Barriguiler left a parting gift of awakening Banila and Aboras to make more of a mess...what a rascal.

There's something about Kengo just casually dropping "Smile Smile" in a conversation with Akito that just works for me.

Aboras and Banila feel like Pokemon Legendaries, two opposing elemental, monstrous, beasts that when in the vicinity with each other must battle to assert dominance.

"Kengo was...!" I feel like the delay because Akito couldn't properly explain how Kengo was consumed by foam of all things.

Poor Darrgon is the only Dark Giant trying to act with some common sense while Carmearra's basically losing it. He's even jealous of Trigger and Trigger Dark working together. Somebody throw poor Darrgon a bone.

Akito losing it at the prospect of Kengo dying and Captain Tatsumi having to talk him down was a surprisingly powerful scene.

I love how Ignis is still just standing there in the hallways.

Aboras sure spun Banila well. Also the only thing they can agree on is how much of a pest the Guts-Falcon is.

Is that the first time Ignis has actually said Kengo's name? I think he's maybe said Akito's name once.

The heroes need Trigger Dark's help, and the one thing that can motivate Ignis is to prevent more tears like the ones he shed at the loss of his people. And just in time, because Akito has fixed up his Zeperion so he can now transform into Trigger Dark and remain in control.

Watch Trigger Dark get beat up on security cameras.

Two monsters requires two Ultras as Trigger and Trigger Dark finally team-up! And it was pretty epic. And two monsters will destroy the world with their remains if you destroy them? Then let's use Ultra power to...erase that, I guess?

Trigger and Trigger Dark shooting the breeze was pretty amusing. Although they still just Ultra Grunt each other when they lock arms in camaraderie.

It really feels like Kengo and Ignis have become buddies and it's just about time for Ignis to join the heroes officially...and then he kidnaps Yuna. Is that the Trigger Dark part of him still driven to fulfill the goals of the Dark Giants? Or is Ignis after the Eternity Core for himself?

I like this episode because Trigger Dark was awesome in it.

It's always fun to see two giant monsters tussle it out in the big city.

Lots of great dynamic shots and kaiju action this episode, with Ignis absolutely stealing the spotlight. He and Dargonn are such great characters, the former as a wild card, switching from friend to nuisance, while the latter is the heart and soul for his side, yet goes unappreciated. Also love that little quip of Trigger and Dark having an interest in the color blue (which has so many layers in Ignis' case).

I don't have too much to say this episode, but I'm sure we can all figure out Ignis' reason for kidnapping Yuna at the end, is using her as a hostage to lure out Hudram.

I also just now noticed the Evil Trigger in the new Trigger X Z movie, which I didn't notice until now since I got sick. I'm already suspecting the "New Captain" as a possible candidate.

Next Episode: I see Hudram is a man of (Japanese) culture.

That last scene was a rollercoaster of emotions to me. From happiness thinking getting a new group dynamic with our main trio and Ignis, to concern over Ignis revelaing his Dark Sparklence, to sadness over his betrayal.

During the Holiday Connection Live, they showed a whole 10 minute prologue episode for UGF3. The prologue should be up for free on Connection for all members on the 27th. Also announced during the Live was that the Taiga movie would be available for free on Connection, like right now.

Episode's ending is basically this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmp4R8FuCgc

Finally got around to Friday's Trigger. While Ignis is a colossal ass at times, he's no Basco ;), and that isn't a bad thing. The ability to appear as a human-sized Trigger Dark is also a good thing, even if it was brief. The blue Kaiju looked similar to Red King, and since these are older Kaiju, I have to wonder if the original suit was adapted from Red King.

Welp nevermind, it's actually out right now on Connection for free, you do have to sign up though
https://www.ultramanconnection.com/e...sroad-prologue

It's so weird hearing Ultraman dubbed (and I say this as someone who got into Ultraman through the 4Kids dub of Tiga). Like, you'd think it would be outright bad, yet somehow the voices actually fit even if they don't sound like you'd think they would...

Cosmos' theme!

