New Ultraman Anime!

[lhb412]

Well, the news is out: the manga series about Shin Hayata's son using a mech suit to become a tech version of Ultraman is getting an anime adaptation, set to air in 2019.

This is fantastic news, because I can't think of a single better way to introduce and expand the franchise worldwide than a high quality anime. Sure, I'd maybe prefer sticking to a more traditional Ultraman storyline, but I admire their trying something different.

[Kaiju_Ultra_Fan]

I don't care much for Anime but I'll check it out since it's Ultraman.

Godzilla and now Ultraman. *sigh* I much prefer "real" to "cartoon",..but I guess it is what it is and I'll watch both.

[O.Supreme]

If it is, as you say "high quality" I am all for it. I would love for it to have a traditional look rather than CG. I'm thinking back to the Guyver series from 2005. I still wish we got a follow up to that...

[Dai]

If it is, as you say "high quality" I am all for it. I would love for it to have a traditional look rather than CG. I'm thinking back to the Guyver series from 2005. I still wish we got a follow up to that...

Me too. At least it got through more of the story than the 90s OAV series.

As for this upcoming Ultraman anime, I wouldn't hold my breath over the animation style. The character animation may end up being 2D, but hand-drawn mech animation is something of a lost art. I can't think of a single mech anime in the last several years that was all hand-drawn, not since Gurren Lagann maybe.

[Rody]

Yeah, I'd rather see 2D animation too, but it looks like 3D is the confirmed format. Still, the first promo looks decent:

phpBB [media]

...And if we're talking international appeal, 3D is likely to be much more appealing - even if it's bad 3D.

Honestly, though, I'm kind of excited for this. I'm way behind on the manga, but what I have read has been very good.

[O.Supreme]

I'm current with whats been released in the US (Volume 8 or 9...I just packed my stuff and cant remember heh... ). Btw...does anyone know if the US releases are fairly current, or are we way behind?

[lhb412]

Note that this is the more traditional CG animation we're used to, not the hybrid anime/CGI style used by Polygon. The choice of director(s) is pretty darn promising. Wonder if this is a movie or a show?

[Kaiju_Ultra_Fan]

if he doesn't grow to be enormous and isn't an alien this seems more like a Kamen Rider G3-Suit Agito character than Ultraman. Is this Ultraman in name only?

[Dr Kain]

I was excited until I heard it is going to be all CGI like that garbage Berserk show.

How many volumes is the manga? I'm curious if they would be able to do the whole thing in 26 episodes.

[klen7]

I think 10 are out in Japan, 9 in the US. It's very different from most Ultra series despite being a sequel to the original series. Very Shonen.

[Henry88]

3D is likely to be much more appealing - even if it's bad 3D

I don't know how.

[lhb412]

if he doesn't grow to be enormous and isn't an alien this seems more like a Kamen Rider G3-Suit Agito character than Ultraman. Is this Ultraman in name only?

It is a bit like Kamen Rider... well, more like Ultraman meets Iron Man: the manga is a direct sequel to the original series, ignoring all sequels and spinoffs. Shin Hayata's son has inherited the 'Ultraman factor' because of his Dad formerly being bonded with Ultraman and that allows him to use a mech suit approximating Ultraman's powers, albeit on a human-sized scale. Villains and aliens based on classic monsters show up, but, as I said, human sized scale.

Spoiler Below:

And apparently more mech suit Ultras, based on the classic Ultras, are introduced.

[Kaiju_Ultra_Fan]

meh,...I guess I'll check it out. But that doesn't really sound much like Ultraman.

first Godzilla is a big plant and now Ultraman is Iron Man. *sigh* Thanks for answering my question.

glad I still have a bunch of the old stuff to watch.

[O.Supreme]

I referenced Guyver earlier. To me that's what this Manga/Anime most feels like (oddly appropriate since Guyver itself was inspired by Ultraman originally 30+ years ago, except it took him almost 20 years of Manga stories to grow Giant ). Maybe this Ultraman will eventually.

[Rody]

3D is likely to be much more appealing - even if it's bad 3D

I don't know how.

Neither do I, but I think that's still the prominent animation medium in the west these days - obviously in theatrical films, but probably in television, too, especially for more serious shows like Clone Wars/Rebels and Dreamworks' Dragons shows.

[O.Supreme]

From listening to commentaries on The Simpsons (which was the last holdout to hand drawn animation), they converted to digital ink & paint which is what all 2D animation is now. I guess hand drawn doesn't exist anymore because sadly technology has advanced too much. In my mind however, even with digital cells, you can make things much more detailed and wonderful looking than CG. I cant imagine that CG for Television is cheaper/easier to produce than digital cells, but like others said it is the standard. I do enjoy shows like Transformers Prime, Star Wars Rebels, DreamWorks Dragons etc... but there are some really bad CG shows out there as well.

[Kaiju_Ultra_Fan]

yeah it's weird when you go back and see a He-Man, GI Joe, Thundercats, Voltron, 1986 Transformers movie...or something like that on Youtube and in comparison to modern CG animation it looks so highly detailed. It makes the modern stuff look a little cold and sterile in comparison.

..maybe it's just me.

[O.Supreme]

yeah it's weird when you go back and see a He-Man, GI Joe, Thundercats, Voltron, 1986 Transformers movie...or something like that on Youtube and in comparison to modern CG animation it looks so highly detailed. It makes the modern stuff look a little cold and sterile in comparison.

..maybe it's just me.

No I agree 100%. Heck I remember the first time I saw the Street Fighter II Anime film https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fi ... ated_Movie. I had never seen the human form drawn to such detail IMHO. I miss things like this when I watch modern anime, and even U.S. animated series.

[Kaiju_Ultra_Fan]

heh, it says Bryan Cranston was the english voice actor for Fei Long. (in your street fighter link)

What is that guy not in? Wow.

[O.Supreme]

There were 2 English dubs. It's been so long since I've seen the film I have no idea which one I saw. (But I did see the Japanese uncut version first I know that) . Cranston apparently did quite a bit of ADR dubbing for anime before really hitting it big with Malcolm in the Middle. I don't know if he's a fan of Japanese Sci-Fi, but it would make sense him wanting to be in films like Legendary's Godzilla & Power Rangers etc...also Fei Long has one scene in the film, as do most of the non-main story characters

[Specium Ray]

Cranston was also the English voice for Isamu Dyson in Macross Plus, and some assorted Power Ranger villains.

[mbozzo]

Will the anime come to America? Will it be dubbed or subbed?

[lhb412]

^We won't know about potential licensing until closer to release, but I think for a high profile action anime movie the likelihood for a US release is pretty good, and if so I can't see how both subbed and dubbed versions won't be provided.

[Dr Kain]

Cranston was also the English voice for Isamu Dyson in Macross Plus, and some assorted Power Ranger villains.

Yep. He was Snizzard and the Twin Man.

[gojiedge]

He looks more like a robot.