Ultraman Ace (1972) - One Step Forward and One Step Back | Ultra Retrospective

[@ZaGorudan]

Some additional notes because I inevitably disagree with some of my own points here. -I do like Toru Fuyuki's score, his work is all iconic, it's just that one particular pinch music track that gets old. -5:12 "It took until Tiga for an attack team I thought was as good as the original." I've been revisiting Ultraman Towards the Future, which came out before Tiga, and that one has a pretty decently rounded attack team so I would walk back that statement a little. -6:34 "Ace is infamous for his monster mutiliations, even if he doesn't do it all that much" Is a statement I've been thinking about for the past week. I've gotta look at a compilation or something and count all the times he does it, it feels like people either exaggerate how much slicing and dicing he does or he really does do it a lot.

[@tf2godz]

Ultraman Towards the Future is so underrated, I was generally shocked how much I love it. I think it's a series that deserves a retrospective

[@ZaGorudan]

@@tf2godz well you're in luck!

[@tf2godz]

@@ZaGorudan :)

[@sigmundschwartz6434]

The slashing is a bit played up, probably because one of his finishers is just a frickin' katana. I think he set the most Kaiju on fire though.

[@Moths4ever]

The biggest serial killers I ever saw were Ace killer and the guy that turn the ultra Brothers into some kind of metal

[@tf2godz]

I can't believe you didn't mention the episode with the actual serial killer in it. One of the most memorable eps in the entire showa era for me.

[@Irrelevant402]

The mad manga artist? That was a good episode. Liked the choju too.

[@caseycbenn]

Yeah, one of the most bonkers of episodes. Ace has the most zany plots. Garran, or Gallan, is the Choju name. Very cool design.

[@nicholashaan7345]

Fun Fact : The actor who plays said nutcase would return in Mebius playing non other than the human form of Yapool himself.

[@drakke125Channel]

I like the ep where we have a killer plant that ate meat kabobs. That was cute XD It became a cactus monster but I love it.

[@LordMortanius]

The Yapool themselves get retconned pretty often. The main series makes it clear that the Yapool are a race with a gestalt form, given that multiple Yapool are running their own plans from every episode until episode 23 where they combine into Giant Yapool, and the surviving Yapool make their return later on with homicide on the mind. They were retconned into a single alien right until Z premiered, and to be honest the return of the Yapool-men is kind of a breath of fresh air after Giant Yapool gets his ass handed to him every appearance. The loss of Minami and the departure of the Yapool as primary antagonists really hurt the show, I think. The Yapool episodes were kind of dark with emphasis on horror (Cowra and Brocken possessing humans, Vakishim's backstory with the implication that the Yapool had the kid's parents assassinated, Garan in general, Aprasar, Black Pigeon, Hotarunga, Ace Killer being a literal Frankenstein, and Baraba and Aribunta casually murdering people in broad daylight, Episodes 22-24). Ace went from dealing with a malevolent alien Illuminati to dealing with typical adventure-of-the-day episodes.

[@TheKKVB]

Fun fact: This is one of the few Ultraman shows that was used as stock footage in the infamous Korean monster film War of the God Monsters.

[@ryandher-g]

Minami was removed from the show because of the audience disliking the idea of a Female protagonist, so, to try to fix that, they just removed her from the show and made Hokuto transform by himself. At least Minami got to return in Taro and Mebius (with Mebius being apparently her lastest appearance)

[@androyus]

@Christopher Saiyan Rumor has it that it was 70s boys that didn't like Minami coz her existence means that they can't play as transforming Ultraman Ace coz they needed to invite a girl to play the transformation on the playground 😅

[@swagcore133]

i thought it was the superior ultra 8 brother?well i guess...not?

[@KenLinx]

I only have fond memories of this because the bird vomiting acid on ace was like the coolest effect I've seen from the Ultras when I was a kid and also the grunts he does are the coolest out of any Ultraman.

