The Ultraman series refers to all the media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, who is a Japanese version of a superhero and he has been in action since 1966. The series has a huge cult following as one can expect from a superhero character. Ultraman is referred to as one of the most prominent kaiju series, which features the hero genre.
The series is known to be one of the most successful hero-featuring stories in Japan which has captured the attention of young readers as well as young adults. Many adaptations of the same have been made over the years. It can also be said that Ultraman was viewed by thousands of fans on the screen since its first adaptation.
There is no shortage of the influence of Ultraman. For instance, Peyton Reed, the director of the Ant-Man films stated once that the inspiration for the costume design of Ant-Man was influenced by Ultraman. The series is so famous that it even led Marvel to sign a deal with Tsuburaya Productions to license the comics in 2020.
Ultraman Plot
It is difficult to summarize the plot of an entire universe worth of material in a single paragraph. However, if we are to generalize the story of the series then it revolves around Ken Sato who is a Baseball superstar and takes on the role of Ultraman to protect his home country of Japan.
However, the series is not just that of a superhero who goes around doing good deeds for the citizens. One can relate to the struggles of the character as Ken finds that he has chewed more than he can swallow by taking the mantle of a superhero. On top of managing his team and being a savior, he has to raise the offspring of his greatest foe, which is a kaiju.
Ken has to deal with the different hurdles in front of him while also bearing the responsibility of a new father. He faces his own issues through the process and this leads to a journey of self-discovery. Ken has the task of finding out what it truly means to be Ultraman.
The plot is engaging and keeps the readers invested in the series. Unlike a typical superhero story, Ken is not shown as invincible with no weakness. He has human emotions and has to deal with very human-like problems.
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Ultraman Anime Series
Netflix previously released an Ultraman CG anime in April 2019. The project was undertaken by Production I.G and Sola Digital Arts. The story is also directly based on the Ultraman Manga written by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi. This anime adaptation has been ongoing and it is set to come to an end this year on May 11. Fans of the series have been down after the last episode date was revealed but this new announcement has lifted their spirits from the ground.
The Netflix series has been using CG animation for the most part but the new film is decidedly going to take on a new direction and feature 3DCG animation. The release date has not been confirmed but it looks like fans can expect the film to drop in 2024. The film is supposedly going to be set decades after the events of the original Ultraman.
Ultraman: A Netflix CG Animated Film
Netflix made an announcement about the upcoming project on the Ultraman Animated Film. They said that the film will premiere in 2024 and it will be a CG animated feature film. Shannon Tindle has undertaken the project as the director along with help from the co-director, John Aoshima. Tsuburaya Productions and Industrial Light and Magic are producing the film together.
Tindle and Mark Haimes are writing the scripts. The cast members are going to be a mix of Japanese and Western stars. It has also declared that they are going to look for several not-so-famous cast members for this project as they want to give an opportunity to the upcoming talent to prove themselves. Many people are applauding this initiative taken by the team. Cast members are not yet selected or revealed but we can expect an announcement about it soon enough.
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