Ultraman Manga: Chapter Nineteen Review

As the Ultraman manga prepares to enters its 20s, Chapter 19 introduces a few new key plot points. Finally Bemular is back with a substantial role. There's a plot twist regarding his battle with Hayata from way back in the first volume. There's not too much action, and there's a lot of vagueness, but the chapter remains a solid read.

After a pretty brutal opening for a poor human, the story is fixated on two things: the first one being about Endo and his partner investigating another serial killer crime, and Hayata revealing that Bemular wasn't actually trying to him in their battle from way back. Shinjiro doesn't get much page-time. His scenes involve him thinking about life in general. It isn't as bad as it sounds surprisingly, it's quite a subtle and emotional scene.

The biggest thing is the return of Bemular. This guy is the best character, and for now the main antagonist. This chapter however brings to light that he might not be the villain after all. It's an interesting factor and shows that the author is masterful at crating long stories. Z-Ton/Ed is continually written with a great amount intrigue. The reader never knows his absolute true intentions...

Overall, a solid chapter. The story moves along nicely with some impressive splash pages. There's an air of vagueness, so hopefully in coming chapters we start getting some payoffs.

4/5

Ultraman Manga: Chapter Eighteen Review

Previously Shinjiro had an encounter with an alien called Red. Their battle is here in this great chapter of the Ultraman Manga. This one has everything the previous one lacked: Ultraman himself, a fantastic fight, and a major plot development. Moroboshi confirms that Shinjiro isn't the only one that can transform into Ultraman. This should open up for some pretty interesting things in the coming chapters. But first, Chapter Eighteen.

The story picks up where the previous chapter left off. Shinjiro has a fight with Red. Sadly he realizes he doesn't have the costume, so before he gets pummeled Moroboshi breaks up the fight and has him get away from the alien city. Later an investigation in a warehouse leads Moroboshi and Ultraman to run into a (pathetic) alien. The first part is centered around the fight between Shin and Red. It's fantastic, in both the actual blows thrown and art. Red actually has some of his dialogue translated, which was good. Hopefully we'll see him again in the near future.

The second act starts when Moroboshi gets Shin away from the alien city. Moroboshi reveals to him that he's not the only being that can change into Ultraman. It'll be intriguing to see everything surrounding what that means. The whole warehouse scene was good. The unnamed alien is pretty weak though, even begging for mercy. Shin (as Ultraman) spares him, which is a pretty interesting development. It shows he has a merciful heart. Rena returns for a short scene with her dad. He is becoming increasingly annoying, disliking Ultraman for no real good reason. Hopefully this won't evolve into some kind of petty grudge throughout the series.

Overall, Chapter Eighteen is a great chapter. It features a fantastic fight and some Ultraman action later on. The story itself doesn't move much though, hopefully Bemular returns soon.

4/5

Ultraman Manga: Chapter Seventeen Review

The Ultraman Manga continues with a pretty interesting chapter. One thing's for certain, the author is really great at crafting a long story. Here not really anything new is revealed, but there are two plot developments nonetheless. Shinjiro encounters a new alien while Moroboshi's investigation keeps on getting more complex.

The story as stated earlier focuses on two things, Moroboshi investigating and Shinjiro having a conversation with Jack before being confronted by an alien named Red. (More on that soon.) The chapter opens up with a pretty intriguing conversation between Moroboshi and Jack. It's cool because these two are complete opposites. Moroboshi is ultra serious with a zero sense of humor while Jack appears to be more of the laid back lazy type. The conversation with Jack and Shinjiro is just as good however, where we learn that Jack knows Shin is Ultraman.

Red is the new alien encountered. I don't know if the resemblance to Red King is intentional, but the name sort of confirms that. Sady his dialogue is written with alien words, so the reader has no idea what he's saying. We'll see in the next chapter if he's anything but a brute stooge.

Overall, the Seventeenth chapter is pretty solid. Not amazing, but there's enough interesting material to keep the reader invested.

