Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

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?

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.