JamesBallard
Joined May 2003
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JamesBallard's rating
ULTRAMAN NEXUS has what a lot of recent monster films/shows are lacking - interesting, well developed characters with engrossing story telling. The show - comprised of 37 episodes approximately 24 minutes each - began broadcasting every Saturday in Japan from October 2nd 2004. The subsequent DVD releases saw an extended directors cut of Episode 29, as well as a brand new "Episode EX", both running around 45 minutes in length.
For this - the 14th television entry in Tsuburaya Productions' long-running ULTRAMAN series - there are several breaks in tradition. The show does not focus on the Ultraman "host", in fact, the Ultraman host has nothing to do with the show's attack team (Night Raiders) at all. Rather, we see the story through the eyes of Komon Kazuki, the new rookie member of the Night Raiders. Similar to ULTRAMAN GAIA, the show follows a continuing story arc through each episode. Rather than the traditional "monster-of-the-week" format, it often takes Ultraman several episodes to finally defeat each monster. And while the "3 minute timer" rule does not apply, Ultraman's strength relies of that of his human "host" - the "Dunamist".
ULTRAMAN NEXUS follows on from the theatrical feature ULTRAMAN THE NEXT (2004), taking place 5 years later in the year 2009. In my humble opinion, this is certainly a show worth checking out. Very dark and gritty, yet still keeps to the true meaning of the series: "akiramenai" ("don't give up!"). Chock full of surprises too, as long as you don't spoil it for yourself! I haven't enjoyed a TV show this much in years.
For this - the 14th television entry in Tsuburaya Productions' long-running ULTRAMAN series - there are several breaks in tradition. The show does not focus on the Ultraman "host", in fact, the Ultraman host has nothing to do with the show's attack team (Night Raiders) at all. Rather, we see the story through the eyes of Komon Kazuki, the new rookie member of the Night Raiders. Similar to ULTRAMAN GAIA, the show follows a continuing story arc through each episode. Rather than the traditional "monster-of-the-week" format, it often takes Ultraman several episodes to finally defeat each monster. And while the "3 minute timer" rule does not apply, Ultraman's strength relies of that of his human "host" - the "Dunamist".
ULTRAMAN NEXUS follows on from the theatrical feature ULTRAMAN THE NEXT (2004), taking place 5 years later in the year 2009. In my humble opinion, this is certainly a show worth checking out. Very dark and gritty, yet still keeps to the true meaning of the series: "akiramenai" ("don't give up!"). Chock full of surprises too, as long as you don't spoil it for yourself! I haven't enjoyed a TV show this much in years.
ULTRAMAN THE NEXT [2004] was created as part of Tsuburaya Production's "Ultra N Project", which also consisted of the TV series ULTRAMAN NEXUS [2004-2005] and live stage shows involving the character "Noa".
The film follows the middle-aged Shinichi Maki - a father and pilot with an increasingly ill son. During a drill one evening to track an unidentified object over Japanese air space, Maki's jet crashes into a large glowing meteor, where he meets a mysterious figure. Unlike the more recent Heisei era Ultraman shows - such as the amazingly childish ULTRAMAN COSMOS [2001] - the film takes a more serious family-entertainment tone, as with Tsuburaya's classic shows such as ULTRA SEVEN (1967).
The special effects lead by Yuichi Kikuchi (GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA [2002]) are well polished, looking far better than GODZILLA FINAL WARS [2004], yet ironically costing about a third less to produce. The same goes for the soundtrack - composed by Japanese rock artist Tak Matsumoto - which is far nicer to the ear than the "rock n' roll" music Keith Emerson produced for Godzilla. The storyline is quite simple, yet touching and meaningful at the same time.
It's an overall solid production, and one I would certainly recommend.
The film follows the middle-aged Shinichi Maki - a father and pilot with an increasingly ill son. During a drill one evening to track an unidentified object over Japanese air space, Maki's jet crashes into a large glowing meteor, where he meets a mysterious figure. Unlike the more recent Heisei era Ultraman shows - such as the amazingly childish ULTRAMAN COSMOS [2001] - the film takes a more serious family-entertainment tone, as with Tsuburaya's classic shows such as ULTRA SEVEN (1967).
The special effects lead by Yuichi Kikuchi (GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA [2002]) are well polished, looking far better than GODZILLA FINAL WARS [2004], yet ironically costing about a third less to produce. The same goes for the soundtrack - composed by Japanese rock artist Tak Matsumoto - which is far nicer to the ear than the "rock n' roll" music Keith Emerson produced for Godzilla. The storyline is quite simple, yet touching and meaningful at the same time.
It's an overall solid production, and one I would certainly recommend.