News Stay At Home With ULTRAMAN| Ultra Science Fiction Hour on YouTube
- Thread starter Kai "the spy"
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No. But it isn't unheard of, either. I know UltraSeven used Capsule Monsters way back at the very dawn of the franchise.
In fact, wasn't one of his capsule monsters Windom, or am I misremembering that? Who was recently repurposed as a STORAGE armored robot during Z. Of more recent shows, both Z and Blazar featured human built robots fighting alongside the ultras instead of Kaiju.
And of course there is Mega Monster Battle, which only tangentially included any Ultras, as Rei was a Reionics who could command monsters. His signature hero kaiju was Gomora, though he had four monsters in total during the run of the show. That show was almost entirely kaiju on kaiju violence, with some aliens sprinkled in for flavor.
Mebius and Decker also used versions of the Capsule Kaiju. Cosmos was more about protecting kaiju than fighting them, so Cosmos had a recurring birdlike kaiju ally called Lidorias, and a couple of the other kaiju he protected returned the favor once ina while, though it wasn't a regular thing.
Ginga introduced Spark Dolls, Ultras and kaiju that were trapped in action figure form and that the characters could use to temporarily transform themselves into those Ultras or kaiju. Some of the supporting characters occasionally changed themselves into kaiju to fight alongside the lead when he became Ginga. Ultraman X reused the Spark Doll idea and had the defense team create MonsArmors for X based on kaiju Spark Dolls, and eventually created a Cyber Gomora giant robot/kaiju of sorts that fought as X's ally. There's also Blazar's fiery kaiju ally Firdran (or Fadoran, phonetically), which turns into his Firdran Armor, similar to what Omega will use.
Yes, Ultraseven's Capsule Kaiju were Windom, Miclas, and Agira in Ultraseven and Sevenger in Ultraman Leo. Windom and Miclas returned as Maquette Kaiju in Mebius. Sevenger and Windom were two of the main STORAGE robots in Z, and Windom, Miclas, and Agira all reappeared in Decker. (The original Windom was a metallic life form rather than a robot, somehow. It was unclear whether the original Sevenger was meant to be a robot or a life form, but it was created by Ultra science.)
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Preview special of Ultraman Omega on July 5th
I had a thought the other day. I've sometimes been bothered by the contradiction that some Ultra series show the Ultras getting named by humans -- for instance, Ultraseven was named that because he was the honorary seventh member of the Ultra Guard -- yet other productions treat the Ultras' Earth names as their real names, which they use even at home in the Land of Light or wherever, and that other aliens routinely address them by (because somehow aliens always recognize Ultras in human form). I just had a thought about how that could be reconciled. Since Ultras are warriors, maybe they use a naming convention like Roman generals used, e.g. Gnaeus Marcus Coriolanus or Scipio Africanus adopting names commemorating their great military victories, and being known more by those adopted epithets than by their given names.
I think I heard something similar asserted in one of the supplemental voice dramas they have on YouTube -- that, because so many great Ultra warriors have earned distinction defending Earth, it's seen as an honor to go to Earth and earn an Ultraman name there, or something like that. Although that's not entirely consistent, since a lot of productions show them already being known as Ultraman Whatever before they first come to Earth. Still, it's an interesting thought.
And it makes me wonder what the Ultras' real names were before they adopted Ultraman epithets. We've only learned a few Ultras' real names over the decades -- Ultraman Joneus is, well, Joneus, Father and Mother of Ultra are Ken and Marie, Shin Ultraman is Lipiah, Ultraman Arc is Rution. And I guess there are a few like Zoffy, Astra, Joneus's allies Elek and Loto, and Princess Yullian who go by their real names by default.
I think I heard something similar asserted in one of the supplemental voice dramas they have on YouTube -- that, because so many great Ultra warriors have earned distinction defending Earth, it's seen as an honor to go to Earth and earn an Ultraman name there, or something like that. Although that's not entirely consistent, since a lot of productions show them already being known as Ultraman Whatever before they first come to Earth. Still, it's an interesting thought.
And it makes me wonder what the Ultras' real names were before they adopted Ultraman epithets. We've only learned a few Ultras' real names over the decades -- Ultraman Joneus is, well, Joneus, Father and Mother of Ultra are Ken and Marie, Shin Ultraman is Lipiah, Ultraman Arc is Rution. And I guess there are a few like Zoffy, Astra, Joneus's allies Elek and Loto, and Princess Yullian who go by their real names by default.
Ultraman Omega episode 1
Hmm, it's okay so far, but it's not a great introduction to the protagonist when he's staring dumbly and grunting for most of the episode. I wonder if they were riffing on Jeff Bridges in Starman, but he had a lot more runtime to develop fluency.
I wasn't crazy about the episode opening with a whole sequence that looked purely CGI, including Omega. I like Ultraman because of its commitment to old-school practical FX and miniatures.
Omega is definitely very Ultraseven-influenced, right down to the rise sequence of the transformation device being placed against his body and spreading out into armor, though here it starts from the chestpiece instead of the eyes. The design is good -- I'm getting used to the red face -- but the color timer sound is very unusual.
It's weird that Kosei didn't seem to recognize the word "kaiju," given that it's just Japanese for "strange/mysterious beast" and has been in use in Japan since at least 1843. Granted, there are several homophones for both its syllables, but if someone says "kaiju" while he's looking at a strange beast, it should be self-evident what he means.
