Ultraman Series Review

I must admit I have been sucking at updates lately. With lockdown life continuing for so long, days have become more than a blur. The plus side is I have had plenty of time to burn through backlogged entertainment. I'm currently more than halfway through my twelfth or so game of the year, watched so many movies, and recent attention has shifted towards books as I'm making an effort to cut down on internet time. That last one can be very counter-intuitive given my roles as a blogger and online college student. One constant that has remained throughout this time are Ultra Fridays wherein I get a good fix of wacky sci-fi hero antics. Given that I'm knee deep in yet another series this is probably a good time to give you all something fresh to read. So let's take a look at the television classic, Ultraman. And if this isn't to your liking snack reviews are next on the schedule.

During the runaway success of Ultra Q, production company Tusburaya along with the network heads realized their most popular episodes involved giant monsters. When it came time to create a follow-up series the decision was made to move the franchise in that direction with an equally giant hero to defend humanity from oversized space lizards. And so the story went that Hayate, a member of the Science Patrol is killed on the job when a being from the Land of Light merges with his lifeforce. From that point on Hayate can transform into Ultraman whenever he is needed. In a convenient twist that made budgeting and planning for the series much easier this transformation can only last for three minutes. Week after week, the series would offer the latest adventure of the Science Patrol and the secret alien hero among their ranks.

My introduction to the show came roughly a decade ago when I first discovered the few tokusatsu programs Mill Creek had put onto DVD. I ate it up watching multiple episodes a day as I giggled and marveled at shows that shifted from lighthearted nonsense to dark insanity. This along with the likes of Iron King, Super Robot Red Baron, and the martial arts focused Fight Dragon would form much of my passion for this genre. Those old DVDs were pretty awful with muffled sound, mistimed subtitles, all manner of issues. Even with those difficulties the quality of the material itself was unmistakable and now we're lucky enough to live in a time when that same company can remedy past failures with their rather spiffy new blu-ray releases.

Possibly the strangest aspect of the story is how absent the main hero can be. That's not to say there's a lack of Ultraman himself, he always manages to fit in a good monster brawl or two, rather the human host Hayata is barely developed and often fades into the background waiting for his chance to transform while his teammates do the heavy dramatic lifting. In fact of any flaws the series may have the almost total lack to growth for our hero may ranks as the biggest issue. It's become that much more noticeable given the recent flood of Ultra series on our shows how bland this guy can be. There are a couple of episodes where we see hints of a richer character but this show largely succeeds or fails based on the strength of storytelling and the efforts of the supporting cast.

In charge of the Science Patrol is Captain Muramatsu. Much like Hayate there isn't a whole lot of depth to this guy but what helps a great deal is the pure charisma of actor Akiji Kobayashi. Dude's just fun to watch with expressive features and unique timing. Clearly I'm not alone in this observation as he would have an even larger presence during the early years of the Kamen Rider franchise.

Arashi is the strong guy of the group. A fearless marksman who often foolishly charges into battle. Actor Sandayu Dokumamushi would return in the next series playing a very similar character. I guess you could say he has a gift for playing this type. Within the framework of the series he's an entertaining enough middle man between the heroics of Hayate and the brainier pursuits of our next two heroes.

Ide is without a doubt the most well-rounded character within the show. Often times he serves as comic relief yet he's also responsible for some of the most dramatic moments throughout the series. He's also the smartest member of the team, often crafting new weapons and defense systems on the fly. And while common practice would dictate Hayate is in line to win all female attention there are hints that Ide could have something more going on with the only lady on the team.

Hiroko Sakurai is the primary returning cast-member from Ultra-Q, this time playing as Akiko Fuji. Seeing as this is the sixties Fuji is initially left behind on many missions while serving as a glorified secretary. I'd say roughly a quarter of the way into the series that begins to change with more instances of her joining the men in the field and battling alien invaders. Sakurai has a far more consistent role than in the previous show and her interactions with the cast, notably Ide help to make the whole group feel more believable.

Almost forgot about Hoshino. He's the usual kid character. He wants to joint the Science Patrol, helps out here and there. On the plus side he's nowhere near as annoying as his character type would suggest. Still he leaves so little of an impression that it's easy to not notice how he disappears for the last third of the series.

As in our previous Ultra review it's time to take a look at some standout episodes. There's a little added difficulty when discussing this one however. Whenever an Ultra show has episodes directed by Akio Jissoji there's a strong likelihood that all the best installments are his. The guy was an absolute master of making crazy tokusatsu programming but in the interest of giving you all a larger view of the show I'll try to limit his entries to maybe three or so. I should also note that the series was originally produced in three thirteen episode chunks with the first easily being the weakest. There's still some decent content to be found in that section, just not to the extent as the other two.

Episode 8: The Lawless Monster Zone

As far as first section adventures go this is one of the first to really knock it outta the park for pure enjoyment. The team goes off in search of a lost exploratory party on a bizzare island full of monsters both good and evil. Even Fuji gets to tag along in order to be tied up by man-eating plants, this is Japan after all. Plenty of adventure and a surprisingly dramatic ending make for a solid outing that showcases how fun the series can be.

Episode 15: Terrifying Cosmic Rays

There are more than a few silly episodes of the show, many of which involve little kids. Of that particular sub-type this is by far the most interesting thanks to the work of Akio Jissoji who provides a lot of personality into this tale of a child's drawing that comes to life. The creature itself is one of the most unique within the show as it evolves when the kid improves upon his work and that the monster itself has no urge to cause distraction so much as it just doesn't fit it. The ending is what pulls it all together so I won't spoil it for you.

Tie: Episode 31: Who Goes There? Episode 37: The Little Hero

Gonna have to split this one. I have a fondness for episode 31 thanks to it having a perfect monster movie vibe with hidden invaders and killer plants. At the same time The Little Hero is a very well-liked installment which showcases some drama from Ide who questions the need for a team when Ultraman always saves the day. Both are possibly the finest examples of the show when not directed by Jissoji, guess what that means for our next two.

Episode 35: The Monster Graveyard

Upon first viewing The Monster Graveyard was not a big favorite of mine. During this most recent revisit however it became clear how much this one stick out for its slick production and unique storyline. The basic gist is that a dead monster is accidentally removed from its outerspace resting place and lands on Earth where it keeps attempting to return to the restful embrace of death. There's a lot of style here along with a monster funeral and one of the few times when Hayate showcases some depth by regretting how many space creatures he has slaughtered to protect humanity. It's an odd one but that's what makes it so special.

Episode 23: My Home is Earth

Undoubtedly the best installment in the whole show, and one of the greatest in the franchise, My Home is Earth involves a monster that is actually a mutated astronaut out for revenge. Jissoji's direction is fantastic with strange camera angles and lighting techniques which pairs up perfectly with a tale of Ide losing faith in society after learning of this poor astronaut. The ending is just so good and I know I'm not alone in this. Ask around and anybody that has viewed this series will sing the praises of My Home is Earth. If you only have time in life to check out one episode make it this one.

And so marks the end of our second Ultra series review. Currently I'm smack dab in the middle of revisiting Ultraseven, meaning you can look for that one next. Beyond that I'm unsure if I'll continue right into Return of Ultraman or go with one of the shorter recent entries. Having these shows readily available in quality releases at a time when much of life is spent indoors is such a gift. Plus it helps to offset the lame reality of Super Sentai releases being put on indefinite hold last year.

Thank you guys for stopping by to read pointless musings about big red spacemen. I'm gonna try to have a snack report up for you all in just a few days. After that it's a toss-up between something brand new or finally talking about the current Sentai that I've been neglecting for months. If anybody had an opinion on the matter I'll gladly oblige.