Suffering through all eleven eps of Ginga was worth it just for that final scene when Taro fights Dark Lugiel. When the Taro theme kicked in, I was having literal flashbacks to watching his show as a 7 year old.

Ok, Ginga wasn't that bad, but it's definitely the budget season. There was some good stuff; I really liked the Dark Ultraman/Dark Ultra Seven fight scenes. The Hikaru-Misuzu relationship was cute, I wish we saw more of that.

Now I'm not sure if I should finish the rest of the New Generation Ultras or try Ultraman Max. I think I've watched more Ultraman in this week than I have my entire life.

If you're asking for opinions, I say going all in on New Generation when you're already this deep in is the better idea.

Unbelievable. As my evil twin from the mirror world you are many things, but not unreliable. I'm shocked.

The face, yeah. Also not a big fan of how the colors come together. Royal Mega-Master I got used to very quickly, mostly because of the awesome action scenes, but Ruebe passed by me. Probably because R/B started to slowly lose me after his debut as well.

The episodes themselves air on the weekend, it takes subbing groups a few days to release them, expect to see something by wednesday. I watch the Genm Corp. Subs as they seem to be released the fastest, I can’t wait for my weekly Ultraman fix :lol

Genm Corp. also subbed the voice dramas :)

Yeah, Ginga was their first attempt at a new Ultraman show in quite a while and it shows. I like it though. The sequel, Ultraman Ginga S is more in line with what you see in the modern shows, highly recommended.

Which are all great by the way; definitely check out Ultraman X & Orb if you have the time.

Max is apparently very good as fellow member Switchblade is on a crusade to spread the word, but I have to admit I haven’t watched it yet; I really should remedy that fact.

Nevermind, Genm Corp. Subs has episode 3 available!

And man, it was great. The story was touching and well put together, but what really blew my mind was the action. Tsuburaya is known for high-end miniature work, props and effects, but this week was something else. The camera work, the excellent miniature building and composition, paired with a great story and the debut of a fun new Ultraman - this episode rules.

Taiga managed to impress me every time so far, and I have complete faith in this show to continue doing this until its end.

Next week we're going to see more of that alien monster auction house which I found very unique and interesting, plus the third Ultraman enters the ring, Fuma! I quite like his Shinobi theme already, can't wait to see him in action.

Third ep of Taiga was good. I hope Genm Corp continues to sub the voice dramas too, I'm curious as to what the third voice episode is about.

Anyway, I'm taking a break from the New Generation Ultras to watch the 1966 original, and I'm really impressed so far. I don't remember it being this good as a boy. I was expecting a low-budget kids' show like the first Kamen Rider, but Ultraman has like....really great production value for a 60s sci-fi show. Like...the sci-fi plots, the characters and humor, the suits and miniatures, the greenscreen visual effects....it's all surprisingly high-quality.

Taiga episode 3 was amazing. I'm honestly a bit taken aback by how an episode this early on was this good. The story has a lot of dimension to it, and the resolution especially hit me way harder than I expected. Hiroyuki's optimistic personality suits a plot with this kind of moral gray area well, and the dynamic him and Homare have reminds me a lot of Musashi and Fubuki in Cosmos, which is cool to see again.

The action was glorious, naturally. Tsuburaya has been refining the way they shoot Ultramen in cities a lot in the past few years, and one thing I think they've perfected is the way they use foreground objects to build perspective. Here, take a look at what was probably my favorite shot of the episode:

https://i.imgur.com/uD0C3WA.jpg

See that train going by? See that deck with all the chairs and tables and everything right up in the corner as though we're watching this through the eyes of someone more or less on that building? The impression of scale and depth here is seriously remarkable, and this is every episode of Ultraman since X. That big money shot of the camera spinning around Titas was likewise incredible, although what actually stood out to me the most there was the complete absence of background music, something I'm noticing Taiga is way more willing to do than any toku show I've seen in forever. There's not even a dedicated track that plays whenever Hiroyuki transforms. It's crazy.

One last little thing is that I love Tregear popping in at the end to remind everyone he's tough. I mean, he doesn't actually accomplish anything very meaningful, so it's arguably pretty pointless, but it's a visually cool sequence, and I like seeing the main bad guy get to be active every episode. Plus his personality totally justifies playing around with the heroes like this, so who cares?

Ginga was a pretty uneven show (and I say this as someone who loves it), but the finale as a whole is genuinely really great.

You know I'm kind of scared, that it's going to go down in quality, because I am freaking loving this show, and it's only 3 episodes.
When I was watching the third ep, I thought it was going to be boring, but it's like the ep knows when to balance the COTD stuff and Ultra stuff.

