ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA Japanese Title: ???????????????????????????? (Urutoraman Tiga ando Urutoraman Daina: Hikari no Hoshi no Senshi-tachi) Literal Translation: Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light Release Date: March 14, 1998 Running Time: 68 minutes Production: Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna Movie Production Consortium Distributor: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Producer: Kiyoshi Suzuki Supervisor: Koichi Takano Director: Kazuya Konaka FX Director: Kazuya Konaka Writer: Keichi Hasegawa Music: Tatemi Yano Cast Shin Asuka: Takeshi Tsuruno Captain Gosuke Hibiki: Ryo Kinomoto Toshiyuki Koda: Toshikazu Fukawa Ryo Yumimura: Risa Sato Kouhei Kariya: Takao Kase Tsutomu Nakajima: Joh Onodera Mai Midorikawa: Mariya Yamada Dr Rui Kisaragi: Aya Sugimoto Megumi Iruma: Mio Takaki Rena Madoka: Takami Yoshimoto Seichi Munakata: Akitoshi Ohtaki Masami Horii: Yukio Masuda Tetsuo Shinjo: Shigeki Kagemaru Hikari Madoka: Mizuho Kanamori Ultraman Tiga: Shiyunsuke Gondou Ultraman Dyna: Keiji Hasegawa Geranda: Hisataka Kitaoka Death Facer: Hiroyuki Okano Story: The Super GUTS Team battles the flying monster Geranda in space between the Earth and the Moon. Ultraman Dyna appears and drives Geranda down to the lunar surface. As Dyna prepares to fire his Solgent Ray, Geranda is suddenly disintegrated by a massive blast of energy from the new Terrestrial Protection Combine battleship, Dreadnought Prometheus. Back at TPC’s base on Cliomos Island, the Super GUTS Team is introduced to Dr. Rui Kisaragi, the inventor of Prometheus. Kisaragi explains that Prometheus is an unmanned craft, piloted by a computer programmed with data taken from the minds of the world’s top military strategists that allow it to outthink and outfight any foe. She arrogantly adds that her invention is more powerful than Ultraman. Kisaragi asks agent Shin Asuka (secretly the human identity of Ultraman Dyna) to have his memories added to Prometheus’ data files. During the procedure, Asuka relives his past battles and has nightmarish visions of Dyna being destroyed by Prometheus’ ultimate weapon, the Neo-Maxima Cannon. He passes out, and awakens in sick bay with his worried teammate Mai Midorikawa by his bedside. The TPC base is suddenly attacked by the Monera Seed, a flying assault vehicle contolled by the invading Monera aliens. Super GUTS races to the defense, but their GUTS Wing loses control and crashes in the ocean. When the team attempts to repair the craft they discover the controls have been tampered with. Asuka becomes Ultraman Dyna and attacks the alien ship, but Prometheus rises from its underground hangar and blocks his assault. The Monera Seed shines a beam of energy onto Prometheus and transforms the battleship into a new, robotic form: Death Facer. Kisaragi, under the control of the Monera, announces they will now destroy Ultraman Dyna. The stunned Dyna recalls his dreams of being killed the TPC battleship but still races into combat. Unfortunately, Asuka’s fighting techniques are now part of Prometheus’ data banks, and Death Facer is able to easily anticipate and counter Dyna’s moves. Death Facer fires its Neo-Maxima Cannon at Ultraman Dyna; Cliomos Island is devastated and Dyna is nowhere to be seen. The victorious robot and the Monera Seed fly off. For the second time in less than a day, Asuka awakens in sick bay. He learns that Mai was badly injured in the Neo-Maxima blast. Overwhelmed by the defeat and his loss of confidence, Asuka leaves Super GUTS to wander the streets of Tokyo. He meets a young boy named Susumu who has a Bandai figure of Ultraman Tiga. The boy tells Asuka that the light of Tiga defeated every foe, even at the darkest of times. Asuka wants to know more about Ultraman Tiga so he tracks down Megumi Iruma, the former captain of the GUTS team. Iruma tells Asuka of Tiga’s final battle and how the light inside all mankind aided Tiga in defeating his most dangerous foes. Asuka also learns of the commraderie of the original GUTS team and develops a new appreciation for his own teammates. As TPC’s senior staff meet to discuss options against the alien invaders, Kisaragi appears to announce the Monera will attack ward K-3 at noon as the beginning of the extermination of mankind. Their message delivered, the Monera release the scientist from their mental control. K-3 is evacuated and the residents moved to underground shelters. As expected, Death Facer strikes at noon, annihilating the TPC forces. Refusing to give in to his fears, Asuka again becomes Ultraman Dyna and confronts Death Facer. Transforming to Strong Mode, Dyna rips off Death Facer’s arms. The robot prepares to fire its Neo-Maxima Cannon, but Dyna defies expectations by moving forward rather than retreating. He punches a hole through its chest, destroying Death Facer. In response, the Monera aliens combine their bodies with the Monera seed to form Queen Monera, a massive, tentacle creature that dwarfs Ultraman Dyna. Dyna is quickly overwhelmed, and Queen Monera draws the unconscious hero into her own body and begins to absorb his energy. Captain Iruma assists Super GUTS in their efforts to free Dyna, but to no avail. In one of the underground shelters, Susumu reminds Dr Kisaragi and the other evacuees of how everyday people had once given their “light” -- their inner strength and goodness -- to Ultraman Tiga. The people remember and now offer themselves in support of Dyna. In a flash of light, Ultraman Tiga appears at the battle site. He transfers energy to the fallen Dyna, and the two Ultramen are able to destroy Queen Monera. Super GUTS celebrates a hard-earned victory, and Iruma commends Captain Hibiki on his team. She also realizes the Asuka is the current holder of the light of Ultraman. Back at her office, Iruma is visited by members of her old GUTS team; Munakata, Shinjo, Horii, and Rena… plus Rena and Daigo’s daughter, Hikari. The close friends and former teammates reminisce about their times together. Asuka faces a new challenge... taking Mai on her first GUTS Wing test flight. Notes: In 1996, Tsuburaya Productions and Mainichi Broadcasting premiered ULTRAMAN TIGA, the first Japanese live action Ultraman TV series since ULTRAMAN 80 had ended its run in 1981. TIGA was set in a new timeline/continuity from the previous Ultraman shows, and was also the first series featuring a “transforming Ultraman” with different forms -- initially Multi-Type, Sky-Type, and Power-Type -- each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. The multiple types brought a new spin to the long-running Ultraman franchise, and also allowed for more merchandising of the main character. The show was a hit with Japanese audiences so TPC and Mainichi returned with a sequel series; ULTRAMAN DYNA (?????????, Urutoraman Daina, 1997). Set nine years after the events in ULTRAMAN TIGA, DYNA introduced a new transforming Ultraman and his human identity, the brash but fun-loving Shin Asuka. The ULTRAMAN DYNA series had a generally more lighthearted tone than it predecessor, with Asuka often playing as the show`s comic relief. During the initial run of ULTRAMAN DYNA, Tsuburaya Pro also produced a movie pairing their two newest Ultramen; ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA. The film was originally intended to acts as a bridge between the two shows with Daigo Madoka, the human host of Ultraman Tiga played by actor and singer Hiroshi Nagano, having a major role in the story. But Nagano was unavailable due to the touring schedule of his band, V6, so the script was rewritten to focus more on Dyna and Asuka. The movie does feature most of the other GUTS team members from ULTRAMAN TIGA in supporting roles. ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA drives home a recurring theme in the Ultraman series. Following the defeat on Cliomos Island, Captain Hibiki tells a discouraged Asuka "You sound like you try to win all by yourself, and for that very reason you end up losing the game." Comparing heroes to baseball pitchers, Hibiki states that the pitcher`s mound is not a lonely, isolated place, but rather the raised mound allows the rest of the team to look up to the pitcher as a figure of strength, and the pitcher to hear his teammates cheering him on. In other words, heroes like Ultraman function symbiotically with those they serve; the hero and the public give each other support and strength in a very Japanese emphasis on the group over the individual. The climax of the film has Dyna and Tiga facing off against Queen Monera, a super-monster that absolutely dwarfs them in size. Having the Ultramen facing a much larger and stronger opponent is an obvious and effective way to showcase the heroes` skill and bravery against all odds, but it has unfortunately become an overused storytelling crutch seen in no less than five consecutive Ultraman films released between 2006-2012. The theme song “Shinin’ on Love” was performed by Hironobu Kageyama and Tatsuya Maeda. Kageyama is well known in Japan for the many theme songs he has created for anime shows such as DRAGON BALL Z, YU-GI-OH! GX, TRANSFORMERS: HEADMASTERS, MAZINKAISER, SONIC X, and SAINT SEYA. He has also provided songs for numerous live action hero programs including "Ultra High", the end theme for the ULTRAMAN DYNA television series. In July 1998, ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA made its North American theatrical premiere at Canada`s Fantasia Festival. The film was screened in Japanese with English subtitles once again prepared by Fantasia. ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA became the first live action Ultraman movie to receive an official US release when it debuted on VHS and Region 1 DVD from Image Entertainment on May 14, 2002. The DVD features one of the worst English dubs ever produced for a Japanese FX film (no small feat!), with extremely flat line readings that rarely fit the onscreen performances of the cast. Additionally, no effort was made to make the English dialogue fit the actors’ mouth movements. To maintain some degree of synchronization, the English dub is filled with odd pauses or— even worse— simply stops in mid sentence and repeats itself with lines like “Is that… is that why we’ve been called here?” and “Captain, let’s cooperate… Captain, let’s cooperate and see how strong this digital ghost ship really is.” On the plus side, the American DVD presents ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA in its original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio (anamorphically enhanced), with the original Japanese language audio track in Dolby 5.1 and 2.0, English subtitles, and an isolated music track. Also included are the film’s Japanese theatrical trailer (with English subtitles), an English narrated promo created by Tsuburaya Pro for international sales, and the English subbed trailer for the next movie; ULTRAMAN GAIA: THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE. Poor English dubbing track aside, Image Entertainment’s ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA DVD is definitely a worthwhile purchase for Ultraman fans. The movie is also available on Region 0 DVD from the Asian label Speedy Video Distributors. The disc includes Japanese, English, Cantonese, and Mandarin audio tracks plus English, Chinese, and Malay subtitles. Co-feature: ULTRA MEOW 2 Japanese Title: ???????????????? (Urutora Nyan 2: Happy Daisakusen) Literal Translation: Ultra Nyan 2: The Great Happy Operation Running Time: 30 minutes Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Producer: Kiyoshi Suzuki, Yoshida Takashi, Kawazoe Kazumi Director: Hiroko Tokita Animation Director: Masahiro Andou Writer: Noboru Aikawa Music: Tatsuya Inokuti Cast Nyan: Yoshiko Kamei Ryuji: Rokurou Naya Nobunaga: Akio Otsuka Goemon: Naoki Bando Ranmaru: Naoko Kouda Haruko: Mei Oshitani Anko: Sayuri Sadaoka Momo: Kyoko Hikami Doc: Hirokazu Kitamura Kosuke: Reiko Kondou Haruka`s Mom: Mari Okamoto Yuki: Yuki Masuda Dora: Yayoi Kuroda Dabu: Kazumi Okushima Headmaster: Sho Kashii Story: Kosuke is enjoying some leftover lunch that he found at the schoolyard when he is suddenly attacked by a squad of crows led by by a female called Ranmaru. Kosuke sends out an SOS that Nyan manages to see. Nyan races to the scene and discovers that a tiger cat with a guitar slung over his back has saved Kosuke from the crows. Another crow, named Goemon, arrives and tells Ranmaru that their leader has summoned them. The crows leave, and the tiger cat introduces himself as Ryuji, the wandering husband of their friend Anko. Meanwhile, Haruka is suffering from awful allergies. Everyone at her cram school seems to be having the same symptoms and her mother believes that Nyan is the cause. She has Haruka`s friend, Yuki from Sushibun, hold onto Nyan for a while. While Nyan is sad to be separated from Haruka, he uses the opportunity to meet with Goemon. Nyan learns that Goemon is the right hand crow of the flock`s leader, a massive crow called Nobunaga. Because their land was torn down for development, Nobunaga has led his crows to the city and is planning to turn the local park into their new nest. The lead crow has also developed allergies which he thinks are caused by other animals, so he has ordered his crows to attack the area`s dogs and cats. However, Goemon is a pacifist and has recently begun to doubt his fellow crows and Nobunaga. He wants to stop the battle between the cats and the crows, and warns Nyan that the cats should retreat. Ryuji is furious with the crows and wants to brawl, but the old cat Doc tells him that they should first try to solve things peacefully. Nyan agrees and approaches Goemon to set up a peace meeting. Everyone gathers in the garden of a nearby mansion but the meeting turns out to be Nobunaga`s trap! To help the other cats escape Nyan tries to become Ultra Meow... but the crows use a paint bomb that turns Nyan`s golden tail ring black! He can`t transform anymore! Just what will Nyan do? What will the cats do?! Notes: The adventures of Nyan and his friends continued in ULTRA MEOW 2, an animated short shown with ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA. In promotional materials for ULTRA MEOW 2, returning director Hiroko Tokita described the sequel`s themes: "In the last film, there was a large focus on how Nyan came to earth. This time around, we tried to make a film with a larger focus on the cats and their day to day lives. I think that focus ties deeply into what the goal of the cats is in this film and as a result, the characters feel more alive than ever. While the story is about the crows vs the cats, Ultra Meow is not a fighting hero... he wants to bring everyone happiness. The crows aren`t really evil; it`s the humans that forced them to be that way. I would love if viewers looked forward to how the main problem will be solved." In Japan, ULTRA MEOW 2 was included on the VHS and Region 2 DVD of ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA. The anime short has not been released in English.

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ULTRAMAN GAIA: THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE (aka ULTRAMAN TIGA, ULTRAMAN DYNA & ULTRAMAN GAIA MOVIE) Japanese Title: ????????? ?????????????????????????? (Urutoraman Tiga & Urutoraman Daina & Urutoraman Gaia Choujikuu no Daikessen) Literal Translation: Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna & Ultraman Gaia: Inter-Dimensional Battle Release Date: March 6, 1999 Running Time: 74 minutes Production: Ultraman Gaia Movie Production Consortium Distributor: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Producer: Kiyoshi Suzuki Director: Kazuya Konaka FX Director: Kazuya Konaka Writer: Keichi Hasegawa Music: Toshiko Sahashi Cast Gamu Takayama: Takeshi Yoshioka Tsutomu Niiboshi: Gaku Hamada Risa Nanase: Mai Saito Yu Hiruma: Miyu Irino Hiroshi Kashimada:Yuta Satou Kohei Nakahara: Keito Takimoto Wataru Kosugi: Yuki Sugita Tatsumi Chiba: Sei Hiraizumi Commander Akio Ishimuro: Hiroyuki Watanabe Mrs Niiboshi: Kazuko Kato Ultraman Gaia: Satoshi Hasegawa Ultraman Tiga: Shiyunsuke Gondou Ultraman Dyna: Makoto Itou Satanbiezor: Hiroyuki Okano King of Mons: Hiroyuki Okano Bajiris: Hisataka Kitaoka Masaru Hirama: Miyu Irino Ho Kashimada: Yuuta Sato Wataru Kosugi: Yuuki Sugita Kohei Nakahara: Akira Takimoto Sasaki Atsushi: Megumi Hashimoto Toy Shop Owner: Tashiro Masashi Police Captain: Bengal Voice of Ultraman Tiga: Makoto Satoshi Voice of Ultraman Dyna: Takeshi Tsuruno Voice of Satanbiezor: Daisuke Gouri Voice of Red Ball: Nana Yamaguchi Voice of PAL: Kazuhiko Watanabe Story: A young schoolboy named Tsutomu Niiboshi is obsessed with Ultraman. While watching a taped episode of his favorite television show, ULTRAMAN GAIA, he has a vision of a red sphere, a young girl, and his hometown in flaming ruins. The next day, a new student named Risa Nanase joins Tsutomu’s classroom. Tsutomu is surprised that she is the girl from his vision. During recess, he tells Risa and she suggests it was a prophetic dream and they were destined to meet. Their discussion is interrupted by three bullies -- Hiroshi, Kohei, and Wataru -- who make fun of Tsutomu’s love of Ultraman. After school Tsutomu goes to his secret hideout. There he discovers a red ball, exactly like the one in his vision. When he picks it up he hears a voice telling him to make any wish and it will come true. Tsutomu brings Risa and his friend Yu to see the sphere, and Risa tells him to try it. The boy wishes to meet his hero Gamu Takayama, the human identity of Ultraman Gaia. Suddenly, Gamu’s plane Fighter E-X appears in the sky. The XIG (eXpanded Interceptive Guardians) pilot is confused… he had been on patrol over the Bermuda Triangle and is now flying over a city in Japan. Children begin to gather as Gamu circles the town. Tsutumu tells them Gamu is there because he summoned him with the red ball. Hiroshi, the leader of the bullies, snatches the ball out of Tsutomu’s hands and wishes for a giant monster. In answer, the mutant beast Satanbiezor appears. Even more surprising to Tsutomu is that Hiroshi knows the complete stats for the monster, revealing