[Fish Sandwich]

So like I said a bit ago in the thread, I've been following along with Tsuburaya's weekly uploads of The☆Ultraman on YouTube, and the latest one, "You Are Ultraman", was so good I feel compelled to elaborate a bit on why it, and the show as a whole, are really clicking with me.

The reason this particular episode struck a chord with me is down to the considerably more introspective plot than usual, which is right up my alley. Instead of centering on the mystery and/or threat of the monster (which in this case is basically just Mothra), the story gets into some of the conflicting feelings Hikari has about being Ultraman. Now, Hikari is a pretty cool guy, don't get me wrong, but he tends to be extremely mellow most of the time. Actually, in both looks and personality he reminds me a lot of a more composed and mature Amuro Ray from Gundam (funnily enough, both shows were airing at around the same time and were both produced by Sunrise), but now I'm getting off track.

The point is, it's fundamentally interesting to get into the hero's head like this, and see both how dedicated he is to what he does, and also show him having to struggle with his own insecurities as someone who doesn't fight with his own power, and will never get to take credit for all the good he does. It's not the deepest story in the world, and I'm sure some previous Ultra series had already done a plot like this, but the structure and presentation of The☆Ultraman has been consistently impressing me. The writing is super tight, with every beat flowing naturally into the next without a lot of wasted time dragging down the pacing, and there's a lot more impact to the narratives than I was expecting as a result.

I guess I figured watching it would be more of a curiosity than anything else, but I find myself just as absorbed by it as any modern show, despite it obviously being a bit dated. I was genuinely invested in the drama here, and the way everything in the episode ties together at the end, with the story Hikari got interrupted telling before he could get to the part where he brags about saving the day turning out to be the reason Joneus choose him in the first place, and Hikari, with a restored sense of self-confidence, ultimately deciding not to finish telling the tale, is a hugely satisfying payoff.

Granted, this particular episode is a bit of an exception (at least so far), but the usual episodes focusing on whatever crazy monster of the week are no less competently constructed, and I'm starting to look forward to a "new" episode of The☆Ultraman every week just as much as I am Taiga. No joke. I'll probably post about it again at some point, but for anyone who was completely ignoring the entire existence of this show like I was, it's definitely no slouch.