3.5/5

Ultraman Manga: Chapter Sixteen Review

This chapter of the Ultraman Manga is very light on the action and instead focuses on explaining exactly what this mysterious city is. The previous chapter was also not action heavy, but still had some very interesting dialogue. The story is getting bigger by the chapter. No real monsters yet, this is more of an Ultra7-like story than Ultraman, which is fine of course. Here we have something that asks more questions than providing answers. It's interesting for sure, and the ending Ultra-fans will like. (Only they will understand.)

Moroboshi shows Shinjiro the 'city of aliens.' No one knows exactly where it is, it can be travelled only via portal. Here the former explains to the latter exactly what's the purpose of being there and takes him to the 'informer.' This informer is one of the most unexpected things to come out of the story. What I like about this manga is that even when there's no punches being thrown, it's exciting. As an Ultra-fan, it's interesting to see this expanded mythos tale. This city brings about another interesting plot point. This is where apparently non-'trying to take over your world' alien types hang around. I'm hoping we get to learn more about it. Beyond that, not much happens. The 'big' thing is the ending. It's similar to when Moroboshi first appeared, except this time the guy in question is named Jack. This is of course referring to Ultraman Jack, another Showa Ultra. This is exciting, it shows the author has big plans down the road and isn't afraid to take his time.

Overall, a solid chapter. We see a city full of aliens and the arrival of this Jack character. I'm very curious and interested in seeing where the story goes, the Ultra Manga has yet to falter.

4/5

Ultraman Manga: Chapter Fifteen Review

At this point, the Ultraman manga is one of the mote intriguing reads out there. Longtime fans, especially watchers of the original series, will get the most out of it. The previous chapter was one of the biggest, showing off a huge fight between Shinjiro and Alien Adacic. It ended with Shin eradicating the alien. The cliffhanger promised great things to come. After such an action-packed chapter, this breather was expected. While incredibly short, this installment does have some interesting plot developments.

Ito and Z-Ton are having a discussion on the recent alien activity while Moroboshi confronts Shin on what being an Ultraman is. Despite being only 15 pages, a lot of good stuff is covered. The entire opening with Z-Ton and and Ito had me glued to the screen. It's more foreshadowing than revealing, but there's enough good mystery in the dialogue keeping the reader engaged. Then we have the next scene, revolving around Shin and Moroboshi. These two make for an interesting dynamic since they're so vastly different. The 'big' thing is the ending, where Moroboshi shows Shin a city within a building. It's not the most satisfying cliffhanger, but it is interesting. The art is alright, this chapter suffers from a lack of detail in the faces.

Overall, a light but very intriguing chapter in the Ultraman manga. I like how nicely the story is coming along. This installment foreshadows and reveals some very interesting things. What is this inner-city? The plot keeps bringing in the surprises.

4/5

Ultraman Manga: Chapter Twelve Review

The Ultraman Manga keeps getting even more interesting. The previous chapter had the story move with pretty big plot developments. Alien Z-Ton revealed he has deeper plans no one had been aware of, and on top of that Shinjiro confronted a new alien menace. This invader is revealed here to be none other than Alien Baltan, or at least something that looks exactly like him, which puts a whole new spin on things.  Despite that, this chapter takes break from the action and shows us what's up with the cops whom are curious of why the Science Patrol has taken over the investigation. While not an overly exciting chapter, it's still pretty interesting and gets you scythed for the next one.

Officer Endo is a curious man, so curious that he goes to investigate against orders. What he and his partner find is some disturbing stuff, and then they chase an alien down the street. Meanwhile Shinjiro comes crashing down, it looks like Baltan's going to be trouble. It goes without saying that the biggest thing about this chapter is the arrival of Alien Baltan. Technically he appeared in the previous chapter, but here he takes on his more familiar form. What's interesting is that it's not outright stated it's him. In fact, it could very well not be him, but the design is ultra similar. So that in itself is cool. However, the focus is not on the fight, but the officers' investigation. It's an interesting thing when a manga takes a chapter away from the big action to develop another part of the story. I will say that it's pretty unique, it echoes stuff you would see in Ultra7, very down-to-earth. We also have the return of Rena, whom I was rather critical about a few chapters ago. Not much to say about her here, it'll be what she does next time.

