[Salaryman Zero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TokuKnight89

Tiga "revived" tokusatsu on television in the '90s? Really?

"Shodai"? Sorry to say, but I don't follow!

Is this the first (and possibly only) time that Tsuburaya appeared in an Ultra Show? Who's idea was that? Tsuburaya's?

I put a little "?" at the end of that because I can't verify it, but I've heard the claim a couple times. It definitely revitalized the Ultraman franchise, but some have suggested Tiga's success also showed that tokusatsu TV was still relevant in the years building up to the new millennium.

Oh Shodai is Japanese for "Original" and is used as a general nickname to differentiate the first Ultraman from his successors, as SengalBoy explained.

Eiji Tsuburaya actually passed away in 1970; the last Ultra-series he worked on was Seven (with the last kaiju he designed being the one from Seven's finale, Pandon).

Episode 49 of Tiga was conceived as a homage to both Tsuburaya and the other creators of the original Ultraman. An actor named Yusuke Takita played Tsuburaya in this. To my knowledge, it is the only time Tsuburaya has appeared as a character in an Ultraman show.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SengalBoy

I have mixed feelings towards the Netflix/Manga Ultraman, and it's gearing towards dislike. I don't know, it feels like the 'stereotypical' 'edgy reboot of kids show' kind of thing. The concept works back then, but no so much today.

Primarily because NG Ultraman redefined the Ultras VS Kaiju genre, so I completely embraced it, and the manga/Netflix felt like ripping off Iron Man just because it looks cool. Point is, it doesn't really feel like Ultraman.

I'd accept it as an Elseworlds story though, which it obviously is.

I'm not a huge fan either. The armor designs are novel, and the show's animation is pretty good, but it doesn't feel very Ultraman for the most part. My biggest point of contention is that the Ultraman anime feels more like a Heisei Kamen Rider show.

It's literally about a guy with powers and a special suit fighting human-sized monsters, and they even have the typical "edgy secondary Rider who acts as an asshole rival to our hero before they become reluctant allies." I absolutely abhor how Seven and Ace are written in the show like douches just to manufacture character conflict and drama. It's like watching Kamen Rider Blade all over again.

If our hero doesn't turn into a giant at some point to fight a daikaiju, it's not Ultraman to me. You can give him a Specium Ray and drop all the Ultra-references you want like "Alien Adacic" but it does not feel like an Ultraman show at all. I'm only watching it to support Tsuburaya's attempts to go international with the franchise.