Skip to main content

Netflix Ultraman anime



So I finally finished watching season 1 of the Netflix Ultraman anime. The first thing I can say is that after the MASSIVE letdown that was the Godzilla anime trilogy, this was miles better! I know that several old school fans complained that it was basically like an updated version of Iron Man (with the heroes encased inside the armor suits), however, I didn’t mind that at all. I figure that they needed to update the show in order to make it appealing to mass audiences, as well as anime fans. I felt they did a good job in making it a continuation of Hayata’s story, this time focusing on his son Shinjiro.

 

It begins years later after Ultraman left the earth. Hayata is now much older. He soon discovers that his son possesses the same abilities that enable him to be an Ultraman. Ide recruits Shinjiro into the science patrol to fulfill his destiny of becoming an Ultraman.

 

In addition to Hayata and Ide, it also brings in Dan Moroboshi, who plays a bitchy, tough member of the science patrol and is also an Ultraman himself. Jack also returns, as a human who lives among aliens in Alien City. As for the monsters, they’re nicely updated and I enjoyed figuring out who was who (some were easy to spot, others it took me a while to get which kaiju/alien they were supposed to be). Bemular is a main character, he looks completely different than the goofy kaiju he’s based on. He’s now a cyborg style alien. Yapool at first glance I thought it was Quraso Seijin, but then the red face and small antenna made me realize it was Yapool. That was part of the fun for me, seeing how certain classic characters were updated and seeing how long it took me to “spot” them.

 
 

The storyline moves at a good pace (13 episodes in total), with some nice surprises and twists. I appreciated the fact that it didn't resort to predictable clichés that was I expecting (e.g. a female love interest does not get kidnapped by evil aliens and Ultraman must save her; Hayata does not get killed in order for Shinjiro to reach his full potential, etc). I found all the characters to be engaging (I watched the English dub and found it quite enjoyable; no annoying over-acting **cough cough… Haruo… cough**). The action sequences are where the series really shines, showing wonderfully choreographed fights, good use of slow motion, and lots of explosions, bloodshed, action. And the themes (what it means to be a hero, letting go of self-doubt and insecurities in order to achieve your full potential, revenge, xenophobia, etc.) all play out smoothly without coming off as preachy or lame.
 
 

It’s a very enjoyable show and I know that the manga that it’s based on had several chapters so I hope Netflix continues to do more seasons. It’s enjoyable enough to please both new and old fans, as well as appeal to older fans who have complained about the kiddie style humor and blatant toy advertising of the newer Tsuburaya Ultraman shows by having more serious, adult themes. I am a fan of this anime and plan on supporting it.

 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla Minus One

Right before the opening of the new Toho film Godzilla Minus One in the US, I received the figure from Bandai Tamashii Nations from that film. It was officially released last weekend, and about a day before that, some photos were popping up online of the final product, appearing with a very dark and bad paint job. Drama rose up in one of the kaiju figure groups I'm a part of, with one idiot in particular proclaiming that the S.H. MonsterArts line was done, despite having not gotten the actual figure in hand before he could judge for himself. After multiple posts trashing the figure and stating that Bandai was dead, he received the figure and then gave it a good rating (8 out of 10), making himself look like a damn fool in the process. I admit that those initial photos had me worried, but I decided to wait until I saw some YouTube reviews to see how it actually turned out to make my judgement (I pre-ordered it from a site where you don't pay for it until it's actually in sto
Post a Comment
Read more

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 1991 Shinjuku Decisive Battle version

The latest Godzilla figure I pre-ordered from the S.H. MonsterArts line has arrived. It is the 1991 Shinjuku Decisive Battle version, to go along with the Mecha King Ghidorah release from earlier this year. While the suit is almost the same as the one used in 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante, they made some slight adjustments. Compared to the BioGoji figure, this one is much thicker, therefore, he does look different from that other release. His sculpt is the classic 90's era Heisei look, with small head, thick thighs, large dorsal spines and a long tail. Like all the other Godzilla suits of that decade, he has a cat-like face, both cute and menacing. While the King of the Monsters has had multiple looks throughout his 50+ years, it's the Heisei era that seems the most iconic. Artwork, toys, comics, etc, have all utilized this particular design. Similar to the 89 suit, this 91 figure has a small set of dorsal spines, followed by a much larger one, and then gradually getting sm
Post a Comment
Read more

S.H. Monsterarts Rodan &Mothra 2019 set

My Rodan and Mothra set finally arrived after being delayed for a few weeks. After spending a few days going over them, I've had time to really assess them. They're both decent, but there are some issues. Let's dig in! As far as sculpt, Rodan fairs better than Mothra. Everything from the wings, face, torso and legs on Rodan are well done and nicely capture his condor-like look from the film. The face, legs and body of Mothra is sculpted in a very simple, dull manner, lacking any real detail or pattern. Part of it I think is that her body is so small it doesn't leave much room for details. Another thing that was pointed out to me by someone on social media is that Monsterarts may have based their Mothra on early concept artwork as opposed to her actual look in the film. The result is a smooth, crude design that, upon close inspection, resembles a Play-Do sculpture. If this was the case, Tamashii Nations really should've waited until they saw w
Post a Comment
Read more