[@TandooriJones]

I always heard that Japanese mothers complained about the violence and Yuko and that's why things were either toned down or removed, and the only reason I believed it to an extent was because of those episodes later on that paint Japanese mothers as the villain, like the violin episode or the hot air balloon one. Those seemed really spiteful. I also thought Space Mask was always a pretty clear Kamen Rider parody and the harsh death you pointed out just kinda solidifies that with me, although I never see anyone bring it up. Still, I like this video a lot an I'm glad you made it.

[@otaking3582]

Maybe I'm just spoiled by Kamen Rider Double, but what's the point of having two people be a single Ultra if it has no bearing on his powers and abilities?

[@Strike-hopper]

Imagine wonder twins but one of them leaves and now the other one has the two rings and is overpowered as fuck actually that would be pretty when I say it out loud dc get on to that idea but you get the point it would be weird right

[@KRGE41]

Ace is my intro to the Ultras.. my OG Ultra for me..

[@mrgodzillaraptors8632]

I feel like the show could have had more interesting plot lines if it stuck with the original 2 people transformation. What if one wants a vacation? What if one is mad at the other. It would have been pretty interesting

[@KKAkuoku]

Ace is a rock solid Showa Ultra show for me, utilizing the weirdly abrupt pacing of RoU’s back half to its advantage while introducing (and proudly waving) the franchise’s freak flag. Honestly, ep. 41 (the tapir one) is one of the best Jissoji episodes not directed by Akio Jissoji and that final episode speech is basically the Ultraman franchise’s core message in a single paragraph.

[@legionbeast]

So, I only found this out, possibly as some retcon from Ultraman Z, or non-conveyed message the show said ONE time, but Ace's moves all focus on brutally slicing his opponents apart due to the Terror Monsters "Not feeling any pain and not being true living things". This is why Doragory tears Maruchi to pieces and laughs about it and why when Ace gets any of the monsters in the right spot, he brutally slices them to pieces. Again, this may just be an explanation given years later in Ultraman Z.

[@joaomotta7791]

It makes sense now that the shows want to distance the heros from unecessary brutality, would Be kind of nuts for one of them to be a mad butcher

[@yiwoon_cr8s]

​@@joaomotta7791yep

[@zillafire101]

​@@joaomotta7791 They don't want Redman in their ranks

[@toyohimeyeswatatsuki6917]

I wonder is Muruchi feel it tho since It isn't Choju like Doragory

[@TheMaverickHunter-S]

11:42 five night feddy

[@Irrelevant402]

Oh right Ace is not just the guottine master but swinging knee master since he did that a lot. Geed is the flying knee master. This showed seemed to have a lot of fire spitting and the monster with the flame sword was cool if dangerous no doubt.

[@leebroschaunceyandquincy3385]

Ace was my favorite show and I understand why some people didn’t like it. The story sometimes went a a little side ways and the attack team was kinda annoying since whenever Hokuto said something that was true, they always disregard or insult him in a way, especially Yamanaka who always says he’s an idiot who slacks off or just says things to get attention and doesn’t take things seriously

[@Irrelevant402]

I wa as so happy Barabas got a new suit and returned in Z. He seemed cool than Ace Killer.

[@DLRX]

Me too, after all those years of seeing Tyrant with his arms, it was nice to finally seem him made anew.

[@mgkiryuu]

Finally someone shares my opinion on most of Ace's monster designs. Like there is some decent guys, and stand out ones. Don't get me wrong. But most of them are just a collage of garish colors. They just glue balls, spikes, and tuffs of hair all over them just to add textures and make them look like a child's drawing. Less is more is not a motto that they stuck with. Ace has it's moment, but overall it doesn't have the same impact as other Showa era ultras. The hero and Ultra doesn't have an overall growth in character like Jack or 7 or Leo were forced to do. Yeah there were moments of drama and tension in Ace, but there was no anguish or self doubt that was exhibited by the hero like the other Ultras had to do for more than a handful of episodes in their own series.