PSA: Genm Corp has subbed Ep 3 of the voice-drama! I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but Titas is now officially my favorite character of the show.

Also, I just watched Ultra Zero Fight and that was a blast. We need more Ultimate Force Zero. I'm just waiting for a possible Zero guest-star episode in Taiga now.

So, I just finished Ginga S, some stray thoughts:

Ginga S started out a little rough. I still think the Victorians are really dumb. I could’ve also really done without the uber-hammy villains, with their Egregious Engrish and goofy Power Rangers-esque henchmen. I get that this is Ultraman, but a little cheese goes a long way.

But then right around the Five King two-parter, the show really starts to pick up. Overall, Ginga S didn’t blow me away, but I still had fun, and it paved the way for the Ultraman renaissance we’re enjoying now. You can see how later shows like Geed and R/B build off the blueprint that Ginga began.

Also, Tears of Gan Q is a modern TV classic. I think this might be my favorite Ultraman episode out of the 40+ hours of Ultraman content I’ve binged this past week. Runner-up goes to the Cursed Town homage episode, with it’s hilarious Kaiketsu Zubat reference.

Side note: Ginga’s majestic battle music is literal fire. You know the song I mean.

Also, I finished all 39 episodes of the original Ultraman:

I haven’t seen this show since I was like eight, but I was really impressed by the overall production value of the show. I’m also watching the original Kamen Rider, and while KR feels like a student film made on a budget of about $3, Ultraman feels like a special-effects blockbuster in comparison.

Everything about it—the costumes and set design, the FX and miniatures, the characters, the 60s pulp plots—it’s all a lot more sophisticated than I had expected. It feels less like a generic tokusatsu superhero show, and more like a well-crafted science-fiction anthology.

There’s a lot of variety in the episodes too; B-movie plots (Monster Island!), Twilight Zone morality tales (Jamila!), invasion horror (Underground People!), with tones ranging from the humorous (Skydon!) to the tragic (Monster Graveyard!).

Onward with my New Generation/Showa Ultraman binge…next up, X and Seven…

The original Ultraman is really good, and when I first watched it, I was honestly shocked by how much of the series' classic themes, aesthetics, really everything was presented so strongly in it and have been carried well over for so many years.

I don't know if it was just because of that initial surprise, but none of the other Showa Ultras really gripped me in the same way as the original, even though they're all probably objectively better in every sense. Funny that, when all the other Ultras would proceed to show up across the modern era, they'd recieve all sorts of fleshing out and development, but I've never recalled that being the case for OG Ultraman. I guess being a simple good guy is his own defining trait?

Maybe it's for the best. I don't really need to find out that Ultraman is a jerk who never talked to his son for centuries. Looking at you, Seven!

Let's not forget 80, the hardest-working and certainly the most caring Ultraman ever. Not only did he fight monsters, work for an organization that tried to protect Earth with whatever they had from said monsters, HE TAUGHT A WHOLE CLASSROOM FULL OF KIDS. That is dedication. Yeah, all the other Ultras can go strut their little form changes and their little collectibles and their star marks, but 80 was a real trooper.

Yeah, I think the first Ultraman really laid the groundwork for the franchise. Even popular series tropes like "The Attack Team is useless without Ultraman!" have their origins here. It really just had that perfect chemistry of 1960s sci-fi magic and a charming cast full of humor and heart.

To make the Kamen Rider comparison again, I feel like I would only watch the original KR for historic purposes once, but I can see myself rewatching Ultraman, and even recommending it to other people as a genuinely good science-fiction show that stands on its own merits.

Speaking of OG Ultraman being a simple good guy, I really liked the finale where he offered his own life in exchange for Hayata's. I think that summarizes the entire Ultraman character thematically. He's already given his life once by merging it with Hayata's in the pilot, and now in the finale it comes full-circle, and he's ready to do it again permanently. That's a hero, right there.

Oh and Seven is definitely a deadbeat dad. This foo not only seemingly left his kid to be raised entirely by Leo, but apparently NEVER TOLD ZERO THAT HE WAS HIS FATHER.

Aside: I'm actually really interested in Zero's background. It seems that after the Ultras exiled Belial and he turned out to be the greatest threat since Empera, they learned their lesson and tried a more rehabilitative approach when Zero attempted to steal the Plasma Spark.

