Klaus said:
Ultraman is about a member of the Japanese Science Police (the government organization responsible for keeping tabs on all those big rubber monsters that thrash Japan on a weekly basis). Unknow to the world at large, this dude can transform into Ultraman, a flying, energy-blasting, grow-to-humongous-size cosmic hero.
There were more Ultramen afterwards, Ultra-seven included.
Alex Ross is doing covers for some Ultraman DVDs.
I liked Ultraman, but Spectraman was waaaaaaaay funnier (if only for Dr. Gorin and his hechman... I mean, the evil mastermind arch-nemesis is a BLONDE gorilla???)
Essentially, Ultraman is an alien, one of many 'ultra'-beings from Nebula M-78, the "Land of Light". They are essentially space-policemen, dedicated to stopping evil aliens. During the escape and recapture of one such alien, called Bemular, Ultraman (the original) accidentally nearly kills Hayata (a member of the science patrol) while on patrol. Feeling remorse for this, Ultraman imbues Hayato with a portion of his lifeforce, and gives him the Beta Capsule, so that he can summon Ultraman if another giant monster might appear. When Hayata invokes the capsule, he can become Ultraman for 3 earth minutes, before his solar power is depleted and he dies.
Thus began the landslide that is the Ultraman dynasty. There have been continous Ultraman shows on and off of Japanese TV since 1966. There is a whole extended Ultraman Family, not unlike the Superman Family. Ultraman, the show, is an eclectic mix of giant rubber-suit monsters, Thunderbirds-like superheroes and Lensman-like fantasy. It's good goofy fun, really, with sometimes really more adult fare in some stories than you might think (sometimes owing to standards differences between cultures). There have been no fewer the 550-600 episodes of Ultraman produced over the years, with literally a few dozen different ultra-characters introduced...and that's not counting the movies. Here,
take a look for yourself.
This new Ultraman movie looks like a dramatic updating similar to the recent Godzilla movies. The CGI of Ultraman flying about the city in combat is pretty nifty.
As for Spectreman....well, that was one of the most bizzarre series I think I've ever watched. Good to view when drunk. I recall one episode being the chief henchman gorilla being depressed because his boss was a demanding jerk and the stupid Spectreman kept interfering in their plans to conquer the Earth...
so he goes on an all-night bender. Spectreman's alter ego is taking his girfriend out on a date at the same time....Hilarity Ensues. Yeah, that's some kids show.
