According to the wiki Grigio actress is credited as a voice actor. So she is going to be in the movie but suit only.

She is! Even made it on some of the posters.

https://i.imgur.com/Gyi5BqC.jpg

Good, good...
...
Man Taiga looks unnatural without his horns.

I can't get it out of my head how his new form makes me think of someone slicking their hair upwards in order to look more punk. Taiga just needs a leather jacket to complete the look...

Isn't this a different Ultraman entirely that just reuses parts of the same suit?

I could’ve sworn I heard this was Hiroyuki becoming an Ultraman himself, not Taiga.

Talking of which, 100% betting Z’s movie form is the tri squad.

Taiga! Titas! Fuma! Omega Tri!

I haven't been following the actual plot details of the movie. That sounds like it would be neat though, even if he does just turn into a Taiga-lookalike!

I had the exact same thought. I also had hoped that in the show, his mid-season upgrade would be Rosso, Blue and Grigio since they're the only other new generation Ultras not represented in Z so far, but it looks like that slot is going to suped-up King Joe. Oh well.

Unlikely as their corresponding medals have already been sold as candy toys, I don’t think they trigger a special sound when combined either. EDIT: No wait, it plays the Tri-Strium sound.

If they hadn’t brought in Belial in the main show I would’ve guessed it to be a Belial-themed fusion, now I assume something wild like a fusion out of the past movie exclusive forms.

Haruki: Taiga Senpai! Titas Senpai! Fuma Senpai!(Geez how many more senpais does he have?)
Z: I heard that sir!

:lolol

Does anybody know what is the reason or pattern, if there is any, behind the episodes of Ultraman they pick for those 'Watch with Zero' specials? It could just very well be a grab bag of whatever they think is mildly interesting across the franchise's history, but I keep wondering if there's something more to it. Dyna episode 30 was especially random because that one's supposed to be a follow-up to an earlier Dyna episode!

Side-note, I think Zero would be a pain to watch Ultraman with because he'd always be talking about how he'd handle the bad guy so much quicker than whoever we were watching.

A lot of them are down to what’s in the latest Z episode. Fiveking’s in this one? Put on Fiveking’s debut from Ginga S. King Joe? Here’s his first appearance where he beat the shit out of Ultraseven!

That only really accounts for half of them though, and the Dyna example you gave is a reaaaally good one for how random the others can get. Still, ain’t complaining about an upload of Gan-Q’s Tears!

The real question - why is the first part of the King Joe two parter labelled as an Ultraman X Episode?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTxw5nQX7SA

(no actually i hope it stays like that forever because it's kinda funny)

So I finished Episode 6 of Ultraman Mebius and man... Ultraman Hikari is in this? I didn’t know that :lol

Oh, excused me, "Hunter Knight Tsurugi". What an edgelord name. Also, Rose's game was revealed much earlier than I thought it would. I guess the tongue CGI got too expensive, especially after she had to use her own one lately.

But man, I really enjoy the characters in this show, they're great! Such a lovely dynamic and Mirai as a human Ultraman works so well.

Ultraman Mebius - Episode 7: Fanton's Lost Item

This episode was really fun. I have a soft spot for Alien Fanton ever since I've watched Ultraman X so I was happy to see one again. They don't hold back with the comedy in this one, I love it :lol

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

The gist of this episode is that an Alien Fanton spaceship lost their special food formula over Earth's orbit. It was meant as a new food source for Planet Fanton as its local inhabitants face extinction through famine.

Fanton approaches GUYS and ask for help, they find the formula, but through the actions of Rose it grows gigantic and needs to be contained.

So - I guess Rose, or as she's actually called, "Bogar", just wants... food? Like, everything she did so far was to awaken monsters so she could eat them? That's a bit weird, but okay. I assume this will get explained later.

Two points stand out to me in this episode:

1. Hunter Knight Tsurugi, or rather his reckless actions that spark anger in Mebius. I love how instead of Tsurugi being a straight up dick and opposing Mebius for no reason (like some secondary Kamen Riders tend to do) he just hunts Bogar relentlessly and doesn't care for property damage. He obliterates a city block which ticks Mebius off, understandably so. I know it is obvious that this again harkens back to episode 1, but I still would’ve loved a flashback to the "You didn't protect anything"-scene, mostly because once again Mebius couldn't protect the city. Sure, Tsurugi caused this, but Mebius saw it happen. He's not only angry because of the destruction, but I want to believe he once again feels like he failed in his duty.

This is some great source for conflict between the two giants; I can't wait to see how this plays out.

2. Mebius/Mirai and his relationship to his human comrades. This episode once again showcased how brilliantly Mirai interacts with his team, giving them the right clues and help to succeed but needing to maintain a human disguise at the same time. He grows so close to his teammates and I genuinely enjoy the scenes they share.

As I continue to watch Mebius I remembered the Ultraman Taiga voice drama. Episode 02 literally tells us how depressed Mebius got after returning from Earth, knowing he will outlive all of his human comrades. This and the "present" he gets from them - man, seeing this very friendship unfold before my eyes as I watch the show is fantastic!