I've always thought it was really weird myself that the mythos Ultraman has fleshed out for itself has always left the original Ultraman as just another one of the guys in the Space Garrison. You think he'd be a pretty important figure, but it seems like Taro's blue blood dominates a lot of the franchise (what's Taiga's backstory again?), Zoffy is frequently treated as being cooler and tougher, Mebius is definitively the Ultra Brother with the deepest connection to humanity, and Seven has the edge in terms of popularity. Why can't OG Man have a son, you know?


Speaking of which, when you put it that way, Zero's life story is actually super uplifting and inspirational. Dude started out as an angsty bad apple, was essentially ousted from his own society, and still rose up to become a multiversal champion of his people, with a tight circle of close friends who are pretty much the definition of "ride or die", AND, not only did he not turn out like that other bad apple Ultraman like everyone was worried about, he actively stops his evil ambitions at every turn and is now reliable and mature to the point where he's a surrogate big bro mentor to said other bad apple's own son, guiding him along on the path of justice.

I mean, dang. Let all that be a reminder that it's never too late to turn over a new leaf. Back in 2009 there was no way a guy like Zero could've ever struck up a friendship with a dude like Leito, but he's seriously come a long way since then. I can't even believe I used to think he was a lame character.

And sadly 80 is the most ignored Ultra in the franchise. Seriously, the fact that he had no Ultra Fusion Card and a fusion component is a crime, dude is one of the best Ultras. Ppus, he scored with dating the princess of the planet dammit! He's gonna be the future king of M78 dammit!

Honestly I got a feeling that Zero is an illegitimate child of Seven after a one night stand.

I didn't think I could love Zero any more but somehow you pulled off the impossible with this post. I just finished the episode of Ultraman Beats by Dre where Zero guest-stars, too.

Was Seven messing around with one of the Blue scientists?

Zero's mother is confirmed to be a Blue Ultra. Hope Seven pays for their living costs at least :p

New mini! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2EGeq1THgE

I just wrapped up Ultraman X. Only Orb is left after this, and then I'll finally be caught up with all the New Generation Ultras! Anyway, some stray thoughts...

I guess the biggest pitfall of Ultraman X is that the show makes zero attempt to deliver an overarching season-long plot. There's a lot of setup at the season's start (The X-Greeza fight, the Ultra Flares and Spark Dolls, Daichi's parents' research and them being trapped in....the Digital World? Ion even know bro)...that never really pays off. It's almost as if the show ignores its own big story-arc in favor of smaller, self-contained episodes.

And you know what? I had so much fun with the individual episodes that I was totally fine with that.

The OG Ultraman was essentially an anthology, so I can't be too mad that X ultimately went the same route. What we got instead were 22 episodes built around a common theme of human coexistence with kaiju and aliens, which is the central motif of the entire show: unity (hence, the "Unite!" battle cry).

And it's when X leans into this theme that the show really shines. From Birdon building a nest out of buildings, to the Nebula House roommates, to Houlinga, to Pigmon, to the hilarious documentary episode...what X really Xcels at (haha) is showing how living in a world with aliens and giant monsters would be like. It's almost like slice-of-life stories in the world of Ultraman, and I loved how the show was unafraid to embrace its goofy premise.

We're also treated to a lot of character development for the XIO crew, and their civilian lives outside the attack team job. While I didn't quite fall in love with this cast the way I have for other Ultra shows (Geed, Mebius, even the original Science Patrol), I was still impressed by how almost every member of the team got a spotlight episode (my personal favorite was Captain Kamiki's).

I guess it also helped that X had a healthy serving of fanservice with guest Ultras. It's arguably more overt here than Ginga/Ginga S, and while some of them were super left-field (Max, Nexus), I really enjoyed seeing the Ginga cast again for their two-parter. And let's be honest, any episode with Ultraman Zero is an automatic 11/10 for me.

Minor off-topic tangent: Am I the only one who doesn't really care for most of the New Generation Ultra designs (not counting Zero)? They just haven't grown on me. It's not that I find them offensive, but they're all either too busy or too bland design-wise. Everyone just starts blending together after a while.

Ginga is the only one who really stands out thanks to his Tron lights. But R/B, Orb, Armorless X, and even my precious Geed just feel like tweaked bootlegs of OG Ultraman's design. I think we need less Silver base designs, and more Reds and Blues. Even Taiga (whose father is ostensibly a Red) looks more like a typical Silver with minor Taro features thrown in. So far, the only New Gen suit I really like is Solid Burning Geed.

More on-topic though: While I do find X's base form to be very underwhelming and forgettable, I do dig the Armor Digivolve concept of the MonsArmors. The Gomora armor, in particular, is pretty badass even if it makes him look like Ultraman WarGreymon (which I guess comes full circle since Greymon was based off Gomora...). Exceed X is a visual war crime though.

