Ultraman Manga: Chapter One Review

Believe it or not, Ultraman is a bigger thing right now in Japan than Godzilla. We just had a film released last year and on top of that the US got an official release of Ultra7. This guy predates Power Rangers by over 20 years, first making landfall in 1966. Since then, the 'Light Giant' has had over 20 TV shows and over 20 movies! Surprisingly, as far as I can tell, there haven't really been much manga. Godzilla has quite a few, but I've never seen an Ultra one. Recently, there has been a brand new manga that is, get this, set after the Original Series. There's not too much action in Chapter One, rather it sets up a few things. It's definitely something fans (especially those whom have seen the Original Series in its entirety) can enjoy.

Set 20 years after Zetton was destroyed and Utraman left for Nebula M78, the story follows Shin, son of Hayata. (The human host of the original Ultraman.) This kid likes the hero a lot, even having a little action figure of him. He's a pretty happy kid, then one day he falls off a platform. But get this...he isn't even scratched. Turns out this kid has the Ultraman Gene, and he's going to need it since an alien invasion is on the rise. First off, I think it's great that the story builds off of the Original Series. It could have gone the route of making a whole new Ultraman with whole new characters, that's the route people would expect it to take. But nope, here we have Hayata, Ito, references to the past...all that good stuff. This first chapter mainly focuses on Hayata and Ito. It has some interesting stuff, we see that Hayata despite no longer being a host for Ultraman has the gene. And he's passed it down to his son. Ito is also aware that he was the Ultraman, and he reveals the others did too, which is quite intriguing. But the action really heats up when Ito shows him a clip of something destroying an aircraft.

This first chapter doesn't try to be epic with big explosions. It sets up the story, showing us what the Ultraman gene is and slowly introducing us to Shin. It also does a nice, subtle job of establishing the incoming threat. Non-watchers of the Original Series won't enjoy it as much, cause there are plenty of references, especially to that last episode  (It's nice to see how well this manga connects to it, from the Zetton vs. Ultraman display to a photograph of the whole Science Patrol, there's a lot to like.) The art is pretty standard. I won't call it average because it hasn't gotten a chance to show how it can do Ultraman and fights. I will say that the opening colorized pages were truly cool. The new Ultraman design is what you get when you combine the classic look with a Gundam and Iron Man. In short, it looks like a very high tech futuristic version. It may look a little too 'out there,' but I'm always open to new takes, it'll be interesting to see it in action. There's a 12 year time skip later. We see Shin as a teen now, fully aware of his powers. So far he isn't anything special, but we've only gotten a few pages of him, so I'll reserve judgment until I read a few more chapters.

Overall, the Ultraman manga is off to a pretty good start. I love how it's part of the Original Show's continuity, using its characters to build a story. I'm indifferent on Shin so far, we'll see how he does in the next few chapters. We also get the hint that an alien invasion is on the way. Ultra fans, especially watchers of the 66 series, should check this out.

4/5

Ultraman MAX Review

After finishing the original Ultraman series, the question of "Now what?" came. I knew the original series was really the only one that was released in America, so I had no clue how I was going to watch the others. After some quick searching, I found out that many of the series were officially released in region free format, thanks to Malaysia. The only drawback is the subs. While they're understandable and not awful, there's spelling errors all over the place and sometimes it just doesn't make sense. Well, nothing could be perfect, right? There were many choices to pick, from Nexus to Mebius. Ultimately MAX sounded the most cool out of them. After reading up on it, I found out that my main kaiju Antlar returns, and a bunch classic monsters also come back. That, and the show overall just sounded fun. After a few months, finally finished it. Ultraman MAX is a slightly different kind of Ultraman show, with many comedic aspects. It also has a lot of emotion in the stories. MAX is definitely a fun show that will surprise you.

Like with the original Ultraman, this series has the 'monster of the week' thing. What this show got right that the old show got wrong was the monster designs and strengths. In the old show far too often we'll run into a weakling that Ultraman would beat in one blast. One blast! Here the monsters for the most part have great designs and are threats. That's also because MAX seems a little weaker than the original. He's lacking almost everything that made the original a cool focus. (C'mon, the original Ultraman LAUGHED in a monster's face, he openly mocked it!) This show has many great new creations, such as Lagoras, who appeared twice. He's definitely one of, if not the best original monster in the show. But what made this a buying incentive is that a bunch of classic kaiju appear. Antlar looks great, and just like in the old show, Max couldn't defeat him with the Blue Stone of Baraji. The suit is definitely an upgrade, but looks the exact same from his original appearance, good stuff. Eleking from Ultra7 makes two appearances. His first one in Episode 2 was fantastic. That episode is one of the best in the show. It has emotion and great action. Alien Baltan also appears for a two-parter. What I like is that instead of just 'taking over the earth because I COULD,' backstory and legit reason is given. Gomora also comes back. And of course, Red King is also here. Along with him Pigmon returns. In these two's first appearance, it was loosely a remake of the classic episode 'The Lawless Monster Zone.' Red King and Pigmon return in the admittedly funny episode, 'Alternate Dimension World.' And what is probably the best episode of the show, Zetton appears in Episode 13. Now this series got him right, no losing to human built weapons. It took two Ultramen and the power of Max Galaxy. Really, without the monsters, Ultraman would be lacking.

That's not to count out the many original creations. Take Kepulse for example, he's a fantastic monster because he has a great backstory and reason for causing destruction. Moetaranga I feel is an underrated monster/alien, his lines were great and just seemed to have an intriguing villain persona. (Plus his design is awesome.) Alien Shama is definitly one you won't be forgetting anytime soon. He's just the most over-the-top villain I've ever seen. I do have to question his second appearance that Professor. Yukari didn't find his human form suspicious. Then there's Alien Kesam, whose humanoid form looks a lot like the Xilien leader from Godzilla: Final Wars. His change of heart at the end of his episode appearance was expected, but done in a non cheesy way. While there were many throwaway monsters, at least they all put up decent fights and had good designs. Nostalgia aside, if its one thing that MAX beats the original series in, it's in the monster department.

After Episode 13 with Zetton, I felt the the quality of the show kinda lessened. There was more slapstick, especially in Episode 16, the worst episode of the show. I could see the point of adding humor, but often it comes off as rather dumb, making the characters look kinda silly. (The captain of any show should always look tough.) Like in the original show, there was a notable joke episode with this monster called Cloudos. It wasn't as bad as Episode 16, but for Cloudos they might as well have brought back Skydon, it would have given the episode a nostalgic touch. The latter part of the show wasn't as great as the first part, but there were many great episodes. A popular one is Episode 15, with this very strange monster 'If.' Basically this guy is kinda unbeatable, he absorbs what's thrown at him and mimics the ability. Then in the end his outlook is transformed into musical instruments thanks to a little girl playing the flute. It's one of those 'work of art' episodes that Shakespeare people would like. What I do like is that often we're provided extensive backstory in these episodes. Take Episode 9 for example with the legendary dragon Natsunomeryu. He's not evil, so the episode has a rather tragic touch. Ultraman MAX does have better established stories than in the original Ultraman, but is lacking the its charm. (Nostalgia? Retro?)

One cannot forgot to mention the core of the show, the characters. Instead of the Science Patrol, it's DASH. Captain Shigeru, Kaito, Mizuki, Sean, Koba, and Elly make up the main team. Kaito is the new holder of Ultraman. He's no Hayata, (don't think anyone ever will be) but he grows on you. Captain Shigeru also doesn't have anything on Captain Mura from the old show, but he isn't bad. (Though some of the comedic moments make him look pretty awful.) Mizuki is the new main female. I like Fuji from the classic show more, but she isn't bad. Aside from the the fact that she gets knocked out almost every episode. Sean is the Ito of the group. (And he's American!) He's the guy with the out-of the-blue comments and over the top remarks, he's just a funny and needed addition to the squad. Koba is the sharp shooter, similar to Arashi from (you guessed it) the 1966 show. Like Arashi, Koba isn't given as much of a focus as the other members. The most interesting (and best) character is Elly. She's an android, Data from Star Trek as you will. Elly brings a certain coolness to the group. She's not an emotionless robot, in fact, it's quite the opposite. While she isn't technically emnotional, she displays the greatest of compassion for her fellow teammates. I would have liked to see her fight more. (She does get some Ellen Ripley action in one episode, #19.) Unlike in the original show, there is some romance in MAX. Thankfully, it isn't overplayed. Kaito and Mizuki's relationship is built up gradually well, nothing beats fluid romance. One of the worst things in media is a shoehorned in romance. Then there's a little romance between Elly and Koba, which is pretty cute as it unfolds later in the show. Other characters include Professor Yukari, whom classic Ultraman fans will remember as Fuji from the original show. (How awesome is that?) Then as a treat to fans, the actors who played Hayaya and Ito return here for some appaearances as other chatacters. It was great seeing them, Ito still has the same smile for everything!

