Guiro Seijin is a very cool kaiju from Ultraman Leo, with a very distinctive painted toy:

http://www.clubtokyo.org/listings/itemListingRpt.php?catID=1&subCatID=12&contentID=1722

I love the paint work and figure, but could never afford the vintage figure.  Somehow I thought the Real X Head Gatchigon sculpt kinda, sorta, maybe reminded me of the Guiro Seijin, so I decided to see how the Gatchigon would look in these colors… the end results came out really neat, even if I feel like I cannot have been the first person to think of this custom.  This guy was fun to paint; the loose spray vintage style was very different from the tight and detailed spray work I usually do.

I think I was wrong about it being 16 years since Ultraman VS Kamen Rider.

More like it’s been 6 years.

COAST OF JAPAN — Was it an accident? A hero’s overenthusiasm in figthing anything seemingly evil to save humanity? Or was it a case of a superbeing’s indifference to the environment and the planet?

Whatever the reason, Ultraman, Japan’s 200-foot superhero, self-proclaimed saviour of humanity and protector against evil, is in trouble for killing a rare breed of giant crocodile, which migrates to the island nation every 76 years to lay eggs. The incident happened yesterday, as the crocodile, lovingly dubbed by locals as ‘kyodai-na wani’ (giant crocodile) approached the shore from its  deep-ocean habitat.

The unfortunate event began when the 250-foot, 550-tonne benign beast broke the water surface approximately 850 feet from the beach at 5.13pm. An American tourist, obviously ignorant of the local wildlife and legendary creature, panicked and called the authorities, erroneously describing how ‘a giant monster is coming to devour Tokyo’. The call naturally went up to the Japanese chapter of the global agency assigned to tackle sinister alien and giant monsters, a special police force known as the Science Special Search Patrol, or SSSP, which has a close working relationship with Ultraman.

However, unlike what is stipulated in SSSP’s S.O.P. (standard operating procedure), which demands that alien or giant visitors be granted ‘friend or foe status check’ before any action is taken, the agency immediately called its Ultra-being friend and the crocodile was methodically attacked and violently killed before it could begin laying its eggs.

MERCILESS: A picture taken by a horrified Japanese passerby

“If the SSSP had followed procedures, they would have found out that the crocodile was harmless,” said Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara. “Anyone with a little knowledge of history and an ounce of respect for nature would simply have done a background check with the city’s administration office — or even the library — and seen that the gentle creature visited the shore every 76 years or so simply to lay eggs, and not to destroy anything, like many of the usual monsters who visit us.

“But look what happened now. They killed kyodai-na wani, one of the very few left of its kind in the world. Just like that. Like many denizens of this great city, I’m very angry.”

Captain Muramatsu, head of SSSP Japan, confirmed that ‘a breakdown in process flow’ had resulted in the killing of the friendly giant.

“My team had just returned from a fierce battle with a gigantic mutant lobster in north Honshu in the morning, and was not in any state to fight another giant monster in the evening. The guys were tired, and immediately summoned Ultraman when the call came,” said Muramatsu. “I’m not offering any excuse. They should have checked first before calling Ultraman. But really, I wouldn’t blame SSSP. We cannot control Ultraman or what he does when he ‘deals’ with the alien or monster threat.

“Whatever the case, I promise a thorough investigation.”

The agency has a long record of letting their alien partner settle their giant problems in the past. It is believed that this year alone, Ultraman disposed of 38 out of 41 hostile visitors who wreaked havoc in the city.

“Ultraman is nothing but SSSP’s hired killer,” said Hitoshi Kobu, founder of Save the Monsters, an NGO that has been fighting for giant rights for the last 30 years. “He himself is a destroyer, not a saviour. Like a rabid rottweiler, his first instinct is to kill, and what could be better than getting a target once or twice every month, courtesy of the SSSP? And now, we’ve got a dead giant crocodile, a gentle and lovable soul whose only motive was to precreate.”

Kobu said that this was not the first time Ultraman was involved in a ‘friendly fire’.

