If you're going to hit all the classic Ultra beats, you need at least one underground Kaiju! And this is a trippy one!

That's a clever way of reusing Kaiju suits for all the things people mistook Mogusion for. I was half-expecting them to throw in the iconic Reiwa Kaiju Pagos among them.

That hybird Kaiju sketch probably wouldn't be out of place in the Showa era to be honest.

What a comical sequence in the hospital with SKaRD. Teruaki was straight up wrestling with that nurse!

Did Emi think she'd ever end up piloting Earth Garon? But she's not alone for her first sorite, as she's got the new Earth Garon AI Earthy by her side! And he's voiced by Akira Ishida!?

I wonder was that office a miniature set they created and superimposed people into or an actual office set they superimposed into a miniature sequence with Mogusion? Either way, cool!

I honestly have to admire how well Mogusion handled that Rainbow Slash. While also freaking Blazar out at all the building he unwittingly helped dice.

Emi's biggest fear is...herself? Or becoming a like a zombie? Or what happens when she lets loose her emotions? Is that why she acts so composed and restrained sometimes? Either way, Emi is now one of the few human female leads to get depicted giant-size. And she got to go all feral and beat up Blazar!

Poor Blazar having to keep covering his eyes. I wonder what Blazar's greatest fear would've been?

Thanks to the power of friendship and a helpful AI, Emi gives Blazar the break he needed to recover and figure out how to beat Mogusion.

So Mogusion not only had a spinning blade on his forehead but also stretchy-arms. These Kaiju just hate having one gimmick!

I love how Ultra's close their eyes by dimming the lights. I also love how Mogusion was trying to tiptoe around so Blazar didn't catch him. Too bad for Emi!

Next week: The Big Bad is finally introduced in a recap episode?

Currently playing catch up with the last four episodes of Ultraman Blazar that I have unintentionally put off due to my annual Halloween marathon since I was supposed to watch them while going through it.

Cute little recap. Not amazing, but it was cute. Loved the data Kaiju and how they interacted with the host.

Next Episode: "It's time for a Boss Rush!"

I finished Ultraman Leo today! This series was not what I expected. As a matter of fact, this might be the most buck wild 70s tokusatsu I've ever seen. Where do I even start...?


The Good

• There's a ton of unique points to this show. The fact the hero starts off with very little in the way of fighting skills before gradually improving through some legitimately brutal training. The mentor student relationship between Dan and Gen, combined with Dan's jaded "the end justifies the means" mentality against Gen's gentle, yet indecisive behavior. Going into the show, I honestly thought it was going to be a fairly silly show like Taro, and while there are moments of levity it's far outshined by the sheer brutality of the overall story. This is a show that wants the viewer to know that people die and being a recurring character wont save you from the whims of death. The people left behind suffer their own challenges.
• Some good effect work in this one, often depicting nigh on apocalyptic destruction.
• I wasn't too keen on Gen at first, but as the show goes on you really start to sympathize with the poor guy. He really is sweet, even if at times his actions cause terrible consequences.

The Bad

• The show definitely veers into a level of frothing-at-the-mouth machismo at times that is offputting, even considering the show's age and cultural differences.
• The style of the show definitely shifts oddly at times, likely due to attempts to salvage its low ratings. Some stretches are softer and the whole final arc is just strange for an Ultraman show, what with MAC being annihilated and Gen being left on his own for the most part. Dan in particular varies wildly between murderous brutality and a strict but kind superior. I do think it overall managed to keep to good characterization and tone in spite of these problems though. Or at least there were more good than bad points.
• MAC's members are super forgettable. I often couldn't remember if a character who died was recurring or just a one-off for the episode.

The Other

• Dan's role is a bit of an odd choice. I'm not really opposed to it, but I'd kind of like to see a story about how Dan ended up so bitter and world-weary. Or maybe this already exists and I just don't know about it.

It's an odd show, I definitely think its pretty inconsistent in quality, but the highs blew me away. I think I like Return better since it is a more even experience overall, but at the same time I already find myself wistfully wishing more shows from the era were willing to do something so blatantly unmarketable like Leo!

I mean, it's not really the show that the people making it expected, either.

Ultraman still doing its best despite Blazar not doing as many toys as the previous entries.
https://i.imgur.com/seKVsrW.jpg

Makes me wonder how they're going to approach next years' show.

Will we go back to multiple forms, classic Kaiju, and all the typical New Gen stuff?

If they're laying off the senpai power gimmick for the time being, I wouldn't mind seeing another Earth Garon or King Joe Storage Custom kind of robot happen or more borrowing powers from kaijus and aliens in weapon form and stuff. As for those numbers for Ultraman, I guess legacy Ultra stuff still sells strong in Japan and other countries that love the series since Blazar ain't merch-heavy. I wonder if Bandai Spirits stuff is part of those numbers.

I'm kind of surprised they haven't done another Armor Ultra like X.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAgqS4Aa9ok

Out of all characters to include, why Camearra? Her movie is not even licensed.