Ultraman Arc: The Complete Series/
Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil
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, destroying cities brought a smile to my face. When I discovered the world of Ultraman this changed everything. I still loved the monsters, but there was a superhero element to it and could not get enough of it and have dived into every iteration since the original series UltraQ in 1966. Now Mill Creek is bringing yet another version to the fans with Ultraman Arc: The Complete Series starring Yuki Totsuka, Sho Kaneta, Kaho Mizutani, and Koichiro Nishi. Will this 29th (39th overall) entry into the “New Generation Heroes” era deliver, or will it fail to save the city?
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Ultraman Arc follows A Giant of Light who appears after the protagonist, Yuma, unleashes his imagination and unites with Rution, the being of light from a faraway galaxy. His appearance is exactly the same as Yuma’s childhood sketch of the “Strongest Hero.” Yuma transforms into Ultraman Arc by inserting the Arc Cube, infused with power, into the Arc Ariser, which resembles his other sketch of the “Transformation Item,” and unleashing the light.
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Every one of these series takes me right back to my childhood. I still love this show and seeing Ultraman in classic action brings a smile to my face. While I will always be partial to the original Ultraman look it is still a load of fun to see all the different variations. I enjoy these new takes on the characters that tend to be more in the vein of Power Rangers and leaning into the kid market whereas the original series seemed to take itself more seriously and focus more on the kaiju world. This is still all intact with plenty of outlandish kaiju to battle there is just a different tone to it all.
The Arc version here harkens back to some of the classic versions of Ultraman that I love complete with numerous armor upgrades and even an evil version that makes it all the more fun to watch. While there is some silliness still here it looks to be attempting to bring some of the old school flair back and made me smile. Each episode brings all the same fun action and sometimes silliness that fans expect from it and manages to craft a worthy entry into the franchise thanks to the previously mentioned serious aspect. Of course, it is jam packed with all the Ultraman versus Kaiju you could want with most of its man in suit as it should be, but still with a lot of the current CGI added in that is hit and miss with me.
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I am not a big fan of all the extra effects used here, but I get it that they are trying to keep stepping things up in all these series. I just feel it loses some of the magic of what makes the series so great. Thankfully the man in suit designs still out shine the rest and we get to see Ultraman and his foes the way they were meant to be seen in all their strange glory. To be fair though, getting to still see any version of Ultraman in action and finding new audiences is better than nothing at all. If you are a fan of the franchise, then this is once again worth checking out and makes for a perfect Ultra binge.
This release not only offers up all 25 episodes of the series, but also the film Ultraman Arc: The Clash of Light and Evil to add to the fun of it all. Join the intergalactic kaiju battle and grab your copy of the Ultraman Arc: The Complete Series + Ultraman Arc The Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil available now on Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment.