More scoops on Ultraman Max!
Its been 40 years since Ultraman (The First) hit the scene. Over time, the Ultraman series had evolved, changed and taken on many forms. In Japan, Ultraman disappeared from the TV screen for 15 years (between 1980 ~ 1995) before a new generation of creative staff revived Ultraman (in the form of Ultraman Tiga). 10 years after, a new Ultra hero appears every year.
In the 21st century, Ultraman has gone from the “Kind and Compassionate Future” of Ultraman Cosmos to the “Hardboiled gritty world” of Ultraman Nexus. The coming series will bring Ultraman back to its roots. Ultraman Max will have many charms, one of which will be a thorough soul searching of what has gone wrong for the Ultraman franchise. “Back to the origins” will be the main principle of the new series, and this has become a commandment for the production staff. As for the long running Kamen Rider and Sentai series, they had both experimented with different concepts in order to catch up with changing times. But both franchise had also began looking back to the beginning for inspiration.
The Ultraman Max series, will be straight and hardhitting like a winning high speed baseball. This will be one of the more challenging work in recent times. This series will let Ultraman claim its rightful place in the dynasty of the Japanese heroes.
Ultraman Max merged with Kaito, a member of the counter-monster defense team - DASH, in order to exist on Earth. Ultraman Max originated from the M-78 nebula. But how Max is related to the classical Ultra heroes remains a mystery. Ultraman Max will be endowed with the qualities of the Ultraman of the past. Max will be a strong yet kind hero who embrace peace and love. However, he will not compromise when it comes to dealing with destructive menaces.
Ultraman Max will feature many kaijus from the past. All the (in)famous kaijus and aliens will make appearances in the series.
Scenes from the climatic Episode 32 - Unknown Hand
The Kaiju Rubbersuit Warehouse
Ultraman The Ride
Goto this site for more info on this simulator amusement ride, located at Shirahama Energy Land (白浜エネルギーランド).
Ultraman and other tokusatsu related toys
Ultraman Nexus PS2 Game
Zone Fighter re-mastered DVD available from Legend of Japanese Heroes
Bonus articles:
Ultra Hero Dream Special - Interview with the Ultraman Human Hosts - from the classical days to the recent past
Click on image above to download pdf document.
This issue’s manga
Ultraman The First - Episode 8: Miroganda’s Mystery II
Click on image above to download pdf document
Ultraman The Next - Part 4
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Bonus manga for this month:
Fuji Akiko’s Story - Episode 9
Click on image above to download pdf document
Ultra Q Dark Fantasy - Episode 7: Kenegon’s Enlightenment
Click on image above to download pdf document
Ultra Fight - Kaijus’ Morgue
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