Tsuburaya's Ultra Series.

So, I was watching the last episode of Ultraman Tiga since I saw it in my collection and thought ‘it’s been a while, would be nice to see it’.

I originally saw the series in the late 90’s when it was dubbed locally in the Philippines. I remember crying when I saw the finale. Fast forward a few years ago, when a, er, ‘friendly’ website *mutter mutterr* anyway, I watched the finale again. I was in my mid twenties, I figured I’d grown past it, I remember it was fun but the effects, while beautiful and practical compared to the cgi we were starting to get in those days, was clearly dated. And yet, at around the 17 minute mark on the last episode, when the theme music starts playing, I start crying again.

Fast forward to a few minutes ago, I saw it i my collection again, decide it was time for a rewatch. I’m vaguely amused at how the tribute episode to the original Ultraman was so respectful, almost like a drama, and how the clips from the old show makes the costume look so spray-painted. And then I get to the last episode

Like clockwork, at the 17 minute mark, I start crying like crazy. It’s not even a really dramatic point yet, the child actors suck SO much, the shots from ‘around the world’ with the weird Russia/Alaskan/Inuit? Family is still so weird but the music is playing and I start crying uncontrollably. I’m a grown-ass man in a post Marvel movie superhero spectacle world, the acting is basic as hell, the resulting fight scene is cheesy as well, and oh great I’m tearing up right now just writing it down right now, AND I CANNOT STOP CRYING AT HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS.

Does anyone else get like this? Does anyone else start crying unironically whenever they so much as THINK about this scene?

Edited by SCMof2814 on May 31st 2020 at 10:31:11 AM

I haven't seen that show specifically, but that doesn't sound that weird. The first time you saw it, you created some extremely powerful emotional connections to it and those connections still remain. And they're completely valid and genuine emotions, this isn't a thing to mock or be ashamed of.

There's episodes of things I can't watch even today (I'm 28) because the emotional reactions from when I was a kid are still strong enough that I end up bawling for an hour. There's an episode of Farscape (Self Inflicted Wounds Part 2: Wait for the Wheel) that does that.

Ulltraman Z will be legally available, subbed, on Youtube starting tonight. Episodes will be available for two weeks.

Nearly the entirety of Ultraman will be available through TokuSHOUTtsu this November!

Happy Ultraman day too, btw!

Edited by Akirakan on Jul 10th 2020 at 11:48:01 AM

Yay

Still US exclusive, still don't care. Makes me less likely to watch it as most sub groups take their subs down once you can get it officially in the US, other countries be damned.

Just bought the 4k blu ray set of Ultra Q, it was expensive, but worth it. The remastering is incredible, Tsuburaya Pro really outdone themselves this time. It helps that the entire series was shot entirely on 35mm (used for movies) instead of a mix between 35mm and 16mm like Ultraman and the succeeding Ultra series. I would still love a 4k release of Ultraseven, though, that would be neat. But even more so than that, I would like to see a 4k remaster of Ultraman Nexus and also 4k remasters of the Ultra movies, namely: Ultraman the Next, Ultra Galaxy the Movie and Ultraman Zero the Movie, especially Zero. Man, just imagining the scene where Zero flies through the multiverse in 4k hdr makes me giddy.

Edited by jun_kagami on Jul 16th 2020 at 12:21:40 AM

Time for: Ultraman Geed 2!!!... Eh, I mean Ultraman Z! We have a new episode and oh boy it's a doozy.

First of all, Boy, they just love worfing previous Ultras don't they. I feel so bad for Geed, he didn't deserve all this crap. Also this episode proves scaling is out of the window as Gilbaris beats the almighty Ultimate Final but loses very easily to Z/Geed teamup in basic forms

Second, I knew from the start that the Devil's Splinters had to be Belial's fragments. Tho, I expected them to be fragments created after his final death in Geed. Anyways, seems like Skull Gomora comes back for Round 3. Guess it's becoming a running gag monster at this point.

about the Z/Geed team up part, Gillvalis was defeated by Geed and base form Z because Gillvalis was not in full power at all. It's pointed out in the episode, not only he's still lacking material for recovery, he's also being force-fed a complex mathematical problem its system has to solve, thus overloading its memory and weakening it.

also, Ultimate Final was not defeated. Geed was still in Primitive form when he was defeated. Geed was about to transform into Ultimate Final, but gets knocked out before he can transform into Ultimate Final.

Edited by ShiningStardust on Aug 16th 2020 at 11:18:59 PM

I'm liking Z so far.

Geed did at least get to do some stuff once he got Galaxy Rising. I like that Riku seemed a bit more mature and put-together... then tried to hit Gilvaris' core with a stick. Geed and Juggler's reunion was neat, like movies actually being cannon.

They do like to reuse monsters, and there's a much more limited pool of fusion monsters.

