The☆Ultraman

— INTRODUCTION —
Ultraman, the beloved Japanese sci-fi superhero, has been a cultural icon since its inception in the 60s. The franchise has produced numerous TV shows, movies, manga, and anime adaptations over the years, captivating audiences around the world with its thrilling action and captivating characters. One of the earliest anime adaptations, released in 1979, follows the classic 'monster of the week' format, featuring Ultraman fighting mysterious monsters that threaten Earth.

Ultraman was first introduced in 1966, as a live-action TV series in Japan. It followed the story of Shin Hayata, a member of the Science Special Search Party (SSSP), who merged with an alien being ... called Ultraman to fight giant monsters that threatened Earth.

— PREMISE —
The anime followed a similar premise to the original series; it revolves around mysterious monsters that appear out of nowhere, and Ultraman, a superhero from space who warns humans of these monsters. Ultraman merge himself with the protagonist, but refuses to reveal anything, stating that 'he will know the truth later'. The story does not progress beyond this, and it feels like the entire plot is an excuse to fight more and more battles.

— MONSTER OF THE WEEK —
The Ultraman anime is a classic 'monster of the week' show, which means a lot of repetition is to expected as it was a common weakness of the subgenre. The series primarily focuses on the battles between Ultraman and the monsters, with little time dedicated to exploring the characters' backstories or motivations. However, fans of the series appreciate its thrilling action and the nostalgic appeal of its classic sci-fi storytelling.

— IRRELEVANT CHARACTERISATION —
All the characters in the anime are adults, but they also act maturely, which is uncommon in anime nowadays. The problem with this anime is how it handles its characters; the writer knows how to create appealing characters in terms of personality, but fails at character development within the story. For example, in episode 2, the captain appears cold and stern, but he genuinely cares about his crew. However, this has little to no bearing on the story and its themes. Similarly, Marume in episode 3 was originally portrayed as a stupid, repulsive comic relief fool, but it turns out he has a soft side and is brave and witty. Again, this has little to no connection to the plot or the themes of the story.

One passable exception to the bad characterisation is Pig, a robotic character who is aware of his existence and questions his current worth in the modern era. While other characters appear to be in the wrong show, Pig's characterisation merges well with the sci-fi setting, making him a interesting character.

— LACK OF PLOT PROGRESSION —
The story is not about the fighter jet or the social relationships between military squads; it's about Ultraman and the mysterious creatures that appear out of nowhere. Ultraman remains silent with no explanation other than 'you will know the truth later' and reveals nothing about his origins or the monsters for no apparent reason. They could have at least developed the characters by telling us why they joined this special squad or giving us some insight into their motivations. Additionally, there is a lack of international voice, intervention, and politics, which could have been used for character development.

— THE 'SAVING GRACE': EPISODE 8 —
The only episode that was slightly better than the rest was episode 8, which picked up the story progression slightly. We learn more about how much the enemy knows about Hikari and Ultraman, and concerns about Ultraman's origins are being expressed in the media. The introduction of intelligent, talking, scheming monsters was more interesting than the generic ones we see in other episodes. Unfortunately, the show then reverts to its original form.

— BETTER ALTERNATIVES —
One example of anime that executed the 'monster of the week' formula much better than Ultraman is Neon Genesis Evangelion. The show uses the same basic premise of mysterious monsters appearing every episode, but the way the monsters are handled is far more interesting and relevant to the overall story.

In Evangelion, the monsters are not just random creatures to be fought and defeated; they are the physical manifestations of psychological issues and emotional trauma experienced by the show's characters. The monsters force the characters to confront their personal demons and issues in order to defeat them, creating a far more compelling narrative than Ultraman's repetitive battles.

Additionally, Evangelion's characters are far more well-developed and complex than Ultraman's. Each character has their own unique backstory and motivations, which are explored throughout the series. This makes their struggles against the monsters much more emotionally resonant and engaging than the simplistic battles in Ultraman.

— FINAL THOUGHTS —
The Ultraman anime from 1979 is a classic 'monster of the week' show that fails to impress with its repetitive plot and lack of character development. While the characterisation is well done, it falls short in providing context to the story or its themes. Episode 8, which slightly picks up the story progression and provides some interesting elements. However, it doesn't redeem the rest of the anime's shortcomings.

Overall, the Ultraman anime is an example of a classic anime that was popular in its time and may have popularised the 'monster of the week' formula in anime. However, it is clear that other shows, such as Evangelion, have executed it much better by incorporating deeper themes and character development. The Ultraman anime does not hold up well to modern scrutiny. While it may still hold nostalgia value for some viewers, it fails to stand out as a compelling or innovative anime.

Honestly this is review is not free of bias, I watched this show when I was five and I absolutely loved it as a kid. I will do my best effort to be not biased, but do take this review with a grain of salt.