So where does the timeline fit in relation to this and Ultraman Z? It seems like it immediately picks up after the ending Absolute Conspiracy but enough time has passed for Zero to confidently leave Z on Earth (so I'm assuming this is after the Z/Zero/Geed team-up). Is there going to be a time-skip so there's enough time to constitute all of Z for when he shows up with his full powers? Because promotional images have shown him with Delta Rise Claw and Beliarok. And if Trigger shows up that would have to be after the Z and Ribut episodes.

I kind of wish Belial and Tregear got Absolutian forms to distinguish their new power.

I love how they try to get King's help and the most he does is send Leo and Astra. Still, Leo and Astra, so not too shabby.

I find it hard to watch these English dubs. Like, they're not BAD just... eh. Hopefully they put the Japanese version of the prologue (if it's not just the first episode) up somewhere. Tregear's voice is actually pretty good though.

But I liked it! Cosmos just murdering a bunch of dudes is funny to me.

New Singapore-Themed Mini-series on YT!

http://ukiyaseed.weebly.com/ukiyasee...-now-streaming

The next Chronicle Show announced, Chronicle D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmLZinQE1J0

It's all but official now, Decker will be New Generation Dyna (just as we thought).

I'll still remain optimistic for if they improve the Trigger formula, but if not, at the very least it'll be entertaining to watch every week. However, chances are good this could be an improvement, since I hear Dyna is not well liked it seems (I wouldn't know, I've never watched Dyna).

Ngl for some reason that shot of Trigger and Dyna make me smile for some reason. If Decker is a New Gen Dyna then here's hoping they can build off more on Trigger more than what Dyna did because of actor problems.

I'm calling it now:

- 2023 will (probably) be "New Generation Gaia".

- 2023 or 2024 will (possibly) have a colossal team-up between OG TDG and New Generation TDG.

- Said team-up could (quite predictably) involve a smackdown between the two TDGs for some plot-contrived reason.

Raiga Terasaka (Kengo's actor) sings Trigger's OP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmwMaJkruhg

Trigger, Decker….rehashes of old ideas instead of new ones …
Just not feeling these newer Ultras since R/B (except Zed, which was everything I wanted in a Toku show) getting old and jaded, I guess… but will still give them a try

I want this to be called "Ultraman Gayer" so badly. Please do this for me, Tsubaraya.

Just had another thought: If Chronicle D is going to remind us of Saga, then shouldn't Saga get a reappearance in a newer production by now!? Destined Crossroads? "New Generation Dyna"?

How helpful of Ignis to leave a message in some kind of futuristic, steampunk, recording device! That also apparently serves as a spare EMP to take the Nursedessei out for a while.

So basically Ignis sees the Eternity Core as a means of saving his people and planet, even if it costs the Earth, but he cares enough about the GUTS-Select team to give them a fighting chance of stopping him.

Well, no surprise Hudram betrayed the other Giants so he could be the head honcho. Darrgon still deserves better.

Marlura and company listening in on Kengo and Akito's conversation like they're the group couple.

Did GUTS-Select always have that air transport? I feel like I'm only seeing it for the first time now.

Yuna with the steely resolve while Ignis is having second thoughts, and Ignis has come so far that he wasn't willing to risk Yuna even if it meant taking down Hudram.

Kengo, why did you press the button!? I mean, Mecha Musashin is really cool and all, but still!

I thought Trigger Dark and Hudram were going to have a human-sized fight before they went large and started tossing each other around.

I don't know what was cooler, Nursedessei spinning to avoid Musashin's attack or Trigger grabbing Musashin's sword and slicing his hands off so the Nursedessei cannon could finish him.

Nice to see the show throw Akito another bone and have Yuna hug him.

With his last bit of Time, Trigger throws Trigger Dark the sword and with the support of his newfound friends and the Glitter Trigger key, Ignis is finally able to defeat Hudram. His obsession with Hudram helped him find the real exquisite treasure, his friends.

So Carmeara finally puts Hudram out of his misery and absorbs him. I guess she'll probably do it to Darrgon too before her final fight with Trigger?

They really did it. They finally killed someone off on Christmas. Lazer won't be the last (there's probably others, but I can't think of any). Also, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, friends!

