If it's so abrupt, it requires a narrator, which they don't normally use, to make any sense out of the thing, than yeah, that's a bad thing.

It's not the like medals are new. They've been around since the beginning. It's not like in universe these groups are new either. Just SOME brief mentioning of them. Some indication they were out there.

But these groups seem to have been introducted solely for this single episode and I will be very surprise if they are even mentioned ever again.

That's lazy writing.

Finally caught up on the last couple of eps, so here's a few thoughts:

Episode 7: Deep lore, deep lore, yadda yadda

Episode 8: Sakamoto really does have a signature style, huh? Was just like being back in 2013. But yeah, as someone else said, this one was very very busy. Maybe not enough that it needed splitting down, but maybe slim down one of the subplots. Or spend less time on the girl-on-girl martial arts, who knows? Gamma Future is very cool, though. What's less cool is Haruki's Z-Brace just going missing, guess they ran out of "Invisible to humans" material that day. I'm nitpicking though, it was still good episode all round.

Episode 9: This one definitely started out a little clunky, and I think that's mainly due to the narration? You don't really need it, the visuals explain themselves well enough. But it quickly picks up the pace, and King Joe is my new favourite kaiji. He's just so 70's! Also, Nexus's medal is here, so I guess I can't even complain about past Ultras this time round since I've seen Nexus! The twist was a little obvious the moment they told Haruki he'd be in Windom, but it's good to see the aliens managed to play both sides too. Basically, good episode, looking forwards to next week!

New forms for Z and Geed revealed for UFF.

https://youtu.be/1eWRwJMTo4I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh4VrGpWXtM

This week on Ultraman Z, thrill to the members of STORAGE fighting off a pirate from space! Be wowed by the noticeably different, maybe more old-school(?) style of direction! Laugh uproariously at Haruki's terrible nickname for Juggler! And get disappointed when it turns out next week is a clip show!

I mean, that last one is admittedly understandable enough. I can't imagine producing a TV show is a smooth process right now. Plus, this week's Ultra Navi segment has Cosmos in it, so I can't be mad.

Alien Barossa was really cool in this episode for being a newcomer, a good amount of creepy and threatening while also showing a more wack goofy side. Also the bombshell that there's 9,999 of his kind out there. Possibly more if there's like... more Alien Barossa who lay eggs.

That being said I do like how Ultra Medals now are relegated to attacks, helps include them but not make them too overbearing since well, attacks I feel are more manageable to be introduced than whole new forms.

Next week is a clipshow but I figured we'd get one, granted I didn't expect one this soon but oh well, should be fun.

It was fun! Kinda confused about Barossa, as he said he didn't use vocal cords, but he apparently does talk. The battle was a cute balance of action, comedy, and fun.

Kinda funny how it ended on Juggler looking a little dismayed from that dissection joke (for obvious reasons)!

Given that next week's clip show is about franchise Robos, including Jean-Bot and Jean-Nine, I don't mind too much. The more Mecha, the better.

If they are probably watching some sort of video file on the robots, they might see little Nao and say, isn't that Riku as a kid?

So that's why Jean-Bot did that joke in the Geed Movie?

Z: Cuts up an alien into a dozen pieces until it explodes.

Yoko: "So pretty!"

A lot of that fight certainly did look more 'old-school' (low-budget) like from the 90s series... Barossa smacking Z with that rubber stick reminded me of Tiga getting clobbered with a flimsy tree, and just like that time I found myself asking 'i guess this is supposed to be dramatic'.

Clip-show time already, huh. And it's not even the annual recap of the show itself that usually comes after the halfway point! All the mecha talk that is to come has me thinking that I'd like an Ultraman one day that is kinda like a mecha/cyborg themselves.

Z has a base form, but since he's joined with Haruki, he uses Medals for enlarged combat. Perhaps another Ultra Series could show the new Ultra in a base form again, but have to be digitized or kept alive within a mechanical body that changes forms and parts depending on the Veteran Ultra powers the pilot/human protagonist uses in the cockpit! Main question is whether Toei would erupt into a frenzy because such a premise might be construed as too much like Sentai?