Speaking of Skull Gomora though, I just recently found out that Ode to Joy was used in Ultraman Taiga during its appearance.

I'm curious what are people's comment about it, I think it should be amusing to read, so I went to Youtube to look up Tsuburaya's official upload of the episode.....and it's nowhere to be found.

In fact, apparently they've either set private, or downright erased, all their Orb/Geed/RB/Taiga episode uploads.

Why????

Edited by ShiningStardust on Jul 27th 2020 at 1:38:29 AM

Dunno, I can still see them on my end

A giant of light rises in the West.

Edited by Blueace on Aug 14th 2020 at 2:19:17 PM

Seems like Ultraman and Ultraseven will be rivals here a la Kamen Rider or Orb/Juggler

The Youtube Ultraman channel has surpassed 1 million subscribers, so here’s Zoffy with a thank you video.

Because Tsuburaya thinks we still need more "yo dawg" style fusion:

Ultraman Z Delta Rise Claw's materials are Geed Primitive, Belial Atrocious, and Zero Beyond.

Edited by ShiningStardust on Sep 12th 2020 at 12:27:51 AM

This weirdly annoys me. Surely it should be either three base, or three final (so Geed Ultimate Final instead of Primitive)

Man, last episode felt like a remake of the Taro two parter with the Tortoise Kaiju Family.

Once again an Ultra/human kills a kaiju parent who was merely defending its child and severely regrets it before trying to mend his mistake.

I can safely say after today's episode that Ultraman Cosmos would really be of help to Haruki/Ultraman Z.

Might be of interest, Ultraman characters are coming to Override 2 Super Mech League, sequel to Override: Mech City Brawl

So I've noticed a pattern here... Anytime Geed appears a previous main baddie comes back, first Gilvallis and now Greeza

Welp, we're getting the continuation/prequel to Challenge from the Year 2020 next week

To think Eiji Tsuburaya was trying to warn us about 2020... Wait, where's Kemur Man to make this disaster of a year interesting?

Well, just to kick some life into this thread, what are some of your favorite kaiju/aliens of the franchise and why? Mine:

-Red King: A mix between a dino and corn on the cob with nothing but sheer brute force. Can't go wrong with that.

-Gomora: A powerful ancient ceratopsian with a simplistic yet effective design, it was nice to see him having his own show in Mega Monster Battle.

-Dinozaur: Looks like this bizarre fusioncbetween a dino and an insect, he was a fine first-time opponent in Mebius.

-Birdon: This guy certainly teaches very well why you should not underestimate your opponents no matter how bizarre or idiotic they may appear at first glance.

-Kutuura: My favorite Space Beast from Nexus. His design is simply ghastly and hair-rising, and he'd feel at home right in the Cthulhu mythos along with his buddies.

-Bogar: She was a pretty unique villain with an interesting concept and an unnerving design, gotta love how they incorporated snake features into her without making her too snake-like.

Edited by DinoMaurus on Nov 1st 2020 at 1:19:57 AM

Pigmon - shaped like friend

Booska - literally a character from a different series who they just decided to throw in and he still turns up sometimes

Galactron - big robot. A nice sleek and modern design

Sevenger - kind of the opposite of Galactron, but also shaped like friend

Alien Dada - design is just ridiculous, but in a good way

Horoboros - looks cool. It's appearence in Z gave it some neat lore

Awesome! My faves:

- Zetton: My all-time favorite! I love his unique design, his cool set of powers, and how he almost always proves to be one of the toughest Ultra kaiju. Definitely among the franchise's most memorable kaiju.

- Gomora: Another super-star with a simple but effective and memorable design, some formidable fighting prowess, a great roar, and many great appearances.

- Antlar: I love his stag beetle/ant-lion design, his magnetic powers, and how he was one of the first kaiju to genuinely challenge the OG Ultraman. A very memorable kaiju to me.

- Baltan: My favorite seijin. He's an absolute classic in every way.

- Birdon: I know a lot of people make fun of his design, but personally I like it. His strength as a Hero Killer makes him very memorable to me, and I like his roar.

- Gudon: Always been fond of his whip-armed design and how he generally manages to be a pretty formidable enemy despite having no powers.

- Eleking: A true franchise classic. His debut wasn't terribly memorable (but still a good episode), but his design and abilities more than make up for it.

- King Joe: A fantastic Humongous Mecha design and a very strong foe for the Ultras with some cool abilities. Many great and memorable appearances from this kaiju too.

- Ace Killer: My favorite Evil Knockoff in the franchise with one of my favorite Choju designs; he pulls off the evil Ultra look very well.

- Red King: A classic kaiju with many memorable appearances under his belt, an iconic roar, and a good design. I'm not as hyped about him as many people are, but he's still awesome to me.

Edited by MagnusForce on Nov 1st 2020 at 8:43:31 AM