Notable Cast: Takumi Saitoh, Masami Nagasawa, Daiki
Arioka, Akari Hayami, Tetushi Tanaka, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Koji Yamamoto, Ryo
Iwamatsu, Kyusaku Shimada, Toru Masuoka, Keishi Nagatsuka, Hajime Yamazaki,
Soko Wada, Issey Takahashi, Koichi Yamadera, Kenjiro Tsuda
Over the last year or so, the Millcreek re-releases of the
various Ultraman series have been a staple of my watching. Even more
recently, I’ve taken to watching the “first” season of Ultraman every
night. One or two episodes just before bed. It’s been blissful. The show is
silly without losing its straightforward approach to its material, it’s
colorful and creative, and it’s an adventure/science fiction show where the
science team doubles as adventurers. The fun Ultraman battles that cap off each
episode, where he goes toe to toe with various monsters and aliens, are icing
on the proverbial cake.
Ultraman, the alien who fused with a human to become Earth’s
protector, has never really left the social consciousness since that 1960s
series as it continually evolves with each season and remains on the air and in
theaters, but Shin Ultraman represents a fascinating aspect of the
cultural icon. It’s both its own stand-alone story, possibly part of its own
cinematic universe, and a remake of the previously mentioned original season.
It threads the needle with an impeccable nuance, embracing aspects of its 60s
origins but embracing enough of a modern aspect to modernize it for a new
audience. Also, Shin Ultraman delivers on its promise of delivering
kaiju-sized fun while doing it.