Ultraman '66 - Now WITH Context! | Ultra Retrospective

[@ZaGorudan]

Check out the Ultra Retrospective playlist for more reviews like this! kzbin.info/aero/PLiLVzRuysz88wWUAy5XObQ0iQaEHLVGCw

[@OverlordOfCats]

The reason for Hoshino's disapearence is because his actor broke his arm while skiing, and couldn't return

[@dirtpeanut1820]

Is he ok?

[@OverlordOfCats]

@@dirtpeanut1820 it was 57 years ago, I’m pretty sure he’s ok.

[@theycallmejojo6090]

That sort of reminded me when the original Kamen Rider actor got injured in a motorcycle accident so they had to write him off temporarily with a new protagonist.

[@dwaynesetiawan6529]

​@@theycallmejojo6090Hongo Takeshi

[@TalesZilla]

I think it makes sense for Zetton to be a space dinosaur, since a space dinosaur could be anything that doesn't resembles any dinosaur from Earth. And in the Ultraman Wiki, in the Saigo page, it is said that it was supposed to be the last kaiju insted of Zetton, which would explain why Zetton have the subtitle of "Space Dinosaur".

[@ShinGoji1987Official]

Lol That makes sense now! I always found that to be a odd way to classify him since he always looked like a insect to me

[@christopherbaker9676]

Its a kids television show. A space dinosaur that just sounds silly

[@toyohimeyeswatatsuki6917]

Also studio see Zetton suit look better than Saigo is

[@negativegeoduck2665]

Zetton in the “You know I had to do it to ‘em” pose is possibly the best way to describe it’s function throughout the entire franchise.

[@ZaGorudan]

I cut a segment from the final video because it was already running too long, but it pertained to the quality of the Mill Creek release so I guess I'll air some of those issues here. This company has a tendency to just blindly release whatever is given to them without checking as thoroughly as they should so a lot of these issues can be pinned on Tsuburaya or whoever gave them the materials. They should still be checking these things if they're selling them, so I'm not gonna cut em slack for that (it's still a fairly cheap release so you get what you're paying for). As you've probably noticed in the video, the entire show has a digital noise reduction filter placed over it, which makes everyone look waxy and thick black edges have an after-effect. It's weird and kinda ugly but it's not a huge dealbreaker for me. I got used to it eventually, but I'd rather the show look how it did without excessive digital alterations that create a false impression of the original visuals. Someone at Tsuburaya (you can tell that's the case because this audio is present in the unauthorized Chaiyo DVD release) thought it was smart to replace some of the sound effects with stereo audio too, and this sounds out of place with the show's mono audio. This approach to audio replacement is present in every Mill Creek Showa release except Leo (likely because the remaster attempt was so bad they opted to use mono, check out my video on the show for an example), so consider this mild complaint a blanket one for all of those too. It's an old show, let it be an old show, dressing it up with modern sound effects isn't gonna trick anyone, y'know? One more issue I'll point out is a very strange one. Almost every utterance of "monster" in the subtitles is mispelled as "mosnter." Almost every time, I don't know how that could have happened so consistently, lol.

[@chroniclelechroniqueurdhis17]

Yes the ending of the original show was rushed, for a good reason. The production was pretty much exausted after Ultra Q and Ultraman, who there are back a back in production. So they tried to end the series with what they can do. This ending needed two episode, one finissing with the death of ultraman and the other with the victory of the team but to be fair that make the ending we have more memorable, with the error he have.

[@KKAkuoku]

What I love about the Ultraman/Jirass fight is that two-thirds of it is just a big, drawn out wink to the camera, as if the production team is saying “we know that you know that the frill is a bad disguise” and just leans into the fact that Ultraman and Godzilla are in the same space.

