[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurona

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.