Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

For the discussion of any Ultraman related shows, movies, comics, video games, etc.
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Lecontinentperdu
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Lecontinentperdu »

Hi!

I'm currently watching Taro, and I was surprised yesterday:
In ep.24, a couple of Ultraman lovers nickname their kids by the names of the Ultra brothers.
So there is Zoffy, Ultraman, Seven, Ace, Taro... And between Seven and Ace: Jack!
I keep reading everywhere that "Jack" was used after a contest in 1984 to name the nameless returning Ultraman. With no mention of this 1973 episode whatsoever.
So, in this episode, do the MillCreek subtitles "retcon" this or is it really there, in japanese?

Thanks ;)

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o.supreme
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by o.supreme »

I believe as the others have stated, what is actually being said in japanese is "Returns" or "Ultraman II" or something like that, the "Jack" subtitle was probably given to the translation team in the script however to make things easier/more consistent.
To all you dub preservationists, my friends, you have my eternal thanks 8-) . Never stop what you do, you are amazing!

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eabaker
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by eabaker »

Lecontinentperdu wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:44 am So, in this episode, do the MillCreek subtitles "retcon" this or is it really there, in japanese?
Yeah, as o.supreme indicated, this is a subtitle "retcon."
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

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Lecontinentperdu
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Lecontinentperdu »

Thanks for the replies ;)
But the purist inside me cries a river

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eabaker
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by eabaker »

Lecontinentperdu wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:16 pm Thanks for the replies ;)
But the purist inside me cries a river
I was irrationally annoyed when I noticed. ;)
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

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StreamOfKaijuness
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by StreamOfKaijuness »

The first time that Mill Creek’s subtitles for any of the ‘70s shows used the name Ultraman Jack was in Ultraman Ace episode 14 (5 Stars Scattered in the Galaxy), the second of the two-parter with Varava and Ace-Killer.

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I’m glad that Mill Creek’s Return of Ultraman subtitles don’t use the Ultraman Jack name at all.

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When Mill Creek recently issued a replacement booklet for their Return of Ultraman set, all of the episode synopses in the new booklet were changed so they now refer to the character as Ultraman Jack, whereas the episode synopses in the old booklet just called him Ultraman. I wonder if that change was made at TPC’s insistence, and if so, would they also require Mill Creek to change the discs’ onscreen subtitles for any future pressings of the set?
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Lecontinentperdu
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Lecontinentperdu »

I didn't pick that up in Ace, shame on me !

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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Terasawa »

The second half of the Terochilus two-parter is my new least-favorite Ultra episode. It's about neither Ultraman, our characters, nor the enemy monster (the worst in the series thus far, by the way). Instead, it's a cliched and flat-out pathetic hostage drama involving two guest characters. Part 1 wasn't much better, and its only interesting aspect--that Terochilus' devastation was greatly exacerbated by pollutants--is essentially ignored in the concluding half. Even the special effects and photography are well below par.
寺沢. He/him/his, etc.

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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by LegendZilla »

Anyone notice that Go's actor is unusually tall for a Japanese person? I'm guessing they chose him for the role to help him stand out from the rest of the cast.

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Lecontinentperdu
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Lecontinentperdu »

It was before they decided to use those stupid scarves on Hokuto and Minami in Ace, and Kotaro in Taro.
That skreeonk pisses me off, they make me feel dumb and ashamed to watch those shows ;)

(shows that went downhill after Seven, to be fair, but are still really good in their own kind)

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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Cryptid_Liker »

Lecontinentperdu wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:25 am It was before they decided to use those stupid scarves on Hokuto and Minami in Ace, and Kotaro in Taro.
That skreeonk pisses me off, they make me feel dumb and ashamed to watch those shows ;)

(shows that went downhill after Seven, to be fair, but are still really good in their own kind)
Jeez, it’s just a piece of clothing.

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Lecontinentperdu
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Lecontinentperdu »

It's not that I'm against scarves (it's just a piece of clothing, yes), it's the fact that it's clearly used to show you who the hero is...
If it were not japanese, I would event find that offensive.
But that's kiddy stuff that kids were watching on small TV sets in the 70's with activity in the house, I know all that.
Before Ace, there were less characters and to pin point the hero was not felt necessary, I guess.

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Major sssspielberg!
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

I recently read (and I don't know how verifiable this is) that Saburo Shinoda specifically requested an ascot because he thought Keiji Takamine looked so fly with his as Hokuto on Ace.
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Kinggoji1962
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Kinggoji1962 »

Personally, I find Return of Ultraman to be weaker than Seven since I prefer a lot of the alien invasion plots. I find that there seems to be less room for creativity with earth/space monsters.

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Lecontinentperdu
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Lecontinentperdu »

RoU is indeed weaker than Seven, but is stronger than Ace, which is stronger than Taro (in everyway but monsters design, the weak point of Ace being those randoms choju)

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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by eabaker »

I'd say in terms of consistent strength of basic storytelling principles, visual style and production values, Seven and RoU are pretty solidly the two best-made Showa Ultra series. However, exactly how successful one considers and of those shows is going to depend on one's priorities. Certainly, Seven and RoU are among the strongest in terms of fleshing out both their lead character and the supporting cast around him. Seven gives Dan a richer internal life than most Ultra protagonists, while RoU strikes a really good balance between Go's life with MAT and his personal life with civilian acquaintances.

RoU is, I guess, a show I respect more than I actually like. Not that I dislike it! It's entertaining, and there are some real standout episodes, but on the whole it doesn't achieve the alluring atmosphere of Seven, nor the fun of Ace and Taro. It's a beautifully functioning machine, though.
Tokyo, a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world.

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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by o.supreme »

RoU will always have a special place for me. When I was very young circa 1982 I went to a small Japanese Sci-Fi Convention. I knew all about Ultraman (watched it every day it was on in the weekly rotation, along with Space Giants and Spectrean). But I had no idea at the time there was more than one Ultraman. At the show they played several movies and TV shows on small monitors. I saw for the first time a NEW Ultraman and it blew my mind (I found out later it was Ultraman 80). My parents also got me a cardboard picture-book from RoU. It is 20 pages and has the price of 150 Y (My dad probably paid $3 or 4 back then) . It basically shows the monsters from Episodes 8 and 10-12 (not sure why they skipped 9...), but it was awesome, and is probably one of the oldest possessions I still have. I like to think in some parallel universe that episodes of RoU were picked up for dubbing in the United States and they try to pass it off as a continuation of the original series 8-) .
To all you dub preservationists, my friends, you have my eternal thanks 8-) . Never stop what you do, you are amazing!

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Anguirus
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Anguirus »

That's a neat experience o.supreme!

So I am reading that this was the last Ultra series to be more sci fi than superhero?

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Major sssspielberg!
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Re: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

Anguirus wrote: Sat Jul 31, 2021 7:01 pm That's a neat experience o.supreme!

So I am reading that this was the last Ultra series to be more sci fi than superhero?
Other than Ultra-Q, they all do a balancing act. Return of Ultraman in my estimation definitely pushed things in a more "superhero" direction, which would be the standard for Ace, Taro and Leo. I haven't seen 80, Great or Powered, but once you get to Tiga there's definitely a return to a balance of "superhero" and sci-fi.
I would say from what I've seen thusfar, the more sci-fi oriented shows are:
Ultra-Q, Ultraman, Ultraseven, Tiga, and Nexus.
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: Official "Return of Ultraman" Thread

Post by Anguirus »

Ah, thanks for the info! I'll definitely check those series out! I'll still try Return of, since I read that it's really good.

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