I love the choreography here. I particularly like when Shin crashes onto Rena's car. There's a sense of danger and power that the art conveys greatly. Baltan from we see of him looks really good. Moroboshi appears for a page, it's interesting to mention because of his bewilderment of Z-Ton's objective. It's plot points like this that make the story even more engaging for the reader since there's a slight mystery element.

Overall, the Ultraman manga keeps getting more intriguing by the chapter. Plot points are established subtly, and of course we have a classic foe(?) established. The next chapter could be the biggest yet.

4/5

Ultraman Manga: Chapter Eleven Review

The Ultraman Manga has passed double digits. The previous chapter was light on the story, it simply was about Shinjiro getting acquainted with being Ultraman. Not bad, but it was time for some plot progression with a villain. This chapter gives us that. The story is interesting, there's a great fight, and the ending will have you very intrigued of what's to come.

Here we have Moroboshi, whom was about to take on the alien threat inside the warehouse. But Shin arrives on the scene. He goes into the warehouse and makes a startling discovery...this alien is feeding off of humans. Time for a big fight that leads up to a revelation about Alien Z-Ton. This chapter is definitely the best one in awhile. The first villain since Bemular is here, and he's pretty intriguing. The design is definitely something out of the original Ultraman or Ultra7, in fact I could have sworn I've seen him before. That's how good it is, it looks so much like something out of the shows that you begin to think it is. Moroboshi comes off as a complete jerk the entire time, even saying "as expected" when he sees the alien escaping. He's an alright character technically, just extremely unlikable and probably would be the least likable if not for his ambiguous name. Shin is slowly becoming a solid protagonist. It started in the previous chapter, now it's coming full force here. I'm actually really liking Shin now, his more righteous persona is a great clash to Moroboshi's arrogance.

Regarding the alien, he's handled very well. If it's one thing mangas are good it, it's making villains cool even if they have a small appearance. This guy's personality is rather different, having a hint being slightly insane. The art captures the battle very well, it's not quite as detailed as the Bemular fight, but still isn't bad. The entertainment factor is still there. The most interesting thing about this chapter is the ending with Z-Ton. Does this guy have hidden motives? It looks that way...but is he actually evil? This will prove to be an interesting plot point in coming chapters.

Overall, a great chapter. This is exactly what the manga needed after a rather light story previously. We have a new alien established, there's a great fight and there's some really good plot progression. The Ultraman manga continues to be a great read all around.

4.5/5

Ultraman Manga: Chapter Nine Review

The Ultraman Manga takes an interesting turn in this chapter. Previously we saw a guy named Moroboshi appear. What's so important about that you ask? Moroboshi refers to Dan Morosobi, the human disguise of Ultrman 7. His being here raises quite a few questions. Besides that the previous chapter was generally just taking it easy. This time the public sees Ultraman for the first time in years. While technically kind of a filler chapter, it was still a pretty good read with a very interesting ending.

Here we have the two officers from last time that were told off from Moroboshi. They run ino a very big car accident. This accident is so big that Shinjiro himself has to jump in. Meanwhile back at Science Patrol base Moroboshi reveals he's not too big of a fan of Shinjiro. This chapter can be summed up pretty fast. Shin saves someone from an about-to-explode-truck and we find out Moroboahi is an arrogant hotshot whom doesn't like Shin. The important thing is that the public sees Shin as Ultraman for the first time. It's easy to forget he isn't giant, hence the very humorous scene when Officer Kurata said "Cosplaying?" Shin still has yet to leave an impression on me. His reluctance earlier in the chapter didn't help matters. But, by the end he seems to actually like being Ultraman, so maybe from here I can start calling him a solid protagonist.

The artwork is very strong. There are some very memorable shots, such as when Shin faces the two officers, fantastic panel. The ending with Moroboshi was quite interesting. Alien Z-Ton is still the best character in the whole thing, loved his appearance here. Moroboahi on the other hand is being portrayed either as someone very cool or very unlikable, it's up to the reader to decide.

Overall, Chapter Nine of the Ultraman manga isn't the most exciting plot wise, but still has some interesting developments. No sign of any villains, but that's how mangas work, they're usually very heavy with character development. Either way, this series is still going strong.

3.5/5