New Generation
Feb. 4th, 2018 10:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akinoameDecember 2009 would create an entirely new era in Ultraman's history with Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends: The Movie. While it brought back Ultraman Mebius, ZAP Spacy, and even the long-lost Ultraman Dyna, it brought about changes that led to this being dubbed the "New Generation" era.
On one level, one of the changes is the introduction of director Koichi Sakamoto to the franchise. Tokusatsu fans already know Sakamoto for his lengthy resume in Power Rangers, Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and more. A stunt coordinator and former stuntman himself (who is also married to another stuntman, suit actress Motoko Nagino, who appeared in Tiga and Gaia), he focuses heavily on action shots, utilizing confined spaces in battle scenes, improvised weaponry, and wirework. 2009 was a busy year for him, with him working on Power Rangers R.P.M. in New Zealand and Kamen Rider W in Japan, so why not add a third franchise into the mix? In Ultraman, he increases the difficulty of the stunts, notably adding his signature wirework to help sell the idea that these aliens can fly and are in space. Sakamoto would return for later seasons in the era, particularly Ginga S and Geed.
But the deepest changes would come as a result of the two new Ultras introduced in this movie, who would lead the franchise for the next few years and cast a shadow across the series that would follow.
Ultraman Zero—clearly named for the number of fucks he gives—is the son of Ultra Seven, though he himself didn't know his heritage until this movie. He is a young, self-important, arrogant prodigy among the Ultra Garrison, who one day becomes tempted by the power of the Plasma Spark, the Land of Light's artificial sun. Seven catches his son and stops him from trying to take its power, but he is forced to banish the boy when he realizes he doesn't understand the source of true strength. Zero spends his exile being trained by Seven's former student, Leo, until the day he shows kindness and mercy without a second thought.
Zero's punishment is so severe because he's not the first one to try this. Following a great war that led to the ascension of a young Ultra Warrior named Ken to power as Father of Ultra, one of his best friends became obsessed with the idea of consolidating their power to prevent such a battle from ever occurring again. This Ultraman, Belial, tried to take the power of the Plasma Spark, but he was overwhelmed by its power. And, well, maybe we should blame his parents—who names their kid "Belial" and expects him not to turn evil? Going mad, he was exiled on a desolate planet, where the spirit of Alien Reiblood found him. He infused his power into Belial, giving him the Giga Battlenizer to control an army of monsters in order to invade the Land of Light. Belial tried to take revenge on Father of Ultra, Mother of Ultra, and Zoffy, but Ultraman King defeated and imprisoned him. However, he is broken out of prison and once again attacks the Land of Light, this time seizing the Plasma Spark and defeating the Ultras all in one blow, as the planet freezes over without a sun. Mebius, who was off-world at the time, arrives to see the damage while the Ultra Brothers appear in human form, telling him to recruit help. Mirai joins forces with Asuka, Dyna's host, and the crew of the Pendragon, including Rei. But Seven himself summons Zero from exile, knowing his power could tip the scales in their favor. Together, they defeat Belial and return the Plasma Spark, while Seven finally acknowledges his son and grants him a place by his side. Zero would later be assisted again by Rei and Captain Hyuga in a battle against giant robots, including mechanoid duplicates of himself and Gomora, in Ultra Galaxy Legend Gaiden: Ultraman Zero vs. Darklops Zero.
But Belial returns, attacking the Land of Light from another universe. When Zero goes to investigate, he finds himself led to the planet Annu, which is under attack by an invading legion of giant robots—the same he and Rei battled previously. A pair of brave but foolhardy brothers, Ran (or Run, depending on the sub) and Nao (played by Tatsuomi Hamada, who would later appear in Gokaiger VS Gavan as a young Captain Marvelous), protect their people by drawing the attackers away. Zero rescues the brothers, but Ran is critically injured, forcing Zero to try to merge with him. Unfortunately, during the process, Ran slips into a coma, leaving Zero in complete control of his body and having to care for Nao. In their quest for the Shield of Baradhi, an artifact that Nao believes may defeat Kaiser Belial, they come across Emerana, an alien princess; her spaceship that transforms into a giant robot, Jean-Bird/Jean-Bot; Glenfire, a giant alien space pirate; and Mirror Knight, a brainwashed hero who Zero has to restore to the light. Together, they would defeat Kaiser Belial and free that universe, allowing Ran and Nao to live in peace. Zero would also join forces with Rei again in the next sidestory, Killer the Beatstar, to protect the Princess from more robots, including a "brother" of Jean-Bot called Jean-Killer. In their battles, they manage to get through to the younger Jean, renaming him Jean-Nine. The five giants would form a team called Ultimate Force Zero and protect the universe from various threats. And, fun fact, Jean-Nine is voiced by Miyu Irino, fresh off his work in Kamen Rider OOO as Lost Ankh...but more notably, also the voice of Sora from Kingdom Hearts, where he fights alongside Riku, played by Zero's voice actor, Mamoru Miyano.