“In 1994, a giant squid broke the water surface near Kobe after losing its bearing. It approached a passing cruise ship to ask for directions, but the ignorant people called the SSSP instead.

“The rest, well, we all remember the story. The bay had to live with the black ink from the innocent squid for the next three months.

Kobu said that for the longest time, his organisation has been saying that the SSSP was more interested in a monster killing spree than respecting life. He also added that he suspected that one of the SSSP operative could be Ultraman himself.

“We’ve had inside information that a certain ‘Officer Hayata’ was actually Ultraman, but when we tried to verify this lead, the contact person inexplicably disappeared.

“But think about it. If Ultraman was directly working for SSSP, then obviously the agency has a policy of destroy first, talk later.”

Governor Ishihara, meanwhile, said that the city would have a tough time dealing with the loss of the giant crocodile.

A GREAT LOSS: Japan's Coast Guard investigating the remains of the giant crocodile

“Cleanup will be the least of the problem. We’ve been cleaning one giant carcass every month, so we’re OK there,” said the governor sadly.

“It’s the loss of a national treasure. Yes, there are reportedly four giant crocodiles left in the world, but this one is only one who visits Japan. In a way, it is — it was — part of our heritage… our identity.”

Ishihara said that sanctions against Ultraman and the SSSP management are possible.

“We’ll have to relook at their powers after this, to prevent more of this kind of mishap. A restricted residence order for the so-called superhero, perhaps. We’ll see.

“Whatever it is, we will not have the silver-and-red monster, or his Ultra being siblings, running around killing anything they like. It’s bad enough that we’ve had to live with the colossal collateral damage from their epic battles for last few decades. Enough is enough.”

Max Toy’s Mark Nagata was kind enough to invite a throng of Japanese toy collectors into to his family’s new home in SF for the ‘Kaiju Invade SF‘ welcome dinner…and also a chance to see his amazing collection in it’s new location!

[This post is really pic heavy so sorry if it loads a bit slow...click any image to enlarge]

Mark Nagata…

The dinner at Mark’s was held to welcome Japanese toy makers Yajima-san of Dream Rocket and Ichimiya-san of Sunguts on their first visit to the U.S…and also Matt Walker aka Dead Presidents in from Massachusetts. All gearing up for their upcoming show with Max Toy!…

‘Kaiju Invade San Francisco!’

Ichimiya-san (front) & Yajima-san in Mark’s astounding den of rare toys…

Matt Walker of Dead Presidents!…

Dead President’s also impressed everyone with his pinstriping skill and put on some last minute touches for the following day’s show…

I have a feeling that Matt enjoys what he does!…

All together I probably spent over an hour & half down in the ‘Museum‘ trying to take in all of Mark’s amazing collection…and it is in no way dedicated to just Ultraman…there are vinyls and other rarities from many of the other old Japanese TV shows/movies as well as a world-class collection of rayguns and robots!…

One of the first things I had to seek out was the uber-rare 1966 Bullmark ‘Girls Version’ Red Ultraman…only 4 exist in collector’s hands!!!

An Ultra Ride!…

Props too!…

Some new toys mixed in as well such as Neo-Eyezon!…

Vintage Robots and Trikes!…

Amazing vintage Kikaider collection!…

Protoypes…how awesome is that!…

Wouldn’t be an Ultraman collection without some Beta Capsules…

Some toys I had never seen like the Hyata below…

Ha! Ragon above has the same expression I had the whole time I was looking at this stuff…

More rareness…

Ultramen galore…

An Ultra Door!…

Giant Robos…

…and of course Ultra Bowling…

Lots of Ultra art was spread about the room…

An awesome Herculoids sketch…

Check out this giant Harryhausen Cylops guarding the room…

A dissected Eyezon…

…and Eyezon’s to paint…

Everywhere you look there was more incredible toys to behold…it really felt like being down in some super secret Tokyo toy shop that had all the rarest toys…

Toys in unexpected places…

You could tell that there was actually much more still in boxes…I would love to see what treasures these held too…

Mark asked some of us to sign his famous Mirrorman Statue but I realized I forgot to after I got home…oops …hopefully I’ll get to visit again someday soon!