So I was wrong about what Ignis planned to do with Yuna, but this still made perfect sense and was played brilliantly. In the words of Hudram, this episode was excellent!

I will always love a Kabuki themed bad guy, which means I'm definitely someone who would enjoy Kabuki theater. But The Steel Samurai was cool enough already.

Trigger Dark and Hudram's fight was absolutely masterful, going from small (albeit briefly) to growing out of the temple to battle it out, then have a showdown with swords, thanks to Trigger and Nursedessei for taking out Mecha Musashin.

And now Carmearra's going to eat up her former buddies to become some kind of Lovecratfian monster or something.

Next Episode (Which was once again shown off before the episode premiered): Dargonn goes bannanas, and it's up to the buff boys to battle it out.

This episode fell kind of flat for me. I wanted Ignis to challenge Hudram to an epic final duel, not have Hudram just show up randomly. I also didn't like Hudram's death takeout. Ignis should have been able to avenge his home.

Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga will resume its airing on January 8, 2022 on TV Tokyo.

Hudram was after the Eternity Core for himself so I don't think it's that surprising that he found Ignis and Yuna.

Ignis beat Hudram (and he'd moved on from just being focused on avenging his home now that he has found friends in Kengo and co.) and Hudram seemed to be on his last legs before Carmeara showed up.

The prologue to The Destined Crossroad is up on YouTube, after a few days as a Connection exclusive.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pvyVbWQl-FA

Okay, I like where this is going. The Absolutian Soldiers are a neat addition, giving Ultraman mooks to beat up instead of the returning Monster (not that I mind that), and The Kingdom looks visually impressive, in being a golden parallel to The Land of Light and the silver Ultras.

Kind of a bummer Tregear and Belial aren't getting Absolutian makeovers (unless they're saving them for later, but I'm not holding my breath), but at least Shining Ultimate Zero might get some more screen time around, which is great.

This was fun. It's nice to see this story finally get followed up on and for Leo and Astra to show up after skipping last year's chapters. I really hope that we get more of the deep pull cameos that were such a fun part of last year's episodes.

Also Max. Definitely need more Max.

Something about the storytelling here definitely feels like a step-up from the excuse plots of the last two UGFs, but I can't tell why...

I'm guessing they're saving the Opening for the first proper Chapter? Will they bring back Zero to Infinity?

Nice to see Cosmo cycling through his forms and his theme song playing.

Is Showtaro Morikubo now the default voice of Taro instead of Hiroya Ishimaru?

I wonder how soon before Ribut fights Titan.

I feel like they could at least recolor Belial and Tregear into gold to make them look more Absolutian. Also, is Tregear getting second thoughts? He seemed a little hesitant for a second there.

What is Ultraman King in relation to the Land of Light? Like, he's on "Planet King" so is it named after him and he just sits around doing...stuff? Are he, Leo, and Astra like the only people that live there? Is he related to Yulian at all or is there a completely separate Ultra Royal Family?

Is there a connection between Diavolo and Regulos since they both have mastered the Cosmo Beast Fist? Will Diavolo be Regulos' big fight?

Are we ever going to see the female Absolutian?

So I'm guessing by the time of the training scene with Janus and Zero that it takes place after episode 7 of Z. I'm guessing we'll get another time-skip to everyone being ready for the confrtonation with the Absolutian's for when the New Gen's show up and Z is post-series and post-Trigger.

I'm confused. Is Ultra Galaxy Fight a prequel to the Ultra Series or concurrently with Z?
https://i.imgur.com/Pgdpwra.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/0uSljUX.jpg

It's cocurrent with Z. At the end of the last one, Z headed to earth to track down Genegarg which led into his own series. Presumably this scene takes place after his crossover episode with Geed and Zero

Does anybody here have any recommendations for what shows to check out regarding Ultraman? I’m considering giving this particular franchise a fair shake. Planning to check out Tiga somewhere down the line and X as well as Orb look very interesting from what little bits of those two shows I caught glimpses of via TokuSHOUTsu.

Especially if you're used to the type of storytelling in modern Toku I'd absolutely say most stuff in New Gen is really good. X, Orb, Geed, Z, R/B, just a lot of great shows in there and to boot they're shorter Toku shows at 25 episodes at most.