Last thing: I'm also watching Ultra Seven now and jeezus, this show is depressing. It's like the polar opposite of Ultraman in terms of tone. Although I will say The Cursed Town is an extremely well-directed episode, and entirely deserving of its critical acclaim and many homages.

Anyway. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Onward to Orb!

Personally my favourite designs of the New Generation Ultras is actually X himself, with his features that lean into a cybernetic sort of nature, and that big 'X' on his chest feels like a superhero emblem. Ginga does stand out, but he's actually my least favourite-looking because I always thought those thick blue panels on him were kinda clunky-looking. Victory is way better a design than Ginga.

Even though Orb and Geed's designs are burrowing directly from OG Ultraman, I still think Geed manages to look very unique. He takes Belial's decidedly evil features and warps them all into something that's still really cool yet his own thing. Orb is still good though, I think his mix of purple, red, black and silver makes for a really cool colour scheme.

Making fun of Rosso's cat ears is off-limits! But having race-car flames or any of the other elemental effects is his and Blu's only distinctive traits, which I guess is fine enough since nobody else does it.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. X's design isn't terrible (I'm a little meh on the Beats by Dre ears though), but I like him better with the MonsArmor on. I might actually prefer Ginga over Victory, though I'm lukewarm on both. Victory Knight has a neat color scheme though.

It makes sense for Orb and Geed to resemble Shodai Ultraman given their powers, I suppose. Thinking more about it, I think I can agree with you on Geed actually. He does hit an acceptable balance between OG and Belial. I'm still not feeling Orb, though now that I've started his series, maybe that'll change.

And R/B...eh, like I said, I don't hate any of these designs, I just haven't quite fallen in love with them the way I have with say...Zero, or Nexus.

On a different note, I don't know if this has been shared before, but there's a pianist on YouTube who does wonderful piano arrangements for tokusatsu songs. Check out his take on Ultraman Leo's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2isnj9DaNx4

Okay, first of all:

He's not a bootleg! He's Riku! Asakura Riku! That's his name!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Anyway, I definitely disagree about the New Generation designs, but this is obviously highly subjective. Zero actually does the least for me personally, although I will concede his design is fantastic.

All the others I think are still totally well thought out and suited to their respective shows and characters, which is generally how I look at things like this. My immediate impression of a suit's aesthetics tends to matter less in the long term than how I feel it succeeds at communicating what it's going for. Like, my tastes kind of adapt around the show or something, which I gather isn't how it works for most people.

For example, Geed won me over immediately simply for actually looking evil, because otherwise the show's message would've fallen a lot flatter. All of Orb's designs I think are super slick and refined, with Burnmite being my favorite. While I'm not too fond of Exceed X myself, I find his base form has a lot of great touches. FreshToku covered a few of them already, but I'm especially fond of his very gentle facial expression. He's the only New Generation lead not to have some degree of angry eyebrows going on, and that's super appropriate for the Ultra I feel is essentially this decade's Cosmos, all the more with the laid back, friendly way Yuuichi Nakamura voiced him.

Not to mention how cool, unique, and suited to the electronic motif the-

Oh. :(

Oh man, I used to love this guy's videos, but I haven't thought about him in years. It's good to know he's still at it. He's even done Taiga's opening already!

LOL. And yeah, I can understand your reasoning for Geed. Like I said, the more I think about Geed, the more I warm up to his suit. You bring up a good point that the designers weren't afraid to make him look more menacing either. To a casual fan, Geed might even appear to be the bad guy. Orb just looks like he's got too much going on, though speaking of Burnmite, I do love the way he does like 8 unnecessary flips in midair in homage of Taro whenever he's in this form.

Still not feeling Ultraman Bose Noise-Canceling though. :lol

Geed was pretty much what if Superboy was a clone of Guy Gardner as a Red Lantern so the design choices made were understandable when I first saw it. :lolol

Just wrapped up Ultraman Orb and Ultra Seven. Pretty sure I've finally hit 100 hours of Ultraman content.

Ultraman Orb:

I've almost uniformly enjoyed all the New Generation shows (with the blatant exception of Ginga), and Orb follows the trend. While I've strayed from the Kamen Rider franchise since Decade and haven't enjoyed any of the Neo-Heisei stuff, I've really embraced this new direction for the Ultraman franchise.

I love Gai, and that he's not another naive freshman who has to learn to master his powers, but rather a competent Zubat-esque hero from the jump. Juggler is cool, though I imagine I'll have to watch The Origin Saga for more of his character arc. Naomi is cute, and I was surprised by how much they played up the romantic angle; they even had Gai do the trademark J-drama "guy hugs girl from the back" thing with her. Naomi's also in shorts and hot baths a lot, which seems surprisingly risque for a Saturday morning kids show, though maybe that's just cultural differences? Anyway.