Mark watching DP pinstriping…

Matt tries to make a Lion Maru face…and nails it…

Ultraman tells Toybot Studio’s Kirkland that Mark’s collection is even bigger than his…

Kaiju Chronicle’s Joe gets a closer look…

Matt holds the Giant Max Toy/Dead President’s Eyezon! This thing is insanely beautiful…

Upstairs there were plenty of shenanigans too…

Harmond loans his son’s laser gun to Yajima-san…

Sunguts isn’t sure what to make of this thing…

Gatchabert chows down at the toy filled table…

Mark’s awesome son Max also helped keep everyone entertained by showing us his own cool toy collection…and his great skill playing Mario…

A good time was definitely had by all! Finally getting to see Mark’s collection in person and having the chance to meet many in the Japanese toy and collecting world as well as other artists and cool creative people…not to mention Mark’s very talented guests of honor made for a night I won’t soon forget!

A huge thanks to Mark Nagata and his wonderful family for the invite and being such gracious hosts!

Don’t forget to see this amazing show at Double Punch in North Beach SF…ends December 30th!

…and remember Xmas shopping is actually very easy!

Just buy everyone kaiju!

Max Toy

Dead Presidents

Sunguts

Dream Rocket

The Made With Awesome holiday sale is awesome! Everything in the store is up to 40% off, and tees are $15 each (originally $24)! This sale will only last until 5pm EST on 12/18, so be sure to purchase all your favorite products before the sale ends. There are plenty of great tees, and here are my favorites:

Lunch Break

Red means Go

It’s been sixteen years since Ultraman VS Kamen Rider…

(courtesy of Nelson Zheng for the picture above the posters)

I’m rooting for Ultraman.

image from Misia's official website

Misia is releasing her 9th album on December 16th, Just Ballade and this CD + DVD combo available through yesasia.com is significant because the DVD will also contain the video to her current single “Hoshi No Yo Ni..” which is used in the upcoming Ultraman movie.

Misia is an excellent R&B artist, and you can learn more about her by visiting her official website. Her single “Hoshi no Yo ni..” will also be available to buy the same day as her newest album. You can watch an extremely beautiful video for “Hoshi no Yo ni..” below. The red leaves remind me of the movie “Hero”.

Sowhat about the monsters? Mega Monster Battle Ultra Galaxy Legend The Movie is hitting theaters in Japan this Saturday December 12th. So get ready to rock and knock your socks off. This looks kinda cheezy and kinda EPIC. Learn more about the Ultraman movie at its official website through Warner Brothers. Watch the trailer below:

Who would have thought? Dailymotion gives us the show of Ultraman Kaiju dancing to Thriller!

I don’t know, I find it rather… how shall I put this?… entertaining seeing people in costumes as those dancing to thriller. Wonder if they’d dance to some anime songs, despite the rather abundance of the hilarity already on the net. Seriously, laughing is really good for your health, to a certain degree… you know, if you don’t die because of it…

Just…wow. Good job Japan. You can stop the video at the 2:20 mark, the monsters stop dancing at that point.

(Via Japan Probe)

With all of the monsters constantly attacking Japan, something had to be done. Created in 1966 by Eiji Tsuburaya, the father of Godzilla, the answer to the monster problem finally arrived in the form of Ultraman. A powerful vision in red and silver, Ultraman gave the kaiju of Japan a reason to be afraid.

Ultraman by Alex Ross

The initial TV series if Ultraman underwent several revisions. A sci-fi series similar in some ways to U.N.I.T. from Doctor Who whereby the Earth was protected from the regular attacks of bizarre aliens by an even weirder jump-suited force. Set in the distant future, a well-armed planet-wide defense known as Science Special Search Party utilizes the most advanced arsenal of weapons and vehicles known to mankind. One key member of the global organization called the Space Patrol, Hayata, is abducted by aliens and granted the unlikely ability to grow into fantastic size, thus leveling the playing field against the race of skyscraper-sized monsters.

