Out of all the major tokusatsu hero franchises I’d say my best overall experience has been with the Ultra shows. Of course there have been some wretched episodes along with some questionable plotlines but the shows always managed to provide enough fun, depth, and outright weirdness to make it all worthwhile. Still; every series has to trip up every once s often and that’s where Ultraman Ace comes in. Here we have a show that starts off trying to differentiate itself from what came before only to stumble, puss out, and finally put up it’s hands and declare ‘that’s all I’ve got.” As with previous shows I’ve spent the past few months making my way through this one and am ready to share the highs and lows with all of you.
On the surface, Ultraman Ace has largely the same set-up as any other Ultra show. Giant monsters are a frequent problem. During a monster attack someone proves themselves to be heroic at cost to their own health and is subsequently resurrected by an Ultra brother who then helps protect planet Earth. There are a few added wrinkles this time around such as a recurring villain and two hosts for this ultra dude. In case you’re scared of change there’s still a generic monster fighting task force and plenty of weekly standalone mysteries to offer comfort.
As mentioned there’s a new twist to the franchise with a duo of hosts for Ace. Indeed it takes both a man and woman coming together for Ace to enter battle. Some folks say there are hints of this duel nature in the character design but other than the red bra across the chest I’m stomped. Supposedly this concept didn’t fly all that well with some of the viewing audience and in practice it adds a few unneeded complications as the pair always need to be in contact to summon their Ultra counterpart. Furthering the weirdness are hints of a possible romantic connection between the two. There isn’t much to either of them really. Hokuto is a pretty standard Ultra guy with the only discernible difference being that he’s a bit more upbeat than heroes like Dan and Go. For her part Minami is a very underdeveloped character, she’s a female hero and that’s about it. For better or worse the pairing doesn’t last with Minami leaving the show a little past the halfway point in a manner that could easily be compared to Poochey.
As for the rest of this years mystery squad, TAC (Terrible-Monster Attack Crew) there’s the usual mix of personalities and gender percentages. The most notable support character is Commander Ryu. He’s that classic mix of hard-ass and father-figure though I’d say he feels more traditional than past leaders. Second up is Yamanaka as the groups heavy. He’s an expert marksman with a tough attitude who’s always ready to call out his co-workers for getting slack or going soft. Konno is the sorta comic-relief chubby guy strongman. Mikawa is the other girl of the team who’s more outright feminine and gets a bit more time in the spotlight once Minami takes off. Yoshimura is the young guy… that’s basically all there is to him. On occasion the writers try to make him more scientifically minded but it’s so inconsistent that it doesn’t stick. Speaking of science, the team has an R&D member named Kaji who just up and vanishes somewhere around episode thirty.
One factor that really starts to irritate as the series stretches on is how skeptical the whole TAC team is about everything. Week after week people report monsters and teammates offer theories only to be shot down with accusations like drinking, hallucinations, or simply being horny. A whole village might report a monster attack and be accused of being bumpkins for their trouble. This happens in other Ultra shows yet it’s ampped up so much in this one that it makes our supposed heroes come across as lazy assholes. I noticed a change in this during the later episodes as if some of the writers realized how much they’d been using this as a crutch for cheap writing.
For the first time within the franchise there is a main villain in the form of interdimensional invaders called Yapool. They come up lacking in the motivation department with the straightforward intent of conquering other dimensions just for the sake of evil. What they lack in personality is offset by how a continued threat plays off of the usual case of the week structure. It works out best when TAC is dealing with an unrelated issues like aliens only to have Yapool throw themselves into the mix.
After the Yapool conflict is wrapped up and Minami leaves the show restructures into something closer to the back end of Return of Ultraman. We see more of Hokuto’s home life as he befriends a neighboring brother sister pair the latter of which, Dan, becomes way too big of a character for his own good. This franchise has already had plenty of loud, ugly kids and it wasn’t in need of another. I guess someone in charge must’ve felt the same way since these siblings go M.I.A. during the final stretch. That doesn’t stop us from a long string of adventures where Hokuto bonds with various children however. One very odd aspect of this shift in focus is the continued naming convention of Terrible-Monsters. Early on it is established that there are varying threats out there be it aliens, regular old monsters, or giant critters augmented by Yapool called Terrible-Monsters. Once Yapool is mostly defeated it would stand to reason that the majority of foes would then fall in the first two camps but the show just keeps calling em Terrible-Monsters. It’s the damnedest thing.
It strikes me that I totally forget to address another feature of this show, a larger interest in cameos and interactions with past heroes. Doubling-down on the connective tissue introduced during Return of Ultraman, Ace frequently gets his butt bailed out by the likes of Zoffy, Seven, or the newly introduced Father or Ultra. If you’re really into that aspect of the franchise then I suppose this is a cool treat. The flip-side is how it makes Ace look like a total wuss who needs his family to fight battles for him.
I’ve been impressed across the ultra franchise with how each series tends to find a good stride and unique personality along the way. Q had the whole Outer Limits vibe, Ultraman was fun sci-fi, Ultraseven took a more serious approach, and Return upped the threat level and action. Ace never manages to pull that off though and it’s too cowardly to stick to the unique concepts it started with. The result is something generic that is a step-down from its predecessors. The characters aren’t as rich, the writing not as fluid, the fights not as thrilling, etc. Maybe it was that the crew was starting to get worn out or that some of the trump-card writers and directors like Jissoji and Toji were busy elsewhere, but there aren’t as many highlights to be found making this show more fit for the hardcore fans. It’s just not a great show which is only further compounded as it losses steam and reaches a lousy ending.