Talking about the series finale, it definitely had that 'this is the end' feel. The final boss is this giant (I say giant this time because it dwarfs Ultraman!) thing that looks a bit like Legion from Gamera, it's pretty cool. The final battle however is disappointing, since there wasn't really much fighting. It's Ultraman attacking a giant thing, gets defeated fast, then gets a powerup and slashes the thing to oblivion. Anti-climatic? A bit, could have used more of a fight. But really, it isn't about Max's final battle, it's what happens afterward with the characters. We get to see Kaito and Mizuki together married and old. (Though it's not really known as to what happened with the other members, save Elly.) But overall it was a fine finale. After that was a reflection episode and a preview of Ultraman Mebius, a nice touch.

Overall, Ultraman MAX is fine series in the Ultra-verse. It's jam packed full of awesome monsters, satisfying fights, and interesting stories. It's not a perfect series, I felt the comedy got a little too slaptstick. In the end, nothing can match the charm of the original show, but MAX is a great series its own right. Ultraman MAX is a great show with lots of care (the theme song is amazing) and heart injected into the stories.

Monster of the Week: Zetton (Original)

Zetton is the most powerful monster in the Ultra-verse. Besides Gomora, he was the only to truly and completely defeat Ultraman. But unlike the battle with Gomora, there was no chance here. 'Space Dinosaur' Zetton was in complete control the whole time. He was far superior in power and strength. Zetton is the definition of 'final boss.' He's a merciless, evil, and just plain heartless brute. Thanks to Alien Z-Ton, Zetton came to earth. That is where the events of Farewell Ultraman takes place.

The Alien Z-Tons had invaded earth. Surprisingly their spaceships were pretty weak, a single missile could destroy one. Captain Mura, Arashi, and Hayata were chasing down Dr. Iwamoto. It turns out that he was an alien in disguise. After Hayata shot him, the alien shouted "Zetton" "Zetton." before fading away. Doing so made the final spaceship come and started blowing up some kind of space balloon....which then released the Space Dinosaur. (How they got the dinosaur part is beyond me.) Zetton is the Z-Ton's ultimate and secret weapon. He's the guy that was going to do the easy work of destroying everything that got in his way. Zetton is a cold brute, he obviously knows how powerful he is. If he were a human, he'd be the bragging type. You can see that he also enjoys some good destruction as he's waving his arms around when he rises out of that 'balloon.' Completely impervious to the Science Patrol's laser gun, he easily walks through, taunting with flaunting his arms. It's only until Hayata transforms into Ultraman that there's a glimmer of hope. Or so we had hoped...