It's been so long since I thought about the early episodes of Mebius, that these posts is inspiring a lot of big flashbacks as it all comes back to me in a rush. I found every single thing really captivating, from Mirai to all his fellow GUYS crewmates, to Tsurugi and Bogar... Wow, there's a lot going on, isn't there! Do you already have any favourites this early on?

...Also, 'GUYS' is still kind of a dumb name. But I mean, it's stuck with me forever.

First of all: ... huh! I thought the Fantons debuted in X! I guess much like Tregear in the R/B movie I should really just assume that any one thing in Ultra is never unique to one series.

Second:

... aww, man; I’m glad I helped prompt you into watching a show you’re clearly liking; but I never wanted to imply it was strange or weird or bad or anything. You shouldn’t feel obligated to watch anything you’re not interested in! What I was saying back then is like... I think you’re probably the biggest promoter of Ultraman on this site, that’s part of how I’ve come to see you; so it just came as a surprise you only liked New Gen! Surprise and that’s it. But, once again, glad you found something you like :D



Third: before my laptop got turned in for repairs, I decided to finish up Taiga! And... I guess I was a bit disappointed by it, unfortunately. I stand by not disliking any actual Ultra show I’ve seen so far and I’m very glad of that, but I couldn’t quite get into this one. Just really felt like there should have been a lot more to the characters and their backstories than we got and I had trouble truly loving any of them. Every single fight scene with Fuma or Titas was extremely fun, though! Would love to see main Ultras dabble in very different fighting styles the way these two did.

Is "All of them" a satisfying answer? No, it isn't.

So, let's see... George is the most unlikable of the bunch at first, but he grew on me once you realized what he left behind. Everyone sacrificed something to enlist in GUYS, but I feel like it was the hardest for him. I really like seeing him warm up to others now, especially Miria who he had a rocky start with.

Marina could use a bit more character focus episodes, I do like how they dealt with her sense of hearing but even though she works well with any other character and I did like to see her grow alongside Ryu, I feel like she needs to grow on me a little bit more.

Teppei is the super likable dork, it seems like becoming a GUYS was his destiny as he shows constant amazement in what he does and didn't really fell like becoming a doctor anyways.

Konomi is just super cute. She's the most fragile but also the most caring person on the team, and her focus episode with the capsule monster Miclas (or as Ryu calls it, Nicholas :lol) was great. The emotions they portray with this character are fantastic, and I like how she constantly shows appreciation towards Mebius which in turn makes Mirai super happy.

So leaving Mirai aside because well, he’s the main hero so of course he's super likable, yeah I guess I like Ryu the most. I just like pigheaded characters that can be strong enough to admit that they were wrong and instinctively bring out the best in people around them, even if it isn't a smooth ride to the finish line with him ;)

It was also great seeing him being the only survivor of the previous team, facing such a grief loss and needing to open p towards new comrades. His dynamic with the whole cast is great, and he currently has a very interesting bond with the "host" of Tsurugi that seem very promising.

I also enjoy all of the support characters, even the overly ass goofy Aide Toriyama :D

Apparently Dr. Guruman even references the appearance of his fellow Alien Fanton in Mebius a bit, he has a secret stash of "C-Pin 929" which is the emergency food formula from Mebius.

You didn't! It wasn't bothering me much, but it was a factor that helped me make the leap. I was just a bit annoyed with myself for obviously adoring this franchise but not getting deeper into it. And realizing I made the same mistake with Kamen Rider were I ignored Showa for a long time before I gave it a try and loved it.

Ohoho... no way :o

Thanks again, I really enjoy Ultraman Mebius!

I liked Taiga a lot; when it aired it came very close to rivaling Geed for my #1 spot. I don't know, something about it made me insanely happy every week. I liked all of the characters, the effects were superb and the three different Ultra were awesome. But the ending felt a bit half-assed I'll admit as much.

But I do think it's my #2 so far. Although X was super good too, and Orb was also great - I think the only thing I can safely settle on is Geed as #1.

I still stand by a statement I think I made earlier in this thread that Taiga should've been a full 50-ish episode series in an ideal world. The other New Generation shows all feel very confident in the nice compact stories they get to tell, but Taiga is just bursting at the seams with plot threads and concepts that don't get enough time to breathe on-screen.

It ultimately chooses to ignore a lot of it to keep the focus pretty strictly on EGIS in an effort to compensate, which I don't think was a bad move -- I loved all those characters, their dynamics often reminded me of a Yasuko Kobayashi series, and Kana is literally the best -- but it's a shame we couldn't get even more than we did. There's not a lot of real resolution for Tregear, Titas and Fuma's backstories were left to the voice dramas, which are amazing, but that's kind of a problem when it's off to the side. That three-part origin for Fuma is without question my favorite thing to come out of the entire series. The way it fleshes out his personality is just incredible... and none of that ever comes across in the show itself. Taiga frustrates me specifically because it's a great series that could've been so, so much greater.

