Main takeaway here is that they actually dubbed Zero's "remember to subscribe" message from the end of the Z simulcasts, and it's just as funny as the rest of the dub.

They did it.
KANE KOSUGI REPRISES ROLE OF ULTRAMAN POWERED IN ENGLISH DUB

:rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock:

WOW they are firing on all cylinders with this! Just WOW! Not only did they bring one of the greatest teachers in toku history and give him his moment to shine, but Kane freakin Kosugi back in the Ultra game!

TFW I don't recognize any of these guys except Hikari, Zoffy and Taro.

Oh well, I'll probably get to know each one decently in this one.

Yup, that's the 'draw'! It's a buuuunch of obscure dudes.

Wait, you didn't recognise Zero? :p

In the episode itself. Of course I recognize a good amount of people in the opening.

You know I'll be honest I wasn't expecting all the Orb References, that was pretty cool.

Ribut is kinda new to the scene, Great and Powered are obscure ones whose productions were at Austrailia and America during the late 80s to early 90s. 80 was a show that kinda is a product of its time in that his alter ego was a middle school teacher, which was a total benchmark move taking notes from then famous drama series Kinpachi-sensei, a drama series about a passionate teacher as well. Max was the show that resulted after Nexus was finished and Tsuburaya went back to the drawing board.

It's really cool that they're pulling in some of these more obscure Ultras for this series. I'm especially glad to see Max, of course, but it's also neat to see 80 back. I always thought it sucked that they were the only two older heroes to get left out of Z's power-up medals. Kinda wish Max wasn't the one that got captured, but I'm sure he'll be fine.

Definitely. Really curious how they are gonna highlight Ultraman Neos and Ultraseven 21(For those unfamiliar, it is read Two-One). And I know it is evident in my previous post, but I was shocked they managed to get Kane on board to voice Powered in the English dub.

I'm happy that Ribut is taking center stage. He impressed me the last time we saw him, and now he's getting some backstory.

Was a little sad that the first episode ended with a passing cameo from Great and Powered cause it was really getting interesting.

P.S.: With all this global Ultraman material, what would Hideaki Tsuburaya think? He's been a little nitpicky in the past and I don't fully agree with his assumptions that Ultraman has nothing to offer to the World (https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2018/06...aman-globally/)!

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.

So, you're telling me Upin and Ipin is canon in Ultraman?

So are Towards the Future and The Ultimate Hero it seems.

And speaking of obscure characters both Sora and Z(not the Ultra but the Zetton) originated from Stage Shows and thanks to this special are now canon with the rest of the franchise.

The Absolute Conspiracy is shaping up to be something really great. I already expected to like it a fair bit, and yet I came out of that first episode thinking "wow, this is better than I thought it would be."

I think the legitimately great thing about the way the fanservice is being executed here is that, with so many obscure and relatively obscure characters, everyone watching is going to have at least that one guy that just makes them outrageously happy to see again in any context; for me, that's 80 and Cosmos all the way, and Cosmos hasn't even shown up yet!

That's probably where the "better than I thought it would be" feeling came from. I expected that thrill to come off as cheap or shallow or something, and that it'd just be enjoyable in the way a Sakamoto-directed greenscreen-heavy Ultra thing always is, but I can't pretend to be above the simple joy of seeing 80 wail on a monster while his theme song plays. I just can't.

I've never so much as glimpsed a clip of 80 and that scene got me hype! Gave me very similar feelings to when Dyna revived in Saga and started beating back Hyper Zetton -- there's something very special to me about a tribute where you're able to convey your feelings and love for something even to people who've never seen it or know anything about it. Gokaiger's tributes were similar thing to me, and Ultraman is just full of that love all around!

I love that you're saying this about something paying tribute to 80 and you haven't even seen Mebius yet. You're in for a real great time when you get around to that show.

Well let's see, I decided to do all Heisei Ultras in order; so... get back to me in a couple of years?

I have a soft spot in my heart for 80, mostly because his suit is so goddamn terrible.

To make a long story short: Tsuburaya treated the international Ultra shows with more respect than what Toei did with Power Rangers in Akibaranger's awful parody.

Powerful Rangers was and still is hilarious.

Also 80 is... uh, handsome in his own way? You'll never mistake him for anyone else, at least.

It’s endearingly terrible, but still terrible.

So what other shows habe they had an English language cast in? The other Ultra Galaxy ones, I presume?

Ultraman Max had an American actor on the cast. He primarily spoke Japanese, but would slip into English occasionally.

In Gaia the Alchemy Stars were founded by a british guy and was mulitracial. Georgie is also American. There also was an episode where the crew went to Canada as well.

Why do some view the Dinosaur Tank as strong? It was difficult in its initial appearance in UltraSeven, but it didn't feel like it would win against any kaiju!

This is unironically why I love 80's suit, of course. He's on the same wavelength as the ToQger designs for me where I just find it fascinating how little they care about looking cool in favor of simply being what they're supposed to be.

I think you could show people who know next to nothing about Ultraman a group shot of him and the 6 Ultra Brothers, ask them which one of these guys looks like he teaches schoolchildren for a living, and get the correct answer more often than not. 80 looks like a dork, and I love that about him.

I think 80’s bizarre design is part of why he hasn’t been part of any Ultra fusions, in addition to his basic character. Pretty much every fusion combo, be it ultras or monsters/aliens, has some shared in or out of universe similarity between the components (eg. Ultraman and Ultraman Tiga are the first of their respective eras, Ultraman and Belial are the quintessential good and evil Ultras and Zero, Seven and Leo are part of a master-apprentice chain). 80 is the only Ultra to be a teacher, as opposed to a master and his red crest is shared by no Ultras outside of his series.

Pretty much exactly where I’m at on the design, yeah.

A new Chronicle series will provide an overview of Tiga and Z in January!

https://ultramangalaxy.com/new-serie...9-on-tv-tokyo/

Interesting choice!