[@Martialartfruituser]

About the monsters who are likeable and its tragic having to kill them... "Monsters are tragic beings. They’re not bad [willingly]. They’re born too tall, too strong, too heavy; that’s their tragedy. They don’t attack [mankind] voluntarily, but because of their physical dimensions they cause danger and grief; therefore man defends himself against them. After several stories of this type, the public finds sympathy for the monsters."-Ishiro Honda I think this show knows that, and that's why these are likeable and its tragic to kill them. As for the ending, this is one of the few times I think the message of "We need to fight our battles" is one of the few times it works. Mainly because Ultraman is down and they can't rely on him. I've seen too many Ultra series try this message but fail because the Ultra is still there and it comes off as less "Be inspired" to "I'm an ungrateful jackass."

[@jfess1911]

I was one of those kids that watched Ultraman after school when I was in the second and third grade. In retrospect, it was fortunate that Ultraman used a wresting style of fighting. Of course my friends and I pretended to be our heroes and would wrestle, which caused few injuries and lost teeth compared to the kick-fighting style used in some later imported childrens' shows. Backyard and playground swingsets were common in the 1960's and we would pretend to be flying in our jets and rockets when using the swings. Luckily I lived in a costal city and the soft sandy soil allowed us to "fly" off our swings and land without injury. I was torn, however, as to which character to play. The budding engineer in me liked Ide, but, as you noted, he was largely the goofball comic relief for most of the series. edited to add: The relatively low quality of our 1960's black and white television's reception hid the wires holding up aircraft and flying monsters as well as making the monsters and Ultraman himself seem more realistic. Oh Yeah, we also practiced moving our mouths out of sync with our speech (or at least for a second or two before and after we spoke), much to the chagrin of our parents and teachers.

[@Crembaw]

This was so fun to watch with friends. We’ve now moved on to UltraSeven, and while we’re still having loads of fun, there’s a lot more bafflement and confusion compared to the clear-cut pacing and joyful cheese of the first series.

[@Kepin151]

You know what's an interesting thing about Space Patrol? It's the fact that they're managed to kill several kaijus without Ultraman's help at all. Heck, they even one shot Zetton, the supposed strongest kaiju in the series. It gives a hope that humanity really can stand for themselves.

[@NicklasZandeVGCP2001]

My dad first saw it when it was dubbed on TV.

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

I had great memories of watching this with my father when I was maybe 10. So many memorable moments! 😭

[@Scifogon]

Same! Also with my dad, but just last year. It was so much fun.

[@dudududu1926]

Same. This is so nostalgic.

[@agyarhardjasudjana7804]

Yeah, this is one of those show I can truly call as classic. I was so enthralled by it, that my dad brought the office projector to watch one of the episodes.

[@HordikaNate3821]

It's funny that Akiji Kobayashi played the captain in this show and Tobei Tachibana in the original Kamen Rider. In a way, he was the mentor to the first Ultraman and Rider, that's kinda poetic.

[@venomouslizards]

37:15 man that Ultraman reference in CLANNAD was trippy. It further proves how that show can make you cry from laughter, to crying from pure depression.

[@6bthedevil]

Made it to the very end. I was born in 1973. Incredibly accurate and magnificent introspection. Well done 👊💥

[@biggo7591]

You said it pretty on point that the monsters are too likable that their deaths are always so insane and catches at least off me guard all the time. Which wouldn’t stop being a trend for awhile. Showa Ultras are kinda bloodthirsty and cruel but I kinda love them for it.

[@NostalgiaRoadTripChannel]

As a long time lurker, I have enjoyed your videos immensely. Keep it up! as someone who also has nothing but love/adoration to the original Ultraman (heck I even had a 3 part/5hour long marathon on my own channel) it's always refreshing to know how influential the series has been.

[@tf2godz]

3:53 The reason that this special exists is because the special effects crew needed more time to finish the first episode so they hastily throw this together. Everyone in the production staff hated it, and the writer went by a pseudonym, and that writer was the one, and only Akio Jissoji. 26:02 Fun Fact, about that Tsuifon comet. That whole "returning after 1000 years." Is paid off in something. The bizarre ova tie-in to a handheld game called Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend. All I will say about it is if you ever wanted to see Dorako buff as shit, and beating the crap out of chibi Ultramen characters set to the tone of Dragon Ball z, then I have the anime for you.

[@Irrelevant402]

Wow makes me think of the unseen but mentioned bad guy from Ultraman Taro who made a proper appearance some thirty years later in Mebius I think.