Action, choreography, and set design are on-point, as always. Again, not crazy about Orb's design and his many forms, or even the clunky-looking Orbcalibur, but I can live with 'em. Although I will say I loved Orb's henshin sequence, which is a first for me. It's not uber long like Geed's, and I love how Gai is wearing a black undersuit (just seems cool, like the Ultraman "armor" forms on it), and that he refers to all the Ultramen with honorifics. #RespectfulGai

There's a loose overarching plot with Juggler, but it's largely tangential. The stronger episodes, as with X, are the slice-of-life one-off episodes, e.g. the Babarue-seijin one, the Shibukawa spotlight one, the Black Star Cafe one etc. Of special note is the three-part Thunder Breaster (hehe) arc, which I was genuinely impressed by. The exploration of Orb's power and the consequences of it, while also tying into Galactron and giving all the SSP members some solid character work, was really enjoyable.

I don't have much else to say, honestly. I think my favorite New-Gen series so far is still Geed, but if I had to rank 'em (not counting Taiga): Geed, X, Orb, R/B, Ginga S, Ginga.

Ultra Seven:

Woof. Okay, so this was very depressing to watch. Ultra Seven is, tonally, the complete polar opposite of the first Ultraman. While the first Ultraman was a largely optimistic show about a spaceman and his human friends, Ultra Seven is a dark, claustrophobic Red Scare Commies in the 1960s-ish show about humanity's neverending struggle against the threat of alien invasion.

One thing that Seven does really well is the mood. That feeling of dread, that the fear of aliens and the paranoia of the "Other" can come from anywhere, is done really well. The Akio Jissoji-directed episodes, in particular, are absolutely stellar. The Cursed Town, Nightmare on the Fourth Planet etc. feature some of the eeriest cinematography and storytelling of the entire show. Seven feels less like a superhero show about an Ultraman, and more like a Twilight Zone-style thriller.

The only issue I have with Seven is that it can get repetitive. Particularly in the stretch between Eps. 30-40, where the show gets somewhat predictable. Every episode is essentially: Strange thing happens, Ultra Garrison investigates, someone gets brainwashed, turns out to be aliens, fight! I get that Ultra series are inherently formulaic, but because Seven almost universally relies on "aliens" as its bad guys, the show loses some of its narrative punch after a while.

But the final stretch of episodes are really strong, and the two-part finale with Seven on the cross is leagues better than Ultraman Shodai's Zetton episode. It might just be the price of having a longer season compared to the first Ultraman, but I would say Ultra Seven ultimately (hehe) ends on a strong note.

Random observations: 1) It's weird that they never explain how any of the humans learned of Ultra Seven's name 2) I loved the guest-star appearances of Fuji and Capt. Muramatsu from the first Ultraman 3) I wish we got to see more of the Capsule Monsters. Seven uses Windom in the first episode, and then the show practically forgets they exist until the tail-end of its run. R.I.P. Windom though, gone but not forgotten

Onward! Up next, Ultraman Orb The Origin Saga and Return of Ultraman!

I've actually been rewatching Orb lately, and now that we live in a post-R/B world, I was shocked going back to find out how short the transformations in it are, even at full length. I remember them feeling a lot longer at the time. Also, it is great how polite Gai is... even if I disagree that there's a need to extend that courtesy to flippin' Belial, but still.

Also also:

This is starting to feel personal. :lol

It's not clunky, it's hefty, okay? It's basically the ultimate weapon. Even if Gai runs into a monster too tough to stab or slash, he can always use the flat side to bludgeon it to death. :p

I am genuinely curious how you feel about Orb Origin as a whole though. The beefy greatsword is one thing (I'm a sucker for heroes with swords), but the way Orb completely flipped the script on how super modes work has always been really fascinating to me. Instead of something really elaborate and regal, Origin is by far the most simple of Orb's forms, genuinely looking the part of a standard Ultraman design. The context it had in the story, with the brief glimpses of it in silhouette during flashbacks (as well as on the show's main promotional poster that was being used before it even premiered, IIRC), and it representing Gai finally sort of reclaiming his identity after hitting his lowest point (again) made it extremely memorable. Everything about that debut coming out of the Thunder Breaster arc was just perfect, especially hearing that melancholic tune Gai is always playing reworked into a triumphant anthem. His tragic history was the spine of the story from the opening scene, and I don't think anyone could ask for a better payoff.