While Utlraman easily has the most diverse and amazing list of super abilities ranging from super speed to telekinesis to a kind of supreme super soaker ray, he primarily relies on his fighting fists. As Ultraman, Hyata primarily utilizes wrestler-style moves and the occasionally inexplicable blast of energy from a special positioning of his arms. Hyata has a limited but vague amount of time in which to defeat the alien threat, the limit of which is signaled by a flashing light on his chest. However, it’s not fair to really discuss Hyata and Ultraman as if they were one persona as they swap places in much the same way the Captain Marvel and Billy Batson do. While Ultraman is fighting a giant alien monster, Hyata is in some strange limbo.

The program also has some of the trippiest visuals this side of a Doctor Who episode, the least mind-blowing of which is the opening (dubbed in English for this instance).

Syndicated in the US in the late 1960’s on various UHF channels, Ultraman gained a very devoted following in much the same way that Godzilla had before and Starblazers would later on. After 39 episodes, it was thought that Ultraman was gone forever. After sacrificing himself so that his human host Hyata may live, Ultraman disappeared from TV screens. Many a young lad at the time shed a tear for Ultraman who asked for nothing but gave so much. If anyone really thought he was gone forever, boy were they wrong.

Several animated, live action and feature film adaptations followed up to the current day. In fact, Ultraman is the bearer of the Guinness World Record for spin-offs. He also had his imitators, most notably Jet Jaguar from Godzilla vs. Megalon, there is only one Ultraman. A mega star of film, animation, and TV, it should come as no surprise that Ultraman also conquered the video game world.

Sure, each Ultraman adventure is essentially sweaty guys in rubber suits beating each other up over a model city, but it’s also so innocent in its execution that you can’t help but find it charming and somehow… iconic. After seeing cities getting trampled to powder every week and the future of humanity hanging on a thread protected only by Ultraman… you kinda have a spiritual awakening.

Either that or I have to stop drinking Chimay while watching these things.

Here are a bunch of images from Natalie and My image-blog: Laconic Oration.

All of these are from the month of November, which was a busy month over there. We found a bunch of great items that needed to be shared. This selection is just a very small fraction, so if you like looking at things, go to the blog.

ps- click here and here to see small collections from September and October.

more at http://laconicoration.tumblr.com

scott

I need to do something to take my mind off of my current situation so I’ve decided to do a little project.  I have already put up a small gallery on this blog for my small action figure collection and will be putting up my card collection later on.  The action figure collection includes Ultraman kaijuu (monsters), a Kenner Aliens action figure, and Godzilla action figures.  My card collection will take time to put up since there’s a lot to go through.  The collection will include Japanese versions of Rockman and Pokemon cards.  I had a ton of Pokemon cards before, but I sold most of them at a garage sale to make myself some cash.  I only regret selling my Dragonball Z cards, but then again, I still made plenty of money.  I’m also still deciding whether I should put up my basketball and Japanese baseball card collection so we’ll see what happens.  In the meantime, enjoy my action figure gallery.

Yes, for me they are.  Anyway, here’s the cards I received from Shot Not Taken back in 2003.  Lol, kidding.  It was late summer/early fall I think.   Anyway, here’s a selection of the cards I received!  All but three are 2006 BBM Japanese baseball cards, which I’ve come to learn have a tendency to be EPIC on occasion.  You will see at least one such example below.

Icons Steve Slaton RC #'ed /799

Before we get to that BBM though, let’s start with the Icons Steve Slaton RC.  The foil is surprisingly not that fugly, considering it’s Icons we’re talking about.  Slaton has come on a little in recent weeks, no doubt due to rediscovering his ability to either phase through stuff or turn invisible, as shown in this card.