[@lakotacorff4012]

​@@Irrelevant402You're thinking of Alien Empera. That same scene also brought up a large war that was expanded in Ultra Galaxy (even giving a little backstory to Belial).

[@lorddevilfish5868]

Well this was a birthday present! I saw this show when I was 11 and it changed my perspective on Kaiju cinema.

[@sonicdash9652]

The wait was worth it.

[@josh-qj2zu]

Ur ultra retrospectives are always such a joy to watch!

[@Nahan_Boker94]

Wow this is really the 1st time i seen the footage of the actual 1st appearance of ultraman. I thought the 1st appearance is the one we know as the 1st ultraman show. My 1st ultraman is ultraman 80 and smh in my local television they still aired Ultraman Leo in different airtime lmao (I watch Leo more since the more gritty and bit dark story more entertaining to me than slice of life teacher/school life). And become truly Ultraman fans in Ultraman Tiga same as you. Thank you for another Ultra retrospective, you truly the best kaiju/tokusatsu documenter/reviewer that bring the detailed, behind the scenes, and best part of the show with easy to digest narrative.

[@felipevega830]

Loved the extra long episode, nice to see you so in depth on one of these

[@JavierReyes-vi7vj]

I bought the blu-ray for this series a few months ago as my first major foray into Ultra-Man and i loved it immensely, i want to go back to Ultra-Q now

[@Latoshajsinspiration]

I never get tired of that japanese theme song and i like it more than the english song because it is longer that the English Ojeda but the English version has the canon ending

[@JBOboe720]

Jamila's roar was made by pitching down the sound of a baby crying, just in case you wanted that episode to make you even sadder.

[@OldStank]

I wish that Jamila and Seabozu would return in newer Ultraman projects because it would be dope to see what they would look like today.

[@ShinGoji1987Official]

Fantastic review and one of the few Ultraman series that I fully watched and own, love the original the most too. Lol Zetton being described as a "Space-Dinosaur" is hilarious. I also find that despite being so op was dealt the finishing blow by the humans ironic since Destoryah suffered a similar fate. Hopefully Ultraman will officially meet Godzilla soon too

[@daddyinthestreetsenpaiinth9250]

Well what do ya know, Ultraman is coming to GigaBash which also has Goji as DLC.

[@ShinGoji1987Official]

@@daddyinthestreetsenpaiinth9250Very cool, that's a start!

[@e-convoy1783]

This was fantastic! I hope there is more to come!

[@ZaGorudan]

Thank you! And good news! kzbin.info/aero/PLiLVzRuysz88wWUAy5XObQ0iQaEHLVGCw

[@yosephyisrael37]

Fuji has two brothers, the youngest one was eating popcorn in a episode. And the other one joined the science patrol

[@theodoredexter6540]

Just celebrated my birthday Thank you for the inadvertent present

[@ryanmason2502]

Dogondo has still got to be one of the saddest monster moments ever. I usually like the Science Patrol but they really tortured the poor guy, and he just lost his best friend. I wish they would bring him back as a buddy for Cosmos of something.

[@cheepmovprod]

I’d say the saddest monster death would be Gavadon, he just wanted to sleep and play with his creators (those kids), and the Science Patrol forced Hayata to kill him. Edit: I’ve watched the episode now and Hayata actually WANTED to kill Gavadon, so the entire Patrol were jerks in that episode.

[@toyohimeyeswatatsuki6917]

I remember there's a moment where Kids begging Ultraman to not killed him

[@agyarhardjasudjana7804]

The '66 Ultraman was very unique and undoubtedly one of the best late afternoon TV. It has weaknesses but none of them deter viewers. Music and sound design is 10/10 tho.

[@The_ConenGifre]

I always thought of Ultraman as being similar to Fantastic Four in which out protagonist are scientist and explores, fighting out of defence & necessity than to destroy the enemy.