that he is actually a closeted Ultraman fan. In the confusion of the monster’s attack, Tsutomu is able to recover the red ball. After ordering the Fighter E-X auto pilot to find a safe place to land, Gamu transforms into Ultraman Gaia and confronts Satanbiezor. Gaia’s color timer begins to blink almost immediately, but the Ultraman is able to defeat the monster. Back in the cockpit of Fighter E-X, Gamu wonders why his power faded so quickly. Gamu’s concerns are interrupted when he realizes his plane is surrounded by schoolkids who all recognize him and know he is Ultraman Gaia. Gamu flees the mob, running through the town with the children in hot pursuit. Ducking into a store to avoid them, Gamu is shocked to find the shelves stocked with Ultraman toys and the TV monitors playing episodes of ULTRAMAN GAIA. Tsutomu finds Gamu and takes him to his hideout. The boy explains what happened, and Gamu realizes he has been pulled into a different dimension from his own… on this Earth, there are no monsters, and Ultraman is just a fictional character. Flipping through a copy of Gulliver’s Travels, Gamu and the kids discuss parallel worlds. But the authorities have not taken kindly to an unidentified fighter plane landing in the middle of town. Police arrive to arrest Gamu, but both the pilot and Fighter E-X fade away. Hiroshi uses the confusion to once again steal the red sphere. Gamu awakens aboard E-X, at the bottom of the Bermuda Triangle on his own Earth. After returning to XIG headquarters, he has a vision of the red sphere. The ball explains that it is a machine created by humans from a parallel Earth to make the wishes a reality. But man’s greed had no limits and they wished for more and more until they destroyed themselves. Now the sphere bounces from one dimension to the next, destroying on Earth after another. With Tsutomu’s world in grave danger, Gamu gets permission from Commander Ishimuro to use the experimental hyperspace vehicle, The Adventure, for a rescue mission. In their school’s art room, the bullies sculpt designs for the next monster they will wish for. Kohei creates a sea monster he calls Scylla, while Watrau comes up with the instect-like Bajiris. Hiroshi takes bits and pieces of his friends’ designs and adds them to his own to make the ultimate monster; King of Mons. Tsutomu and Yu sneak into the room to recover the ball, but Hiroshi has fallen under its sway and brings King of Mons to life. As King of Mons rampages through the town, The Adventure arrives. The monster quickly destroys the vehicle, but Gamu is able to transform into Ultraman Gaia. As Gaia battles the creature, Bajiris and Scylla emerge from King of Mons’ body. The Ultraman is quickly overmatched by his three opponents. The school is destroyed in the battle, but Tsutomu gets to the red sphere and wishes for Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna to come to Gaia’s aid. Together for the first time, the three Ultramen battle the monsters. Tiga defeats Scylla in an underwater fight, Dyna pursues Bajiris into space and finishes it off with his Solgent Ray, and Gaia blasts King of Mons to pieces with his Photon Stream. While Tiga and Dyna look on, Gaia transforms info Gamu to meet with the children. Risa suggests Tsutomu use the red sphere to repair the town, but the boy feels if mankind becomes dependent on the ball eventually things will go wrong again. He instead wishes for the ball to vanish forever. Risa reveals she is actually an avatar of the red sphere, and Tsutomu’s choice has saved his world from destruction. With a word of thanks she and the ball vanish. Gamu says his farewell, and he and the other Ultramen are returned to their own worlds. As life returns to normal, a new girl named Risa Nanase transfers to Tsutomu’s school. Notes: The feature film ULTRAMAN GAIA: THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE brought the Ultra Warriors Tiga and Dyna together with the hero of the current television series, ULTRAMAN GAIA (?????????, Urutoraman Gaia, 1998). Returning Director/Special Effects Director Kazuya Konaka recalled the central issue for the movie: "Production on this film began when we decided to make a film co-starring Tiga, Dyna and Gaia. However, Tiga and Dyna are from a different universe than Gaia. Just how were we going to overcome that barrier?" Executive Producer Kazuo Tsuburaya explained that, "Honestly speaking, we struggled with the idea. After throwing some ideas and questions around, I made my decision: we will have the three co-star. My reasoning was that because we can only produce a single Ultra film per year, I wanted to take that opportunity to bring the three Ultramen together. I felt as though the fans and children would want to see this." "Ignoring the setting, there’s no doubt that children recognize and understand that Tiga, Dyna and Gaia are all Ultramen," added Konaka. "If that’s the case, why don’t we just make the real world the stage for the film... a world like ours where ULTRAMAN plays on TV? We got excited at the prospect of making a young Ultra fan the protagonist, and having monsters and Ultramen appear in the real world. The main character Tsutomu is both a reflection of myself and the viewers. Taking something that we all enjoyed on TV and turning it into a real world adventure that we could experience; that’s the kind of film we made for the fans." The fantastic elements added to this real world setting were partly inspired by ULTRAMAN Episode 11- THE MISCHIEVOUS RASCAL FROM SPACE, which also featured a strange red stone that could grant wishes (with disastrous consequences). "This time around we aimed to make not just an Ultra film, but a full blown fantasy picture as well." While THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE prominently features Gamu Takayama, the human host of Ultraman Gaia played by Takeshi Yoshioka, the human alter egos of Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna -- Daigo Madoka (Hiroshi Nagano) and Shin Asuka (Takeshi Tsuruno), respectively -- do not appear. Kazuo Tsuburaya said that, "Daigo, Asuka, Guts and the Super Guts members don’t make any appearances because the story is really about Gaia." Gaku Hamada, who starred as the boy Tsutomu Niiboshi, has continued to work steadily since ULTRAMAN GAIA: THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE with appearances in several TV shows and films. His credits include the leads in the musical BLUE SONG: "PROUD OF MY VOICE" YOUTH VERSION (Aoi Uta -- Nodo Jiman Seishunhen, 2006) and THE FOREIGN DUCK, THE NATIVE DUCK AND GOD IN A COIN LOCKER (Ahiru to Kamo no Koinrokka, 2007) as well as key supporting roles in the acclaimed drama FISH STORY (Fisshu Sutori, 2009) and Shochiku`s successful comedy fantasy BATTLE LEAGUE HORUMO (Kamogawa Horumo, 2009). "Being able to shoot with such young and talented actors was a pleasure," Konaka recalled. "In particular, Gaku Hamada’s acting range constantly surprised us." Young actress Mai Saito returned to the Ultra Series with the feature film ULTRAMAN COSMOS 2: THE BLUE PLANET (Urutoraman Kosumosu 2: Za Buruu Puranetto, 2002) and a guest appearance on the late night TV series ULTRA Q: DARK FANTASY (Urutora Kyuu Daaku Fantajii, 2004). ULTRAMAN GAIA: THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE has been released on VHS and Region 2 DVD in Japan. The Japanese releases have no English language options. But the Region 3 DVD from Malaysia/Singapore distributor Speedy Video features English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Malay and Japanese audio tracks and Chinese, English, and Malay subtitles. The movie made its North American premiere in July 1999 with a theatrical screening at Fantasia Festival, where it was shown in Japanese with English subtitles as ULTRAMAN TIGA & ULTRAMAN DYNA & ULTRAMAN GAIA: INTER-DIMENSIONAL BATTLE (Tsuburaya has also advertised the film under the English title ULTRAMAN TIGA, ULTRAMAN DYNA & ULTRAMAN GAIA MOVIE). Later that same month it was shown at G-Fest 1999 in Burbank, CA. ULTRAMAN GAIA: THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE was also released on VHS and Region 1 DVD in the US from Image Entertainment on May 14, 2002. The American DVD presents the film in its original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio (anamorphically enhanced), with the original Japanese language audio track in Dolby 5.1 and 2.0, an English dub in Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 (not great, but thankfully better than the dubbing done for ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA), English subtitles, and an isolated music track. Also included are English subtitled Japanese theatrical trailers for ULTRAMAN GAIA: THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE and its predecessor ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA, and an English narrated promo for the earlier movie. Co-feature: ULTRAMAN: M-78 THEATER Japanese Title: ??????????? Love & Peace (Urutoraman M78 Gekijou Love & Peace) Literal Translation: Ultraman M-78 Theater: Love and Peace Running Time: 23 