New Ultraman series for 2017: Ultraman Geed.

[sentaison]

Very nice opening episode! The effects were as good as expected, loved the long distance shot with Skull Gomora's trail of destruction behind it. And Geed truly seems to be untrained, relying on instinct to show him the way. Yeah, he's going to need a trainer, so it looks like Zero has another student. And an interesting story line to hook you in. I'm looking forward to next week.

[Specium Ray]

[lhb412]

Glad they put the preview special up with subs, as it covers a whole lot of backstory for someone like me who hasn't seen the Zero movies and specials.

Dug it. Naturally, you have a lot of exposition and we haven't really been introduced to most of the cast. There's a lot of interesting ways for this show to go: the motivations behind the various groups, Belial's obvious influence in the background, secrets uncovered (all that good soap opera stuff), and the fact that Geed is just getting used to fighting (I always like when they do that).

Didn't have the same traditional Tokusatsu splendor you get when Taguchi's at the wheel, but the effects were nothing to sneeze at. I was worried it would be a noticeable step down, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Some great shots. Nice miniature destruction, and I love the bit where the fight ends up in shallow water and you have all the splashing which provides a nice kinetic element to the monster wrestling. That was something classic Ultraman shows did quite a bit (like Ultraseven's fight with King Joe).

Even though this may be 'another Earth' than the one in all the original '66-'80 shows (and Mebius) it is for all intents and purposes a return to the original continuity since everything it rooted in the Ultras from M78 (hey, where was Ultraman X from?). It seems Ultraman King will play an important part in the story. He's the first thing you see in the opening! Strong retro vibes from that opening, too; all the principle cast against the orange sunset looked very '80s, right?

Neat visual Shin Godzilla reference with that overhead shot of Skull Gomora's path of destruction.

Loved the Tokusatsu show-within-a-show. I suppose Riku's DVD collection got destroyed, sadly.

- and I like that the defense team seems less like a traditional Ultraman defense team and more like the Men in Black. That's one of those really obvious good ideas.

[Dai]

Not sure how I feel about this one yet. I enjoyed the wandering stranger angle of Gai in Orb so much that Riku can't help but feel like a step down by comparison. This episode was also flinging in far too many character fore-shadowing cameos. It all felt a bit perfunctory, but that's common for first episodes.

I was actually a little surprised that Geed didn't go berserk at first, considering the Belial connection. That was such a significant part of Orb. I'd like to see the villain try to tempt him to the dark side later on, but I get the feeling this series won't go particularly edgy at any point, since tonally it feels closer to Ginga than Orb or X.

[Inui Takumi]

I thought the first episode of Geed was pretty good. I like the character of Riku and the mystery behind his origins. I'm interested to see how the other characters fit in, especially Zero. Also, Pega is the best friend. XD

But the pacing of the episode was kinda weird. They really rushed to get him to the base and just threw the Riser at him as if to say "Here, you'll need this in a couple mins" and moved on. I kinda wanted them to simmer on the eerie mystery of discovering this base and these powers.

So, I didn't get the part in the beginning where they said that the destruction emanated from Earth. Did Ultraman King rebuild Earth?

But, I liked the fight with Geed. Geed looks really cool and unstable. And him sort of hulking out during his final attack was pretty menacing. The water scene was a bit hit or miss to me since it's really hard to scale water when doing miniature fights. Since this was an homage to the first episode of Ultraman Leo, what would have sold it a bit more would be if they used a deeper water pool like they did in Leo, to show them struggling to move around.

And yeah, the Shin Goji-esque scenes really helped show how destructive and menacing Skull Gomora was.

I'm looking forward to seeing his two other forms in future episodes. Especially Solid Burning since I really like Leo as the space martial artist and having him and the "Crimson Fighter" in one form is just the best idea. But the Cosmos/Hikari form also looks interesting with its more elegant fighting style.

Looking forward to this season of Ultraman.

[Dai]

[Inui Takumi]

[lhb412]

[Specium Ray]

[lhb412]

[Dr Kain]

I watched the first episode of Geed and it was decent. It was a first episode, but it didn't feel as rushed as other series have done with their premiers. Not sure I understand the opening prologue though, but whatever, I'm sure it will be more explored.

Does anyone know if this is going to be 25 episodes like Orb or be the standard 50+?

[lhb412]

^It's 25 episodes. Seems to be the new standard.

[Moonlight SY-3]

A solid start. Looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

And it succeeded in one of its primary functions: my 7-year-old son wants the Geed Raiser, the Ultra Capsules, and all the figures. Mission accomplished, Tsuburaya Pro (and Bandai)!

[lhb412]

I liked what I saw about Geed's three forms in the preview special. Orb's forms had unique powers and stuff, but it all seemed rather haphazard as to why one was more suited to a situation than another, but now it seems they've gone back to the Tiga/Dyna logic: Solid Burning is hulking brute strength; Acro Smasher is a more elegant martial artist, light on his feet; and Primitive is a balanced form. It'll be more dramatically effective if we can follow the logic of it.

[lhb412]

Just watched episode 2 and I really dug that people were still recovering from the monster attack, that and the fact people are wary of Geed makes this world feel a bit more fleshed out than the ones in the last few shows.

Riku's Donshine collection seems to be intact, so that's good.

Lots of great debris during the kaiju fight.

