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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.

 
 

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