2011 also brought tragedy to Japan, when a massive earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, creating a massive tsunami that devastated the country, as well as causing damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, resulting in the release of radioactive material that forced the evacuation of several villages and towns. In the midst of that, Tsuburaya founded the Ultraman Foundation to raise money to help support areas affected by the earthquake. It would go on to help children in need all throughout Japan. Several actors from the franchise from Ultraman through Zero, would aid with messages of support and comfort.
That brings us to the girl band AKB48, who joined forces with the Ultraman Foundation to help with relief efforts. Members of the group would portray the first all-female defense team, Team U, in 2012's Ultraman Saga, the franchise's (slightly late) 45th anniversary movie. While they aren't a fully sanctioned team in their world, they take small mechanical units to help fight the monsters. They are aided by Ultraman Dyna, who has found himself here after his battle against Belial. In his own universe, Super GUTS has just recruited Nozomu Taiga, a young man with a serious chip on his shoulder regarding the Ultras, after Dyna failed to save his parents. He's transported to Team U's Earth, where Zero is fighting. A child is nearly killed in the crossfire, but Taiga puts himself in the way while Zero gets the child to safety. Zero would fuse with Taiga to revive him, but unlike other hosts, Taiga refuses to play nice. Still, they manage to join forces with Dyna, as well as Cosmos, in order to transform into Ultraman Saga and stop a vicious monster attack.
Saga's transformation would unlock new abilities for Zero that help set the stage for the rest of the New Generation, with Dyna and Cosmos inspiring fusion modes Strong Corona and Luna Miracle. These forms would aid him in the miniseries Ultra Fight Zero, where the Ultimate Force Zero must fight revived enemies—the worst of all being Belial, who manages to possess Zero. Zero would manage to expel him and save his friends with a new power, Shining form, but Belial wasn't entirely done yet.
However, 2013 would bring Ultraman back to TV with Ultraman Ginga, an 11 episode series following Hikaru Raido, a teenager who discovers an action figure-like artifact called a Spark Doll, allowing him to fuse with Ultraman Ginga in order to save the world from Dark Lugiel. Following his adventures, Hikaru would join the Ultra Party Guardians two in-universe years later in Ultraman Ginga S, effectively the show's second season in 2014. There, he would team up with Shou, the prince of an underground civilization known as the Victorians, who uses the Victory Lancer to transform into their guardian, Ultraman Victory. They would battle an Alien Chibu known as Exceller, who sought to combine with Dark Lugiel's body. However, Exceller would end up reviving Lugiel, forcing the two Ultras to fight him together. Shou would also join UPG in the 2015 miniseries Ultra Fight Victory, where he and Hikaru would battle Ultraman Ace villain Yapool, who revives Andro Melos enemy Juda as Juda Spectre. But the Ultras are also freed from their Spark Doll forms, and they join Victory and Ginga in battle.
In 2015, the franchise got several boosts to its popularity overseas, particularly in North America. Viz licensed the 2011 Ultraman manga, and a Google Doodle game honored Eiji Tsuburaya, by having users try to create an Ultraman movieyours truly managed to do more damage to the city than any kaiju. But the biggest impact would come from Crunchyroll, a streaming site offering licensed anime and Asian dramas. Having already added some older Ultraman seasons to its lineup, Crunchyroll partnered with Tsuburaya to offer simulcasts of officially subtitled episodes of new seasons, beginning with Ultraman X.
Taking place in a separate universe from Ginga, X also features Spark Dolls, but as the dormant forms of the giant monsters that used to live on Earth long ago. 15 years before the start of the series, the warrior who would be known as Ultraman X battled an alien criminal, forcing him into the sun. But the impact created the Ultra Flares—powerful electromagnetic interference that destroyed X's body and caused the monsters to grow once more. Only one is known to have been protected from the Flares: Gomora, entrusted to young Daichi Ozora, who lost his parents to a digitization phenomenon during the event. Daichi grows up and joins the Xeno Invasion Outcutters, a taskforce charged with protecting humans from the monsters and returning them to Spark Doll form. Though he works alongside the attack team, Daichi is actually a scientist searching for a way to "unite" with the Spark Dolls and create Cyber Cards to utilize their abilities in combat—similar to the Reionics and their Battlenizers. But Daichi manages to reach X, who downloads himself in Daichi's communicator, and they unite together as a single warrior, with X's data converted into a Spark Doll that Daichi is able to merge with, creating a temporary body for X. They would fight numerous enemies and join forces with several previous Ultras, including Hikaru and Shou, while Xio created Cyber Cards that X uses to equip armor based off the monsters he's defeated. While it's not the strongest written season, it is one of the more optimistic ones, as Daichi and X generally don't destroy the monsters—their Xanadium Beam instead reverts the rampaging creatures back into Spark Dolls. Xio also features a full-time alien on staff, Dr. Gourmand (Crunchyroll subs; everywhere else says Guruman), an Alien Fanton who helps create most of the technology they bring into battle. While Daichi and X's bond is unknown within Xio, everyone does seem to get the impression that there is a link between them, so they have no problem letting X use their technology; and they, in turn, recreate his Xanadium Beam with their side arms. The look and feel of the series is similar to Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and I recommend it as a good starting point, particularly if you're a Sentai fan.
