Thanks so much for posting that. It’s kinda beautiful. Brought a tear to my eye.
News Stay At Home With ULTRAMAN| Ultra Science Fiction Hour on YouTube
- Thread starter Kai "the spy"
- Start date
The English dub for Omega is coming in November, per Nerdist.
nerdist.com
ULTRAMAN LIVE Stage Show Coming to America This Fall
Iconic Japanese hero Ultraman comes to America for Ultraman Live, a new stage show debuting in New Jersey in November.
nerdist.com
Episode 2 of Ultraman Omega
Not bad. I like the title sequence incorporating the Showa-style silhouettes, something Ultraman Max also did. (Hmm, that was another character modeled visually on Ultraseven.) But sadly, it looks like we won't get New Generation-style individual title cards, just that same sequence of Omega reaching out his hand. (What is he supposed to be doing when he looks over his fingers at the kaiju? Is he playing "I'm going to crush you in my fist?")
The energy for the finisher beam evidently originating from the color timer is a novel approach. When it chimed and glowed like that, I was expecting it to be the trigger for one of the armor modes, but that's still ahead (maybe next week).
At least they put some effort into the rationale for why Omega keeps his identity secret. I don't think it's a very good rationale -- just Kosei not knowing how to explain it or afraid of what the authorities would do -- but at least it's addressed. I sometimes find it unclear why Ultra hosts even bother to hide their secret -- and when they're defense force members, it seems outright negligent and insubordinate to conceal something so important. (In the Ultraman X episode where the vice-captain was temporarily joined to Ultraman Nexus and immediately confessed to the captain and put herself on report for abandoning her post to fight a kaiju, I felt it made Daichi look bad for failing to do the same every time he united with X.)
For a scientist, Ayumu is not very observant. She saw Kosei and "Sorato" fabricating their lies right in front of her, and yet somehow she still bought it.
The energy for the finisher beam evidently originating from the color timer is a novel approach. When it chimed and glowed like that, I was expecting it to be the trigger for one of the armor modes, but that's still ahead (maybe next week).
At least they put some effort into the rationale for why Omega keeps his identity secret. I don't think it's a very good rationale -- just Kosei not knowing how to explain it or afraid of what the authorities would do -- but at least it's addressed. I sometimes find it unclear why Ultra hosts even bother to hide their secret -- and when they're defense force members, it seems outright negligent and insubordinate to conceal something so important. (In the Ultraman X episode where the vice-captain was temporarily joined to Ultraman Nexus and immediately confessed to the captain and put herself on report for abandoning her post to fight a kaiju, I felt it made Daichi look bad for failing to do the same every time he united with X.)
For a scientist, Ayumu is not very observant. She saw Kosei and "Sorato" fabricating their lies right in front of her, and yet somehow she still bought it.
First look at English dub of Ultraman Omega
Live Ultra Fight at G-Fest 2025 (video provided by the great Matt Frank):
Ultraman Omega episode 3
Good timing -- I just finished the episode. It was okay, but Kosei struggling to keep Sorato's secret from Ayumu is an annoying dynamic, and it's absurd that she's not even suspicious when they're doing such a terrible job of hiding it. I've long since gotten tired of the secret-identity trope. Characters who are kept in the dark can only ever serve one story function -- the person being hidden from and lied to -- and such characters are able to participate far more richly in the stories when they're brought into the hero's confidence. So I hope it's not long before she figures it out.
Pegunos is presumably based on Peguila, the penguin/walrus kaiju from Ultra Q that had a freezing-mist power. Rekiness doesn't seem to be based on anything specific beyond being an analogue of Ultraseven's Capsule Kaiju. The wiki says its name is derived from "telekinesis," which I guess was the power it used to throw those rocks at Pegunos. I was assuming it could specifically manipulate stone, since it came from a stone, but I guess not.
I'm pleased that the end-credits song is performed by MindaRyn, the same beautiful-voiced singer who did Blazar's closing themes. Apparently she's a Thai vocalist whose real name is Natcha Pongsupanee.
Pegunos is presumably based on Peguila, the penguin/walrus kaiju from Ultra Q that had a freezing-mist power. Rekiness doesn't seem to be based on anything specific beyond being an analogue of Ultraseven's Capsule Kaiju. The wiki says its name is derived from "telekinesis," which I guess was the power it used to throw those rocks at Pegunos. I was assuming it could specifically manipulate stone, since it came from a stone, but I guess not.
I'm pleased that the end-credits song is performed by MindaRyn, the same beautiful-voiced singer who did Blazar's closing themes. Apparently she's a Thai vocalist whose real name is Natcha Pongsupanee.
So I’ve completed two more Ultraman series: Gaia and Cosmos. (Actually three, since I watched Neos in between those two, but I don’t have a ton to say about it. Enjoyable enough, but limited by its short length. Just as I started to get more engaged with the show, it was already over. But there were a couple of solid episodes in there, with “Decide! SX Rescue Operation” being probably the most effective and memorable.)