Even with all its problems, Ace still has a few genuinely good episodes worthy of viewing. There aren’t as many to chose from as there was with previous shows and even the best of these come up short of the best from other series. Each makes for some fun Friday night entertainment though. I did want to make a special mention of episode 35 which I’ve seen other reviewers bash for being terrible but man did it ever earn some good giggles from this guy. In short it’s about bed-wetting. I watched the same night as Zack Synder’s Justice League and is was so refreshingly bonkers and unpretentious that it totally made up for the previous four hours of nonsense.
That lovely mural is nearing completion.
Episode 34: a terrible-monster dances on a rainbow over the sea
One of the better, if not the best, examples from the Hokuto befriends kids section of the series manages to throw some decent drama into the mix. To be honest I barely remember the monster portion of this one but the human element concerns a kid who obsessively collects special sea-shells. His dad did out at sea but the kids older sister didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth. Instead she gave him so BS about how dad will come home once he collects so many rare shells. Hokuto makes it his duty to get this kid living and socializing again. It’s melodramatic for sure but good fun all the same.
Episode 7: monster vs terrible-monster vs alien
Early on the tone of Ace is a bit more adult than what it becomes after a few revisions and nowhere is that more evident than this Yamanaka focuses tale. As the title suggest there are multiple problems for TAC to deal with, one of the neat advantages of recurring villains, and Yamanka’s lady gets caught in the crossfire. Not an amazing outing but a solid example of what the show could have done had it stuck to its original structure.
Episode 38: Resurrection! Father of Ultra!
Seeing as the Ultra franchise is a Japanese thing it’s understandable that episodes dedicated to holidays we westerners love are somewhat rare. Occasionally these toku franchises will dive into a Halloween or Christmas outing but it’s not quite the same and doesn’t always scratch that seasonal itch. This Christmas episode however is one of the nuttiest damn holidays specials I’ve seen in quite some time and I own Christmas specials featuring ass massage techniques.
Hokuto accompanies his neighbors to visit an orphanage run by their dear friend. The plan is to give the wee kids a great time with gifts, a play, fake snowmen, you name it. Suddenly a bizarre winter storm breaks out with lightning that causes blindness and bleeding from the eyes. Some weirdo has summoned an evil spirit to punish people for celebrating this devilish western holiday, oh and Santa shows up too. To say things get out of hand is an understatement. And while the kids can get downright annoying this is a major treat for anyone who craves giant monster fights and ocular trauma as part of their yule tide celebrations.
Episode 23: Zoffy Appears, Game Changer
Despite what the title says this one has very little to do with Zoffy as it basically marks the end of the Yapool plotline. Granted they carry on a little further and make some occasional appearances but this is roughly the cut-off point. Our baddies sure know who to make an exit though with a great big scheme and a freaky psychedelic fight against Ace.
The story begins with some odd priest who travels Japan as something of a pied piper. He encourages kids to dance and sing some crazy shit only to whisk them away from our reality. Yapool has figured out that there’s no need to conquer humanity if they simply make sure there’s no future generations to deal with. By snatching all the kids they hope to ensure a slow extinction for the human race. Naturally Ace has to brave a trip to alternate dimensions in order to safeguard the future of Earth.
Ace is often at its best when it goes outright nuts and there’s enough crazy to make this one sing along with some more dramatic moments for added depth. Everything about it from cinematography to editing is just a bit more refined making for an excellent episode.
Episode 17: Summer Horror Story: The Demon Woman of Hotarugawara
I neglected to point out during past reviews the commencement of seasonal horror story sections which, I believe, started with Return of Ultraman. The basic idea is that come summer, winter, or both there will be a three or four week sequence of spooky tales. That is in theory however as two of Ace’s summer scares simply have a larger amount of supernatural tomfoolery about them than the average adventure. That meekness goes out the door with this one which is pure old-fashioned Japanese horror.
The episode kicks off in attention-grabbing fashion by having people seemingly devoured by fireflies right down to the bone. One nighttime car crash after another with the skeletal aftermath looking something like that old don’t drink and drive PSA. This particular stretch of road is important to TAC as they plan on having a nifty new weapon transported through there. It’s up to the whole team to figure out what’s up and who the spooky lady in the mask is.
A very rare Minami focused story sees her befriending a wheelchair-bound girl who may be the only potential witness to these strange events. This gives us a great insight into her personality, her methods, plus it feels so classic to have a horror tale from a female point of view. Offering great atmosphere, some much needed attention for Minami, and a unique monster this one is just a damn good time.
Clearly Ace doesn’t inspire the same level of admiration as its brethren but it made for decent enough viewing to ease through these previous months of continuing semi-lockdown. And it hasn’t lessened the hold this franchise has over the household since I’ll be kicking of Ultraman Taro come this Friday. Expect a write-up on that one in the summertime. In the meantime I’ve got another work week ahead of me so I’d best enjoy what free time there is and see you all back here this weekend or so.
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