So it's an interesting but uncertain start. But it's from the same head writer and head director as Ultraman Decker, which was really good.
I wasn't crazy about the episode opening with a whole sequence that looked purely CGI, including Omega. I like Ultraman because of its commitment to old-school practical FX and miniatures.
Omega is definitely very Ultraseven-influenced, right down to the rise sequence of the transformation device being placed against his body and spreading out into armor, though here it starts from the chestpiece instead of the eyes. The design is good -- I'm getting used to the red face -- but the color timer sound is very unusual.
It's weird that Kosei didn't seem to recognize the word "kaiju," given that it's just Japanese for "strange/mysterious beast" and has been in use in Japan since at least 1843. Granted, there are several homophones for both its syllables, but if someone says "kaiju" while he's looking at a strange beast, it should be self-evident what he means.
So it's an interesting but uncertain start. But it's from the same head writer and head director as Ultraman Decker, which was really good.
It took five months to make the opening scene
I have trouble following CGI sequences that are so cluttered with action and imagery. Maybe I'm too old for it, since I didn't grow up training my senses on video games more complex than Pong or Asteroids.
I'm glad they've brought back the arty silhouette-style title cards, which I really like (at least the ones in the New Generation era). This one was even semi-animated, which I hope will continue.
I'm glad they've brought back the arty silhouette-style title cards, which I really like (at least the ones in the New Generation era). This one was even semi-animated, which I hope will continue.
Last thing
Apparently the CGI at the beginning was done by Shirogumi, the same team who did Godzilla Minus One. well that explains why it looked so good...
Apparently the CGI at the beginning was done by Shirogumi, the same team who did Godzilla Minus One. well that explains why it looked so good...
I thought it looked like a video game cutscene. The CGI Omega didn't quite move like a person in a suit moves. I've never been fond of the instances where they use CGI for Ultras (e.g. Dyna and Decker's rise sequences, Cosmos's type changes, or Gruebe's movie debut). They never quite clear the uncanny valley.
I liked this episode, and especially the remixing of traditional Ultraman motifs. Having the Ultraman and the human side by side instead of fusing together, but the Ultraman is still inspired by the human's kindness and readiness to risk their own life to protect others.
Hmm, I hadn't thought of it that way. But yeah, Ultras who disguise themselves as human usually don't have any human confidantes who know their identities. Mebius was the exception, but mainly in the latter half of his series. Although in New Generation, we've had several humans or human-presenting characters who could become Ultras and who had confidantes who knew their secrets -- Geed, Rosso & Blu, and Trigger. So the "Ultra and friend/s" dynamic isn't new, though this is a distinct variation on it.
One thing I'm wondering is, if Omega had amnesia when he arrived on Earth, how did he know to take human form? Was it some kind of instinctive camouflage reflex? Or perhaps I'm wrong to assume that he's intrinsically an Ultra and his human form is just a disguise. Maybe he's like Joneus or Orb, a humanoid alien who can take Ultra form.
It might also be a survival thing, considering how Ultras can only take limited exposure to Earth's atmosphere.
Maybe, but that depends on the series. The usual thing is that Ultras can only operate for 3 minutes at a time (though this is often fudged) because the atmosphere filters out much of the sunlight that powers them. But there have been Ultras that don't have the 3-minute limit, with the Color Timer (or equivalent under a different name) being more of a health meter that blinks when they're injured. In the 1992 Australian series Ultraman: Towards the Future, which had an environmental theme, it was stated that Ultraman could only be active for 3 minutes due to the pollution in Earth's atmosphere. So there's no telling yet how Omega will approach it.
Actually that's one thing that kind of annoyed me on my recent New Generation rewatch -- how often the modern shows just ignore the whole Color Timer thing and have Ultras continuing to fight for several minutes after their Timers start to blink. I mean, IIRC, in the Blazar/Arc crossover episode, when Blazar transferred some of his power to Arc, it didn't stop Arc's Timer from blinking, even though power transfers between Ultras usually reset the Timers.
Ultraman Omega henshin lesson
Toku actors are really good at holding still while stagehands stick props into their hands, so that they don't visibly move much when the props "materialize." I could see his position move slightly when I rewatched in slow motion, but at full speed it was reasonably convincing.
That little crystal thingy in the pendant strikes me as a poor idea from a toy-design perspective. It's so small that it'd be easy to lose.
That little crystal thingy in the pendant strikes me as a poor idea from a toy-design perspective. It's so small that it'd be easy to lose.
I was not a fan of Omega Episode 1. Amnesia is a lazy plot device even for Toku, and I hate seeing the character act like a moron touching everything and not understanding basic things like its an sitcom about an alien on Earth. I really don't think that Ultraman + My Favorite Martian/Mork & Mindy/Third Rock from the Sun is a very good combination, especially since I don't like those shows anyway.
Still I'll give it the three episode chance, at the bare minimum its starting a bit bettert then Arc did and with characters that aren't as passive and childish (even with the bad "alien on Earth" gags).
Still I'll give it the three episode chance, at the bare minimum its starting a bit bettert then Arc did and with characters that aren't as passive and childish (even with the bad "alien on Earth" gags).
Interesting. I think Western audiences tend to miss that there's always been an undercurrent of divinity to Ultraman -- an all-powerful being who descends from the heavens to be our savior, but who helps those who help themselves. That video was really playing up that angle.