[GoldenXtreme]

I finished Ultraman Tiga! When I first started the show, I wasn't too impressed by it, the general vibe seemed like too much of a Showa-era throwback and I wasn't a fan of the choreography. Yet, the more I watched the more I realized just how dang insidiously good the show was. Before I praise it, I will say I generally didn't like the action choreography much (I kept zoning out in the middle of fights like the show was Kamen Rider Wizard or something) and I'm also starting to think I don't like Keiichi Hasegawa much as a writer since I generally found his episodes sub-par. That being said, on to the torrent of praise... There's such an effortless camaraderie between the members of GUTS and everyone has their own specialties and personalities that get built up naturally over time. Plus, GUTS is very helpful to Tiga! Small plot elements that seem like they will just be a one-off or background detail often come up over and over again, enriching the setting as these small elements add up (I was losing it by the time the third Clitter episode happened). Many of the episodic plots are wildly creative, like disposing or a kaiju corpse or the surreal flower viewing episode. It's a very classical and simple show in a lot of ways, but I think it just does it really well and had a good dose of uniqueness to its episodes to make it a joy to watch. Even in terms of tone I liked it, Tiga is a show that is on the more positive side of things and wants to explore the strength of humanity and the good that is in everyone, but it doesn't turn a blind eye to the darkness in humanity either, which prevents it from feeling too artificially cheery. The ending is also incredibly satisfying, with so many characters and story elements from across the show coming together for truly satisfying conclusion. I'm really happy this wasn't one of those shows that is more "historically interesting" than enjoyable to me. I'm really excited to try more Heisei Ultra shows now, though before that I'm planning to backtrack a little bit and check out The Ultraman. Hopefully that show can hold its own!