However, if you prefer Kamen Rider, the next season might be more your speed. 2016 brought us Ultraman Orb, a season bearing some superficial similarities to OOO and a familiar face from Den-O. Hideo Ishiguro plays Gai Kurenai, a mysterious wanderer who "borrows" the lights of previous Ultramen to transform into Orb, the current Warrior of Light. He is menaced by Jugglus Juggler, played by Takaya Aoyagi, a charming but dangerousand incredibly melodramatic swordsman who just wants to see Gai succumb to the darkness—either through a defeat or a fall. But Gai also has to contend with the ghosts of his past, namely an incident in 1908 involving a battle against a King Demon Beast, the loss of his original powers, and the fate of a young woman he'd loved, named Natasha. Orb takes place on an Earth with very little experience with monster attacks, so the Versatile Tactical Leader defense squad, or VTL, is fairly inexperienced and not the focus of the show. The only member of the team that we see is Captain Ittetsu Shibakawa, but he's mostly a comic relief side character to the main team of the show, the equally comedic bloggers called the Something Search People, or SSP.
As this is the 50th anniversary season, there are some stealth references to the original Ultraman, such as the SSP (named after the SSSP). However, it is also Tiga's 30th anniversary, and because that series is just as revered, Gai's primary form, Spacium Zepperion, utilizes both Ultraman's and Tiga's powers. A card system remains in place, containing the powers of light and darkness. Gai utilizes the Ultra Cards, scanning them with the Orb Ring in order to transform. Juggler, in turn, possesses the Dark Ring and Kaiju Cards, sacrificing them to break the seals on stronger monsters, and later, transforming into a fusion beast, Zeppandon. He has his own monster form, however—a copper-armored demon with a crescent-shaped scar on his chest. The two are intended to be two sides of the same coin—old friends and rivals who both had the chance to become the Warrior of Light. And as Juggler tries to get Gai to see the triumph of darkness, Gai tries to forgive himself for past mistakes, as both are affected by the light and love of SSP blogger Naomi Yumeno, who dreams of Orb's battle 108 years ago.
Orb is a massively ambitious project, envisioned across ten "chapters." The main series is only chapter 6, "The Wandering Sun," preceded by the events in 1908, involving Natasha. The movie would be chapter 7, featuring a team-up with X, Ginga, Victory, Zero, and Ultra Seven, celebrating his 50th anniversary in 2017. An as-yet unreleased chapter following up on both X and Orb immediately follows.
The first chapter of the Orb Chronicle, "The Tree of Life Arc," would come to Amazon Prime in 2017. Following in the footsteps of Toei's Kamen Rider Amazons, Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga takes advantage of the format and its appeal to older viewers to tell a slightly more mature story, but without going into heavy gore or sexual content. The Origin Saga begins on Planet O-50, as a younger Gai and Juggler climb to the top of Warrior's Peak to claim the power of Ultraman Orb and become the Chosen Warrior of Light. Juggler makes it first, but he's rejected. Gai instead gains the power and transforms, leaving Juggler to guide the naive and uncontrolled warrior, while trying to figure out where he's gone wrong. But in what seems like the light's attempt to give Juggler a second chance, he is sent alongside Gai to Planet Kanon in another universe, to help against a mad scientist, Dr. Psychi, who plots to use the Beelzeb Queen and her mind-altering poison against the young Queen Amate, who can transform into the formidable War God. Her only defense comes from the two warriors, as well as soldiers from her home planet—Ricca, Micott, and their captain, Shinra (played by Yasuyuki Maekawa, who would later join the cast of Kamen Rider Build). Gai and Juggler can also depend on Cosmos and Dyna, who go to Kanon to try to stop the conflict. But Juggler's darkness gets the better of him, leading to his first transformation into his majin form, and the battle heads to Earth, where a young researcher named Shohei (played by Yasuhisa Furuhara of Engine Sentai Go-Onger) has found some trouble with Kanon's Tree of Life. Gai and Juggler each seek to deal with the Tree and Psychi's plans in their own separate ways, but Ultramen Gaia and Agul hope to put them back on the right path. The trainwreck of watching a friendship fall apart and seeing a good man fall victim to his own failures, leading to a corrupting desire for power, is painfully beautiful to watch, and I highly recommend it, especially if you're a fan of Kamen Rider Gaim. So far, it is the only other published main piece of the Orb Chronicle, and while there were rumors of an official English and German release, nothing's come of it but fansubs.
