I dislike it for a lot of reasons, but the stiff animation really doesn’t help. Ocassionally you’ll get some really cool shots or scenes but as a whole it’s not doing much to impress.

The problem with the Netflix and manga is that, as much as beautiful the suits are, it's basically the stereotypical 'taking a kids show and make them into edgy reboots and completely misses the mark of the source material'.

It doesn't help that when it was adapted to anime, we already have the New Generation series which puts Ultraman franchise into a force to be reckoned with again.

Maybe if they just did a straight 2D anime it would've been better.

That was my big issue with it too; I just wasn’t a fan of how bleak it was and how the moral seemed to be “Not only do you need to kill, but you shouldn’t feel bad about it”. Just not what I look for in Toku at all.

I think the manga is okay for what it is, but the anime was rather bad. The animation was just terrible, and they altered the story and characters in a few ways that I didn’t really like.

I enjoyed the voice acting though, Bemular especially sounds amazing!

While we're on this subject again, I might as well just quote this since my opinion hasn't changed in the time since I posted it:

I kinda feel like there will come a day, eventually, where some very particular mood will strike me, and I might end up getting into the manga (the anime version sounds kinda not worth the time though?), but man, with so much Ultra stuff out there I'm way more interested in, it's probably going to be a while. I still haven't even watched Max...

So what you’re saying is, you know what you’re doing tonight?

I sure do! Right after posting that, I went and watched... Kamen Rider Saber's premiere a third time! Really getting into that show!

So, yeah, that wasn't meant to be foreshadowing or anything. I was legitimately planning to watch Max week by week when Tsuburaya started uploading it to their YouTube channel, but for some reason, Z getting an official worldwide release that way also coincided with them blocking a ton of stuff by region again. I kind of took it as a sign the time wasn't right?

Which is a thing I guess I do? The thing is, the way I choose what toku shows to start watching has always been based entirely on fickle whims, so there's not actually any series with a particular edge to get picked. For some added perspective, the Ultra shows I was easily the most excited about watching when I got into the franchise were Tiga, Dyna, and Gaia... and I've yet to see more than one episode of any of them. And it's been like 4+ years.

I started watching Tiga two days ago (discounting the time I searched up the 4Kids dub) and I’ve already watched more than you.

So I finished Ultraman R/B! And yeah, not sure what I have to say beyond the fact I really liked it! It's a very different vibe to what I'm used to from Toku shows, far more intmate and relaxed - even the world ending chaos that is Leugocyte is completely centered on this family unit, and how it affects their bond. It's 100% what the show is going for, so I can't fault it.

So, overall, for my first New Gen Ultraman series, it's a great show to start on. None of that pesky deep lore, likeable characters, enjoyable villains, and a big heart. All that's left is the movie!

So, Ultraman Mebius Episode 9, 10 & 11:

I wish I could write more about this, it’s essentially the three episodes of Tsurugi’s redemption, but I'm a lazy dude so I’ll chicken out and just say it was awesome. So much cool stuff to see from well-written dialogues to fantastic action scenes.

The Crew GUYS team somehow becomes even more likeable and from Tsurugi's character arc, the small appearance from Mother of Ultra to the "reversed" Dinozaur, there's just too many great things for me to write about.

I'll end it with what came to me as an absolute surprise - how Ultraman Hikari got his name :lol

https://i.imgur.com/DL1yxSA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/WmNY9XM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qfoFDfx.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/tKq31vv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/y6EJmF4.jpg


I can't argue with any of this. R/B is the weakest NG Ultraman show for me but that's still not saying much because being the weakest in a hall of champion still means you’re a champion.

Recommendation: Watch Ultraman Taiga next. That way you can continue the legacy of the great villain you're about to meet in the R/B movie and watch a good show while you're at it- Taiga doesn't require much knowledge about the franchise either, the only link is that the hero is the son of a Showa Ultraman but that’s not really important nor mentioned much.