minutes Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Producer: Kiyoshi Suzuki Director: Hiroko Tokita Animation Director: Kiyoshi Tomikawa Character Designer: Kazuyuki Nakada Music: Michiru Oshima Cast Ikue Ootani Story: The funny, noisy, fantastical and comedic world of Ultraman and his monster friends— a world with no fighting— is revealed in three animated episodes and several short gags. Episode 1 ULTRA DOMINO: In the gigantic Ultra Dome coliseum, a team consisting of Ultra Seven, Baltan, Ultraman Zearth, Gander and the sleepy Gavadon enter an intricate domino competition. Seven tips the first piece and quickly becomes enraptured with the dominoes as they race through a series of incredible tricks and set ups. But further down the line, several dominoes are accidentally knocked over when Gomora suddenly emerges from underground. The team races to repair the damage before time runs out. In the first short, magician Ultraman makes increasingly larger objects disappear with the help of his assistant, Pigmon. Next, Ultraman and Baltan go fishing. Baltan catches one fish after another, but Ultraman is unlucky... until his line snags a blue whale. In short number 3, Ultraman tries weightlifting but is too weak to lift the barbell. He removes weights until only the bar is left. As he raises it over his head a butterfly lands on the bar, tipping Ultraman over. In the fourth short, Baltan shows Ultraman how to make music in a cave by tapping the stalactites with a drum stick. Unfortunately, Ultraman takes things a little too far... Episode 2 ULTRA FANTASY: In the sixth story, Ultraman spends a beautiful summer day blowing bubbles until he accidentally gets trapped inside a big bubble and begins to float about the sky. He floats over the lands and under the sea, all the while pursued by his friend Dodongo. Dodongo is soon stuck in the bubble as well, and the pair are carried high into the sky until their bubble is popped by Birdon. That night, Ultraman Tiga comes across Ultraman and Dodongo sleeping peacefully in a field. Was their adventure all just a dream? Episode 3 ULTRA ORCHESTRA: In the finale, the giant monster Seabozu falls from outer space and crashes on Planet M78. At first Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Zearth and Yullian are scared of the monster but they soon realize Seabozu is sad and wants to go home. To lift his spirits, the Ultramen bring together an orchestra and perform a concert for crying monster. As Seabozu dances with delight a UFO arrives to take him home, But the monster wants to stay so the ship shines down a beam of light that shrinks Seabozu down to the same size as his new friends. Everyone waves goodbye to the spaceship as it returns to the stars. Notes: The theatrical co-feature for ULTRAMAN GAIA: THE BATTLE IN HYPERSPACE was an animated anthology of short, comedic stories in which the Ultra characters were all drawn in the Super-Deformed (SD) style with big heads, small bodies, and stubby limbs. ULTRAMAN: M-78 THEATER was directed by Hiroko Tokita, who also helmed the two previous animated Ultra shorts, ULTRA MEOW and ULTRA MEOW 2. The three episodes and "Mini-Mini" skits were all told without dialogue (meaning that no dubbing would be needed for any potential foreign releases) but did feature some vocalizations by Ikue Ootani, best known as the voice of Pikachu in the hugely popular POKEMON movies and shows. According to character designer Kazuyuki Nakada, ULTRAMAN: M-78 THEATER was developed to answer some common questions about the red and silver hero: "Where exactly does Ultraman live? What does he eat? For that matter, what is he thinking? Does he have likes or dislikes? What kind of hobbies does he have? And of course, what are the most fun times for him? Does he have a lot of friends? Is he getting along okay with the monsters? What does he feel about the people of Earth and what is his message for children? What is his version of justice? We developed this project by trying to fill it with an easy humor that reveals the answers to these questions. With M-78 THEATER, we can express certain elements of Ultraman’s personality and universe that we can’t in the normal series." "We’ve all over-exerted ourselves like Ultraman at some point or another. Ultraman, like a normal human, has times when he wants to act but can’t. He’s strong but even he gets into a pinch sometimes. So we showed the concept of `working for justice` is unique way by having M78 Ultraman do things like collect garbage and other familiar tasks that kids can relate to." Nakada added that, "When people give their all, they often sweat from their forehead. This emphasizes humanity, and helps us root for a character. Thus, because M78 Ultraman is always giving it his all, he always has sweat coming from his forehead." "In terms of art, drawing Ultraman is a difficult task. Drawing the monsters is even more difficult. M78 Ultraman however requires very simple lines... the image looks like something that anyone could draw. Everything is simplified, and the designers are able to express their originality in a way that makes the children feel safe when looking at the art." The character designs from ULTRAMAN: M-78 THEATER have been featured on a wide variety of products sold through the official Ultraman store chain, Shot M78.

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ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY Japanese Title: ????????? THE FINAL ODYSSEY (Urutoraman Tiga Za Fainaru Odesei) Literal Translation: Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey Release Date: March 11, 2000 Running Time: 85 minutes Production: Ultraman Tiga Movie Production Consortium Distributor: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Producer: Kiyoshi Suzuki, Satoshi Kono Director: Hirochika Muraishi FX Director: Hirochika Muraishi Writer: Keiichi Hasegawa Music: Shizuka Tamakawa, Tatsumi Yano Cast Daigo Madoka: Hiroshi Nagano Captain Megumi Iruma/Yuzare: Mio Takagi Rena Yanase: Takami Yoshimoto Deputy Captain Seichi Munakata: Akitoshi Ohtaki Masami Horii: Yukio Masuda Tetsuo Shinjo: Shigeki Kagemaru Jun Yazumi: Yoichi Furuya Mayumi Shinjo: Kei Ishibashi Camila: Miyoko Yoshimoto Dahram: Masaru Matsuda Hydra: Tenmei Basara Gosuke Hibiki: Ryo Kinomoto Mai Midorikawa: Mariya Yamada Ryo Yumimura: Lisa Saito Tsutomu Nakajima: Jo Onondera Toshiyuki Koda: Toshikazu Fukawa Kohei Kariya: Takao Kase Shin Asuka: Takeshi Tsurino Tiga Dark: Keiji Hasegawa Tiga Tornado, Dahram (Giant): Koji Nakamura Tiga Blast, Hydra (Giant), Ultraman Tiga: Shiyunsuke Gondou Camilla (Giant): Motoko Nagino (Motoko Sakamoto) Ancient Giants: Hiroyuki Okano, Takashi Matsubara, Daisuke Terai Golza: Eiji Mori Story: Two years have passed since Ultraman Tiga defeated Gatanozoa, the ancient ruler of the darkness. The Spark Lens crumbled to dust, and Daigo Madoka could no longer transform into Tiga. He and Rena have retired from the GUTS team and made preparations to be married. Meanwhile, the Terrestrial Protection Combine have launched the "F Plan"... an attempt to discover the source of Ultraman`s power by investigating the island of Lulu-ie where Tiga had fought his final battle. In the ancient ruins beneath the island the TPC teams discover the gigantic statues of three Ancient Giants; Camila, Dahram, and Hydra. Realizing the potential danger, GUTS Captain Iruma insists that explosives be used to destroy the caverns and bury the statues forever. Her superior officer Saeki violently disagree, and in the midst of the argument the three Ultra beings suddenly come to life and proceed to stomp and crush everyone in their path. The Ultra beings unleash a flock of man-sized flying reptiles called Shibitozoigar and prepare to leave the island. But Yuzare, the ancient prophetess connected to Iruma, creates a mystical barrier around Lulu-ie to prevent their escape. Back at TPC headquarters, officials observe satellite images showing that the temple on Lulu-ie has collapsed and speculate that investigation team has been killed. But Iruma has survived. Wandering through the seemingly endless tunnels, she discovers a vast cavern filled with the ruins of an ancient city and the shattered remains of many more Ancient Warriors. Iruma is confronted by the human forms of Camila, Dahram, and Hydra, who taunt her but leave her alive for the time being. Unaware of the events on Lulu-ie, Daigo begins having nightmares and hallucinations about Camila. When he and Rena return to TPC headquarters they are kept in the dark about the situation. The members of GUTS feel guilty about the lie, but Deputy Captain Munakata reminds them that Daigo and Rena have done enough and deserve to live in peace. The remaining GUTS team rushes to rescue Iruma, but are driven off Lulu-ie by the Shibitozoigar swarm. Meanwhile, Rena and Daigo visit Sea World when Daigo has another vision of the three Ultra beings. Camila reminds Daigo that 30,000,000 years ago they were lovers and leaders of a group of Dark Giants who plotted to conquer the world. A great war had erupted between the ancient giants, and most of them