A couple names you might recognize. Yes, Kawakami and Iwamura. *sigh*

Hmm… I think I might know what to send to The Troll for making the closest guess and finishing last in the 5000 Hit Contest.  How does a Japanese card of Iwamura sound as a consolation prize?  Oh, and speaking of said contest, would the second place winner please choose from the four remaining cards please?  The V-Mart/B-Phil X-Fractor is taken, leaving the four football cards from which to choose.

More base cards for your viewing pleasure.

Two ex-Cubs (well, Cabrera was drafted by ‘em), who went on to be stars in Japan.  Along with the legendary  Tuffy Rhodes, I guess the trinity is complete.

A couple more names American fans may be vaguely familiar with in this 6.

The top three are second version cards, and now we get to the subsets! Yay subsets!

I guess second version is kinda like an Updates/Traded-type set.  I’m not exactly well-versed in Japanese cards though.  See the great Japanese Baseball Cards blog for expert analysis.

And yes, we have a Benny Agbayani sighting!

I like the Cool & Toughs.

I’m sure it’s just me being oblivious, but the Cool & tough cards being both vertical and hoizontal threw me off just a touch.  Huh… Here’s some more:

Are YOU cool & tough?

Well, are ya?

Hottie interlude. :d

The One with the Wacky Checklists

Can we please please PLEASE get wacky picture team checklists in 2010 topps?  Please?!  Also here’s some more Ceremonial First Pitch cards.  More on that later.

Finally, we arrive at the big hits of the bunch, and two instant favorites in my personal collection.

Proof that these Jersey and card frame things can in fact be awesome!

Yes, a Fergie Jenkins card and swatch frame!  How cool is that?  I’m not sure what the swatch is though.  I’m not convinced it’s jersey.  Whatever though, still hella cool.  And Warrick Dunn!  Running slight fever & a little nauseous patch! (cuz it’s not quite sick, y’see, but still cool… *sigh* nevermind)

Dude’s ridiculously good at pulling good jersey & card frames, having also pulled Frank Thomas, two Karl Malone’s, and an Antoine Walker (it’s pretty awesome to me at least) on his blog.

Thank you very much, Ray.  I’ll have more stuff coming your way soon.

…

…

Oh yeah, I promised something epic at the top, didn’t I?  Here it is:

Tell me that ain't EPIC!

Until our next…

I think I can quite safely say that the scope and scale of this movie is far greater than anything seen before in this genre. My gut reaction was that this movie was GODZILLA: FINAL WARS done correctly. Both FINAL WARS and ULTRA GALAXY received much larger budgets, brought in foreign talent, attempted to put a modern spin on classic characters and threw in everything but the kitchen sink. Yet while FINAL WARS came away looking like a completely nonsensical and dishonest TV movie, ULTRA GALAXY actually fulfils its promises and delivers something that is fun, fresh, action-packed, and absolutely first class from start to finish. A wonderful movie which I’m really looking forward to seeing again in December!

-James Ballard

I enjoyed Godzilla: Final Wars very much so reading the above really assured me that I’m going to enjoy Ultra Galaxy Legend very much.

You don’t want to be like this guy when watching movies…

Terima kasih, tanpa entry yang baru, blog ini masih sudi dikunjungi oleh orang yang mencari ulasan buku (Begitulah apa yang wordpress beritahu). Ramai yang sampai ke sini dengan kata kunci “Andrea Hirata”, “Faisal Tehrani”, “Pramoedya”, “Abdullah Hussain” dan tajuk buku2 mereka. Selain kata kunci “Ultraman”, “Murayya Paniculata” dan “perempuan sunyi” (Ceh!). Ada juga sampai ke sini dengan kata kunci “kisah beromen” (Hey! keji tau..)

Maka dengan nawaitu untuk terus diberi perhatian (minta puji orang Sabah kata) maka saya mahu tulis tentang buku lagi kali ini.

Tajuknya Interlok dan ditulis oleh Abdullah Hussain, sasterawan negara yang ke 8 (Wah! nombor manyak ong!). Ini adalah buku pertama yang saya beli dalam format kulit keras. Antara buku fiksyen yang paling mahal saya beli. Saya mahu meraikan keindahan sastera negara. Gitu!