The miniseries Ultra Fight Orb would air that year as well, a short chapter in the Chronicle, but continuing the Ultra Seven celebration. Orb is troubled by visions of a new form while he and Zero chase down Reibatos, another Reionics who has revived several monsters for Orb and Zero to contend with, including Juda Spectre. He retrieves Belial's Giga Battlenizer to try to control an army of undead monsters, but Seven and Zero begin training Orb to use the power of father and son with the new form Emerium Slugger. After escaping defeat, Reibatos tries to revive Belial, only to realize that he's still alive, and even more so, he has a son...
The franchise lightened up considerably with Ultraman Geed in 2017, currently the latest entry in the franchise, directed again by Koichi Sakamoto and getting a definite Kamen Rider Fourze vibe. Six years before the series, Belial attacked the Earth—according to Sakamoto, it's supposed to be the Showa Earth, but there's enough evidence to directly contradict that, so it seems to be a new one—and detonated a universe-destroying bomb in an event called the Crisis Impact. With the rest of the Ultramen, including Zero, unable to prevent the destruction of a version of their beloved planet, Ultraman King fuses himself with the entire universe, stabilizing it at the cost of his consciousness, which is spread throughout the cosmos. Riku Asakura, played by returning actor Tatsuomi Hamada, is a teenage orphan living on his own with an Alien Pegassa, Pega, living in his shadow. He's an adorable dork who eats too much ramen and loves to watch tokusatsu, specifically Blasting Chronicle Donshine. But when a giant monster attacks his hometown of Hoshiyama, he and Pega take refuge in an underground base beneath the observatory where Riku had been found as a baby. They are told by REM, the AI in control of the base, that everything was set up by her former master, and as Riku shares that master's blood—the "B Factor"—he is her new master. She presents him with the Riser, which will allow him to transform into his true race, an Ultra, with the Ultraman and Belial Capsules, and reveals that he is capable of all of this because his father is Ultraman Belial. Riku decides that sitting around and doing nothing won't solve anything, so he will turn the destiny of his genes around, dubbing himself Geed and fighting to protect the hosts of Little Stars—energy that can create Ultra Capsules, consolidated from King's energy. However, the charismatic sci-fi writer Kei Fukuide secretly uses the Kaiju Capsules and his own Riser, coupled with Belial's power, to become fusion monsters and summon other monsters.
Riku is aided by Laiha Toba, a young swordswoman who was once the bearer of a Little Star, before a tragedy caused it to disappear, and who now seeks to destroy the person she saw transform back from a monster. Zero also joins him, following a defeat that cost him the use of most of his powers. After watching a businessman named Leito Igaguri die an embarrassing death while trying to do the right thing, he revives him by taking him as host...much to Leito's chagrin because he just wants to live an unassuming life with his wife and daughter. Zero observes Riku at first, struck by the fact that the Ultra Capsules are technology stolen from Ultraman Hikari before the Crisis Impact—not to mention the fact that Geed is a dead ringer for his archnemesis—but he's impressed by the young man's good heart and joins the team. Behind the scenes, Earth is being protected by the Alien Investigation Bureau—a coalition of the various aliens who had once tried to take over the planet, who now seek to restore order and balance in the wake of the Crisis Impact. The only human member of the AIB is Moa Aizaki, Riku's childhood friend who has a huge crush on him. Though the AIB don't entirely trust Geed, the Ultras have told them not to interfere with him, since Zero is observing him. But over time, both sides would need to trust one another and work together to stop Belial from threatening the planet once again.
The New Generation has a strong focus on family and friendship, with Zero and Geed both trying to reconcile their newfound families, and Hikaru, Shou, and Daichi needing to trust their friends to help, with Gai learning to trust in people again after losing love and partnership. The concept of redemption comes to play, particularly in Orb and Geed, with Naomi hoping that Juggler can redeem himself, and Riku eventually trying to forgive Belial. The writing has its ups and downs, but overall, these seasons are incredibly enjoyable, and fairly quick to get through if you're otherwise worried about getting hooked on a long show. Or, if you prefer something shorter and sillier, Kaiju Girls is a series of 5-minute chibi anime shorts revolving around teenage girls who are the reincarnations of the now-extinct monsters of their universe. Aki Miyashina, Reika Shiragane, and Miku Ushimaru bear the souls of Agira, Windom, and Miclas, and thus are nicknamed Agi, Win, and...well, Miku, because sometimes the universe works out that way. They join GIRLS to learn more about their powers and keep from losing control over them and going on a rampage, all while doing publicity shoots and fighting the Shadows that threaten humanity. It is a silly, stupid parody of the magical girl genre, and I love it.
While we haven't heard anything about the next season, whether it'll be another lighthearted romp or if it'll tread back into darker places, Ultraman has certainly shown it's not afraid to try new things. I look forward to seeing where the new year and the rise of a new era in Japan's history takes us.
