Return of Ultraman: The Complete Series review by Bobby Blakey
Ever since I was a kid I have loved all things Kaiju. Like most I sat around the TV watching Godzilla and all the other monsters do battle a destroy cities bringing a smile to my face. When I discovered the world of Ultraman this changed everything. I still loved the monsters, but now there was a superhero element to it and could not get enough of it. Throughout the years there were varying Ultraman series including new ones coming still today. Now Mill Creek Entertainment is bringing home Return of Ultraman: The Complete Series on Blu-ray.
Return of Ultraman follows a young man named Hideki Go, who was chasing his dream to be a race car driver and lost his life in saving a boy and a puppy that failed to escape in the midst of Monster Takkong’s rampage. However, the new Ultraman, who had come from Nebula M78 to defend Earth, was deeply touched by Go’s brave action and resurrected him by uniting as one. After that, Go is determined to fight any enemy that threatens the freedom and happiness of humanity and joined MAT, the Monster Attack Team. While he struggles with his identity gap between Ultraman and Hideki Go, he grows through fighting against the monsters and aliens.
Where the previous Ultraman series took its time to build towards the birth of Ultraman, this one kicked things off right out the gate with a full
on monster fight in the city. This in turn sets the stage to meet the new Ultraman who has some suit upgrades, but is still sporting that classic look. Like previous outings I’m always concerned how these shows hold up knowing the cheesy nature of them. Thankfully I was sucked right back into the fun of the Ultraman universe and didn’t think twice about it being dated or how old the show actually is. This new collection offers up a great transfer of the series with vibrant colors and visuals. Knowing the show is from the 70s makes it pretty impressive to what they managed to put together in these action heavy episodes.
Each episodes feels like a mini-movie and took me right back to my childhood. I still love this show and seeing Ultraman in classic action brings a smile to my face. I love all the ridiculous creatures that are showcased throughout the series but it’s the fact that they take it so seriously that makes it both ridiculous and awesome all at once. While all the shows are great and most of the series are stand alone with the Ultra name attached alone, but this series offered up the first crossover featuring both Ultraman and UltraSeven. I missed these shows with only the Power Rangers series still keeping this sort of thing alive in the states. There is something to be said for the man in suit style and I love it in all its silly glory and thanks to these releases we can keep the fun alive for years to come.
I zoomed through all 51 episodes and was itching for more. Thankfully Mill Creek is slowly bringing the entire Ultra world to the fans. This collection not only features the complete series but also a 24 page collectible booklet showcasing the episodes, characters, weapons, creatures and more. Grab your copy of Return of Ultraman: The Complete Series available now from Mill Creek Entertainment.
In addition to this series they have also already released the complete series of Ultra Q, Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Ultraman: Orb, and Ultraman: Geed available now and more to come throughout 2020.
For more information head over to www.millcreekent.com