were destroyed. But in the end, Yuzare convinced Tiga to join the Light and turn against his evil allies. Now the Dark Giants need Daigo to return to Lulu-ie and free them from their prison so they can now plunge the world into darkness. Camila offers Daigo a new, black Spark Lens. Still trapped underground, Iruma stumbles over the body of a dead TPC soldier. She recovers a detonator for the explosives brought to the excavation site. Daigo learns that Iruma is trapped on Lulu-ie, but by returning to island he will disrupt Yuzare`s barrier and give the Dark Giants a chance to escape into the world. Munakata tries to convince Daigo not to go, but Daigo ignores the warning. Arriving on the island, he uses the new Spark Lens... but is shocked when he transforms into Ultraman Tiga Dark, the black and grey Tiga from his daydream. Yuzare`s shield fades and the darkness begins to spread across the world. Tiga Dark is attacked by Dahram and dragged into the subterranean sea. Initially overwhelmed by Darham`s great physical strength, Tiga is able to absorb a blast of his foe`s dark energy and change it into the Light to become the red and black Tiga Tornado. He destroys Dahram. Rena rejoins GUTS and the team returns to Lulu-ie in their flying battleship the Art Dessei. GUTS is again confronted by the Shibitozoigar, and no matter how many of the monsters they destroy more keep coming. The swarm completely covers the Art Dessei. Just when all seems lost, a team of TPC Wing pilot trainees -- Gosuke Hibiki, Ryo Yumimura, Tsutomu Nakajima, and Toshiyuki Koda -- come to the rescue. Working together, the two teams repel the Shibitozoigar and seal the entrance to their cave. Boarding the GUTS Wings, the GUTS team flies into the network of underground tunnels in search of Iruma. Tiga next faces Hydra, who opens an alternate dimension resembling an asteroid field. The Dark Giant`s speed and claws give him an early advantage, but again Tiga turns the tide in his favor by absorbing and converting dark energy. As the multi-colored Tiga Blast, he blasts Hydra to pieces with the Delacium Light Stream and exits the pocket dimension to face his final -- and most deadly -- foe. Tiga confronts Camila in the ancient city. The battle quickly turns against him, and Rena comes to his aid with her GUTS Wing. Camila lashes out at the jet, but Tiga shields it with his own body. Camila flies into a rage at the sight of Tiga protecting his new love and, absorbing all the darkness on the island, transforms into the demon of darkness, Demonzoa. Tiga is easily defeated by Demonzoa. But the remains of the Ancient Giants offer their light to to the fallen hero, transforming him into Glitter Tiga. Tiga unleashes his full power and destroys the monster. Reverting to human form, Daigo finds Camila and the two put aside their differences as she dies. With the threat over, Daigo and Rena marry and join a team that is colonizing Mars. Saying their goodbyes to their GUTS, the couple walk past Shin Asuka, the young man who will one day inherit the light and become Ultraman Dyna. Notes: "What would be the best Ultraman to end this century with?" asked producer Kiyoshi Suzuki. "We started with the idea that there could be no other answer than the Number One Ultra, Tiga. But how could we bring back Daigo, who had lost his light [in the final episode of the TV series]?" A break in the busy schedule of former ULTRAMAN TIGA star Hiroshi Nagano finally allowed Tsuburaya Productions to make the popular Tiga and his human identity Daigo Madoka the central characters of a feature film. Executive producer Kazuo Tsuburaya was thrilled, stating, "This project was a dream project for me, as well as the staff and cast. The one thing we had never been able to do was explain the long gap between ULTRAMAN TIGA and ULTRAMAN DYNA. What happened to Rena and Daigo in that period? What about GUTS? Before things became like they were in DYNA, just what had happened? We wanted to reveal these things on film." Set two years after the end of the ULTRAMAN TIGA television series and seven years before the start of ULTRAMAN DYNA, the movie ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY plays as a tribute to hardcore fans of each series... providing both the background and conclusion to the TIGA saga while also including an amazing number of references, in-jokes, and characters from the two shows. Much of this minutiae may be lost on casual viewers, but the film`s strong story and epic feel should still provide ample entertainment. "Instead of moving to the future, we went back into the past, 30 million years ago, to tell the Tiga legend while also telling Daigo and Rena`s love story," Suzuki explained. "We also decided to make it a story of growth for Tiga, and we wanted to make this an Ultraman film that stands on its own. I want to make Ultraman movies that will satisfy everyone, if possible." Both the live action and special effects were directed by Hirochika Muraishi, who had previously worked on the ULTRAMAN TIGA seies. "Having spent three years working as a director for TV, this film is the culmination of everything. Making use of Tsuburaya`s handmade special effects, various techniques and CG effects that have advanced greatly in the past 2-3 years, I feel we`ve made a powerful film the likes of which haven`t been seen until now. This film is the result of all of the crew who have cheered for special effects films in Japan, helping all of us give everything we had." "This is a film that I think children will really enjoy," Hiroshi Nagano said in an interview promoting ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY. "Between the TV series and the film, the staff has changed and even my own feelings have, as well. Regardless of the format, the drive and determination of the staff allowed us all to give it our very best. This time around, Daigo has yet to get married to Rena. The Spark Lens that he had once lost has returned to him in the form of the black Spark Lens. Daigo no longer knows if he is human or perhaps light itself." In addition to Nagano, the entire main cast of ULTRA TIGA returned for ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY, as do several supporting players such as Kei Ishibashi in the role of Mayumi Shinjo. Also on hand are the members of the Super GUTS team from ULTRAMAN DYNA, with most appearing as TPC trainees who come to the assistance of GUTS during their battle with the Shibitozoigar swarm. Future Super GUTS agent Mai Midorikawa (Mariya Yamada) has a cameo as a civilian at a street festival where children are being entertained by a performer in an Ultra Meow costume. And the film concludes with Daigo and Rena walking past Shin Asuka (Takeshi Tsurino), the man who will eventually become Ultraman Dyna. Hirochika Muraishi noted that, "All of the actors and crew have come back as though the past three years were nothing more than a rehearsal for this film." In ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY, Tiga must contend with three evil Ancient Giants from his past. The trio is led by the "Warrior of Love and Hatred" Camila, played by Miyoko Yoshimoto (TRICK: THE MOVIE, LIMIT OF LOVE: UMIZARU), a crafty tactician armed with a deadly power. Camila was once Tiga Dark`s lover and, while she is unable to abandon those feelings for Tiga, she strongly enjoys the despair she causes. Both the actress and her character were favorites of casting director Minoru Andou, who implored audiences to "Make sure to cheer on Miyoko Yoshimoto who plays Camila!" The strong warrior Dahram, played by Masaru Matsuda (SUMO DO SUMO DON`T, THE PILLOW BOOK), is a master of destruction. Obedient to Camila, he often uses the phrase "My friend" when addressing an enemy. The "Speedy Warrior" Hydra is played by Tenmei Basara (GUYFERD, ULTRAMAN TIGA, MASKED RIDER KUUGA). Hydra`s body is able to move at speeds up to Mach 7, allowing him to strike quickly at opponents with the Dorafork, a weapon attached to his forearm which fires a powerful bomb called Barutesta. In addition to the three lead villains, ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY includes brief glimpses of a number of Ancient Giants engaged in war with each other. Construction of the various Ultra character costumes and props was supervised by Sueo Sugimoto. He noted that, "In particular, Dahram`s metal armor was made extremely delicately, resulting in a quality unseen until now. The armor was done at JAP Workshop, the wetsuit was Murakami Firm and Kaimai Pro." "I was in charge of making Camila," explained Tetsuya Yoshida. "Up until now, I had been in charge of monster creation. Since this was the first time I had ever worked with a wetsuit, there were a lot of things I didn`t understand at first. Even now when I look at the film, I think to myself `Ah, I wish I had done that differently`. But at the end of the day, I was able to do certain things with a hero suit that I had always wanted to, so I`m quite satisfied." Suitmaker Toshio Kaimai added that, "The characters our staff worked on for this film were different from any others in previous