On one level, one of the changes is the introduction of director Koichi Sakamoto to the franchise. Tokusatsu fans already know Sakamoto for his lengthy resume in Power Rangers, Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and more. A stunt coordinator and former stuntman himself (who is also married to another stuntman, suit actress Motoko Nagino, who appeared in Tiga and Gaia), he focuses heavily on action shots, utilizing confined spaces in battle scenes, improvised weaponry, and wirework. 2009 was a busy year for him, with him working on Power Rangers R.P.M. in New Zealand and Kamen Rider W in Japan, so why not add a third franchise into the mix? In Ultraman, he increases the difficulty of the stunts, notably adding his signature wirework to help sell the idea that these aliens can fly and are in space. Sakamoto would return for later seasons in the era, particularly Ginga S and Geed.
But the deepest changes would come as a result of the two new Ultras introduced in this movie, who would lead the franchise for the next few years and cast a shadow across the series that would follow.
Ultraman Zero—clearly named for the number of fucks he gives—is the son of Ultra Seven, though he himself didn't know his heritage until this movie. He is a young, self-important, arrogant prodigy among the Ultra Garrison, who one day becomes tempted by the power of the Plasma Spark, the Land of Light's artificial sun. Seven catches his son and stops him from trying to take its power, but he is forced to banish the boy when he realizes he doesn't understand the source of true strength. Zero spends his exile being trained by Seven's former student, Leo, until the day he shows kindness and mercy without a second thought.
Zero's punishment is so severe because he's not the first one to try this. Following a great war that led to the ascension of a young Ultra Warrior named Ken to power as Father of Ultra, one of his best friends became obsessed with the idea of consolidating their power to prevent such a battle from ever occurring again. This Ultraman, Belial, tried to take the power of the Plasma Spark, but he was overwhelmed by its power. And, well, maybe we should blame his parents—who names their kid "Belial" and expects him not to turn evil? Going mad, he was exiled on a desolate planet, where the spirit of Alien Reiblood found him. He infused his power into Belial, giving him the Giga Battlenizer to control an army of monsters in order to invade the Land of Light. Belial tried to take revenge on Father of Ultra, Mother of Ultra, and Zoffy, but Ultraman King defeated and imprisoned him. However, he is broken out of prison and once again attacks the Land of Light, this time seizing the Plasma Spark and defeating the Ultras all in one blow, as the planet freezes over without a sun. Mebius, who was off-world at the time, arrives to see the damage while the Ultra Brothers appear in human form, telling him to recruit help. Mirai joins forces with Asuka, Dyna's host, and the crew of the Pendragon, including Rei. But Seven himself summons Zero from exile, knowing his power could tip the scales in their favor. Together, they defeat Belial and return the Plasma Spark, while Seven finally acknowledges his son and grants him a place by his side. Zero would later be assisted again by Rei and Captain Hyuga in a battle against giant robots, including mechanoid duplicates of himself and Gomora, in Ultra Galaxy Legend Gaiden: Ultraman Zero vs. Darklops Zero.
But Belial returns, attacking the Land of Light from another universe. When Zero goes to investigate, he finds himself led to the planet Annu, which is under attack by an invading legion of giant robots—the same he and Rei battled previously. A pair of brave but foolhardy brothers, Ran (or Run, depending on the sub) and Nao (played by Tatsuomi Hamada, who would later appear in Gokaiger VS Gavan as a young Captain Marvelous), protect their people by drawing the attackers away. Zero rescues the brothers, but Ran is critically injured, forcing Zero to try to merge with him. Unfortunately, during the process, Ran slips into a coma, leaving Zero in complete control of his body and having to care for Nao. In their quest for the Shield of Baradhi, an artifact that Nao believes may defeat Kaiser Belial, they come across Emerana, an alien princess; her spaceship that transforms into a giant robot, Jean-Bird/Jean-Bot; Glenfire, a giant alien space pirate; and Mirror Knight, a brainwashed hero who Zero has to restore to the light. Together, they would defeat Kaiser Belial and free that universe, allowing Ran and Nao to live in peace. Zero would also join forces with Rei again in the next sidestory, Killer the Beatstar, to protect the Princess from more robots, including a "brother" of Jean-Bot called Jean-Killer. In their battles, they manage to get through to the younger Jean, renaming him Jean-Nine. The five giants would form a team called Ultimate Force Zero and protect the universe from various threats. And, fun fact, Jean-Nine is voiced by Miyu Irino, fresh off his work in Kamen Rider OOO as Lost Ankh...but more notably, also the voice of Sora from Kingdom Hearts, where he fights alongside Riku, played by Zero's voice actor, Mamoru Miyano.
2011 also brought tragedy to Japan, when a massive earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, creating a massive tsunami that devastated the country, as well as causing damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, resulting in the release of radioactive material that forced the evacuation of several villages and towns. In the midst of that, Tsuburaya founded the Ultraman Foundation to raise money to help support areas affected by the earthquake. It would go on to help children in need all throughout Japan. Several actors from the franchise from Ultraman through Zero, would aid with messages of support and comfort.