Part of me wishes Specium Zeperion got more of a fair shake, because I like that design a lot too, and having seen those early episodes again, a lot of the fight scenes it was in were extremely cool and creative in how they used its abilities, but it's hard to argue with Tsuburaya's logic in treating Origin as being Orb's default form ever since the show ended. Namely, because, you know, that's what it is.

So the new episode of Taiga just aired. To summarise, it features a slug alien who gets drunk on yoghurt, the debut of our human protagonist and future va for Taiga’s third partner and the use of the Gingalette.

I loved it.

I'm kind of lost for words when it comes to describing Ultraman Taiga. I just want to write what I liked but in the end I basically describe the entire episode. And when I pick out a few moments to highlight I feel like doing all the other great stuff that happened a disservice so... yeah, Ultraman Taiga rules, episode 4 was awesome.

So much character driven greatness, such amazing action. Tsuburaya is still going strong into Reiwa and I hope they don't stop anytime soon.

You know what else I don't care for? The Filet o' Fish. Waaaay too clunky. :lol

I will say this about the Orbcalibur though: I think it was a smart decision from an aesthetic standpoint, because having a giant sword is a good complement to the clean design of the Origin form. The concept of a sword adds a little pizzazz to a costume that might be too plain otherwise. I just don't like the actual look of the sword, which screams "toyetic" to me, much like the Geed Claw.

As for the Origin form, I would never call it iconic, but it's inoffensively fine. Sticking to just three solid colors (plus the Color Timer blue and the eyes) helps it to avoid the "messier" color schemes of his other forms, in my opinion. I particularly like the black "trunks" portion of the suit.

I will mention though, that my favorite Orb form is probably Thunder Breaster (hehe). Three main colors, enough features from Zoffy and Belial to tell he's using their powers, and those DUMMY THICC shoulder pads. It also helps that Thunder Breaster was key in the three-part storyarc which I really enjoyed.

I don't hate Specium Zeperion especially, but it just looks too much like a messier revamp of Tiga for me to dig. And don't get me started on Orb Trinity from the movie...

Also thoughts on the new Taiga:

First off, if you guys haven't heard this episode's voice-drama yet, go check that out. Just a hilarious comedic romp with the Tri-Squad, and it further cements why Titas is my favorite of the trio so far.

As for the actual episode itself, without delving too much into spoiler territory, I'll just mention three things. 1) I'm actually surprised by the overall somber and dare I say more "real-world" tone that Taiga has taken so far. Yeah we get occasional glimpses of levity with the cast, but it's not exactly R/B is it? This week's episode even had a downer ending, and the world of aliens coexisting with humans isn't all sparkles either.

2) THE PRODUCTION VALUE. Seriously, it's insane to see how far TsuPro has come since the Ginga days. I feel like they're literally throwing money at Taiga. The sheer detail of the sets and miniatures. The beautiful fight cinematography and camera-work. And did I mention the mind-blowing CGI in this episode? Like, damn, whenever I watch Kamen Rider or the CW DC superhero shows, bad CGI always takes me out, but Taiga has been consistently impressive with their VFX.

3) Tregear is really, really fun to watch so far. I have zero clue what his evil plan even is, but he just exudes enough smarmy villainous douchebaggery that he stands out from the more conventional "I'm EVUL" Belial. And him whipping Homare in H2H combat, and then doing the same to Fuma. I'm really excited to see what Tregear ends up doing.

Wait till you see Ultraman Leo.

Episode 4 of Taiga was amazing. I accidentally used that exact adjective for both episodes 2 and 3, but honestly, after this one, I think it's something worth repeating every week as long as its true.

This was the best one yet, and the standards were already set extremely high. The plot here was something out of a Cowboy Bebop episode. Just a super tightly packed 20-some minutes with rock solid world-building, tight pacing, really heavy drama, excellent characterization that strongly builds on the main cast through their interactions with one-off characters who they have history with (going back to the rock solid world-building)... it's just perfect all around. This kind of crime drama stuff is right up my alley and they completely nailed it.

The action continues to impress as well. I feel like after going nuts with X (where every single episode had some insanely cool money shot), Tsuburaya has toned down how wild they get with the cinematography in Ultraman, but so far Taiga is bringing that feeling back in force. That sequence of Taiga flying around had the same WOW factor as something like Revenge of Belial, and anyone who's seen that movie knows what high praise that is. The best part is it's not even the only standout part of the episode.

At this rate, Taiga is on track to become something really special.

