[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Not immediately, but yes.

All I needed to hear.

[DreamSword]

Netflix ULTRAMAN

Boring.

Look, I'm sure if I sat here and thought super deeply about it, I maybe could do some sort of deeper, in depth analysis of this cgi anime.

Because hey, technically, there's plenty to complain about: Lackluster animation, that this is more of an Iron Man show rather than an Ultraman one, nonsensical story beats, the awful vocal direction of the English dub, etc.

But when it's all said and done, the most damning thing about this show is that I just found to be incredibly dull, uninteresting, and outright unengaging the entire time throughout. I'm not kidding when I say that I fell asleep multiple times when binging all three seasons. And that's not normal for me.

There's an old debate that I see crop up from time to time, which asks the following question: "Which is worse for a story; Being infuriating, or being boring?" And I've heard good arguments for both cases, but in the end the important thing is that both are awful to be seen as. And because ULTRAMAN here is so dull, I really couldn't recommend anything about it to anyone.

As such, I recommend you all watch Ultraman Rising instead.

I'll admit, I was also one of the people who was immediately offput by Ultraman's' design when it got revealed via merch and posters.

But, seeing it in motion, through the context and art style of the film it's home to? I've grown to absolutely love it, just like I did this movie. Everything about it took me by surprise.

The characters were very likable. The art style and animation were beautiful to behold. The action scenes were fun and stylistic. And the movie had a very good handling of its tone, despite what some trailers might've suggested. Never once did I feel as though the comedic and dramatic elements interfered with eachother.

And frankly, while I'm still a relative notice when it comes to the Ultra franchise, having seen the shows that I have made one thing very clear; Rising is far more in tune with the spirit of what Ultraman is than ULTRAMAN tries to pretend it is. Which is funny, given that Rising started off a project entirely unrelated to Ultraman at hand.

Rising seems to celebrate the core themes that the franchise had held dear for decades, whereas ULTRAMAN seems to hold outright contempt for those very same ideas. And really, the difference in passion is on full display here in every regard. Rising ends up being heartwarming, fun, and engaging. Whereas ULTRAMAN ends up being a completely boring, miserable slog where any sign of hope gets immediately fizzled out.

In the end, I give Netflix's ULTRAMAN a 1/6. It's not technically the worst show I've ever seen, but it is one of the most boring and I'm so glad I'll never have to watch it again. Meanwhile, Ultraman Rising gets a very firm 5/6 for being a great film that I can't wait to eventually see a sequel to. Watch that instead.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Meanwhile, Ultraman Rising gets a very firm 5/6 for being a great film that I can't wait to eventually see a sequel to. Watch that instead.

If I may add to this, Gokai Blue fans probably will want to check it out in the Japanese dub as well, since Yuuki Yamada, who was Joe Gibken in Gokaiger, voices Ken, the protagonist.

[DreamSword]

DreamSword Read the Heroman Manga!

Did you ever take a cursory look at Heroman and think to yourself, "Dang, if only it were 13 episodes instead of 26?"

Then the manga adaptation of Heroman is for you!

It's essentially the anime version but on fast-forward. All of the major plot beats are there, but alot of big character moments end up lost as a result. Cy's' big moment in the abandoned mine? Gone. Ms. Colins? Shows up for all of 3 panels.

That's not to say that the manga version lacks in characterization entirely. Will in particular gets more focus here than he does in the anime, and while a bit more rushed, Joey's' development is kept mostly in tact. And the plus side to being shorter is that one doesn't have to deal with Holly nearly as much.

I guess the best way I could compare the the anime to the manga is that the manga is much more fast paced and bombastic, not unlike a more typical tokusatsu, shonen, or superhero show. Whereas the anime is much more explorative and introspective. One wants to keep a high energy, while the other wants to slow down and look deeper inward.

As such, I could see some people actually preferring the manga version, but for me, I love the anime way too much for the manga to ever stand a chance. And even besides that, the style of storytelling done in the anime version just appeals to my personal tastes way more. I don't regret reading the manga, but if I were to recommend one version and only one version? Yeah, the anime would be the clear winner with no contest.

I won't be leaving a rating this time. Just know that while I had a good enough time seeing how the manga handled things, it's the lesser of the two versions of the story in my eyes.