[@Irrelevant402]

Oh yeah in the middle of the how we got a kid character, Dan I think, and they wanted to recreate the Goh and Jiro. Dan gets dubbed the 'sixth Ultra brother.' I wish there was a scene at the start of Taro. Mother of Ultra: Be born Taro! Father of Ultra: Yes be born Taro the sixth Ultra brother! *his POV where Dan is standing next to Hokuto. Dan is glaring daggers at Hokuto who can't meet his gaze. Father of Ultra switches back and forth between Taro and Hokuto with Dan.* "Yes indeed this is the sixth Ultra brother! If there is a six Ultra brother I do not know about speak up now. Nope I do not believe there is anyone dubbed the sixth Ultra brother therefore Taro you are the sixth ultra brother!"

[@supergesundheit3170]

Don't rush it. History of Ultraman will be out when it's out and we like that. Great work ethics.

[@ZaGorudan]

You won't see me calling myself The Lightbringer any time soon.

[@mgkiryuu]

@@ZaGorudan I love that Linkra History of Power Rangers and Lightbringer jokes are still good to this day :) Memes that wont die haha.

[@pebuh6706]

It was great when Zagorudan was there, the Great Zagorudan… thats ok…

[@ironnoah9461]

I haven't watched that series yet, but what I like about Ace himself is that his design and originally having multiple hosts reminds me a lot of Sym-Bionic Titan

[@martix0x842]

I loved Sym-Bionic Titan, i revisit the show again. ❤️

[@OldStank]

I feel like the terrible-monster designs started out with the idea that they were cyborgs of sorts. With weapons like missles and guns hidden in their bodies. Then they just devolved into having a flamethrower.

[@mattr75]

Ace is an alright show, but I definitely understand why some may not be fond of it

[@jacksonjguyguadagnino5792]

I read once that the reason for the change in tone after episode 28 because the producers got mad at Tsuburaya for the gore and demanded they dial it way back to make Ace a more child-focused show. However, Ultraman Ace only has 28 episodes... so I don't know what they're talking about. There certainly was never any excruciatingly annoying child shoehorned into the cast which made me give up on the series after 30 episodes. Just like Pacific Rim never received a sequel, I like to pretend that Ultraman Ace ended after the Lunatyx episode, and that Yuko becoming a moon princess was because the actress had to quit the show, so they wrapped up as quickly as possible and ended the show after only 28 episodes. The first half of Ultraman Ace was pretty fun, and had all the memorable kaiju/choju from the Ace series.

[@N.G.S._01]

I actually kinda like this series TBH. Yeah I see it’s flaws but in all seriousness, I pretty much enjoy the overall bizarre oddball entertainment. Even if it DID include that one “Blood curdling” moment with Doragory.😰

[@HordikaNate3821]

Personally I had to watch Ace after seeing him in cameos of future seasons. I do kinda agree that the show does shift later but I do still ultimately enjoy it regardless watchin episodes on and off Also I completely agree Super beast or even Super monster should've been the localized name for the Chojiu, cho literally equals super in some cases.

[@colk5373]

0:41 the chinese on it says "Salted egg superman Ace" wtf bro 😭😭

[@BlueScarabGuy]

Honestly, I'm very much down for macabre stuff and monster mutilation in my toku. It may be a ridiculous double standard that aliens and robots can get massacred on kids media in ways that would be hard-R if they were done to a human, but it makes watching the series as an adult much more palatable because it's not as sanitized as you'd expect kids media to be. And outside of gore and violence, I think it's important for kids to have access to stories that are dark from time to time, it helps them expand their tastes and their worldviews.

[@panjijayastika]

For me who just followed up the series on Tsuburaya YT channel.. This review is pretty on-spot (everything of it). Damn, i actually kinda hooked up on first half of the series.. Especially to episode 24(?) Where the REAL YAPOOL died. Every episodes is (of course) BRUTAL but still has some good story telling. And i just loved the random jump when Hokuto-Minami transforms into Ace. But then, everything becomes terrible and yes, BORING after Yuko gotten kicked out (from eps 28).