[@mfmoltar]

Honestly even after so many other series came after it, the original is still my favorite with the best ultra being the og, and im glad the message this series had was a focal point for shin ultraman, my only wish was the original ultraman had his own heisei series like his more popular brother seven

[@level98bearhuntingarmor]

Just a really nice feel good show

[@theturts9626]

Ultra Q and Ultraman are my first experiences to the franchise. I knew about it Before but never seen anything, I mostly wanted to try it because I wanted context before I ever watched Shin Ultra. My brother got me the steel books for Christmas last year and I binged the series throughout the winter. It’s really as good and iconic as everyone say it is. Getting through ultra seven now

[@maingamer6846]

Don't know what season you plan on doing next, but would love to see Ultraseven soon.

[@mlgodzilla4206]

I like how you worded that many monsters were just oversized animals. Because that’s really what it was, many were just looking for food or irritated on something out of their control(EX: Gomora)

[@theycallmejojo6090]

While Tiga was my first, the original was the one that got me hooked. Being a fan of classic Star Trek and Showa era Godzilla, this show acted as nice mix of the two. I also find it interesting that they nailed the attack team the first time around only to take a step back with the other ones.

[@Cavernsparten]

What I like in the original is that the SSSP actually get stuff done. Their weapons are very darn effective against monsters and there are times they kill the monsters on regular occasions.

[@RegularGuy1998]

Been waiting for this

[@crusaderknight4792]

Baltans were always the coolest Ultraman villians in my opinion

[@clebermatos8421]

Great video, I would love to see one like this for the SPECTREMAN series.

[@henryfreeman1256]

I like how both of Man-San's first appearances are so uncanny. In TBoU, he's treated like a cryptid who shows up whenever he feels like it and beats up whatever monster is unlucky enough to be close by. In Episode 1, a sense of unease pervades his fusion with Hayata, like he's more powerful than he's letting on and isn't telling him the full story. (That and he just Brian Griffin'd Hayata out of the sky).

[@chinoyomaji288]

i cannot believe it is common to have stumbled upon the ultraman series from that very old youtube video. That's literally how i found out about ultraman.

[@krzi-o5619]

I was a kid when this show was aired in America. I loved Ultraman. Still watch them today but it just don’t have what the original has. Maybe it was the newness , now we expect a new series every year. I bought the first complete series dvd. It came with Kaiju cards. It may not be a very highly collectible series , but it’s a treasure to me. 👍👍👍✌️✌️✌️

[@PlatinumRoseLady]

I love the stage show and watching the monsters face their greatest enemy - STAIRS!

[@alphawoolf5981]

I was introduced to Ultraman as a kid watching WTCG out of Atlanta, Georgia in the early 1970s. A new Godzilla movie every week? Sign me up!

[@logandothewarlock6043]

I remember when i was young watching the english dub on youtube. Because i always looked up english dubs i went for like a year of my life thinking there were only 2 maybe 3 shows in the entire franchise, eventually i learned otherwise by watching hours of gameplay of fe3 and discovering tons more ultras. Funnily enough i discovered ultraman by complete accident. I asked my dad one day what kind of shows he watched when he was a kid and one of the ones he listed was spectreman. My little kid brain misinterpreted what he said as ultraman because the word spectre sounded like total gibberish to me, and that mistake has led me to now owning 40+ years worth of the franchise on dvd and blu ray.

[@SpiderusPrime]

Nice retrospect, you got here, can't wait for Ultraseven retrospect.

[@sedsitametadinterreteliber2937]

Ide was a king may he rest in peace

[@agyarhardjasudjana7804]

This Ultra series is certified entertainment for the whole family. I remember watching this with my family when I was 4, even my dad borrowed a projector from his office to watch Ultraman with me. Ultraman shrugged off Neroga's attack, the main battle theme, Geronimo feather stabbing Ultraman and bulton's episode and the transformation are some aspects I remember vividly. The props are fake but the story was real. It was magical watching this for the first time. Watching it again when I was 24 years old, I was pleasantly surprised with how familiar the monsters are ... Except for Greenmons, I have no recollection of him ... He's one of the weaker monster design 😅

[@MakiPcr]

Literally every review/analysis of this show posits Ide as the best character, even me. I guess it's an universal truth that Ide is best boy and the true hero of this show (and he's Fuji's obvious love interest, not Hayata, I'm not sure Fuji and Hayata even _speak_ )

[@IamNobody2001]

15:16 was this subtitle part of the original show?