Even though Dada was just being used as a goon again I'm glad that he was a bit more threatening than the one in Ultraman X. Of course, they're so wonderfully creepy in the original series I'd really love for them to rise back to their full, menacing potential.

[Gman2887]

Finally got around to watching the first episode and found it far more enjoyable than the majority of the rather frustrating Orb. Hopefully this show keeps up a level of consistency that Orb couldn't. The effects were fantastic and Riku is definitely a character that's been sold differently than what the show introduced--Which is good. I didn't think I would find him all that interesting.

Lots of great potential here.

[Inui Takumi]

I liked Episode 2 a lot more than episode one. The way they're handling the individual Ultra powers in relation to the Little Stars feels a bit more thought out than the way that Orb did it. And yeah, I'm really liking the characters in this show. I was really worried that Toba Raiha would just be the silent monster hunter but she actually has some charm and character to her. I hope she has an interesting backstory and motivation because so far I'm really digging her character. Also she's a martial artist and that's always a plus for me.

SOLID BURNING IS UP NEXT!!!! MY BODY IS READY!!!

[Dai]

Episode 2 was a significant improvement; much better pacing and tension. Another solid fight scene too, with the point blank finishing move being a standout moment.

[lhb412]

Whole lotta stuff in Episode 3!

[sentaison]

[lhb412]

^
Seems like the AIB is more Men in Black than Science Patrol. I suppose we'll see next week.

[kiryugoji04]

Episode 1 was alright. Cool fight, great miniatures. Love the audacity of a water fight even if water doesn't miniaturize well at all. Pacing felt a little rushed to get everything introduced. Episode 2's pacing was improved and the introduction of Laiha was cool. Great miniature work again.

Last night's episode, however, was not so fond of.

So the good: The miniature work continues to be of excellent quality; the Reito/Zero pairing was fantastic and I think the two of them together are going to be a lot of fun; the world building is getting really interesting (Ultraman King!).

The Bad: Misogyny! So last week they introduce us to Laiha as a pretty interesting character (monster hunting detective warrior person), albeit fairly trope-y (fairly standard hardass warrior girl trope). This week she's shunted off to the side to play nanny to a bratty little boy, and she just gets to stand there and take his abuse? That feels really crappy when you have, say, Hokuto slapping a kid in Ultraman Ace for being a total brat and sitting him down to teach him a lesson. That's an extreme example and I don't need to see people hitting children in Geed but when the alternative is turning a monster-hunting warrior into an impotent nanny figure, it stands out as badly written and indicative of the casual misogyny that runs rampant in these shows. On top of that, near the end of the episode we get a really awkward low angle of Laiha approaching the camera that turns into a crotch shot before she kneels down to start cleaning up Riku's mess because apparently she's also going to be his mother figure now. And she's not just cleaning up his clutter, they made her give this loving, motherly smile while she does it. Ugh. The only thing almost positive the show gives her is a solo demonstration of her martial arts skills but it feels incredibly pointless and almost a little leery. Why not use those wasted seconds to give her character something worthwhile to do?

Compare her to Riku, who feels incredibly spoiled. Laiha has trained all her life to be an expert martial artist in order to, uh, be a nanny, while Riku's getting all these powers handed to him, barely knows how to fight, would rather sleep than try to improve his skill set, etc. How would he have defeated Darclops Zero without the power-up that he had no idea he was going to receive? Why couldn't the episode have taken a cue from Ultraman Leo and had him training to fight better with the power-up coming as an added bonus or after Darclops is revealed to have another trick up his sleeve that Geed still can't counter? What we have instead feels extremely lazily written. A better show would use his spoiled attitude as a character flaw for him to grow out of and – who knows? – maybe this show will still try something along those lines but I don't really have any faith in that after this episode.

It really seems like it's impossible for one of these shows to go more than two or three episodes without doing something wildly misogynistic. I always hope for better but I'm never surprised.

[lhb412]

^I certainly understand your complaints, and I'm cognizant of the fact that Tsuburaya's marketing of Ultraman almost exclusively to boys gives short shrift to women in the Ultra series overall (howsabout for the next Amazon exclusive series a show about a female Ultra?) but I think it's a bit too soon on some of your points, because we don't know anything about Laiha's backstory or what her goals are. She's simply been set on the chess board and spent the third episode observing Geed, much in the same way Zero was introduced and observed him in this same episode. Next episode we are introduced to another female character on the hero side, and though she appears to be a bit goofy hopefully she'll be competent. At the very least, the cast is more balanced between male and female characters like in Ultraman X as opposed to the blatantly regressive Ultraman Orb.

Also: everything about Riku's setup as Ultraman Geed smells like a trap, so I think the little squirt will be put through the wringer soon enough.

Haven't watched the two Ginga series, but is bare female leg fetishism some sort of running theme in current Ultra shows?

[Specium Ray]

[Dr Kain]

Finally had the chance to sit down, rewatch episode 1, and then watched 2 and 3. They were fantastic. The acting of the children has been pretty subpar, but that aside, I am enjoying this show a lot. I was shocked to see Dada appear, but it was pleasent for the short amount of screen time he had. The third episode though was easily the best of the three. The bit with Zero taking over the dude's body and beating the crap out of those wannabe gangsters was great. Loved their reaction when they ran into him again. Besides that, it still amazes me with how outstandingly detailed the miniatures are and the camera work is exceptional. Aside from some CGI'd moments, the fights are well choreographed. Looking forward to the next episode.