Gaia was really impressive. Centering the show on the support and command staff for the multiple mission teams instead of the standard single team crew was a smart way to break the usual formula. The show also had a lot of great concepts beyond the typical elements, particularly the Alchemy Stars. I also really liked the topical touch of the doomsday cult that formed in reaction to the threat of the Radical Destruction Bringer. (Great name!)
Favorite characters included Gamu, Ishimuro, and especially Fujimiya and Reiko. Fujimiya was great fun as the intense and angsty semi-antagonist, while Reiko was, to me, the beating heart of the show in a way that reminded me of my beloved Rena in Tiga. I was really invested in their potential romance, and frankly disappointed that it never came to fruition, even in the sequel movie. I guess the creators were just too committed to the idea of Fujimiya as the eternally moody loner.
In a way, it wasn’t surprising to learn that Gaia’s head writer was Chiaki J. Konaka, since he served in the same capacity on the utterly brilliant anime series, Serial Experiments Lain. The intelligent and ambitious nature of Gaia makes a lot of sense in light of his central involvement.
I got the impression somewhere that Cosmos was not as well received or regarded as the “TDG” trinity, but man, I loved it. Certainly more than Dyna overall. I liked the hippy-dippy themes of it, and I loved the cast and characters. I don’t think I’ve seen any other Ultra show where the crew came together as smoothly for me, or as quickly seemed like a family. Fubuki was a standout — maybe the best-developed character arc I’ve ever seen on one of these shows, and one of the stronger actors I’ve encountered in the franchise. His sometimes fractious buddy dynamic with Musashi was really great, and I loved how he very believably grew and changed over the course of the series, largely due to Musashi’s influence and example. I also came to like Ayano a lot, though she reminded me a good bit of Dyna’s Mai — which is not a bad thing per se. But really, all the characters were great, as well as their actors.
For most of its considerable length, I felt like the show was remarkably consistent at a pretty high level, with every episode being solidly enjoyable, but without any real individual standouts. That is, until I got to “Door of Snow,” which completely broke me. What a beautiful, sorrowful, amazing episode. I think it’s the second best single episode of any Ultraman show I’ve seen to date, exceeded only by Max’s unforgettable “Miracle of the Third Planet.” It’s also the only episode I can remember to completely forego the obligatory Ultra battle, and it’s all the better for it.
I was underwhelmed by the first sequel movie, which reduced our beloved EYES team to an afterthought, but the second was great, involving the entire original crew much more centrally, as well as exploring the essential themes of both this specific series and the Ultraman franchise in general in emotional and affecting ways.
I’m taking an Ultraman break for the next few weeks and rewatching Lois & Clark, recently (and finally!) released on Blu-ray. But then I’m going to do a deep and very long dive into the franchise’s Showa Era, working my way through that continuity all the way to its Heisei Era sequel, Ultraman Mebius.
Gaia was really impressive. Centering the show on the support and command staff for the multiple mission teams instead of the standard single team crew was a smart way to break the usual formula. The show also had a lot of great concepts beyond the typical elements, particularly the Alchemy Stars. I also really liked the topical touch of the doomsday cult that formed in reaction to the threat of the Radical Destruction Bringer. (Great name!)
Favorite characters included Gamu, Ishimuro, and especially Fujimiya and Reiko. Fujimiya was great fun as the intense and angsty semi-antagonist, while Reiko was, to me, the beating heart of the show in a way that reminded me of my beloved Rena in Tiga. I was really invested in their potential romance, and frankly disappointed that it never came to fruition, even in the sequel movie. I guess the creators were just too committed to the idea of Fujimiya as the eternally moody loner.
In a way, it wasn’t surprising to learn that Gaia’s head writer was Chiaki J. Konaka, since he served in the same capacity on the utterly brilliant anime series, Serial Experiments Lain. The intelligent and ambitious nature of Gaia makes a lot of sense in light of his central involvement.
I got the impression somewhere that Cosmos was not as well received or regarded as the “TDG” trinity, but man, I loved it. Certainly more than Dyna overall. I liked the hippy-dippy themes of it, and I loved the cast and characters. I don’t think I’ve seen any other Ultra show where the crew came together as smoothly for me, or as quickly seemed like a family. Fubuki was a standout — maybe the best-developed character arc I’ve ever seen on one of these shows, and one of the stronger actors I’ve encountered in the franchise. His sometimes fractious buddy dynamic with Musashi was really great, and I loved how he very believably grew and changed over the course of the series, largely due to Musashi’s influence and example. I also came to like Ayano a lot, though she reminded me a good bit of Dyna’s Mai — which is not a bad thing per se. But really, all the characters were great, as well as their actors.
For most of its considerable length, I felt like the show was remarkably consistent at a pretty high level, with every episode being solidly enjoyable, but without any real individual standouts. That is, until I got to “Door of Snow,” which completely broke me. What a beautiful, sorrowful, amazing episode. I think it’s the second best single episode of any Ultraman show I’ve seen to date, exceeded only by Max’s unforgettable “Miracle of the Third Planet.” It’s also the only episode I can remember to completely forego the obligatory Ultra battle, and it’s all the better for it.
