Getting into Ultraman. Where do I start?

[DannyBeane]

So I have watched all the Godzilla/Gamera/Daimajin movies to death in the past month or two in preparation for G 14 and honestly I need some new kaiju action. I want to get into Ultraman but I don't know where to start. I have the original Ultraman series on DVD that was released several years ago and I've seen Ultraman Nexus. There is so many movies/TV shows where do I start?

[lhb412]

The original Ultraman is on DVD for cheap and available for free streaming on Hulu. Even if it wasn't ridiculously easily available I'd still advise starting there!

[DannyBeane]

[Alpha OTS]

I've only had exposure to the series' which had domestic releases, namely the original, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Tiga and a couple of the movies. Of those three series, it depends what you're into. If you want Showa style, then the original and Seven; Heisei style, go Tiga. You really can't go wrong with the original, but there's a distinct show formula for every episode. Seven changes that up nicely. Tiga does too to an extent. Tiga and Seven have some heavy similarities with their respective EDF's.

I saw the original first, Tiga second, and Seven third. I'd recommend starting out with the original. You don't have to watch *every* episode though. You could probably quickly research the major/memorable big bads and just watch those episodes. Although at least watch the final episode before moving on. Seven's origin is a bit confusing, so that's probably not a good place to start.

[lhb412]

[kiryugoji04]

Get your hands on a copy of Ultraman the Next. There will be people here who will disagree with me but I still say it's the best Ultraman film, hands down.



Is it pretty different from the rest of the franchise? Yeah, definitely, but I still feel it adheres pretty close to the core values of the franchise. I hold it up there with the Gamera trilogy as one of the best modern movies the genre has to offer, personally. Your mileage may vary.

[DannyBeane]

I mixed up Ultraman the Next with Nexus. The Next was an awesome film. I might need to refresh my memory though and watch it again.

[metal_bryan]

Nexus is a pretty good series if you enjoyed The Next and want a bit more of that flavor mixed with classic Ultraman tropes. I am one of those people who hates The Next, but I did enjoy Nexus.

Superior Ultra 8 Brothers is my favorite Ultraman movie, but a lot of that is because the movie itself is all about nostalgia and I had those ties to previous Ultraman shows and actors. I dunno if it's a good movie without fanboying the whole time over it.

Similarly, but not really so much, if you are able to get a subtitled copy of Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend The Movie then I would suggest that. It's an Ultraman cornucopia and has a lot of action.

[jettojagga]

[Hybrid Gojira]

I'm just starting Mebius (thanks Crunchyroll), but I was wondering if someone could explain the Ultraman timelines?

I *think* I have the basic idea, but some info would help. For instance, it seems like Mebius is a sequel to U80 since they reference the last monster attack being some 20ish years ago. I think Tiga, Gaia, and Dyna are in their own Universe together.

Can anyone fill me in or post a link to an explanation?

[alienhulk2099]

[tbeasley]

This certainly helped me out -
http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2014 ... itle-list/

Not so much in terms of continuity but knowing all the shows and movies made it a little less overwhelming. But if there's anything I've learned being a fan of this stuff is you've got to play fast and loose with continuity and not let it get to you.

[DannyBeane]

Well I finally watched the original Ultraman series and loved it (though admittedly many of the episodes I only watched as background noise). Now I have to figure out what series I am going to start with next. I'm thinking about ordering the Ultraseven DVDs off amazon. Well just picked up Ultraseven as a birthday present to myself and I can't wait to watch it!

[DannyBeane]

Just started watching ultra sevendors and I really like it. It feels much more cinematic than Ultraman and feels much more like the 60s godzilla toho films.

[tbeasley]

I've only seen the original (1966) series myself. I'd always wanted to get into the character and one day a few years ago I saw the Mill Creek complete collection at Best Buy for a measly $5. I enjoyed it greatly and it made me feel like a kid, I wish I'd seen it growing up. Of course I found out later the set was a glorified bootleg licensed through Chaiyo. It's why I never picked up Shout's Ultra Q and Seven releases, especially for the prices they go for. If I ever saw them as cheap as that first set though I'd be seriously tempted.

I know some fans are tired of Chaiyo being brought up in these discussions but that's how I feel. Those first five series caught up in the debacle are the ones I'm interested in seeing most.

[XvGojira]

[DannyBeane]

[XvGojira]

Wow that sucks. So I assume the rights situation isn't ironed out yet. Any idea when the rights expire?

[DannyBeane]

[XvGojira]

[DannyBeane]

[XvGojira]

The fighting game? Rented that a few time. Couldn't beat it because I think you had to use the Specium Ray as a final move and I could never pull it off.

I do remember watching and episode or two of Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad but it didn't seem to have a regular time slot or something.

[DannyBeane]

[Specium Ray]

Pretty glad to have some Australian Ultraman (and comics!) and TNT Ultra-7 growing up. I was always a big Godzilla fan so I ate that stuff up.

It's interesting to me how Ultraman has had almost a cult/niche status in the US. It's not nearly as well known as Godzilla but it's seeped it's way into public consciousness. There has been some version of the series (or a spin-off) on TV every few years, even if it's something silly like the MXC episode.

[tbeasley]