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ULTRAMAN

Ultraman (ウルトラマン, Urutoraman^?) is a fictional character featured in tokusatsu, or "special effects" television programs in Japan. Ultraman made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, Ultra Q: Ultraman: Special Effects Fantasy Series, a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q. The show was produced by Tokyo Broadcasting System and Tsuburaya Productions, and was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) from July 17, 1966 to April 9, 1967, with a total of 39 episodes (40, counting the pre-premiere special that aired on July 10, 1966).

Although Ultraman is the first series to feature an Ultra-being, this is actually the second Ultra Series. Ultra Q was the first. A major pop culture phenomenon in Japan, the show has spawned dozens of imitators as well as numerous sequels and remakes, which continue to be popular today.

To distinguish him from subsequent Ultra Warriors, Ultraman is referred to as the original Ultraman (初代ウルトラマン, Shodai Urutoraman^?), the first Ultraman, Ultraman Hayata (a reference to his host's surname) or as simply Man.

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The storyline begins in the near future, as referenced from the mid-1960s. In episode 23, "My Home Is Earth", it is definitively established that the series takes place in the early 1990s, as a plaque shown at the end of the episode displays the current year as being 1993. Sinister aliens and giant monsters constantly threaten civilization during this period. The only Earth organization equipped to handle these disasters is the Science Special Search Party (SSSP), a special police force with branches all over the world, and equipped with high-tech weapons and vehicles, as well as extensive scientific and engineering facilities. The branch of the Science Patrol that is focused on in the series is located in Tokyo, Japan. Led by Captain "Cap" Muramatsu (shortened to "Captain Mura" in the dubbed English-language version), the Science Patrol is always ready to protect the Earth from rampaging monsters, but sometimes finds itself overmatched. When the situation becomes desperate, Hayata, the Patrol's most capable member, holds the key to salvation in the form of a power-object called a "Beta Capsule", which, when ignited, allows him to transform secretly into the amazing, super-humanoid-powered giant from space—Ultraman.

MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraman

The Ultra Series (ウルトラシリーズ, Urutora Shirīzu^?) is the collective name for all the shows produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad Ultra Monsters. The Ultra Series is one of the prominent tokusatsu superhero genre productions from Japan, along with Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and the Metal Heroes.

MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_Series

Ultraman, Thai or Jap?

by Migs

He’s a Japanese.

Well, that’s what the Thailand Supreme Court said.

A case was filed by a Thai who claimed that he helped create Ultraman.

MORE: http://migs.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/ultraman-thai-or-jap/

In the early 1970s, a strange phenomenon reached American shores in the guise of a tall silver alien: Ultraman landed, and for some lucky children like me, life would never be the same again.

I was probably five years old when I first saw this Japanese television series, complete with awkwardly dubbed English, cheap special effects (think unraveled cotton balls substituting for spacecraft exhaust), and an oddly ingratiating cast of oddballs. From the catchy theme song and psychedelic opening graphics to the scary but all’s-well-that-ends-well plots, I was hooked. It helped that the hero, Hayata, was both attractively suave and suavely attractive.

Ultraman fought some of the most bizarre aliens that Earth has ever seen, and he saved the human race more times than we know. I especially remember the grotesque crab creature with frightening pincers, who alternately appeared six feet tall and sixty, who could disappear at will and freeze humans. Only Ultraman could vanquish such a foe – Ultraman and his human counterpart Hayata, infamous beta capsule in hand, alongside his Space Patrol crewmates. Ultraman rocked my world.

MORE: http://dailyrevolution.com/?tag=ultraman

Jack, Ultraman, Mebius, Seven, Ace
The Ultraman Mebius movie features the original Ultraman, Ultraman Seven, Ultraman Jack, and Ultraman Ace. The movie also features 26 year old actress Aiko Ito, who some of you might recognize as Ranru Itsuki aka Abare Yellow in the Super Sentai series Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger (2003)

The Ultraman movie DVD will be relased in Japan on 22 July 2005. And it comes with english subtitles too. The initial release comes with a metallic jacket. Additional inserts include an 8pp full coloured guide. The DVD bonus features include interviews, the making of, trailers and deleted footages.

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ULTRAMAN STYLE introduces the initial design sketch for Ultraman the Next:

And the final form:

MORE: http://ultramanlah.com/index.php?p=97

In celebration of the Ultraman series’ 40th anniversary, Tsuburaya Productions have taken us back to the original (albeit loose) continuity of the original shows, following the story from ULTRAMAN thru ULTRAMAN 80 (Urutoraman 80, 1980). The latest television series ULTRAMAN MEBIUS (Uruotraman Mebiusu, 2006), currently airing at 5:30pm Saturdays on the CBC network in Japan, begins in a world that has been at peace from giant monsters for 25 years, since the departure of Ultraman 80 in 1981. However, with a new era on monsters on planet Earth approaching, the Father of Ultra sends the rookie Ultraman Mebius as the planet’s new protector.

MORE: http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2006/11/

The popular Japanese TV series ULTRA GALAXY: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE will hit the big screen in Japan this year with MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY LEGENDS – THE MOVIE (Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE). Releasing in December 2009, it will feature one of it not the biggest casts of Ultraman characters in history. There is even plans to see it eventually get an American release (though probably through DVD) as it will be distributed by Warner Brothers so says, The Official Site.

THE MOVIE

MORE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39869920@N08/3907083703/

ULTRAMAN SODA

MORE: http://superpunch.blogspot.com/2009/08/ultraman-soda-website.html

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