[@ShinGoji1987Official]

Lol great review man. I've never seen this crazy Ultra entry but I've seen clips of Ace killing his opponents, I gotta say they got very creative on how he defeated them. I think the addition of the cutie Minami and the Ultra fusion dance is cool but odd. Totally a missed opportunity to introduce a earlier Ultrawoman and have her be a separate Ultra hero

[@Godzillaguy1440]

When the boss music plays in every episode

[@gregboyd1589]

you didn't mention that the ace pinch music originally came from Return of Ultraman specifically from the last five episodes.

[@drakke125Channel]

I find it hilarious that I agree with so much of your points of being annoyed and appreciating the weirdness that is this show cuz Ace as a character and design is my favorite out of the UltraBrothers. Surprisingly I don't dislike the show for how boring the TAC team is, the lack of individuality/etc and evidence thereof. Its because I don't give a damn about them that I'm glad they're just wallflowers essentially and I, as a kid, was more focused on the Monster of the Week and whatever plot/story was happening outside of TAC, which like you said, was the best part cuz of the horror/mystery element.

[@jacksonknightproductions8697]

So imma need you to do Ultra Reviews until the whole franchise is reviewed. All joking aside I think you're the first reviewer to do legit reviews of Ultraman that are enjoyable. Every other ones I've seen as few as they are just weren't fun. Seriously, I'd love more episodes of these, though I understand that they are probably hard to make quickly

[@halaldumpling2123]

You left out the she-devil of firefly field episode. That was my childhood trauma. It also featured a cameo from oni baba.

[@TalesZilla]

I'm still watching Ultraman Ace in the Tsuburaya oficial channel, and the episode I dislike the most was the panda one. I think it was so random and boring, that I felt I was forcing myself to watch it. The design of Alien Steal doesn't help too much too. I wonder why did Yapool recruit an alien that steal pandas? And the episode that a woman "gives birth" to a Terrible-Monster, that bothers me. At least it didn't die in a brutal way, like poor Muruchi.

[@aidangamalieltayao3297]

This show had a run in the Philippines early 90s. Five ultra bros. A lot of people were put off by some eps with murder.

[@nicholashaan7345]

13:20, Episode 24 gave me nightmares as a kid.

[@darthrookie8954]

Oh Showa era ultramen, what went wrong

[@GaIaxyxvr]

in my opinion, ace is a great show, once you factor out the uh, bloodshed

[@DexisyAwNiNg]

Lunaticks, Doragory and Muruchi ii are classics.

[@anthonyboodram608]

And then Zone Fighter happened after this show ended.

[@eddymadison9655]

8:25 The other reason due to a weird backlash, apparently the show got complaints from the parent's kids because the children couldn't find anyone to play Minami when they're playing pretend (yeah like girls don't watch Ultraman & boys don't want to be a girl 😅)

[@toyohimeyeswatatsuki6917]

That reason is pretty funny "Hey Lisa, Let's play Ultraman" "Sorry, i didn't watch Ultraman... it's for boys"

[@jacksonknightproductions8697]

It's funny how we're both kinda watching Ultra Shows that aren't impressing us. Currently I'm watching Ultraman Gaia, which I know is a huge fan favorite series but I'm 2 thirds of the way through and it's honestly not that impressive to me. I like the Ultras and some of the monsters but the cast is kinda was severely holds the show back for me. I've only got 15 episodes more to go and I've heard it picks up a lot in the last third so here goes.

[@ykwai79mytuber]

RM 69.90 FOR A BOOTLEG U FUCKIN WITH ME

[@MansMan42069]

Master of Beams The Guillotine Prince

[@Leech-3]

This show is definitely overhated imo

[@Leech-3]

I still stand by this

[@Pakucibashushi]

yuko was a man.......cool

[@Irrelevant402]

Ace was an alright show. It does stick out for the two characters be an Ultra, a regular main villain and the violence. The fist got kind of boring and sammy in the second half. IT was very 'Ace starts winning then Ace starts losing then Ace wins.' Some great episodes but overall I didn't like it as much as Return. Yeah I hate Terrible-Monster stick to Chouji Mill Creek!!!! Or Super-beast.