productions. I have confidence that the characters appearing here are even cooler than Evil Tiga [from the TIGA series] or ULTRAMAN ZEARTH 2`s Shadow. Also, I was quite attached to Tiga Dark in particular because, when I was a child, TV was in black and white. I personally liked him the best." Tiga Dark was one of three new versions of Ultraman Tiga -- including Tiga Tornado and Tiga Blast -- appearing in ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY alongside the Tiga Multi-Type and Glitter Tiga forms from the television show. When Daigo uses the black Spark Lens he is transformed into Tiga Dark, an early incarnation from before Tiga had chosen to become a being of light. While his power is diminished at this stage, Tiga`s willpower remains strong and that enables him to use his opponents` power against them. After taking Dahram`s power of darkness and transforming it into light, Tiga reaches the next stage of his transformation and becomes Tiga Tornado. In this form he has incredible power but reduced speed, which hurts him in battle with Hydra until he turns the tide with the Delacium Light Beam, a ball of light filled with an intense heat. After absorbing Hydra`s power, Tiga becomes Tiga Blast and is able to battle in the air and at high speed. He is also able to to fire the Ranbolt Light Bomb which can can cause an opponent to explode on contact. During his battle with Camila, through the power of Rena`s love and his own, Tiga regains his traditional, Tiga Multi-Type form. The balance of power and speed makes him a truly formidable warrior. But Tiga is still over-matched by his foe, so he takes in the light of the giants from long since past to attain the ultimate, glowing form of Glitter Tiga. The film features much more romance than is typical for the Ultra Series. The relationship between Daigo and Rena and their impending marriage is a central theme of the story, as is the conflict caused by Camila`s past relationship with Tiga. Camila takes the old "Hell hath no fury" adage to extremes, but Rena proves herself more than capable of standing up for her man. The former ace pilot of GUTS had been living life quietly as Daigo`s fiancé, but returns to the battlefield to protect the things she loves and cares about and continue her life with Daigo. Her love becomes the key that helps Tiga regain his form of light. Rena was again played by Takami Yoshimoto, the real-life daughter of ULTRAMAN star Susumu (Hayata) Kurobe. "This will be a great film," Yoshimoto was quoted in publicity materials for ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY. "Because the cast had already worked together for a full year of the TV series, being on set for this film was always warm and filled with camaraderie. This time around we present the conclusion to the TV series. While this film is released after ULTRAMAN TIGA AND ULTRAMAN DYNA, you`ll now be able to see how Daigo and Rena spent their lives together before marriage. And you`ll also understand that because Tiga happened, Dyna exists." Cinematographer Shinichi Ooka was pleased that the film allowed the crew to expand beyond the scale presented in the ULTRAMAN TIGA series. "A land in which light does not reach, a battle in the air: that was the setting for the battle between Tiga and the three giants," he explained. "For filming this time around, we went with Tsuburaya Pro`s classic technique of using piano wires. The suit actors who had worked on the series as well as ULTRAMAN ZEARTH gave incredible performances. Combined with the digital sequences as well, there is an abundance of great work. I would be very pleased if fans watch the scenes set in the world of darkness very carefully, as they would have been difficult to do in the TV series." Choreographer Kunihide Kuruma added that, "In this production, we put a lot of effort into Tiga`s action sequences. Especially the way in which his powers changed based on how he took damage or attacked, connected directly to his sense of justice and his heart. There`s a lot of action we wanted you to see here, including the battles with the ancient warriors... Each character had a different style of fighting, whether on the ground, in the air or otherwise. In particular, the battles in the underworld were extremely difficult with all the smoke! I think it`s a project without a lot of really cool action sequences." While the "giant versus giant" story leaves little room for traditional giant monster action, kaiju aren`t completely left out of the action. The most prominent are the Shibitozoigar, smaller (length is 2.22 meters) versions of the giant flying monsters called Zoigar that were first seen in ULTRAMAN TIGA Episode 50- TAKE ME HIGHER! ((?????!?Take Me Higher!?, Motto Takaku!~Teiku Mii Haiyaa). Due to their small size the Shibitozoigar attack in numbers, striking in formations at speeds up to Mach 5.5. The monsters are born from darkness and controlled by Camila, defending the ancient ruins against the GUTS fighters and the flying battleship Artdessei. The Shibitozoigar were constructed by Sueo Sugimoto, who explained, "The Shibitzoigar was a combination of computer graphics and muppets. I think it turned out pleasantly different from the version in the TV series." CG Producer Yoshishige Matsuno added that, "There were sequences in which the monsters were rendered in CG. The sequences in which the humans interacted with the Zoigar or when they worked as a group, were done using full CG. Compared to our past projects, there was a lot of CG used in this film." At the climax of ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY, Camila fuses with the darkness and transforms into the giant monster of terror, Demonzoa. The creature is massive even by daikaiju standards, with a height of more than 888 meters and a weight of 880,000 tons. Demonzoa is a fully CG creation, a rarity for Ultra monsters. The film also has a brief flashback sequence featuring an army of the monster Golza, Tiga`s first opponent in ULTRAMAN TIGA Episode 1- INHERITANCE OF LIGHT (??????, Hikari o Tsugu Mono). Writer Keiichi Hasegawa felt that this film had it all: "The mystery of an ancient civilization that was destroyed. The first appearance of a female Ultra in the Heisei series. A joint mission of both GUTS and SUPER GUTS members. Monsters that will make children cry without even knowing what hit them! And of course, Daigo and Rena`s...! And so on. We really went all out in including all the things we couldn`t in the TV series. This is a script that was filled with all the cast and staff`s hopes and desires. I hope that as many people as possible find this to be a film that resonates with their hearts." Composer Tatsumi Yano was also impressed by the ambitious approach taken to the movie. "There was a lot of music in this film... fifty songs in total," he noted. "This is the amount that typically goes into a series that runs for a year. Right now, I sort of feel like saying `Director! I made 50 songs!`" ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY is available on Region 2 DVD from Japan. Tsuburaya Productions also prepared an English subtitled version of the film which made its North American premiere in July 2000 with screenings at Fantasia 2000 in Montreal and at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood as part of G-Fest 2000. The movie has not been released on home video in English.

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ULTRAMAN COSMOS: THE FIRST CONTACT Japanese Title: ?????????? THE FIRST CONTACT (Urutoraman Kosumosu: Za Faasuto Kontakuto) Literal Translation: Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact Release Date: July 20, 2001 Running Time: 90 minutes Production: Ultraman Cosmos Movie Production Consortium Distributor: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Executive Producer: Kiyoshi Suzuki Producer: Satoshi Kono Director: Toshihiro Iijima FX Director: Kazuo Sagawa Writer: Toshihiro Iijima Music: Tohru Fuyuki Theme Song "You Can Do Something": Project DMM Cast Musashi Haruno: Kounosuke Tokai Yujiro Haruno: Hidekazu Akai Michiko Haruno: Hitomi Takahashi Sharks Commander Shigemura: Ikkei Watanabe SRC Captain Akatsuki: Taro Kawano Commander Raiden: Shuhei Mainoumi Kyoko: Emily Nakayama Ichinose: Tiyomi Matsumoto Cyd: Shingo Kazami Kido: Takanosuke Toukai Sakaguchi: Hitomi Takahashi Professor Kensaku Kinomoto: Shunji Fujimura Chief of Staff Shigemura: Ikkei Watanabe Mari Kawase: Akemi Uno Tsutomu Sasaki: Daisuke Tanaka George: Hiroki Ueda Tamaki: Tomoe Chiba Mika: Nagisa Adaniya Kensaku: Shunji Fujimura Mitchel: Shigeya Fukane Yosuke: Ryo Watanabe Hikaru: Tadashi Hirosawa Ultraman Cosmos- Luna Mode: Hiroshi Nekomata Ultraman Cosmos- Corona Mode: Hidenori Ogino Neo Baltan: Makoto Murata Donron: Hisataka Kitaoka, Satoshi Yamamoto, Daisuke Terai Voice of Ultraman Cosmos: Hisanori Koyatsu Voice of Baltan: Daisuke Gouri Voice of Baltan Aliens: Noriyuki Hori Constable: Susumu Kurobe Reporter: Sandaiyu Dokumamushi Mr. Saijo: Yasuhiko Saijo Onlookers: Hiroko Sakurai, Masanari Nihei Narrator: Koji Ishizaka Story: Notes: In