That brings us to the girl band AKB48, who joined forces with the Ultraman Foundation to help with relief efforts. Members of the group would portray the first all-female defense team, Team U, in 2012's Ultraman Saga, the franchise's (slightly late) 45th anniversary movie. While they aren't a fully sanctioned team in their world, they take small mechanical units to help fight the monsters. They are aided by Ultraman Dyna, who has found himself here after his battle against Belial. In his own universe, Super GUTS has just recruited Nozomu Taiga, a young man with a serious chip on his shoulder regarding the Ultras, after Dyna failed to save his parents. He's transported to Team U's Earth, where Zero is fighting. A child is nearly killed in the crossfire, but Taiga puts himself in the way while Zero gets the child to safety. Zero would fuse with Taiga to revive him, but unlike other hosts, Taiga refuses to play nice. Still, they manage to join forces with Dyna, as well as Cosmos, in order to transform into Ultraman Saga and stop a vicious monster attack.
Saga's transformation would unlock new abilities for Zero that help set the stage for the rest of the New Generation, with Dyna and Cosmos inspiring fusion modes Strong Corona and Luna Miracle. These forms would aid him in the miniseries Ultra Fight Zero, where the Ultimate Force Zero must fight revived enemies—the worst of all being Belial, who manages to possess Zero. Zero would manage to expel him and save his friends with a new power, Shining form, but Belial wasn't entirely done yet.
However, 2013 would bring Ultraman back to TV with Ultraman Ginga, an 11 episode series following Hikaru Raido, a teenager who discovers an action figure-like artifact called a Spark Doll, allowing him to fuse with Ultraman Ginga in order to save the world from Dark Lugiel. Following his adventures, Hikaru would join the Ultra Party Guardians two in-universe years later in Ultraman Ginga S, effectively the show's second season in 2014. There, he would team up with Shou, the prince of an underground civilization known as the Victorians, who uses the Victory Lancer to transform into their guardian, Ultraman Victory. They would battle an Alien Chibu known as Exceller, who sought to combine with Dark Lugiel's body. However, Exceller would end up reviving Lugiel, forcing the two Ultras to fight him together. Shou would also join UPG in the 2015 miniseries Ultra Fight Victory, where he and Hikaru would battle Ultraman Ace villain Yapool, who revives Andro Melos enemy Juda as Juda Spectre. But the Ultras are also freed from their Spark Doll forms, and they join Victory and Ginga in battle.
In 2015, the franchise got several boosts to its popularity overseas, particularly in North America. Viz licensed the 2011 Ultraman manga, and a Google Doodle game honored Eiji Tsuburaya, by having users try to create an Ultraman movie
Taking place in a separate universe from Ginga, X also features Spark Dolls, but as the dormant forms of the giant monsters that used to live on Earth long ago. 15 years before the start of the series, the warrior who would be known as Ultraman X battled an alien criminal, forcing him into the sun. But the impact created the Ultra Flares—powerful electromagnetic interference that destroyed X's body and caused the monsters to grow once more. Only one is known to have been protected from the Flares: Gomora, entrusted to young Daichi Ozora, who lost his parents to a digitization phenomenon during the event. Daichi grows up and joins the Xeno Invasion Outcutters, a taskforce charged with protecting humans from the monsters and returning them to Spark Doll form. Though he works alongside the attack team, Daichi is actually a scientist searching for a way to "unite" with the Spark Dolls and create Cyber Cards to utilize their abilities in combat—similar to the Reionics and their Battlenizers. But Daichi manages to reach X, who downloads himself in Daichi's communicator, and they unite together as a single warrior, with X's data converted into a Spark Doll that Daichi is able to merge with, creating a temporary body for X. They would fight numerous enemies and join forces with several previous Ultras, including Hikaru and Shou, while Xio created Cyber Cards that X uses to equip armor based off the monsters he's defeated. While it's not the strongest written season, it is one of the more optimistic ones, as Daichi and X generally don't destroy the monsters—their Xanadium Beam instead reverts the rampaging creatures back into Spark Dolls. Xio also features a full-time alien on staff, Dr. Gourmand (Crunchyroll subs; everywhere else says Guruman), an Alien Fanton who helps create most of the technology they bring into battle. While Daichi and X's bond is unknown within Xio, everyone does seem to get the impression that there is a link between them, so they have no problem letting X use their technology; and they, in turn, recreate his Xanadium Beam with their side arms. The look and feel of the series is similar to Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and I recommend it as a good starting point, particularly if you're a Sentai fan.
