Urutoraman: Kûsô tokusatsu shirîzu

As a kid growing up in the 70's, I would rush home from school to watch Ultraman. My family cared not for this show and would frequently undermine my attempts to watch it. Sometimes through sheer force, I would get the television to myself and would revel in the exploits of the Science Patrol and Shin Hayata's alter ego/superhero Ultraman.

Every episode featured the same scenario. Alien invaders and or a giant monster would arrive and threaten Earths survival. It was up to the Science Patrol to counter this threat with their scientific knowhow. In most cases, this knowhow was not enough and Hayata/Ultraman would save the day.

By todays standards, this 'special effects fantasy series' will come off as cheap and primitive. It must be noted this was made in 1966 by Eiji Tsuburaya Productions. Tsuburaya was the special effects master behind the Godzilla movies and his expertise is in full swing. For the kids who watched this show, this was not some cheap entertainment. Ultraman was very real. Hayata was very real. The Science Patrol was a team worth rooting for. Some of the episodes are very advanced in terms of theme and story content.

There are two sets that can be purchased on DVD. Series One, Volume 1 and 2 is the set I own. The picture and sound quality are superb. The viewer has the option of watching this classic series dubbed in English or in Japanese with English subtitles. All episode are full length and uncut. The English dubs will have some scenes with Japanese language and subtitles. This is unavoidable and should not be too bothersome for the viewer. Better to watch Ultraman in it's original Japanese language.

Ultraman ran for one season with 39 episodes. Over the years, this show has garnered cult status. There is the Ultra Q series which came before and a slew of series spin-offs that followed. There are a number of Ultraman movies as well. In all, Ultraman has become a cultural pop phenomenon. If you remember this from childhood and wish to relive that childhood, or are looking for great entertainment for you own children, Ultraman comes highly recommended.

They simply do not make televisions shows like this anymore.

And with that title I refer to a specific point device used in this series - I. E. the fact that the titular character seems quite a bit hellbent on losing his transformation device because reasens - that reminds me of some magical girl shows like Hime-Chan No Ribbon or Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, which is quite interesting considering this is a manly men's show about a manly superhero (I'm telling it as a fan of both Majokko series). Anyway, this series is very interesting, it was clearly very influential not just on Tokusatsus on the whole but also on the whole mecha genre and animation in general, and not only because of what a certain fanboy (Hideki Anno) made out of a lot of the stuff present here in his Evangelion series. That said, some episodes drag on a bit and I would personally have developed a couple of them in another direction, but whatever. Recommended with no problems whatsoever, even to first timers of this franchise like I am.

No matter what people say about it...I do enjoy Ultraman series. And my favourite in Showa series is of course the first Ultraman. I dont know what makes it so good to be honest...But it just it. Every element in the show is great and suitable for family to watch especially if they love superhero movies and/or series.

This is probably the best Japanese super hero, and it's better than a majority of American superheroes.

Acting is great, lovable characters, decent camerawork, and amazing special effects for a TV budget.

I think why this show is so good and memorable is the monsters. The roster is packed with weirdos and the designs are so memorable. Every single monster has a unique style and theme, except for Greenmon, that's just a giant plant.

This show follows a guy working for the SSSP named Hayata. Hayata is given the power to turn into Ultraman, a being from the land of light, and every week he fights off a unique but dangerous Kaiju.

The biggest problem I have with this show is Hayata, they didn't do the best job picking the protagonist. Hayata is the blandest character of the group and I think Ide should've been the protagonist.

But overall, fantastic show!

This was one of my favorite shows that from when I was a kid. Being a fan of the "kaiju eiga" genre, I really loved the fact that they had a super hero fighting all sorts of giant monsters. The only thing that I didn't like about the show was the fact that Ultra Man never talked to any of the other cast members. Too bad this show isn't on television anymore to thrill a new generation of viewers.