I also have to finally mention the voice dramas. I was expecting to talk about how they did a great job at humanizing the Ultramen after those first 3 episodes (as a Mebius fan, the second one in particular really tugs at the heartstrings), but then the 4th decided to go for wacky meta comedy... which was also fantastic. I don't want to spoil the jokes, but anyone who's been overlooking them so far should absolutely give them a chance since Genm Corp is doing subs for them.

Okay, now you're just rubbing it in! :p

Anyways, I can't argue the "toyetic" point with the Orbcalibur. At the very least, having a big circle be the centerpiece of the design is on-brand for Orb.

Also, I thought Orb Trinity looked pretty abysmal at first but for no discernible reason, I've since warmed up to it. Honestly, I probably shouldn't be arguing Ultra fashion when my tastes are this undemanding. At least we have some common ground on Thunder Breaster, but I mean, who doesn't like that form?

Although if we're talking swole Ultramen, I say OG Man in the X movie could take on Thunder Breaster and Titas any day of the week. Check him out making Tiga and X look like total nerds:

https://i.imgur.com/70qzrAN.jpg

What the :lolol

Yeah, that suit's lying around for some reason. It was in something else too - one of Orb or Geed's rises, I think but I can't remember what.

Can't wait.

Although, does anyone know where I can find English subs for Ultraman Ace? I've managed to secure episodes 1-35 off Tokuzilla, but I can't seem to find the rest anywhere. I'm pretty bummed out I can't complete my Great Showa Ultraman Binge, especially since I loved Ace as a kid.

I might have to buy a physical copy of the Malaysian bootleg... :(

Huh, you know what's funny, I literally just saw the X movie and never realized how ridiculously SWOLE Shodai looks in that. I'm all for it--OG Man needs way more recognition, nobody seems to give him the respect he deserves despite being...y'know, the original Ultraman.

Also speaking of Orb, I'm watching The Origin Saga now, and his "Origin The First" form is pretty easy on the eyes too.

I love how they keep beefing him up so he'd further stand apart from Jack and Zoffy. Seriously it looks like Schwarzenegger is wearing the suit lol.

You live in Malaysia?

Also yeah, it's really weird how they kinda shove Ultraman aside despite being the original one. It's like he's just there to be the poster boy while Seven and Zoffy and even Jack sometimes gets the spotlight. That is why during Geed's final episode when all the Ultras made cameos Ultraman was given a significant one and I loved that. It's like they're finally acknowledging that he is THE GODDAMN ULTRAMAN.

I love how the 4th voice drama was them making fun of U40 and Joneus for being the most obscure Ultraman. And the fact that Taiga self proclaimed himself as the leader just because his planet is the most popular.

Yeah, I actually grew up on a steady diet of these questionable English subtitles as a kid. I'm watching Return of Ultraman with bootleg subs right now, and it's great how they keep translating "Ganbatte!" as "Screw up!"

Random thought: why doesn't Ultraman Shodai, or any of the Ultra Brothers sans Zoffy, have a Star Mark? I mean, I get why from an real-world standpoint, but has there ever been any in-universe explanation? I know the core six (plus Leo kinda) all get the bitchin' Brothers' Mantle as a status symbol, but you'd think more of 'em would've earned a Star Mark by now.

Also, I recently learned that 2019 isn't just Taro's 45th anniversary; it's also Joneus' 40th, hence the introduction of Titas. Shoutout to TsuPro for acknowledging the more obscure parts of Ultra-lore, I remember growing up with the Star Ultraman cartoon as a kid. And it was genuinely hilarious how Fuma and Taiga kept making awkward, polite comments when Titas brought up Joneus. :lol

Random thoughts on my latest Ultra-binge:

Ultraman Orb The Origin Saga

Man, was this a let-down. I was really hoping this would be the "Year One" of Ultraman Orb, with Gai coming to terms with his newfound power and responsibility, and Juggler's creeping descent into darkness...and the show does kind of start out that way...

...Until it decides to haphazardly shunt all that in favor of...some bizarre plot about a Tree of Life, a War God (Goddess?) who protects a planet (of aliens who look exactly like humans, which is one of my most-hated Ultra-tropes), some random scientist kid who somehow has access to a submersible, an overtly-narmy villain and his army of mind-controlling Antlars, plus random cameos of Cosmos, Dyna, Gaia, Agul...

And I just didn't care anymore. Right around the point when Juggler leaves the main group, the show stops being about the Gai-Juggler relationship, and the narrative crux of the entire thing just falls apart. The story then devolves into this sci-fi gobbledegook plot and I had to grit my teeth just to plow through the last 8 or so episodes.