And speaking of so much greater, good to see you're still enjoying Mebius, Kiwami! I'm glad you finally get to know what Hikari was like before he was a cheap plot device to represent Bandai. :lol

So I tried to watch Ultraman Netflix again, hoping to change my opinion of it.

And then I realized why I was unable to enjoy it: the goddamn framerates. God I hope season 2 would have a more stable framerate, the bright spot is that Ghost in the Shell has constant framerates.

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.

I'll keep it in mind! My plan for next was to go watch Kamen Rider X, since I watched the first couple episodes a while back and I want to experience some Showa for the first time, but I'll come back to Taiga after. But who knows, I'm gonna do the R/B movie soon, so maybe it'll inspire me to power on.

It really does make me wonder why Taiga is the son of Taro in the first place...

Taro's just a deadbeat dad, doesn't pay much of his child support.

To cash in on the popularity of his dad, it worked for Zero, so why stop? ;)

See, we joke, but really, Ultraman Bandai isn't any less embarrassingly blunt than the name he already has. :lol

It's because Taiga was a show with way too many ideas

I can't agree with this. Taro is a wonderful, caring parental figure who simply appreciates his son's desire for space to grow out of his shadow. Now, if we wanna talk deadbeat Ultra dads, we could bring up Seven's treatment of Zero...

Look, all I know about Ultrama Taro is that Katsumi has a shiny medal with his face on it, I'm glad to know he's a stand-up dad to his boy.

You don’t have to be a good dad if they don’t know they’re your kid.

https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...760&height=427

Ultraman R/B movie opens with a '*record scratch* That's me, you're probably wondering how I got here' moment.

I've just realised, I never actually came back and gave my thoughts on the R/B movie! It's good! I'm unsure if it's just me, but Katsumi always felt like the slightly more focal brother with which the series acts on, so to put the emphasis of the film squarely on him is a good choice. And it's a solid emotional foundation, and maybe too relatable. While everyone around him seems to have stuff figured out, he has no clue what to do with his life, and it's stressing him out. Him finding out his former friend has become an emo gamer (gasp!) doesn't exactly help him much, as the guy completely rejects their bond and offers no help. Him accepting Tregear's deal, even though it might seal him away from his family for good, simply because it's something he *knows* he can do, and it makes a difference? Entirely believable!

Speaking of Mr Tregear (or, as I'm told, Ultraman Tregear, despite him acting very un-Ultra-like), he's alright. Very trickster-y, no idea what he was hoping to accomplish with any of this besides "cause chaos", but he's alright, even if his manipulations are painfully obvious. Lucky all his subjects are either gamers, or going through a crisis.

The rest of our Minato family? Well, they're also here, and get a good showing. Isami is probably a little too in the background, poor guy, but his and Katsumi's bond still gets a good showing - who else is gonna pull him out of a Hadron Collider. Asahi finally gets to become Ultrawoman Grigio, which I thought was a TV show thing but nah, and that's pretty neat to see. Also respect how they included her in our big 3-way fusion, Ultraman Greube, which is certainly made of CGI. Some of the shots looked good, others much less so. Ushio gets to be funny with naming everyone Falcon 1, and it's nice to see Mio in a situation where I'm not expectng her to betray the family every five seconds.

Now, you may be asking - but Akiba, isn't Geed also here? Don't you hate deep lore? To which I'd answer that it's a crossover movie, I'd be silly if I didn't expect some of Geed's lore to come into play, but also wow Geed only has one bit of lore Toei seems to care about. So many famous Ultra fathers, so few mothers, essays on Institutional Sexism on M78 on postcards pls. In all seriousness, Riku is very much a supporting character here, in a way that aside from a little chat with Asahi which is as much hers as his, he could be any Ultra and it wouldn't matter. Or maybe, after Ultraman Z because "Geed and Zero show ft Z" for those two episodes, I know enough to get by. If you're a Geed fan, the lack of focus on him is probably a negative, but it reminds me of how the recent Rider crossovers have put much more emphasis on the current Rider than past ones, so maybe it's a shift towards this to cut out needing to watch two shows to understand one movie. For what it's worth, he gets a good showing, in what I assume are most of his forms, although he does get his ass kicked by Tregear a little before the power of friendship saves the day. Pega also exists to have her Dark Zone exploited for the plot, but they seem cool. I still have no idea why Tregear stole them from their own universe, really - did he know Riku and Isami would get along so well it would further alienate Katsumi, thus driving him to more easily ditch them so he could leave him to die on Pigmon Planet? To be fair, Riku and Isami get so close so fast they already mix together their catchphrases (good moments), so maybe it wasn't that tough a guess.

Overall, I enjoyed this film! The final fight probably went on a little too long, and Riku and Pega could probably have been worked into the plot better - Riku does get a few moments of confronting emo gamer about how his mum feels, which might be a play on Daddy Issues he probably has, but I'm unsure - but as a finale to purely Ultraman R/B, it gets coloured with my recommendation.

https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...760&height=427

Fun fact, Masako Nozawa, the voice of Goku, Gohan, and Goten, voiced kid Taro.