Urutoraman Tiga & Urutoraman Daina: Hikari no hoshi no senshi tachi (1998)
Article # 6082 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 5-14-2023
Directed by Kazuya Kanaka
Featuring Takeshi Tsuruno, Ryo Kinomoto, Toshikazu Fukawa
Country : Japan
What it is: Why you should always carry a spare

Evil space aliens steal Earth technology to create a super-monster who defeats Ultraman Dyna in battle. The aliens seek the eradication of the human race. Can Ultraman Dyna prevail, of will he need the help of another Ultraman?

I don’t think that plot description gives too much away; after all, the title promises two ultramen, and when they both manifest themselves, you know it won’t be just to play Mahjong. This may be a movie version of the Ultraman Dyna series, but it could easily have been a three-episode entry in the series. There are humans under the control of aliens, lots of super-powerful guns, the usual inspirational-poster philosophical layer, and you get some pathos from the near-death of Mai, who played the super-cute radio operator on the series. Those already sold on the series will enjoy this best, but I don’t see this movie version creating much in the way of new converts.

Ultraman Tiga Side Story: Revival of the Ancient Giant (2001)

Article 6801 by Dave Sindelar

Date: 3-17-2023

Director unknown
Featuring Hiroshi Nagano, Shogo Yamaguchi, Makoto Kamijo
Country : Japan
What it is: Direct to video Ultraman thrills

The son of the original Ultraman Tiga goes through a time warp and ends up in the past, where he helps in the eternal fight between light and darkness.

One sure way to make me think something is going to be chintzy is if it’s direct to video. “Ultraman Tiga” was one of the better entries of the Ultraman franchise, with some very interesting episodes, while this side story feels pretty ordinary. In length it matches to two regular episodes to the series. Still, if you’re an Ultraman fan, this would still pass muster.

Ultraman Zearth 2 (1997)

Article 6080 by Dave Sindelar

Date: 2-25-2023

Directed by Kazuya Konaka

Featuring Masaharu Sekiguchi, Takaaki Ishibashi, Noritake KinashiW

Country: Japan

What it is: Ultraman sequel

After a humiliating defeat by a dark Ultraman, Ultraman Zearth’s human identity suffers great despair and loses his self-confidence.  Can he regain it before the dark Ultraman returns?
The sequel ratchets back the overt comedy of the first movie, largely because the central internal battle Zearth must contend with this time is more substantial than the germophobia of the first movie.  Still, there are laughs to be hand here, such as the monster robot added to the MYDO team along with a geeky technology expert.  Overall it comes off a little like an episode from “Ultraman Leo” in that the plot hinges on our hero accomplishing a near impossible task to strengthen his abilities.  Apparently these two movies featured a number of actors from the original series from the sixties and seventies. All in all, it’s amusing enough, though I do see why this one stuck to two movies rather than a whole series.

Ultraman Zearth (1996)
aka Urutoraman Zeasu
Article 6079 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 2-20-2023
Directed by Shinya Nakajima
Featuring Masaharu Sekiguchi, Takaaki Ishibashi, Noritake Kinashi
Country: Japan
What is: Movie version of TV hero

A space alien combines forces with a gold-eating monster to trick Ultraman Zearth into destroying the Earth.

I’ve been on a bit of an Ultraman binge lately, which is actually a pretty big order. Ultraman Zearth never had an actual TV series as such, but he was featured in two movies about the time “Ultraman Tiga” was popular. The movie is really no longer than two episodes of the series, and I was surprised that this one is mostly played for laughs. Our hero appears to be in training; he’s not an official member of whatever iteration of the monster-fighting force this one features, but a trainee, and he seems to have two weaknesses to overcome: bad aim and an obsession with cleanliness. I wouldn’t recommend this one who is trying the series out for the first time; much of the humor is based on what you know about the series. My favorite joke is discovering what the headquarters of the monster-fighting team are.