Zetton isn't like Antlar, he's not one to show anger or quite as cunning. He's a brute, he doesn't bother dodging attacks. Why should he? He knows he's the most powerful monster in the Ultra-verse after all. Ultraman had come from behind and did this spinning attack which sent some rings onto Zetton. They managed to subdue him, making him immobile....until of course he turned around and shot some red beams that caused the dust around Ultraman to turn red. At that moment the most hardcore moment of the whole entire show happens, Zetton simply breaks out of the rings like a true boss. He knows Ultraman is a threat, so he jumps down to fight. He also likes to brag about his superiority. As he surprised Ultraman by teleporting behind him, you can see him taunting once again with flaunting his arms. He also has a bunch of surprising abilities, he can generate a barrier out of nothing, which helps quite a bit against Ultraman's mini ring attack, those little things break on contact. Ultraman then comes in for some close hand-to-hand combat, but Zetton just slaps him away. I will say it again, he just slaps Ultraman away like he's nothing other than a nuisance. This is when he comes in for the kill. Zetton isn't one to draw out fights too long, if the opponent is down, he will take that opportunity to finish them off. This time he went in to choke Ultraman to death. Ultraman fought and fought, but he just couldn't shake away this brute of a monster. Eventually he manages to throw Zetton off thanks to some encouragement from the narrator. But that wouldn't stop the Space Dinosaur, you can see he's one that's fully alert as he quickly rises up. Of course by now Ultraman uses his signature Spacium Ray. Zetton is pretty much laughing at this as he absorbs the beam, let Ultraman become shocked of what had just transpired, then fired the absorbed beam. This completely dazed Ultraman. Showcasing his cold and merciless demeanor, Zetton fired another blast after seeing him dazed from the previous one. Now he just stood there taunting with his strange robotic noises as Ultraman fell. Zetton looked down at his fallen oppenent, then left to destroy. This was just another battle to him, nothing more nothing less. He didn't truly care, Ultraman was just a minor threat that had stood in his way. However, somehow the Science Patrol had this monster destroyer weapon prototype that the real Dr. Iwamoto had brought. Zetton was caught off guard when it struck him, it had lifted him into the sky and and exploded him. (Imagine what the J.S.F. could do with that weapon in Godzilla world.)

So that was the un-dignified end of Zetton. Ironically, it wasn't Ultraman that stopped him, it was the Science Patrol. Nonetheless, there's no denying that he's one of the most original and powerful monsters out there. With such a unique look, evil demeanor, and creepy roar/sound, Zetton is as awesome as they get, he could give Godzilla a run for his money.

Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend The Movie is the Greatest Monster Extravaganza since Godzilla Final Wars!

Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend The Movie came out on December 12th. 2009. Ultraman is a franchise I've recently gotten into. I started with the Original Series, (more on that here) and just two months ago I purchased the complete Ultra-Max series. Last week on Ebay I was browsing through and decided that I wanted to try out the Mega Monster Battle Series. It's divided into two seasons, Mega Monster Battle, and Never Ending Odyssey. I managed to find a subbed DVD, (approved by the Malaysia board, so it's not some cheap bootleg) but sadly I couldn't find a subbed DVD for Never Ending Odyssey. However, another thing came to mind, the Mega Monster Battle movie. I had originally seen some of it on YouTube, but I really wanted to see this thing officially on my TV. So I squeezed in the movie for purchase along with the first season of Mega Monster Battle. (Only $15 plus $3 shipping, you cannot go wrong at all.) I really meant to watch the series first then the film, but the latter arrived in the mail today. (The series is apparently going to be coming in July, international shipping could really be awful sometimes.) A few hours ago I popped it into my PS3 player. The menu was pretty confusing, everything was in Japanese. I had to practically guess how to get to English subtitles! After not picking it and having to go back to the menu, I finally managed to watch it. This movie is the coolest thing since Godzilla Final Wars, I don't think I've seen a film with so many fights! But do you know what the real kicker is?

100 MONSTERS!

Godzilla Final Wars had 15 monsters, pretty awesome huh? This film had ONE HUNDRED. It's an Ultraman fan's dream to see all the familiar faces. Even if we have an overpowered Gomora, it's all awesome. Of course, many would consider it its downfall in the same way they do Final Wars. The latter had so many monsters, but they aren't really portrayed as 'threats.' We have an overpowered Godzilla taking out Gigan in one hit, and then we have an overpowered Gomora where he's able to plow through Red King and Telesdon without even breaking a sweat. It's definitely more of a fan service to see all these guys. I mean, the very first opponent they have Gomora run into is Red King, since these two are pretty much the most popular of the Ultra monsters. Then they have Zetton of course lasting pretty much the whole time without getting one-shot KO'd (until Zero came along) because, y'know, he's Zetton. Even my main man Antlar pops in to grab the original Ultraman as a tribute to when they first fought 43 years ago. Then Ultraman somehow takes out Antlar in one blast. What was that? They pretty much overpowered the Ultramen like they did with Godzillla. But you know what? The film doesn't descend into American Hollywood realm, it doesn't rely on gimmicks, it's just monsters, Ultramen, and a few humans with EDF suits. Even if the monsters are undermined, it's still hard not to smile when you see 100 of them vs. a bunch of Ultramen.

