no relationship to Haruki, which robs the final fight of a lot of its weight. These two don't even know each other! For the most part of the show, he is just there. And that ties back to his motivation and the themes of the show:

That humanity is its biggest enemy. That our fear can destroy us and how he manipulates it into dooming ourselves. Really cool idea. Would also work in execution if he would have been responsible for more than half of what went down in the show. If he wouldn't have gotten involved, the earth would have still developed the robots. Maybe a bit slower, but still. STORAGE was established as the story started. they were dealing with monsters and already had a robot. It makes all of the themes of the show kinda fall flat on its face and the Celebro as an antagonist as well. Because he claims things he just didn't do, or at least nearly enough.

That said, I still enjoyed my time with the show. I just had a few frustrations with it.

He’s there to show that people don’t stay the same forever, as stated in this interview with the director.

As my first Ultra series, Ultraman Z couldn't be a better starting point for a latecomer. The characters are fun, the fight scenes were cool, the effects and costumes were great, and it's a well-rounded story and not a lot of baggage from previous installments.

There's tons of varying opinions about Juggler and his inclusion. A lot of people say the call backs turn them off from the show, but it's really no different from something like Star Wars with a deep established history.

In Mandalorian, big characters show up seemingly out of nowhere, but if when done right, it makes the viewer asks questions and get curious and look into the media where that character comes from. It's good world building that acts as a self referencial nod to regular fans and another starting point for newcomers to look into. I am certain Mandalorian has created a bunch of new Clone Wars fans, much like if you loved Ultraman Z and want to watch more Ultraman but don't know where to start - you now have Juggler, go watch Orb!

I really enjoyed the finale and the series as a whole. Even though it got a bit lore-heavy at times I think it was good. Maybe its because this is my first Ultra, but I'm gonna miss these characters. My only nitpick would be that I wish Z himself was developed more. Still, a fine show. RIP Kota Fukihara.

So, it looks like people are campaigning for more episodes, with #UltramanZ50Episodes trending in Japan! Its been acknowledged by the official Ultraman Twitter, who asked fans what they would like to see if there were more episodes.
https://twitter.com/TsuburayaGlobal/...551519745?s=19

I think it's less the idea of campaigning for more episodes

But more so that Ultraman Z impacted everyone so positively that everyone's pretending what if Ultraman Z got a 50 episode run, what would be some cool hypothetical episodes, and looking back on said fake episodes fondly.

I seem to recall the actors and even the staff (Like the designers and directors) got in on it too from a tumblr post I saw.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. Still, it wouldn't surprise me to see Tsubaraya do a v-cinema or something to capitalize on the show's popularity.

They can do it like what they did with Orb. Have a separate series showing Haruki and Z's adventures in space.

A week late but I really enjoyed the finale, even if it was a bit rushed. I hope Haruki and Z have fun space adventures!

I love the Hell out of this show and I definitely rank it pretty high up on my list of favourite Ultra shows. Good shit Tsuburaya! Keep it up!

So ahead of that final episode tonight, Tsupro's jumped on the immense popularity the Z simulcast got and is hosting a worldwide giveaway. This week, the week after and the week after that they've got action figures and DX toys up for grabs -- you enter through Facebook or Twitter (both, if you want!), with the only requirements being that you follow their account; you comment/retweet with your thoughts on Z in English; and you live anywhere other than Japan. That's it!

This week their lineup up for grabs are:-

- Airbone Armours set (Sofubi Sevenger, Sofubi Windom & DX King Joe)
- Sofubi Bullton & UAF Geed Galaxy Rising set
- DX Ultra Z Riser & DX Z Lance Arrow set
- Sofubi Bullton & UAF Gamma Future set
- Sofubi Sevenger & UAF Alpha Edge set
- Sofubi Windom & UAF Beta Smash set
- UAF set (Alpha Edge, Beta Smash, Gamma Future, Geed Galaxy Rising)
- DX Beliarok & DX Delta Rise Claw medals

https://twitter.com/TsuburayaGlobal/...852331009?s=20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QWz7xx1Alk

I'm asssuming Fish Sandwitch or anyone else isn't really intreasted in discussing the latest recap episode but for completion sake I'm putting it here. And for the most part this is completely skipable except for 1 detail, it's revealed that Grigio Raiden was sent to Earth by Celebro. Now for those who forgot it was revealed in Episode 12 that the Storage robots were created by studing Raiden for the last 10 years. And it ceratinly fits with Celebro MO of wanting civilization to be destroyed by thier own weapons. Also sad that they mentioned Yoko getting possesed and testifying but not Kaburagi who was Celebro main host and the advertized one.

I am glad they verbally clarified that, it was heavily implied during Celebro's speech to Yoko with the flashback specifically to Grigio Raiden when mentioning how he'd plant the seeds for development. But it's nice to see them like, verbally explaining it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2aUBc8qfQQ

I think we all need this in 2020. And god dang it just so nice to hear Miracle Of Ultra again. Best Ultraman Insert song don't @ me.