However, if you prefer Kamen Rider, the next season might be more your speed. 2016 brought us Ultraman Orb, a season bearing some superficial similarities to OOO and a familiar face from Den-O. Hideo Ishiguro plays Gai Kurenai, a mysterious wanderer who "borrows" the lights of previous Ultramen to transform into Orb, the current Warrior of Light. He is menaced by Jugglus Juggler, played by Takaya Aoyagi, a charming but dangerous
As this is the 50th anniversary season, there are some stealth references to the original Ultraman, such as the SSP (named after the SSSP). However, it is also Tiga's 30th anniversary, and because that series is just as revered, Gai's primary form, Spacium Zepperion, utilizes both Ultraman's and Tiga's powers. A card system remains in place, containing the powers of light and darkness. Gai utilizes the Ultra Cards, scanning them with the Orb Ring in order to transform. Juggler, in turn, possesses the Dark Ring and Kaiju Cards, sacrificing them to break the seals on stronger monsters, and later, transforming into a fusion beast, Zeppandon. He has his own monster form, however—a copper-armored demon with a crescent-shaped scar on his chest. The two are intended to be two sides of the same coin—old friends and rivals who both had the chance to become the Warrior of Light. And as Juggler tries to get Gai to see the triumph of darkness, Gai tries to forgive himself for past mistakes, as both are affected by the light and love of SSP blogger Naomi Yumeno, who dreams of Orb's battle 108 years ago.
Orb is a massively ambitious project, envisioned across ten "chapters." The main series is only chapter 6, "The Wandering Sun," preceded by the events in 1908, involving Natasha. The movie would be chapter 7, featuring a team-up with X, Ginga, Victory, Zero, and Ultra Seven, celebrating his 50th anniversary in 2017. An as-yet unreleased chapter following up on both X and Orb immediately follows.
The first chapter of the Orb Chronicle, "The Tree of Life Arc," would come to Amazon Prime in 2017. Following in the footsteps of Toei's Kamen Rider Amazons, Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga takes advantage of the format and its appeal to older viewers to tell a slightly more mature story, but without going into heavy gore or sexual content. The Origin Saga begins on Planet O-50, as a younger Gai and Juggler climb to the top of Warrior's Peak to claim the power of Ultraman Orb and become the Chosen Warrior of Light. Juggler makes it first, but he's rejected. Gai instead gains the power and transforms, leaving Juggler to guide the naive and uncontrolled warrior, while trying to figure out where he's gone wrong. But in what seems like the light's attempt to give Juggler a second chance, he is sent alongside Gai to Planet Kanon in another universe, to help against a mad scientist, Dr. Psychi, who plots to use the Beelzeb Queen and her mind-altering poison against the young Queen Amate, who can transform into the formidable War God. Her only defense comes from the two warriors, as well as soldiers from her home planet—Ricca, Micott, and their captain, Shinra (played by Yasuyuki Maekawa, who would later join the cast of Kamen Rider Build). Gai and Juggler can also depend on Cosmos and Dyna, who go to Kanon to try to stop the conflict. But Juggler's darkness gets the better of him, leading to his first transformation into his majin form, and the battle heads to Earth, where a young researcher named Shohei (played by Yasuhisa Furuhara of Engine Sentai Go-Onger) has found some trouble with Kanon's Tree of Life. Gai and Juggler each seek to deal with the Tree and Psychi's plans in their own separate ways, but Ultramen Gaia and Agul hope to put them back on the right path. The trainwreck of watching a friendship fall apart and seeing a good man fall victim to his own failures, leading to a corrupting desire for power, is painfully beautiful to watch, and I highly recommend it, especially if you're a fan of Kamen Rider Gaim. So far, it is the only other published main piece of the Orb Chronicle, and while there were rumors of an official English and German release, nothing's come of it but fansubs.
The miniseries Ultra Fight Orb would air that year as well, a short chapter in the Chronicle, but continuing the Ultra Seven celebration. Orb is troubled by visions of a new form while he and Zero chase down Reibatos, another Reionics who has revived several monsters for Orb and Zero to contend with, including Juda Spectre. He retrieves Belial's Giga Battlenizer to try to control an army of undead monsters, but Seven and Zero begin training Orb to use the power of father and son with the new form Emerium Slugger. After escaping defeat, Reibatos tries to revive Belial, only to realize that he's still alive, and even more so, he has a son...
The franchise lightened up considerably with Ultraman Geed in 2017, currently the latest entry in the franchise, directed again by Koichi Sakamoto and getting a definite Kamen Rider Fourze vibe. Six years before the series, Belial attacked the Earth—according to Sakamoto, it's supposed to be the Showa Earth, but there's enough evidence to directly contradict that, so it seems to be a new one—and detonated a universe-destroying bomb in an event called the Crisis Impact. With the rest of the Ultramen, including Zero, unable to prevent the destruction of a version of their beloved planet, Ultraman King fuses himself with the entire universe, stabilizing it at the cost of his consciousness, which is spread throughout the cosmos. Riku Asakura, played by returning actor Tatsuomi Hamada, is a teenage orphan living on his own with an Alien Pegassa, Pega, living in his shadow. He's an adorable dork who eats too much ramen and loves to watch tokusatsu, specifically Blasting Chronicle Donshine. But when a giant monster attacks his hometown of Hoshiyama, he and Pega take refuge in an underground base beneath the observatory where Riku had been found as a baby. They are told by REM, the AI in control of the base, that everything was set up by her former master, and as Riku shares that master's blood—the "B Factor"—he is her new master. She presents him with the Riser, which will allow him to transform into his true race, an Ultra, with the Ultraman and Belial Capsules, and reveals that he is capable of all of this because his father is Ultraman Belial. Riku decides that sitting around and doing nothing won't solve anything, so he will turn the destiny of his genes around, dubbing himself Geed and fighting to protect the hosts of Little Stars—energy that can create Ultra Capsules, consolidated from King's energy. However, the charismatic sci-fi writer Kei Fukuide secretly uses the Kaiju Capsules and his own Riser, coupled with Belial's power, to become fusion monsters and summon other monsters.
