Netflix Ultraman

[Scott Ruggels]

been watching this, and having watche the original Ultra Q ( X-files type show that introduced the SSSP< and was the precursor to Ultraman)< as well as a couple of the Ultra Man shows later on, This show hearkens back to that, though no longer rubber monsters and men in  skintight suits, it is now CG< However some of the original members of the SSSP, Hayata, and Ide (The inventor) are back, as the elder statesmen of the SSSP< it is now up to Hayata's son to take up the mantle of Ultraman.

 

The show is in CG-Anime style, but the quality is Much higher than previous CG_Anime offerings from Netflix in that they are allowing more and more of the CG to work past the pseudo 2D cel shading and allowing Ultraman to look like a guy in a skin tight suit with applique pieces, and the mosters to also look like Rubber Monster suits (with additions)< and the use of mocap and fight choreography keeps it from devolving into a seried of quick cuts for the fights.  This is not a show where CvK is a usual option, as it's Ultraman's job to eliminate the alien threats to earth.

 

As a fan of the old shows growing up, the new show is respectful of it's past (Unlike some other Netflix revivals), but the writing is modern and the layouts are spectacular, especially the fights. I reccomend it, especially the first episodes as our young hero realizes his Father was once Ultraman, and that his "Power" was his birthright.  Champions relevant, I think.

 

The trailer

 

[Lord Liaden]

It looks pretty slick, but in all those shots Ultraman looks to be human-sized. It's just not Ultraman without giants.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

Quote

 

 

[Dr. MID-Nite]

I found the show to be decent enough, but it feels more like Iron Man than Ultraman. The nods to previous shows feel more like shameless name dropping than anything actually worthwhile. Even "Hayata" and "ide" don't feel like the real deal, but simply new characters with their names slapped on. Again, decent enough, but it's more like a new property with the Ultra name slapped on it than anything else.

[Lord Liaden]

There was a trial-balloon trailer circulated in 2016 for a proposed Ultraman movie, which IMO more captured the feel of the original, with modern digital effects.

 

 

[zslane]

I first saw Ultraman on tv around 1970 when I was a very small child visiting relatives in Texas, and absolutely fell in love with it (naturally). So for me, an Ultraman that doesn't grow to kaiju size isn't really Ultraman at all.

 

Moreover, I don't care for the animation/rendering style of this new show. To my mind it isn't really anime. Sure, the power suits look like typical Japanese manga designs, but there isn't an anime aesthetic anywhere else to be found, IMO. This is 3D animation rendered with a celshade system to mimic (poorly, IMO) the look of traditional 2D animation. You've got full-on 3D motion capture rather than traditional pose-based animation. While that approach can work and look decent, I don't consider it anime nor do I think it is particularly well done here. I mean the motion capture is competently handled, but the facial animation and rendering is so bad it is unnerving and unpleasant to watch.

 

This is a pass for me (after having watched the first episode out of sheer curiosity).

[Lord Liaden]

10 hours ago, zslane said:

I first saw Ultraman on tv around 1970 when I was a very small child visiting relatives in Texas, and absolutely fell in love with it (naturally). So for me, an Ultraman that doesn't grow to kaiju size isn't really Ultraman at all.

 

Ditto. It's one of his main distinguishing features from American-style superheroes.

 

I wonder if this and the recent anime Godzilla trilogy are illustrative of Japanese animators trying to capitalize on the name recognition of classic tokusatsu characters, while not honoring what those characters have always represented. "New" can be good, but if you attempt a new take on an established character you still have to account for what the character's fans want and expect.