Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

For the discussion of any Ultraman related shows, movies, comics, video games, etc.
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Elytron Frass
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Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Elytron Frass »

SYNOPSIS: Kazuki Komon is a new recruit to the TLT, a covert international anti-Space-Beast combat unit. Falling victim to one of these gargantuan monsters, Komon is miraculously rescued by a giant Ultraman called Nexus who is determined to rid the Earth of these hostile invaders. Nexus arguably features the most grotesquely Lovecraftian kaiju to ever grace an Ultra series. Please discuss.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by LegendZilla »

This series is to the Ultra series as a whole as Godzilla Vs Biollante was to the Godzilla franchise. It received a lot of backlash for its lack of more familiar and classic kaiju, causing a ripple effect in which TPC relies first and foremost on pre-existing ones in every new Ultra show since. GVB back in the day caused a similar ripple effect.

Ever since the Heisei era began, every Ultra show (with the exception of Powered), relied exclusively on original monsters without bringing back the classics. This lasted until 2004 with Nexus, when audiences by the masses got tired of all-new monsters every show and began craving old favourites.

I say now is the time to make an Ultra-show with all-original monsters and does not try to immediately tie itself with the rest of the Ultra-multiverse.
Last edited by LegendZilla on Thu Feb 11, 2021 11:02 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

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LegendZilla wrote: Thu Feb 11, 2021 10:06 pm This series is to the Ultra series as a whole as Godzilla Vs Biollante was to the Godzilla franchise. It received a lot of backlash for its lack of more familiar and classic kaiju, causing a ripple effect in which TPC relies first and foremost on pre-existing ones in every new Ultra show since. GVB back in the day caused a similar ripple effect.

Ever since the Heisei era began, every Ultra show (with the exception of Powered, relied exclusively on original monsters without bringing back the classics. This lasted until 2004 with Nexus, when audiences by the masses got tired of all-new monsters every show and began craving old favourites.
an innovation negation nail in coffin scenario. I do like what the manga/anime series has done with the classic kaiju, but it is unfortunate that each post-Nexus series doesn't take wild risks in the creature department.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Tyrant_Lizard_King »

Nexus is still my favorite Ultra series with its darker vibe, heavy themes, and more character focused narrative. In fact I think its actually better than the film that spawned it. Its got a look and feel not all that dissimilar from the Heisei Gamera trilogy.
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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Elytron Frass »

That's probably why I enjoy it over the other Ultras too. I look for deep monster mythology/lore and extremely involved characters along with hideous monsters.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by eabaker »

I really bums me out that this show had to end its run earlier than planned. It was building to a potentially very engaging final arc, and then had to rush that arc in just a couple of episodes, missing out on a lot of payoff to the storylines and themes they had been developing.
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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Tyrant_Lizard_King »

Does anyone know if the Mill Creek deal will include the EX episodes?
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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

Well thanks guys. Saw this thread and developed the itch to try Nexus again.
I'm hooked. This show is intriguing in so many ways.
Thusfar I'd say the human scenes look a little more dated than Max or Mebius but the monsters and fights look incredible!
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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Mac Daddy MM »

Nexus was a great series and I love pretty much everything about it. But, IIRC, it wasn't dragged down by the lack of older kaiju, but by a very bad time slot. Nexus followed Cosmos, which was a series aimed primary at kids. Nexus was geared toward adults and was supposed to be a later broadcast series. Instead of giving it a time slot like it should have, it aired at the same time Cosmos and prior kids-focused series were, and was even packaged in programming blocks with other kids' shows. At that point, it wasn't hitting its target audience (young adults and teenagers) like it should of, and kids didn't care for the darker atmosphere and stories, the ratings plummeted and the series' legs were cut out from under it and it was forced to end earlier than scheduled. There were numerous storylines and kaiju cancelled because of this.

TPC experimented with the following series, Max, by making it light hearted again (not as much as Cosmos, but more along the lines of Tiga and Dyna) and also resurrecting old, Showa era fan favorite kaiju. This experiment succeeded in keeping kids' attentions and ratings while drawing in former fans of the franchise with returning kaiju like Gomora, Red King, Eleking and Zetton. And alas, the current TPC model of mixing old and new kaiju for a series was born.


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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Cryptid_Liker »

I can't tell if I'm sad or glad that Nexus didn't succeed. Even though it seems very good, its success would mean that the entirety of Ultraman canon before then would be scrapped and replaced. Still, it would've been interesting to see what new kaiju and Ultras could be crafted up from the Nexus style.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

Do we talk about The Next here also?
If so:
Wow! All the effects (except the CG) were jaw dropping. 8/10 would highly recommend
Kaltes-Herzeleid wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:44 am I love Final Wars. I praise Final Wars. Simple as.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

Just wrapped up Nexus. It really is a shame how rushed the ending was. I know they were originally shooting for 50 episodes but it feels like they only needed a good 5-10 more for the final arc that was set up.
Still, while the ending left something to be desired, it was satisfying enough. I'd say Nexus is a solid 7/10, and I'd love to see a continuation of some sort, though I doubt that's ever going to come about.
Kaltes-Herzeleid wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:44 am I love Final Wars. I praise Final Wars. Simple as.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by MechaGoji Bro7503 »

Didn't see a thread for it, but it falls under Project N.