Story:
The story is pretty simple. Our hero gets possessed by an alien who calls himself Ultraman and he goes around and beats up Kaiju that threaten Earth. The story does have progression despite how it might seem at first. I cannot say much because spoilers, but the ending is pretty spectacular. However, getting there can take lots ... of patience. You won't miss much if you skip most of the ordinary kaiju fights.

Art:
This series was made in 1980 so don't expect the clean artwork you see today. Perspective can become pretty jarring and some things aren't particularly well fleshed out. Fight scenes are lacking compared to today's standards.

Sound:
The opening and ending is amazing (bias). But they are without a doubt, pretty catchy. The sounds effects are pretty crude and old, but its pretty good if you can get past that.

Character:
Honestly, characters are pretty two dimensional. There isn't much character development, but the show really likes to bait people into the typical "He's gonna finally reveal his identity!" card. Pig the robot is pretty charming despite looking nothing like a pig nor is he visually appealing. Marume becomes less of a jerk. Other than that none of the humans particularly grow.

Final Thoughts:
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is fed up with Power Rangers or anyone who don't like Godzilla like stuff.

Ok, Since this is my first review i will try my best to give critical thoughts on the series but at the same time considering the time when this came out (1979) i will not be that judgemental towards the animation and art

Story:(7/10) In my humble opinion ,the story could have been way more deeper, i really loved some of the concepts of Ultraman ,the Ultra-mind and U-40 planet, i wished we had got more history from their planet side , i also wished that we got more story from elec and roto's perspective , they seem to only appear when it is convenient ,they ... could have explored more on Ultraman's powers, in detail, the drama could have been extended a bit more , Ultraman being in every episode shouldn't have been a necessary thing, the Ultraman fights are really repetitive and predictable to the point that at times i feel like skipping them, the way how the scenes changes from one location to another ,without any buildup can feel a bit dragged at times, the story structure is really great but fails on the execution , at best it is sub par. The kaiju's designs are really basic or uninteresting and whenever they appear on screen it feels like filler. The slice of life moments that are sprinkled throughout the series are really refreshing and they make up for the boring fights

in almost the entirety of the series the formula is the same , A new situation arises, the science defence force gets news on it ,90% of the time its about a kaiju attacking a city, defence force comes to the rescue , they are not able to defeat the kaiju by themselves Hikari transforms into Ultraman "Ultra-change" At first ultraman is unable to defeat the kaiju, then his green meter turns to red "reason: on earth his energy reduces quicker" ultraman suddenly becomes stronger , defeats the monster with any of his iconic attacks "Really cool attacks" he flies away , marume questions where is hikari when he is needed ? they have a small talk and the episode ends, because of this repetitive formula i had plans to drop it muliple times in the series

But then comes the unexpected episodes out of nowhere that adds more depth to the story that was needed .The last 4 to 5 episodes (absolutely amazing and spectacular)for the first time in the series i actually felt the tension, the effect of it was shown in episode 49 ,that cliffhanger was something i did not feel the entire series , it was all thanks to the buildup of the repetitive formula of the series that something so unexpected and heart wrenching happens that makes me lose my myself ,eagerly waiting to watch the final episode.

overall for story 7/10
ep 1 to 20 6/10,ep 21-30 7/10, ep 31-45 6/10, ep 46-50 9/10

Art:(5/10)really mid , not a fan of of the art, the character designs are generic , the monsters look uninteresting and stupid at times ,the background art is lame, you can easily fall asleep whenever the monsters fight with Ultraman, Aside from Ultraman the rest of the creatures are badly designed , it is like a bunch of 5 year old students are asked to come up with dinosaurs

Sound:(9/10)The opening is a banger, the ending is also memorable, the soundtrack is used at the right place and at the right time effectively ,the emotional osts are also really effective, simply great

Characters:(8/10)
Hikari /Ultraman User :Hikari is a generic hero who does his job perfectly ,his character arc has been concluded almost perfectly ,i thought his arc would have been ruined in the last episode but some how this character stuck the landing
Marume: Really fun character, his character has been the most used among the entire cast ,he does have annoying moments ,but there are other times where you feel sorry for this guy
Tobe: Underused character, aside from his scientific knowledge and good leadership skills we do not get much slice of life moments from him
The pig and the monkey: Annoying ones ,but bearable, they do get development but honestly only kids will find it entertaining
Mutsume: This girl is honestly really loving, caring and to the point unlike marume, her development is throughout the series , but towards the end it kind of faints .her relationship with hikari should have been explored more deeper.
Elec , Roto: Epic characters for doing almost nothing other than do their cool stuff
Amia: the only female character that gets way more development than any other character i have ever seen in the show, honestly she is hot and a heartwarming person, her relationship with hikari is way more developed than mutsumi's
the rest of the cast are quite decent

Enjoyment:(7/10)aside from the kaiju fights and terrible cutscenes ,i really enjoyed it , especially towards the end of the story