I was underwhelmed by the first sequel movie, which reduced our beloved EYES team to an afterthought, but the second was great, involving the entire original crew much more centrally, as well as exploring the essential themes of both this specific series and the Ultraman franchise in general in emotional and affecting ways.
I’m taking an Ultraman break for the next few weeks and rewatching Lois & Clark, recently (and finally!) released on Blu-ray. But then I’m going to do a deep and very long dive into the franchise’s Showa Era, working my way through that continuity all the way to its Heisei Era sequel, Ultraman Mebius.
I was underwhelmed with Neos the first time I saw it, but that was because I watched it after Tiga and Dyna, two of the very best series, and before much of anything else. Once I rewatched it with a fuller familiarity with the franchise, I realized it was actually pretty good. It is quite short, to be sure, but I kind of like that bite-size quality. I've actually watched it three times in all now.
Interesting that Shigeki Kagemaru has played defense-force pilots in three different continuities -- Kaji in Heisei Ultraseven, Shinjoh in Tiga/Dyna, and Uematsu in Neos. In addition to the numerous other roles he played in most of the Heisei Ultraman shows.
I love how big and complex the defense force is in Gaia; it's much more believable than the 5- or 6-person teams we usually get, and allows for a lot of rich character work. I also like the parallel focus on civilians like the reporters.
Interesting how both this and Kamen Rider Ryuki had short-haired female reporters named Reiko just 4 years apart.
Yes, and Konaka was also one of the creators and head writers on Tiga, as well as writing Digimon Tamers, my favorite season of that franchise.
Cosmos is a little sillier than the preceding shows, and I don't find the actors quite as appealing, but its heart's in the right place. I find it refreshing to see a team devoted to studying and protecting kaiju rather than killing them, something we don't really see again until Ultraman X. And yeah, Ayano is pretty cute, though not as cute as Mai. I actually found her most appealing when she got more serious or intense.
Cosmos is also the first Ultra in the main franchise to have a real relationship and regular dialogue with his human host, rather than being generally silent outside of premieres and finales or other exceptional circumstances. The only previous Ultras who had distinct personas from their hosts and conversed with them often were Joneus in the anime and "Ultraman Great" in the Australian Towards the Future. Of course, it became a more frequent thing in the New Generation, with X, Zero, the Tri-Squad, and Z being treated more as their hosts' partners or friends (as well as Taro as a mentor figure to Ginga's host).
The prequel movie isn't great, though it's very much aimed at children and maybe works better for them. It's an interesting idea that Musashi met Cosmos a decade before when he was just a kid, and only later merged with him as an adult.
The first sequel movie was filmed during the making of the show, which is why it marginalizes the series cast (and the show did a few Musashi-light episodes to free Taiyo Sugiura to star in the movie). The second sequel was made post-series, so it could feature the series cast more fully.
I don't remember much about the sequel movies, despite having seen them fairly recently. One thing that stands out is that I think it's the first time we saw that an Ultra whose color timer is blinking can be recharged to full energy by bonding with a human, as when Cosmos reunites with Musashi in the first act of movie 3. We've only seen that once or twice since, including when Haruki first bonds with Z.
I also remember realizing that Ultraman Justice was basically an "Ultraseven-ized" version of Cosmos's design (or a Cosmos-ized Ultraseven design), as well as being Seven-ish in taking a human disguise.
I wasn't as fond of the Showa series as the later ones, but I guess it depends on one's preferences. There was a lot of cheese to wade through, but a lot of potent and imaginative episodes, some surprising darkness here and there, and a willingness to experiment.
I enjoyed him playing against type as the doctor in Cosmos. I found the character somewhat creepy and off-putting in his first appearance (while recognizing he was supposed to be funny), but they quickly rehabilitated him quite successfully, I thought.
I found it less silly than Dyna, which is my least favorite overall of the shows I’ve watched to date (though, as mentioned, Neos was also just okay).
Informative and makes sense. Thanks.
I’m fully expecting them to be quite different from the Heisei shows, but to have their own kind of charm. I’ve also seen Ultra Q, Ultraman, and Ultraseven previously, many years ago, so I have some idea what to expect. Also, since I’m watching the shows via Mill Creek’s home video releases, it’s going to be nice to go from the Heisei standard-definition DVDs to the Showa Blu-rays.
Missed this one:
I read online after seeing the film that Julie was supposed to be a disguise as opposed to a humanoid host, which seemed strange to me, since the movie led me to believe otherwise. For one thing, she uses a device to change to Justice, which I took to be the equivalent of the transformation devices the various human hosts in the shows use. For another, Justice is apparently male, so I would expect him to manifest as a male if he were just mimicking a humanoid form. Not that I’m judging, mind you.