[@Goji938]

can't wait to find out the corpse in episode 22 was just a real corpse

[@marybethcastimore58]

The pen-ultimate episode of Return of Ultraman that you said was actually episode 48

[@tpj6988]

Too bad about the og writer leaving after 'the 5 Stars Scattered in the Galaxy' episode. His Christian inspired kaiju and episode themes were really good to my eyes. I wish they just kept him, instead of making him comeback for last episodes only. Good for him since his career took off with regular TV shows instead of kiddie shows like Ultraman, but man it could have been much better.

[@biggo7591]

You have a weird vibe in your videos where even if you’re critical or dismissive of a film or series, you make me want to watch it? I don’t know how to explain it but I kinda want to rewatch Ace now because of you

[@joaomotta7791]

It's sincere love for the franchise.

[@anonymous-rq2lh]

i think it’s also that while he does do recaps of the series, he leaves out just enough detail for people to be curious and want to check it out for themselves- whether it’s to see if the series lives up to his praise, or if it’s really as bad as he says

[@sawbonesquad4876]

Oh my god the Doragory ep what a war crime

[@alainwolf146]

I've watched all of Ace on Tubi (along with the Ultra series from Ultra Q through Taro) and I genuinely feel like Ace becomes less interesting after Yapool getting killed off in ep 23 & Yuko's departure in ep 28. Ace started off quite interesting with Yapool being the mastermind in every episode. After episode 28, Ace just becomes another standard Ultraman show. I won't say its bad; but I do think Ace is the weakest of the Showa-era.

[@khidorahian]

liking these reviews!

[@0H00C]

Terrible-Monster + Super-Beast = Terror-Beast… Zone Fighter?

[@khinezinoo6834]

11:42 if you know you know

[@thatboi7629]

Based cellist monster???

[@comixproviderftw_02]

11:42 FNAF MUSIC?! 😂

[@heinrichakiyama227]

Leo next ? ^^

[@IamNobody2001]

17:13 “hmmm!”

[@thegrumpyfatazz7612]

A bit off base here but have you ever looked at Johnny Sako and his flying robot would like to know what you think

[@ZaGorudan]

No I haven't, but I've been interested in seeing it for a while.

[@paulforder591]

That's spelled "Johnny Sokko", which was the English--dubbed American release of Giant Robo (1967--68). My favourite episode was "The Space Vampire". Not only did he transform into a kaiju, he also used a sword and shield in his attacks. 😆😸🇯🇵🇬🇧🐨

[@aliencicada2985]

8:17 Is that supposed to be a gijinka Alien Dada?

[@ZaGorudan]

lol yea

[@kylesprengeler5965]

Awesome

[@randomreviews4278]

8:46 8:50 what's the sound clip from

[@ZaGorudan]

An episode from The Simpsons where Poochie "returns to his home planet."

[@ichiko_sakura]

This is why i stopped watching after Yuko left and Yapool got killed as it got super boring

[@Autumnfurry2099]

Wait is this show technically the first and only one to have a main female Ultra?

[@AvengerII]

Ace has some interesting developments but I still think that character design is among the ugliest Ultramen put to screen. There's a reason they keep reusing the original Ultraman design as the main template! Getting to contemporary Ultraman, Shin Ultraman actually looks very spidery in the new film. There's no way to describe it! I think they actually brought back the original suit Ultraman (1966) actor to play Shin Ultraman, too! I have issues with Shin Ultraman reusing so much material but it's still a well-produced film. It look slick! It does not have the cheap or low budget look of older Ultraman movies. Fingers crossed that the 55th Anniversary Ultraseven 7-minute short film turns out well!

[@azmimmalek3648]

Review the original ultraman ribut episodes (the kids show "upin ipin

[@terdthammongkol9675]

If you're not gonna say something positive, you'd rather not say anything at all