[GoldenXtreme]

I finished Ultraman Cosmos, including its three films, last night! Then I promptly fell asleep because that's what being an adult is like!

Honestly though, what a dazzlingly unique tokusatsu show. Sure, it might be a bit too episodic, sometimes the plots aren't as coherent or nuanced as I'd like, the budget is low, the subs aren't good (this has been happening to me a lot lately), etc.. But... I've never seen anything like it. I didn't think the show would be "consistent" if that makes sense? I thought it would be a show about monster conservation and kindness... but either drop it later on or just have some writers not adhere to it. But the show almost always committed to what it was doing! I think like, maybe one episode the movies felt kinda off to me, almost all the writers were on-board with being drunk on love and peace!

I think there is a lot to like characterwise with the show too. Cosmos is like... actually distinct from Musashi as a character, they have proper conversations at times and everything. Musashi himself has overthrown Gamu as my favorite Ultra protagonist too. Maybe I just relate to him as a fellow monster freak, but I really enjoyed his arc during the show. Holding on to your dreams, even if reality can sometimes be harsh, because that is the only way things can change. He's fiery, and will throw fists and lose his temper at times, but his kindness always shines through the strongest. It can be a detriment at times, but in the end? Kindness truly is the ultimate strength, even allowing him to reach out to an opponent that Cosmos himself had given up on. I love him. I also thought Fubuki was an excellent character. He got a lot of interesting focus episodes and I enjoyed seeing the way his harsh outlook softened due to his encounters with Musashi and Cosmos. He's still has his own perspective on matters though, often acting as a counterpoint to Musashi's idealism. The rest of the cast I felt was nice, but not outstanding. I did appreciate just how helpful EYES was in the battles in the show though, they were always a big help to Cosmos. The JADF was an interesting idea as an organization that helped EYES at times yet conflicted with them at others, but Saijo was always so cartoonishly evil that he broke my immersion every time he was on screen.

The tone of the show was about as unique as the show itself. Compared to many other tokusatsu shows, it tended to be more positive and low-key. Sometimes it was comical, sometimes more mystical. It often wasn't very EXCITING I suppose, but even at a whopping 65 episodes plus films, I never felt like the show was a drag and solidly enjoyed it all the way through due to it being such a genre abnormality. I think part of what made the show so interesting was how a lot of the episode writers were new to or relatively inexperienced with the Ultra series. Shinsuke Onishi in particular put out numerous amazing episodes for this show, and was definitely the one that I think understood the heart of Cosmos the best. The episode about the girl in the wheelchair that was saved by a monster and turned into a politically driven human interest story, at cost to her personal life? Simply divine.

So yeah, while I can't overlook all the issues the show has I was truly impressed by it and don't think this show gets enough love from fans, who often seem to dismiss the show as "okay" to "boring" from what I had seen before watching. Personally, I don't think I can emphasize enough just how special I thought the whole experience was. I'd love to see a modern take on Cosmos' style. B+ for being so based!