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 King Kong '21

The next May pre-order to arrive is S.H. MonsterArts King Kong from the Godzilla vs. Kong film. I was psyched to get a highly articulated Kong from Tamashii Nations, and the great ape is finally here. Kong is a little shorter than Godzilla (just like in the film). The details of the sculpt are all well done. Tamashii Nations did a good job capturing his look well, from his hair covered body to a few scars on his chest. His faces, including his eyes and teeth on the open mouth head, as well as his axe, are all well painted. The only issue is that they seemed to have gone with a glossy finish, so he seems too shiny, especially on his face and chest. A duller matte shade would've suited him better. At least it would've kept him from looking like he over-moisturized. As for his articulation, he's quite flexible. His head is on a ball joint, ball jointed neck as well, ball jointed shoulders and thighs, upper arm cut, single jointed elbows and knees that go in further than 90 deg...
4 comments
Read more

Titanic Creations Yongary 1967

This figure was released in late December, and I got it about 2 days before the New Year, so I'm counting it as a 2025 release. It is the Titanic Creations version of the Korean kaiju Yongary, Monster From The Deep. The film was released in 1967 as a Godzilla ripoff, with several ideas copied from the Gamera series, such as his tusks, his ability to fire a stream of flames from his mouth, and even firing a laser beam from his horn, similar to the slicing one used by Gyaos. The film is pretty goofy, but Yongary, like most of those Asian monsters, was pretty cool (to me, at least), so I was psyched that someone finally made a figure of this lesser known kaiju. When Titanic Creations put it up for pre-order, they announced a series of tiers, where they would add accessories when a certain number of orders were met. Enough fans ordered him, so that Yongary ended up with a shit ton of stuff, making him absolutely worth the price. In addition to the kaiju, you get a flame breath effect, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

S.H. Figuarts Ultimate Ageis/Ultraman Zero Armor option parts set

Earlier in the week I received my S.H. Figuarts Ultimate Ageis/Ultraman Zero Armor option parts set. I was busy with work and doing other reviews, but I finally got around to checking these out. They turned out to be pretty cool option parts. Ultimate Aegis is a set of armor created by Ultraman Noa . My initial thought was that they may be a bit of a hassle to attach to the Ultras. They ended up being fairly easily to swap out and put on them. The only issue I had was with the large piece (Final Ultimate Zero) that Ultraman Zero holds. I was having trouble getting his arm peg into the fist (it’s attached to the piece). Then I realized that I had on his forearm with his bracelet, so I swapped out the regular forearm without the bracelet and it went in easily. For the ultimate Zero Sword, each hand piece comes with its own fists, a red (for X) and blue (for Zero). The top of the fist has a peg that attaches to the piece, and then you ...
4 comments
Read more