[@thatguyfromm7878]

Yes, it's a translation from the Japanese narration.

[@doc-multiverse]

Great retrospective! Sharing for sure ^_^

[@rorycarter7792]

Watched it as a boy back in the 70's didn't know of the other version till the 2020

[@voronOsphere]

Excellent documentary!!!! Thanks for doing it!!!!!

[@Redfern42]

Here's a question for the older fans, those 50 years and older (I'm 60 myself). How many first caught Ultraman when UHF station WTCG (later rebranded as TBS) in Atlanta, Georgia aired the English dubbed episodes, airing around 6 AM Saturdays and Sundays during the late 70s? Around the same era (immediately post "Star Wars") the station also presented "Ambassador Magma", dubbed in English and retitled as "Space Giants", though it got a better deal, airing 5 days a week around 4 PM.

[@jfess1911]

I am over 60 as well. Ultraman was on my local TV station in Charleston, SC after school in the late 1960's. I think they started broadcasting it daily in 1967 or 1968.

[@carrotmaus]

Does anyone know whuch episode is it at 12:45, been trying to find it for a long time and cant find it

[@thatguyfromm7878]

Episode 11.

[@NeroLucifarious]

As a kid i was always into giant monster movies (godzilla etc) but my first taste of ultraman was taiga right after watching kirby hehe, it was until years later as an adult i fully would get into the ultra series and im proud to say Geed was my real first that i watched start to finish

[@jf4132]

Just imagine… if it hadn’t been for Ultra C… Plus Ultra would never exist

[@paulrubens776]

great retrospective

[@vztanir]

Man i use to rush home from school and 1 day it be this and next it be johhny sokko and his flying robot ,, lol loved them great video ty

[@Music34293]

37:16 holy shit... is that Jet Jaguar from Monster Island Buddies?!

[@comixproviderftw_02]

29:39 - 29:44 Okay that was genuinely funny

[@Loki-animatesdc2760]

4:57 omg they ripped pigmons head

[@LamangoKaijura]

I completely agree. Ide is an amazing character, and makes me wish Mighty Jack, where Ide actor WAS the protagonist.

[@ZaGorudan]

Check out the rest of the playlist for more Ultraman show reviews! kzbin.info/aero/PLiLVzRuysz88wWUAy5XObQ0iQaEHLVGCw

[@AEGYOKILLER]

Frick yea dude this vid was fire!

[@seanlucci9060]

Growing up I had a bootleg dvd box set of the English dub of Ultraman. From what I remember all of the audio was completely intact. It wasn’t like the chaiyo dvd where it fills in certain dialogue scene with the Japanese audio. So maybe the complete dub audio tracks are out there somewhere and they just haven’t made much of an effort to find them. But if not maybe they can just redub it. Tsuburaya’s been dubbing all their newer shows so maybe they’ll go back a dub some of their older ones too.

[@androyus]

31:20 He's just doing the Mission Impossible routine. He must've been a rogue IMF agent 😏

[@williambanks2223]

The connection between Fuji and Hoshino was started as Brite and sister. That's why he gave that annoying little brother vibe.

[@jackhamilton9604]

wasn't that just in the English Dub?

[@WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS]

Have you checked out the relatively recent Ultraman Marvel comic? From what I read it's pretty good.

[@ZaGorudan]

I've only read the first arc, Rise of Ultraman. What I read of it was fun, I'll be checking out the rest of it eventually.

[@docbaker3333]

18:35: *COUGH COUGH COUGH* ULTRAMAN COSMOS *COUGH COUGH COUGH*

[@foisopracurtir6389]

15:35 I guess they just ripped that yeti monsters to make Ben 10 Shocksquatch firt appearence

[@benm1009]

This was great.

[@xkumanekox]

Finally covered the OG...

[@Megalodon.666]

Ultraman 1966 was a very simple show. The fighting scenes looks very funny but also simple.