Looking less broadly -- X and Z I feel are very good updates of the original Ultraman which evolve it well with a lot of great complex character drama and ethical questions; Geed is a very Kamen Rider show with its plot and character focus; Ultraman and Ultraseven are awesome if you're into 60s/70s Kaiju movies and Toku in general; Tiga is a very nice show that like a lot of the Showa entries is anthological with a focus on presenting a lot of imaginative stories coupled with wonderful set and creature design... so much good over here! Orb also gets recommended a lot and is what I started with, and... well, I can't come up with any particular reasons like I can X, Geed etc; but it's just a very good show and it got me and a lot of other people hooked, so sure, let's throw that in there!

There's a bunch of other ones I haven't seen yet that there seem to be big fans of. Nexus, Max and Mebius in particular I've all seen a lot of high acclaim for

Max is a very solid starting point, although it?s not currently available for streaming to the best of my knowledge. Any of the shows you listed are good, though.

Max is still, technically, on TOKU!

https://www.watchtoku.com/ultraman-max

Trailer for Season 2 of the Netflix Anime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QjTRrUwyOM

I may not be up to date with the Manga (as far as the western releases are concerned), but it looks like this next season will be an Anime Original? I'm looking forward to it, but I really do hope they improve and not add anything stupid like in Season 1, since even if I somewhat liked it, it was not that great.

It definitely is going in its own direction but some stuff, like King Joe and the weapons Seven is using to fight it are from the manga.

The main thing I'm noticing from the trailer is that they finally turned up the framerate, and while the CG-quality still isn't that great at least the motions are somewhat fluid now.

I guess it figures that what would finally be the last straw for Darrgon would be the Dark Giants turning on each other and Carmeara basically killing Hudram. Not that Carmeara will just let him walk away...

You know it's almost the end when the cast take a big group photo together for one last happy memory before the final battle...

I keep forgetting Akito and Yuna go to high school, even though we see Yuna in her uniform in the Opening.

Circle Arms! They remembered it! And of course you have to use Power Type against Darrgon.

That poor rec room during the Trigger vs. Darrgon fight...

I guess the power of love really does trump the Power of Darkness. Actually, is this the first time Darrgon's actually said Yuna's name?

I feel like in another life Darrgon would've totally been an Ultra. Or become one. Although I get that he still feels like he's got to settle things with Trigger, but Carmeara won't let it be that simple.

I have to admit, the GUTS Falcon did better than I expected.

Jeez, Carmeara won't even let Trigger be the one to stop Darrgon while he's rampaging again and just wants to be stopped before he hurts Yuna. That's rough.

Akito uses Ribut's power to ram the Nursedessei straight into Darrgon to destroy him..."My Friend." When you need your Rival in Love to stop you and protect the girl you both love. Darrgon deserved so much better.

Man, Glitter Trigger Eternity sure gets beat up a lot. Especially by Carmeara. Who adds insult to injury by demeaning Darrgon's attachments to humans after she absorbs him.

Carmeara finally grabs Yuna and gets to the Eternity Core, absorbing it and transforming into Megalothor, the Dark God, and Final Boss. She's really become a monster in every sense of the word. And it'll be up to Kengo/Trigger and Ignis/Trigger Dark to finally stop her.

Would've been nice if Ignis dropped in a bit early and helped out, y'kno? Might've had time to stop Carmearra from doing whatever :lol

Once again, best episode title to best Dark Giant.

This episode was certainly action-packed! Lots of great dynamic shots, fight scenes, and Nursedessei defeating Darrgon, which is, as something I love to see in Ultraman, always amazing to see the attack team defeat the monster, but moreso when it's a boss character like Darrgon. He is truly the Best Friend.

And to anyone's surprise, Carmeara/Carmy becomes a Super Dark Monster, which looks sick, who knew she could get any hotter! :lolol

Anyway, all jokes aside, I really did like this episode, and since the next episode didn't say Final Episode, I think we can all figure out how this will go.

Next Episode: Two Triggers are better than one when it comes to Dark God(zillas).