I watched Ultraman: The Next. I LOVED it, it clicked with me in nearly every way possible. It's essentially a reimagining of the pilot episode of the original series, even with a "Shin Bemular". Maki's struggle to keep his promise to his wife and ill son was genuinely compelling, I was rooting for him all the way, and that's the sign of a great Ultra protagonist. Sara went from being your typical no-bullsh*t military agent to understanding she's a woman trying to right her wrongdoings & save her lover, which was interesting, however brief it is. But, I'd say the film portrays it's characters just enough to get the point across, and set up the conflict. Of course, I want more, but I was deeply satisfied.

It's a darker take on Ultraman, with an opponent full of bodyhorror, yet it didn't stray away from the heart of the franchise. That is, hope in the face of incredibly intimidating odds, and being there for others. I loved how
Spoiler:
Ultraman's name is only said twice, and he was named by kids!

The buildup to finally seeing Ultraman & Maki speak to each other, and the use of the Specium Ray, were well worth the wait. Much like Gamera The Brave or even G14 when it comes to wanting to see the respective iconic abilities of its titular characters


Overall, I'll be using this film to contrast with Higuchi's Shin Ultraman.

Oh, the ending song, "Never Good-Bye", is a banger. Stuck in my head! Pure early 2000s goodness.
Last edited by MechaGoji Bro7503 on Mon May 24, 2021 10:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Angilasman »

I'm very happy that The Next will be bundled with Nexus for the eventual Mill Creek release. The quality of the YouTube upload I watched years ago was wretched, so I'm looking forward to seeing it in good quality!

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

MechaGoji Bro7503 wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 10:35 am It's a darker take on Ultraman, with an opponent full of bodyhorror, yet it didn't stray away from the heart of the franchise.
I hope someone puts this as a pullquote on the box whenever Mill Creek does get around to releasing Next/Nexus! I couldn't have said it better.
Kaltes-Herzeleid wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:44 am I love Final Wars. I praise Final Wars. Simple as.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by MechaGoji Bro7503 »

Major sssspielberg! wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 8:25 am
MechaGoji Bro7503 wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 10:35 am It's a darker take on Ultraman, with an opponent full of bodyhorror, yet it didn't stray away from the heart of the franchise.
I hope someone puts this as a pullquote on the box whenever Mill Creek does get around to releasing Next/Nexus! I couldn't have said it better.
Aw, thank you! :-P
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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

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In honor of Shin Ultraman's Japanese release, I am about to watch Ultraman the Next for the very first time. Was planning to do this earlier today but better late than never.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by LegendZilla »

Cryptid_Liker wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 6:57 pm In honor of Shin Ultraman's Japanese release, I am about to watch Ultraman the Next for the very first time. Was planning to do this earlier today but better late than never.
Whereas Shin Ultraman is Shin Godzilla, I’d say Ultraman The Next is G84.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by Cryptid_Liker »

Just coming back from watching it. Personally, I'm not sure how to feel. I like a lot of concepts the movie brings like humanity not immediately accepting Ultraman as a hero and Bemular having a human host as well. The fights were also pretty good, with impressive effects both practical and digital (for its time). However, the human story falls flat. It honestly came off as kind of a bore and only one scene (Shunichi and Sara underground) had me fully invested. Heck, I doubt I'll remember any of the chearacters' names when I wake up. This would be semi-forgivable if Ultraman wasn't generally a character-driven franchise but guess what, it is.

Also, I'm not a big fan of the OST. Ultraman's main theme is pretty cool but the more rock-orientated instrumentation really dates it. This is more of a nitpick than anything but Bemular's first monster form is hard to take seriously with that weird face of his. Back to characters, I think the biggest missed opportunity is Sara. She feels like she's just there for edgy baggage. At the least, they could've had her help defeat Bemular, considering he used to be, y'know, her husband? But overall, I think this was just okay. I hope its follow-up series is better, which it seems like it will be from what I know.

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Re: Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)

Post by o.supreme »

LegendZilla wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 8:20 pm
Cryptid_Liker wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 6:57 pm In honor of Shin Ultraman's Japanese release, I am about to watch Ultraman the Next for the very first time. Was planning to do this earlier today but better late than never.
Whereas Shin Ultraman is Shin Godzilla, I’d say Ultraman The Next is G84.
Actually I'd probably say it's more like Godzilla 2000. Unfortunately Ultraman really didn't have much presence in the 80s other than a couple compilation films and the animated film co produced with Hanna Barbera.

I've had the film for a while but only watched it twice. I'm trying to hold off revisiting it as Mill Creeks release will no doubt be coming before the end of the year.
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