[@robertmckinnon7003]

I used to love Ultra Man.

[@figlectorjuanarasa8517]

Very nice retrospect. Ide in the Spanish dubbed version was renamed Ito as well

[@AvengerII]

While I like the storylines in U7 and feel it's a more competently-produced show, I still prefer the design of the original Ultraman (Ver B and C!) above the rest. It's been nice to see the original Ultraman appear once in a while in the newer series.

[@daisukelove9112]

When does it say September 4, 1966, Pigmon, who was popular among the girls, died in the Ultraman franchise? I think it was from a clip show or something but I can't remember. Can someone help me out?

[@ZaGorudan]

It happened in an Ultraman Taro episode, specifically episode 40.

[@daisukelove9112]

​@@ZaGorudan Thank you so much for telling me Golden. I was having the hardest time trying to figure it out.

[@mattr75]

The original Ultraman series is the first show I watched, with the DVDs from Mill Creek

[@elkingoh4543]

13:25 BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYRTT!!!!

[@jacobdelacerda9102]

Godzilla vs red king hit different when I was 4

[@yannu4467]

I find it very disturbing how Ultraman and the science patrol are bullying all those poor monsters. Never watched the next seasons, is it the same ?

[@godzilla5599]

I grew up with Godzilla waaaaay back (one of the first things I recall was watching a godzilla movie at four years old...in 1979) but never heard of Ultraman until the 90's and never got to watching it,but after finding you I looked around and found it on Amazon,one weird thing I think you missed..... When Ultraman runs Shin over it's pretty obvious (or at least comes off that way) that he's done this before...I mean he sure seems to be a bit too ready to bring Shin back to life in exchange for pairing with him to fight the coming monster invasion. So Ultraman,coming to your planet to save it...by running one of the locals over so he can take over their bodies. LOL!

[@ramengamer4806]

I actually got into Ultraman through Godzilla, believe it or not! In the 21 years i've been alive, nothing else inspires as much excitement as seeing a new Ultraman anything.

[@SimonG258]

i think it's funny that aboras is featured in the funereal beacuse he's a literal demon

[@spongbros]

Zoffy would take a bullet.

[@TokusatsuUltraspectre]

Do Ultraseven next

[@bukansiapasiapa_0]

How tf ultraman open his mouth on thumbnail!?

[@adamntcaponewholikesbigcoo1749]

Red king becoming Mr Bad and everyone knowing who he is is the greatest thing to happen to him

[@bluebaron6858]

Your not reviewikng ultramam blazar?

[@ZaGorudan]

Not much of a retrospective if there's only one episode out at the moment....

[@christopherbaker9676]

How can you tell the frame rate of the show? That would stop you from watching a show because of a frame rate. Just curious

[@ZaGorudan]

Well it's not a dealbreaker for me if something is shot at a certain framerate, it's just something you notice if you've watched a lot of shows shot on film versus modern ones shot on digital. If you shoot things at a high framerate, say 60 to 120fps, the movements of suit actors look weighty when played back at a fraction of that speed. It's a common technique in tokusatsu, in movies in general really, when you want to make something look big and lumbering, so that's how you can tell if something was shot at a high framerate. It can be done well and it can be done badly, the latter happens if surrounding elements like sound effects or the camera placement aren't convincing. The original Ultraman isn't perfect in that regard, but rating it on a technical level would be ignoring how much fun the rest of the show is so it's not a big deal if it's not completely convincing because it doesn't need to be.

[@christopherbaker9676]

@ZaGorudan is that like back in the 70s when people would look I don't know stretched kinda. Something about some of those old movies look strange to me.

[@scifiguy26]

Wasn't the type -A face all wrinkly like that because they were trying to make his mouth move 🤔 type -B is my favorite he looks more serious and I love his elf like feet😆

[@Ghako_Janry]

are you excited for first episode blazar ? :v

[@ZaGorudan]

of course!

[@HL_Lifts]

20:30 at least my ears didn't bleed over these singing kids in the opening

[@supervegito2397]

pls do ultraman cosmos retrospective