Japan, there is a long standing tradition of mailing New Year`s Day postcards to friends, relatives, and associates. For the 2001 New Year, Tsuburaya Productions sent out a postcard which provided the first look at their new hero Ultraman Cosmos and the upcoming film ULTRAMAN COSMOS: THE FIRST CONTACT. On March 1st, 2001 at the TBS Hall in Akasaka, Tokyo, Tsuburaya Pro held a press conference to formally announce ULTRAMAN COSMOS as their 35th anniversary Ultraman production. As the first new Ultraman and Ultra film project produced after the turn of the millennium, TPC felt Cosmos held great significance for the company. They also believed that the hero could address a growing concern for Japan`s youth. The country had been experiencing a recent rise in juvenile crime, so TPC decided this new Ultraman would emphasize “strength and gentility”, showing that both elements could co-exist in a non-violent manner. Cosmos would be a kinder, gentler Ultraman who would overcome the threats to Earth in a more humane and peaceful way than previous heroes in the franchise. To increase the film`s appeal to it`s target audience, Tsuburaya Pro decided a young boy would be the lead character of the first story. "Getting back to the basics was the goal of this project, and Ultraman has always been about the connection between an alien and a boy," the studio explained. "In COSMOS’ case, this relationship will have an effect on the protagonist’s relationship with his parents and friends. This is an era in which communication between individuals has become increasingly important, and we wanted to create a story that would express that to children." This movie`s pacifistic viewpoint is also carried over to COSMOS` "Science Patrol"-style group SRC (Scientific Research Circle), an organization looking for peaceful contact with alien races and new terrestrial lifeforms, regardless of whether or not they’re trying to cause destruction. Rather than attempting to destroy these creatures, SRC specializes in studying them instead. Additionally, the team is made up of civilian volunteers who hold jobs outside of SRC. Force is only used as a last resort, with the job falling to SRC`s division TEAM EYES (Elite Young Expert Squadron). But while the squad carry weapons, their main goal is to protect the peace without destroying their enemies. Members of TEAM EYES don’t believe in absolute evil, and always look to solve problems in a peaceful manner. ULTRAMAN COSMOS continued the recent tradition of “transforming Ultramen” by having Cosmos begin with two forms; the blue and silver Luna Mode and the red, silver, and blue Corona Mode. In Luna Mode, Cosmos mainly attempts to defend others by turning an enemy’s attack against them. He transforms to the more powerful Corona Mode and resorts to brute force only if there were no other options. TPC’s plan was to begin with the feature film ULTRAMAN COSMOS: THE FIRST CONTACT which would introduce the newest Ultraman and the main character Musashi Haruno, here a 12 year old boy played by child actor Kounosuke Tokai. The movie would be followed on July 7th, 2001 (the 100th birthday of Eiji Tsuburaya) by the launch of the ULTRAMAN COSMOS television series, set eight years after the events in the film and focusing on an older Musashi to be played by Takayasu "Taiyo" Sugiura. ULTRAMAN COSMOS: FIRST CONTACT was filmed at Nikkatsu Studios, but production ran over schedule. Because of the delays, the movie missed the original release date and instead opened in theaters two weeks after the series premiered on TV. ULTRAMAN COSMOS: THE FIRST CONTACT brings back Ultraman’s most famous foes, the Baltans. The decision to revive the characters was a natural, as publicity materials for the film noted, "When one thinks of Ultraman’s mortal enemy, the Baltan aliens are the first things to come to mind. These strong enemies appear before Cosmos as well, causing all kinds of trouble." The movie was written and directed by Toshihiro Iijima, a veteran of the Ultra Series with credits going all the way back to ULTRA Q. Notably, he had created the Baltans, helming the two ULTRAMAN episodes that introduced the evil aliens. Iijima based the screenplay for ULTRAMAN COSMOS: FIRST CONTACT on several unproduced story ideas for the original ULTRAMAN as well as his unmade 1967 film scenario, ULTRAMAN: OPERATION GIANT (see Ultraman Movie Guide Part 1 for details). Matching FIRST CONTACT`s new take on Ultraman, the Baltans` image was also updated. Baltan takes on different forms in the movie, with the more traditional design referred to in English publicity materials as the "Basical Version". The final stage is called the "Neo Baltan", and is the first version of the alien ever to have hands in place of the traditional lobster-style claws. According to TPC, the FIRST CONTACT staff put a lot of effort into creating this dark form of Baltan. The film also introduces the "Child Baltans" with their cute, "super deformed" design. The relationship between Neo Baltan and the children add a new facet to characters long portrayed in the Ultra Series as sinister invaders. The movie features another nod to the past with Clevergon, a tiny robot used by the SRC to analyze monsters. Clevergon`s name and mismatched arm design were based on the giant alien robot Crazygon from ULTRA SEVEN. ULTRAMAN COSMOS: FIRST CONTACT has not been officially distributed in English markets. An English subtitled version was theatrically screened at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, Canada on July 27, 2003. The film was also released on Region 0 DVD in Malaysia and Singapore from distributor Speedy Video with Japanese, English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Malay audio tracks and Chinese subtitles.

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ULTRAMAN COSMOS 2: THE BLUE PLANET Japanese Title: ??????????2 THE BLUE PLANET (Urutoraman Kosumosu 2: Za Buruu Puranetto) Literal Translation: Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet Release Date: August 3, 2002 Running Time: 75 minutes Production: Ultraman Cosmos 2 Movie Production Consortium Distributor: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Producers: Hajime Makoto, Takashi Yoshida Director: Tsugumi Kitaura FX Director: Koichi Takano Writers: Keiichi Hasegawa, Hideyuki Kawakami Music: Tatsumi Yano Cast Musashi Haruno: Takayasu "Taiyo" Sugiura Captain Harumitsu Hiura: Daisuke Shima Deputy Captain Shinobu Mizuki: Kaori Sakagami Keisuke Fubuki: Hidekazu Ichinose Koji Doigaki: Koichi Sudo Ayano Morimoto: Mayuka Suzuki Julie: Kazue Fukishi Tsutomu Sasaki: Yasufumi Hayashi Captain Kido: Shingo Kazami Jin: Masatoshi Matsuo Mari Kawase: Miho Nishimura Shau: Mai Saito Vice President Kinozaki: Ryo Kinomoto Commander Inugai: Kyusaku Shimada Deputy Commander Hijikata: Otaki Akitoshi Deputy-Director General Agaki: Mio Takaki Reporter: Aya Sugimoto Yujiro Haruno: Hidekazu Akai Ultraman Cosmos: Keiji Hasegawa Ultraman Justice: Hidenori Ogino Scorpis: Satoshi Yamamoto, Shinya Iwasaki Sandoras: Nobuhiko Tanabe Reija: Yousa Saito Voice of Ultraman Cosmos: Tetsu Inada Voice of Ultraman Justice: Osamu Ryukoku Voice of Sandoras: Daisuke Terai Narrator: Koji Ishizaka Story: Notes: ULTRAMAN COSMOS 2: THE BLUE PLANET made its North American theatrical premiere at the Fantasia Festival on August 3, 2003, where it was shown in Japanese with English subtitles. The film has not been distributed to English speaking countries, but has been released on Region 0 DVD in Malaysia and Singapore from distributor Speedy Video with Japanese and English audio tracks. Co-feature: NEW CENTURY ULTRAMAN LEGEND Japanese Title: ??????????? (Shinseiki Urutoraman Densetsu) Literal Translation: New Century Ultraman Legend Running Time: 15 minutes Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Producer: Kiyoshi Suzuki, Takashi Yoshida Director: Kiyoshi Suzuki Writer: Masahiko Shiraishi Music: Tatsumi Yano Theme Songs "Ultraman Legend" and "Fancy Boy": Project DMM Cast Papa: Toshikazu Nunokawa Boku: Kanji Kubo Mama: Hiromi Ono Narrator: Taiyo Sugiura Story: While playing Ultraman hide and seek, a young boy and his father are engulfed in a mysterious light and pulled us into their television. The pair find themselves in Ultraman World, where they are able to witness several of the Ultramen in action. Father and son eventually manage to make their way back home, only to find a real monster has appeared on Earth. Dark Sky Devil, an evil demon born of the rage and hatred from creatures previously defeated by the Ultra warriors, fills the sky above the family`s home. Fortunately, 28 different Ultra heroes suddenly appear from a flash of light to face the monster. Dark Sky Devil fires a blast from its mouth containing the rage of 20 different monsters. But Ultraman Gaia and Ultraman Agul use their Touch and Shot attack while the other 24 Ultramen firing their Specium Beams in unison. Dark Sky Devil falls before their combined strength, and the happy Earth family is saved. Notes: featurette Released on Region 2 DVD in 2003 by Bandai Visual. Not available in English.