Did I mention that Alien Zarab shows up in his Fake Ultraman form? Nostalgia at its finest. He's the one that releases the film's antagonist, Ultraman Belial. I crossed out the Ultraman part because he was once an Ultra, but then he's merged with a demonic entity, he's no longer an Ultra warrior. He's pretty much the hotshot villain who wants to keep getting more power. A 'dark Ultraman,' y'know, what Japan likes doing to their characters in giving them an evil counterpart. (Dark MegaMan, Dark Samus, etc.) He's the one that summons the 100 monster army. So basically he was going to use them to reign the universe. The monsters are pawns for this humanoid villain. It's similar to the way Final Wars uses its hotshot Xilien villain. He also uses the monsters as pawns in the grand scheme of things. (Though Belial obviously wins out here.) Not to mention that all the monsters merge to create this thing called Baryudora (looks like Destoroyah mixed with Balrog) that is perhaps the largest monster ever. Pretty awesome design, but an but anti-climatic battle. Then again, not much could be done with this extremely giant thing against these little guys. (When compared to it of course.)

C'mon, the original Ultraman, Ultra-7, Ultraman Mebius, and more?! This is what people like me dream about. All of them get their fair amount of screen time, I like how they made the original Ultraman do the best against the battle with Belial near the beginning. My only complaint here is that they kinda left Ultra-Max in the dust after Belial knocked him out. But really, it's just a blast to see them all together fighting hordes of monsters from throughout the years. We also get to see M78, the planet of the Ultras. What I didn't expect to see was that the Ultras were a whole race. So that was some fascinating insight. This film also introduces a new Ultra: Ultraman Zero, son of Seven. It's the same thing as usual, a hotshot kid who learns what it means to be a true warrior by the end. Generic, but this film isn't exactly deep or anything. But that's okay, because this film has what Final Wars has: heart. While some may disagree with me on the latter, I stand by it. Mega Monster Battle is the new Final Wars.

This being made in 2009, I was expecting really good fights, but this, this was just amazing. The very first monster fight between Gomora and Zaragas was just amazing. This is a modern Japanese kaiju film with some of the best fights I've ever seen. The only modern movie that I could think of that likes to show off some amazingly choreographed fights is Marvel's The Avengers. This film's fights are just extreme, it's what Japanese kaiju battles are all about. However, it also has its fair share of humanoid fights between the Ultras and Belial. In that way, this and Final Wars are similar. While the latter is obviously built more around the monsters, a lot of the focus is on the hotshot Xilien villain. The majority of the focus in this film is on Belial. You know, there are a few similarities between Rei and Ozaki. Both are brothers, just like with Ozaki and the Xilien kid, and both are controlled by the antagonist near the end. 

I'm seeing quite a few similarities between these two films. Maybe it's cause I've seen Final Wars five times and its my favorite film ever, but Mega Monster Battle is a special movie. While it was not not billed as a 'so-and-so anniversary' special, it might as well have been. There are so many things that longtime Ultra fans will appreciate. We have 100 monsters from throughout the years and pretty much all the Ultramen make appeareances. This is one of those rare films where there's no moments to buy time or develop the characters, they do that in flashbacks. In that way also it's similar to Final Wars. So what exactly was this article about? Was it a review, a comparison with Final Wars, or just to talk about the film? I'd like to say it has a little bit of each. This film is a blast from the start, the whole beginning features an epic battle between Mebius and Bemular, a monster not seen since the very first episode of the Original Series. The film's opening credits is good for newcomers, so even if you don't know what the heck Ultraman is aside you thinking he's a Power Ranger, this film I highly recommend. Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend The Movie is the coolest thing to come out of Japan since Godzilla Final Wars.