Tag: Ultraman Ginga

Ultraman Ginga Ep. 7: The Closed World

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Tomoo Haraguchi. Written by Keiichi Hasegawa. Airdate Nov. 20, 2013.

After several months on hiatus, Ultraman Ginga returns to the air, ready to reignite interest for its remaining episodes and kick off the arc that will carry it to its conclusion. It does this by having its hero, Hikaru Raido, bravely … sit down in a chair and recount the events of the previous episodes with video clips.

In other words, this is that most feared entity in episodic television: a clip show. 

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Ultraman Ginga Mid-Season Special: Monster Competition

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Yuichi Abe. Written by Akira Tanizaki. Released Sep. 7, 2013.

Ultraman Ginga was planned to start with a six-episode run, followed by a hiatus, and then five more episodes. After airing episode 6, the show wouldn’t return to its regular weekly schedule for three months. In between, Tsuburaya Pro released a 44-minute special to theaters, paired with an animated episode of Mega Monster Battle Ultra Rush to push the running time to feature length. This Ultraman Ginga Theater Special would later be shortened to a 25-minute episode, “Monster Competition,” to slot between episodes 6 and 7 for future broadcasts, streaming, and home video releases. I’m looking at the 25-minute version here, since the theatrical version is padded with recaps and previews of future episodes.

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Ultraman Ginga Ep. 5 & 6: The Hater of Dreams / The Battle for Dreams

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kengo Kanji. Written by Masanao Akahoshi. Airdate August 7 & 14, 2013.

We’re at the halfway point of Ultraman Ginga — the ideal time for an epic two-parter that will rewrite the status quo. Except “epic” isn’t something really within the reach of Ginga’s budget.

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Ultraman Ginga Ep. 4: The Idol Is Ragon

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Tomoo Haraguchi. Written by Kenichi Araki. Airdate July 24, 2013.

The fourth of the show’s leads, Chigusa Kuno (played by the mononymous Kiara), now gets her own episode to explore her dreams and frustrations. Chigusa wants to be an idol, a type of Japanese popular entertainer. Considering how exploitative and manipulative the Japanese idol system is — it’s basically indentured servitude to a management agency that controls your professional and personal life — this isn’t an ambition I’d wish on anyone. But it’s a dream that makes sense for a teen girl like Chigusa. At several points in the episode, we see her dancing in one of the empty school rooms, practicing and imagining what it might be like to be an idol, and her longing for that lifestyle seems legitimate and heartfelt.

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Ultraman Ginga Ep. 3: The Twin-Headed Flame Beast

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Tomoo Haraguchi. Written by Akira Tanizaki. Airdate July 24, 2013.

This is the first episode of Ultraman Ginga that manages to tell an effective story despite the show’s severe production limitations. The creative team appears to have figured out, at least for the moment, how to maneuver around corporate restrictions and demands to create something that works as both a YA drama and an Ultra adventure. The scope is still cramped, there’s a distractingly wrongheaded scene, and the monster suits are all reused, but “The Twin-Headed Flame Beast” offers a blueprint for a creative path forward for the show.

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Ultraman Ginga Ep. 2: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Yuichi Abe. Written by Keiichi Hasegawa. Airdate July 17, 2013.

The second outing for Ultraman Ginga is a minor improvement over the rough first episode. It’s standard for Ultra shows to have stronger second episodes because they need to jam less set-up into a half-hour. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” gives us more time with our new protagonists, Hikaru and Misuzu, to establish their relationship, and there’s an odd but enjoyable villain. Not a kaiju or alien villain, but a nutball motorcyclist who likes to run people over for committing crimes. Like being too flirtatious.

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Ultraman Ginga / Ultraman Ginga S: An Introduction

~ Ryan Harvey

The time has come to look at the Third Era of Ultra. Following Showa and Heisei comes the “New Generation Heroes” era. It’s the epoch we’re currently in* — and it’s a divisive one. After a disruptive shift in the ownership and operation of Tsuburaya Productions, the Ultra Series transformed into something more slick, polished, corporate, risk-averse, and very eager to sell toys. Yet the New Gen shows have garnered many new fans, and they can truly be a good time. Occasionally a great time. 

How do the first shows of the New Generation Heroes era — Ultraman Ginga and its sequel/second season Ultraman Ginga S — fare? 

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