Agreed. Always happy to see more of him.

Cutting through the article (which does a lot of waffling), it seems his main point is that modern Ultraman is merchandise-based and hence very soulless; based more on sales than making a piece of art.

Which I get, but it's always a bit more complex than that -- even if something's made for those purposes, it can still have worth and be important to the people that watched it; and still have a legitimate place. Tokusatsu right now is I think the ultimate example of that, even if certain series are seeing that ratio go in a very negative direction.

I get his concerns cause yes the shows have become more commercial ever since Ginga especially, but I think he is biased and even if Bandai shoves a dump truck load of sofubis and collectible items down my throat the stories still have heart to them as much as they did back in the good ol' early days. Look at the recent Z episode, there was a lot of tension and struggle amongst the characters over a weapon that can shatter reality and bring dire results. A few steps back, Haruki had a whole dilemma over whether taking out kaijus is fine. I mean if such moments do not incorporate a message or challenge the viewer about such ethical/social commentary I don't know what does. He should really consider looking past the fusion rises and commercialism and realize that not all is lost. It may not be exactly the same, but the ideas and foundation still remain intact and these current creators have as much heart and soul as they did back in the days.
And I said it before and this is my personal opinion but despite the commercialism angle to it, I find the collectible items with the past Ultra warriors as a way of respecting that past generation. Again, yeah it's a cop-out and the frequent usage these days can feel like Tsuburaya being lazy and being caught in a state of mannerism but what great way to pay tribute and show respect by channeling the power of the greatest Ultras of all time? And stuff like Absolute Consipracy I think is great in that it is introducing past Ultras that the current generation may not have heard at all or seen before.
Anyways, I am not offended by what Mr. Tsuburaya has said, but rather think it is unfortunate that he only sees the negative and not the potential positives. Hope that changes one day cause myself, I am having a blast with this franchise especially how Tsuburaya is trying to reach the world with their recent endeavours.

Seems strange to call Ultraman merchandise-based since it doesn't really shove a crap ton of toys every episode or two. Or maybe that's just cuz Saber is a thing.

To be honest, Ultraman so far for me has been a refresher since the toys that do get introduced do stick around far more often. (Or, at least, in Z, what with his other forms still making appearances.)

Enjoyed the first episode of Absolute Conspiracy. I really like seeing the Ultras on their own doing stuff on their homeworld, and hearing that a lot of them are obscure guys is great!

I've already been watching 80 weekly thanks to Tsuburaya's uploads, but somehow it was still immensely nostalgic to see him fight to his theme song in Absolutely Conspiracy. Here's hoping Max (and honestly why not everybody) gets a chance for the same later on!

You want to know the level of obscurity they're pulling from? I hadn't heard of Sora before, so I looked her up and it turns out she's exclusive to a 2018 Geed Stageshow. That's the kind of deep cuts we're going for here!

Give me some Andro Melos! He's in this thing in some capacity and I didn't even know this guy existed before that news broke, but it doesn't matter cause he has such an interesting design.

Supposedly, and I think I mentioned this elsewhere before, but the Andro Melos series wasn't part of the Mill Creek deal cause Tsuburaya supposedly couldn't find the masters (presumably the original production and/or film masters). Part of the reason I believe he's in this eventually.

Honest opinion, I actually think Ultraman hasn't gone far enough with the toy integration. While they are crucial to the story being told, that's about it. They don't really are reflected in the aesthetic and designs of the show. You don't immediately think Z when you see the Ultra Medals, compared to ZI-O with the Ridewatches or Zero-One with the Progrise Keys.

What I'm trying to say is, that they feel like afterthoughts. They're replaceable. You could tell Z's story just as well with the R/B Crystals as with the Ultra Medals.

I think they need to make the toys and the story as well as the aesthetic more of a cohesive whole.

I never heard of Ultraman Ribut and I found out he came from a 2007 Malaysian cartoon series of all places and still canon even after the rights fiasco.