Nostalgic Review: Ultraman (1966)

Today was a pretty good day to hang out with great peeps and friends and peeps I haven't seen in a while. It inspired me to make this entry, simply because of the fact that after having dinner and hanging out at my place, we managed to sample the very first episode of one of Japan's timeless creations and contributions to popculture and the world. More on that fact later, but let's go back a bit to how I stumbled upon... THIS.

My last trip to Hong Kong bore unexpected fruit in the form of getting the entire Ultraman TV show in original DVD. In my wanderings around one of the shopping capitals of Asia, I chanced upon a great deal that almost took the life out of me: A 4-disc collection of the entire 1966 run, released by Mill Creek Entertainment and featuring an English Dub track next to the original Japanese one for all 39 episodes (the English Dub being done by the same people behind the classic Speed Racer anime series). Now, I couldn't pass this opportunity up, and a day before leaving HK, I made it a priority to pick up the set and bring it home to my personal collection, with the high hopes of actually sitting down for a day or more to watch the entire series until the very end.

Suffice to say, I'm feeling a good mix of happiness and silliness for actually taking up this endeavor, ESPECIALLY after seeing the pilot episode "Ultra Operation #1" only a few hours ago as of this writing. Why? Well, before getting to that, a brief summary of said episode and what Ultraman is should be in order.






Ultraman Intro

Created by Tokyo Broadcasting System and Tsuburaya Productions and written to take place in the 1990's, the story of Ultraman takes place primarily in Japan, where a fictional organization known as The Science Patrol make it their task to defend their country and the world from alien invaders and monsters from outer space. Using their array of vehicles and sophisticated weapons and equipment, they diligently keep watch for any unusual activity. One member, Shin Hayata, accidently gets killed by an alien spaceship piloted by none other than Ultraman. To make amends, Ultraman merges and gives his life force to Hayata, bestowing him the power to transform into the giant alien with the aid of a device known as the "Beta Capsule". Since the appearance of their new ally, The Science Patrol face all kinds of threats and monsters (or better known as "Kaiju"), and when the situation becomes too intense to handle, Hayata is always on the ready to transform into Ultraman and save the day.



Ultraman MV
My first stab at Ultraman came back in my youth when it was prominently featured in ABS-CBN back in the late 80's and early 90's. It clicked and became an instant success, and it along with the rest of the Ultra Series and other early Tokusatsu, Sentai, and Anime shows help generate a strong following for Japanese shows. To this day, I still have huge respect and nostalgia for the series' roots, and while I have come across other popular characters in the Ultra series (namely the likes of Ultraman Ace, Great, and Tiga), the original still stands among the most enduring and recognizable figureheads of Japanese popculture. With that said, I didn't hesitate to pop in the first disc of the collection in my player and watch the first episode with a couple of pals. However, what we weren't prepared for  was our initial reaction to seeing the show from start to finish.

Truth be told, watching Ultraman as a kid differs GREATLY from watching it again as an adult. The show is over 45 years old, and it hasn't aged well since it premiered. Visually, it still marvels at using practical and classic special effects like stop-motion movement, but watching how the story progresses and two men duking it out while clad in foamy rubber suits is a bit hard to take seriously. One of my friends, another true blue Ultrafan, actually felt anguish by watching the episode and enduring a literal "hump battle" between Ultraman and his very first monster opponent Bemular. The fight exchange was something that looked hilarious and poorly choreographed, but understandable considering the times then, and eventually the series improved itself as the episodes rolled along. Heck, if anyone kept a close eye on Ultraman's features, you'd notice the face and costume changed and underwent several improvements.

Despite hilarity ensuing and several funny observations, I still have a deep respect for Ultraman, and his contributions to the world. The saga literally continues onward to this day, with the aptly named feature "Ultraman Saga" highlighting the new generation of Ultras and their adventures. If you grew up loving this kind of action and enjoy science fiction adventure, do yourself a favor and find a way to relive the classics. They may not compare to what technology offers today, but they certainly set the standards and provided the foundation of all the things we enjoy today: Ultraman included. SHUWATCH!