Maybe it makes more sense within the greater Orb Chronicle context, but as a standalone series, it really didn't do much to expand on or explain the origins (hehe) of the Gai-Juggler rivalry that we see in the main series. It's a shame too, because I really enjoyed Ultraman Orb.

Ultra Fight Victory

I'm starting to see the genius of the Ultra Fight shows. Get the main cast members back, throw some popular Ultramen and kaiju together to fight in front of a cost-efficient greenscreen, and sprinkle in some fanservice callbacks. These Ultra Fight shows are essentially just half-hour commercials for an Ultraman's new form or new toy. From a financial perspective, it's brilliant.

And you know what? It's totally working.

I did not give two Birdon balls because I was having so much fun. Having Hikari back was dope, and I love the Victory Knight suit and even that goofy Green Ranger/Kamen Rider Ibuki-esque flute. Giving Ace Killer (ahem, Victory Killer) the UlTrans gimmick was neat too. And the music themes! Not gonna lie, when the Ace, Leo, Ginga, and Victory themes kicked in, I was cheering.

Overall, not mind-blowing, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

Ultra Fight Orb

I mean, if you have Ultraman Zero in it, I'm probably gonna enjoy it. Just sayin'.

I don't have much to say on this one--just like Ultra Fight Victory it's a fun romp advertising a new Ultraman form with some healthy doses of fanservice. There's not much depth beyond that. I did love how they had the Showa Ultramen take on their original foes though (i.e. Jack vs. Gudon/Twin Tail, Seven vs. King Joe, and Zoffy vs. Birdon as he did in Taro's series). And Orb's new Emerium Slugger form is inoffensive enough. It's basically just Zero's suit, but it does remind me of Geed's Solid Burning form in a good way too.

Speaking of Geed, was that him at the end? I read that it was just Belial in disguise which...I don't really get either, but alright. Reibatos was cool though; I wonder if his name was a reference to Alien Bat, since they're both necromancers.

Anyway. Shoutout to Sakamoto-san, he seems to be having a lot of fun with these shows.

Superior 8 Ultraman Brothers

This was good. I was kind of expecting more from what I've heard is the best (both critically and commercially) Ultraman movie, but maybe I'm just burned out from consuming too much Ultra-material.

Regardless, I do like the central conceit of the Tiga-Dyna-Gaia trio being kids who grew up inspired by the original Ultramen, and I loved all the scenes with the Ultra Brothers going about their civilian lives. It's like the classic narrative of old soldiers who've fought countless battles, and now they've retired to the happy tomorrows that they deserve.

Ultraman is an inherently nostalgic and optimistic franchise, so building it around peoples' belief in their heroes was a smart thematic decision. And the copious amounts of fanservice didn't hurt either. I loved that they brought back all the wonderful actresses from the original shows, and all the references made me smile, especially since I'm rewatching the Showa stuff right now. My two favorites were: 1) When Mebius refers to Goh as Shin Ultraman-neesan, and 2) Seeing all the classic attack team jets at the end.

The only thing I was really meh about were the bad guys. Can someone explain the Black Silhouette? Were they just a metaphor for the hopelessness we succumb to if we don't believe in ourselves and our dreams? I don't know. Also some of the CGI work with Giga Khimaira has not aged well, but that's not really the film's fault per se. It's just cool to see TsuPro come so far with their VFX work.

Oh, and I still don't really get the parallel universe hijinks. Sooo Mebius got sent to an alternate world where Ultraman was just a show...but because the kaiju were summoned over, the people in this universe who were Ultramen in that other universe...suddenly got the Ultra powers from that universe too? I don't know. Ultraman continuity makes my head hurt.

Anyway. How many hours of Ultraman content have I watched in the last two weeks you ask? Only 135 hours. Let's see if I can hit 200.

This was quite the movie if I remember at the time. Tsuruno who played Asuka/Dyna was gaining popularity thanks to a game show at the time, THEY GOT NAKANO BACK which I thought would never happen since he is part of big name boyband, etc. I loved how they re-imagined not just the 1st Heisei Ultraman trio, but also the original Ultra Brothers and Fujimiya as well. And Mirai/Mebius playing the role of Marty McFly kinda was fun to see. And the cherry on top? Nakano's boyband V6 of Tiga's opening theme Take Me Higher returning to sing a new Ultraman theme. It was the perfect fan service movie I think still to this day.

We should just start calling Jack as Ultraman Briefs, Zoffy as Ultraman Punk, and Ultraman as Ultraman Bro.

Ah fellow Malaysian then!

Damn. I really didn't realize he's so damn beefy.

I mean, they'd occassionally call him Man, and now it makes more sense because he is a MAN.