Riku is aided by Laiha Toba, a young swordswoman who was once the bearer of a Little Star, before a tragedy caused it to disappear, and who now seeks to destroy the person she saw transform back from a monster. Zero also joins him, following a defeat that cost him the use of most of his powers. After watching a businessman named Leito Igaguri die an embarrassing death while trying to do the right thing, he revives him by taking him as host...much to Leito's chagrin because he just wants to live an unassuming life with his wife and daughter. Zero observes Riku at first, struck by the fact that the Ultra Capsules are technology stolen from Ultraman Hikari before the Crisis Impact—not to mention the fact that Geed is a dead ringer for his archnemesis—but he's impressed by the young man's good heart and joins the team. Behind the scenes, Earth is being protected by the Alien Investigation Bureau—a coalition of the various aliens who had once tried to take over the planet, who now seek to restore order and balance in the wake of the Crisis Impact. The only human member of the AIB is Moa Aizaki, Riku's childhood friend who has a huge crush on him. Though the AIB don't entirely trust Geed, the Ultras have told them not to interfere with him, since Zero is observing him. But over time, both sides would need to trust one another and work together to stop Belial from threatening the planet once again.
The New Generation has a strong focus on family and friendship, with Zero and Geed both trying to reconcile their newfound families, and Hikaru, Shou, and Daichi needing to trust their friends to help, with Gai learning to trust in people again after losing love and partnership. The concept of redemption comes to play, particularly in Orb and Geed, with Naomi hoping that Juggler can redeem himself, and Riku eventually trying to forgive Belial. The writing has its ups and downs, but overall, these seasons are incredibly enjoyable, and fairly quick to get through if you're otherwise worried about getting hooked on a long show. Or, if you prefer something shorter and sillier, Kaiju Girls is a series of 5-minute chibi anime shorts revolving around teenage girls who are the reincarnations of the now-extinct monsters of their universe. Aki Miyashina, Reika Shiragane, and Miku Ushimaru bear the souls of Agira, Windom, and Miclas, and thus are nicknamed Agi, Win, and...well, Miku, because sometimes the universe works out that way. They join GIRLS to learn more about their powers and keep from losing control over them and going on a rampage, all while doing publicity shoots and fighting the Shadows that threaten humanity. It is a silly, stupid parody of the magical girl genre, and I love it.
While we haven't heard anything about the next season, whether it'll be another lighthearted romp or if it'll tread back into darker places, Ultraman has certainly shown it's not afraid to try new things. I look forward to seeing where the new year and the rise of a new era in Japan's history takes us.
Ultraman R/B
Date: 2020-01-09 03:54 am (UTC)Along the way, they discover that Aizen is an Ultra fanboy, specifically of Orb--and not in a good way. See, Aizen has ideas on how an Ultraman SHOULD act, and since Katsumi and Isami don't seem to be doing what he thinks they should be doing, he decides to create a crystal of his own and fight as Ultraman Orb Dark Noir Schwartz...okay forget it, it's too long and the brothers always complain about it. Orb Dark insists on putting others in danger in order to play the hero, but Rosso and Blu don't let him get away with it. They defeat him about halfway through the series, only for a mysterious teenage girl to appear and take the Gyro he'd used. Going under the name Saki Mitsurugi, she takes over Aizentech as president and proves to be the original owner of the Grigio Gyro, revealing that the R/B Gyros belonged to her older brothers, who were defeated in battle 1300 years ago. While the brothers are suspicious of her, Asahi--who dubs the girl "Tsuru-chan"--takes a liking to her immediately and is determined to be her friend. Despite herself, Tsuru winds up getting close to her as well, calling to attention various inconsistencies that she thinks prove Asahi is neither the Minatos' sister nor human at all. But with the monster that killed Tsuru's brothers returning, and her being determined to destroy the planet to save the universe, the entire Minato family--including the missing matriarch--must band together and prove the family is stronger than anything.
But the Minatos' journey doesn't end there. In their movie, Katsumi, Isami, and Asahi team up with Riku to battle a dark Ultraman named Tregear, who seeks to prove that good and evil are arbitrary labels. And the best way to do that is to just get into people's heads and mess them up...