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ULTRAMAN COSMOS 2: THE BLUE PLANET— 13 YEAR OLD MUSASHI VERSION Japanese Title: ??????????2 THE BLUE PLANET ???(13?)??? (Urutoraman Kosumosu 2: Za Buruu Puranetto Musashi (13 Sai) Shounen Hen) Literal Translation: Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet Musashi (13 Years Old) Boy Edition Release Date: September 7, 2002 Running Time: 75 minutes Production: Ultraman Cosmos 2 Movie Production Consortium Distributor: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Producers: Hajime Makoto, Takashi Yoshida Director: Tsugumi Kitaura FX Director: Koichi Takano Writers: Keiichi Hasegawa, Hideyuki Kawakami Music: Tatsumi Yano Cast Musashi Haruno (age 13): Kounosuke Tokai Mari Kawase (age 13): Ayumi Uno Shau: Mai Saito Captain Harumitsu Hiura: Daisuke Shima Deputy Captain Shinobu Mizuki: Kaori Sakagami Keisuke Fubuki: Hidekazu Ichinose Koji Doigaki: Koichi Sudo Ayano Morimoto: Mayuka Suzuki Julie: Kazue Fukishi Tsutomu: Yasufumi Hayashi Captain Kido: Shingo Kazami Jin: Masatoshi Matsuo Mari Kawase: Miho Nishimura Shau: Mai Saito Vice President Kinozaki: Ryo Kinomoto Commander Inugai: Kyusaku Shimada Deputy Commander Hijikata: Otaki Akitoshi Deputy-Director General Agaki: Mio Takaki Reporter: Aya Sugimoto Yujiro Haruno: Hidekazu Akai Ultraman Cosmos: Keiji Hasegawa Ultraman Justice: Hidenori Ogino Scorpis: Satoshi Yamamoto, Shinya Iwasaki Sandoras: Nobuhiko Tanabe Reija: Yousa Saito Voice of Ultraman Cosmos: Tetsu Inada Voice of Ultraman Justice: Osamu Ryukoku Voice of Sandoras: Daisuke Terai Narrator: Koji Ishizaka Story: Due to an incident involving a rocket, the Astronaut Training School is scheduled to be shut down. Upon hearing this on the news, Musashi loses all hope of ever becoming an astronaut; a dream that he had promised Ultraman Cosmos that he would see through to the end. However, in the park where he first met Cosmos, he runs into a mysterious girl who calls herself Shau. The girl shows Musashi ten years into the future, where Cosmos and Shau combine their powers to protect the earth from an evil space monster named Sandoras. After having witnessed the future, Musashi is once more able to grab hold of his dream to become an astronaut. Notes: On June 14, 2002, 21 year old ULTRAMAN COSMOS star Takayasu "Taiyo" Sugiura was arrested and charged with assault and extortion against the 18 year old brother of one of his friends. As a result of the controversy, MBS (Mainichi Broadcasting System) immediately pulled ULTRAMAN COSMOS from their Saturday evening TV schedule, wrapping up the series on June 22 and 29 with two ULTRAMAN COSMOS SPECIAL EDITION episodes that were edited to remove any footage of Sugiura’s character, Haruno Musashi. Shochiku and Tsuburaya Productions went a similar route for the second ULTRAMAN COSMOS theatrical feature, quickly creating a “stand in” version of THE BLUE PLANET in the last few weeks before the film was scheduled to hit theaters across Japan. Taiyo Sugiura was cut from the film while 13 year old actor Kounosuke Tokai, who had played the young Musashi in the previous movie ULTRAMAN COSMOS: THE FIRST CONTACT, was brought in once more as the star. Salvaging as much material as possible from the Sugiura version, ULTRAMAN COSMOS 2: THE BLUE PLANET was completed for a second time. Despite this change, the recut film plays almost as a digest for the original edit, now told from the perspective of the young Musashi. Just as work was wrapping on the revised film, new evidence surfaced proving Taiyo Sugiura`s innocence. The supposed assault victim quickly admitted he had lied to police, and all charges were dropped against the actor. With Sugiura once again an acceptable role model for children, MBS returned ULTRAMAN COSMOS to the airwaves on July 20 and Shochiku decided to release the original cut of ULTRAMAN COSMOS 2: THE BLUE PLANET as initially planned on August 3rd. But TPC and Shochiku did not let the alternate version starring Kounosuke Tokai go to waste. Billed as ULTRAMAN COSMOS 2: THE BLUE PLANET— 13 YEAR OLD MUSASHI VERSION, the movie was given a limited theatrical release starting September 7th of that year. Like the standard version, it was shown with the short co-feature NEW CENTURY ULTRAMAN LEGEND. ULTRAMAN COSMOS 2: THE BLUE PLANET— 13 YEAR OLD MUSASHI VERSION is available on region 2 DVD from Japan. It has not been released in English.

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ULTRAMAN COSMOS VS ULTRAMAN JUSTICE: THE FINAL BATTLE Japanese Title: ??????????VS???????????? THE FINAL BATTLE (Urutoraman Kosumosu Bui Esu Urutoraman Jasutisu Za Fainaru Batoru) Literal Translation: Ultraman Cosmos vs Ultraman Justice: The Final Battle Release Date: August 2, 2003 Running Time: 77 minutes Production: Ultraman Cosmos vs Ultraman Justice Movie Production Consortium Distributor: Shochiku Co., Ltd Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Producers: Hajime Makoto, Takashi Yoshida Director: Tsugumi Kitaura FX Director: Tsugumi Kitaura Writers: Keiichi Hasegawa, Hideyuki Kawakami Music: Tatsumi Yano Cast Musashi Haruno: Takayasu "Taiyo" Sugiura Julie: Kazue Fukishi Captain Harumitsu Hiura: Daisuke Shima Deputy Captain Shinobu Mizuki: Kaori Sakagami Captain Keisuke Fubuki: Hidekazu Ichinose Koji Doigaki: Koichi Sudo Ayano Morimoto: Mayuka Suzuki Vice Commander Kashima: Kei Shimizu Kuramoto Natsuki: Yurika Asada Shouda: Masaki Nishina Watarai: Dai Toujou General Inugai: Kyuusaku Shimada Deputy Akagi: Mio Takagi Shau: Mai Saito Jin: Masatoshi Matsuo Musashi Haruno (age 13): Kounosuke Tokai Captain Kido: Shingo Kazami Hyuga: Risa Saito Makabe: Koji Nakamura Michiko Haruno: Hitomi Takahashi Ultraman Cosmos- Luna, Corona, Future Mode: Keiji Hasegawa Ultraman Cosmos- Eclipse Mode: Daisuke Terai Ultraman Justice: Hidenori Ogino Ultraman Legend: Keiji Hasegawa Donron: Daisuke Terai Lidoriass: Hiroyuki Okano Golmede: Hiroshi Nagata Bolgirus: Yoshiyuki Yamazaki Gloakar Pawn: Shinya Iwasaki, Kazunori Yuku Gloakar Rook: Satoru Yamamoto Gloakar Bishop: Nobuhiko Tanabe Mienin: Madoka Fukuoka Voice of Ultraman Cosmos: Tetsu Inada Voice of Ultraman Justice: Osamu Ryukoku Voice of Child Baltan: ina Mogami Voice of Derashion: Chisako Hara Narrator: Bomber Morio Story: Notes: ULTRAMAN COSMOS VS ULTRAMAN JUSTICE: THE FINAL BATTLE premiered in North America at Fantasia Festival 2004. The film was screened in Japanese with English subtitles. It has not been picked up for distribution in English speaking countries, but has been released on Region 0 DVD in Malaysia and Singapore from distributor Speedy Video with Japanese, English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Malay audio tracks with Chinese subtitles. Co-feature: NEW CENTURY ULTRAMAN LEGEND 2: THE KING’S JUBILEE Japanese Title: ????????????????????????’????????? (Shinseiki 2003 Urutoraman Densetsu The King`s Jubilee) Literal Translation: New Century 2003 Ultraman Legend: The King`s Jubilee Running Time: 20 minutes Executive Producer: Kazuo Tsuburaya Director: Kiyoshi Suzuki Writer: Shin Suzuki Cinematographer: Shiniichi Ooka Art Direction: Tetsuzo Oosawa Music: Tatsumi Yano, Susumu Suou Songs: Llekazan Story: To celebrate Ultraman King turning 300,000 years old, the Ultra family holds a birthday dance party. Ultramen and even monsters come together to celebrate, with dance unit Ultra Funk Jam’s beautiful dance moves spreading quickly amongst the participants. Notes: The second NEW CENTURY ULTRAMAN LEGEND short was released theatrically as a co-feature to ULTRAMAN COSMOS VS ULTRAMAN JUSTICE: THE FINAL BATTLE. There are no human characters in the featurette; rather it’s just suit actors in Ultraman, monster and alien costumes having a dance party. The film contains a multitude of dance numbers... a combination of CG, live action footage and high tempo editing work. Several of the monsters perform street dances, with Deban (from ULTRAMAN TIGA) and Gan Q (from ULTRAMAN GAIA) particularly standing out. The couples dancing selection features former foes Ultraman Zearth and Lady Benzan looking great together. NEW CENTURY ULTRAMAN LEGEND 2: THE KING’S JUBILEE was released on Region 2 DVD in 2004 by Bandai Visual. It is not available in North America or other English-speaking territories.