.

Interlok berlatarbelakangkan sebuah kampung di Tanah Melayu waktu pra-kemerdekaan. Ianya di pecahkan kepada empat bab.

Bab pertama tentang Seman yang baru menyedari kekayaan yang dimilki oleh keluarganya hanyalah ilusi. Tiba2 diberitahu dia tidak berharta setelah ayahnya meninggal dunia dan kerana kejahilan tentang pentingnya pendidikan, Seman dihalang ke sekolah. Maka, itulah Seman, miskin, tidak berpelajaran dan merempat di tanah sendiri.

Bab kedua tentang Cing Huat yang datangnya dari tanah besar Cina dengan semangat membara lari dari kemiskinan yang menjerut lalu bernafas hasil dari kecekalan melawan tipu muslihat. Maka itulah Cing Huat, cekal, licik dan kaya di tanah orang.

Bab ketiga tentang Maniam yang datangnya dari Kerala, setelah mendengar kisah satu tempat  dimana apa sahaja yang dipegang boleh menjadi duit, dengan tekad Maniam terpaksa meninggalkan isteri dan anaknya dan mencuba apa sahaja. Setelah beberapa lama di Tanah Melayu, kedengaran isterinya di Kerala berkahwin dengan lelaki lain. Maka itulah Maniam, kecewa, pelarian perasaan, di tanah orang.

Bab keempat interlok. Dimana ketiga2 mereka tadi rupanya mempunyai kaitan yang berselirat lantas akhirnya merungkai setiap nasib. Di dalamnya muncul kisah melawan Malayan Union, kekejaman jepun, kesetanan komunis. Dan tiba2 muncul pula perjuangan melayu yang berapi2 yang tiba2 ada kekuatan merampas semula tanah mereka, kemudian tiba2 pula si cina dan si india bersepakat membantu kerana sebab2 tersirat. Setiap watak menyumbang kepada berlakunya nasib watak yang lain. Ye lah! kita ni wujud di dunia bukanlah kerana kebetulan.

Buku ini adalah metafora buku sejarah Malaysia. Jika tidak suka membaca buku sejarah, maka bacalah buku ini. Dengan halus dan terperinci melalui setiap watak, sasterawan negara ini mampu menerangkan bagaimana kaum cina dan india menyumbang kepada kekuatan ekonomi dan akhirnya diterima menjadi sebahagian dari negara ini. (Adakah satu hari nanti si Indon, si Bangla, si Nepal, si Pilliphine, si Om akan dianggap sebagai sebahagian dari negara ini? Lu pikirlah sendiri). Bagaimana si melayu yang berada ditanah sendiri terus miskin dan tidak tahu untuk maju.  Buku ini menyelami jiwa dan perasaan watak2 sejarah. Ianya melangkaui buku sejarah biasa yang kering emosi walaupun banjir dengan fakta.

Cerita disusun kedepan dan kebelakang dengan terancang sekali. Buku ini terletak pada kelasnya yang tersendiri. Bacalah buku ini jika mahu belajar menghargai kemerdekaan, kecekalan, persahabatan, pendidikan, pengkhianatan, kebodohan dan penjajahan. Jangan cari kisah cinta yang dibantu pari2. Tidak ada.

Buku ini telah menang dalam Peraduan Mengarang Novel 10 Tahun Merdeka (1967)

Saya suka sejarah. Memahami sejarah membuatkan saya menghargai pesahabatan saya dengan si cina, si india dan si kadazan. Saya, Anita Wong, Thulasimani dan Patricia jika berjumpa tidak suka bersalaman. Kami berpeluk. (Ini bukan iklan retorik* 1Malaysia seperti di tv. Ini betul2)

* Retorik = penuh dgn bahasa atau kata yg indah dan muluk utk mempengaruhi pemikiran pendengar (Kamus Dewan)

(Bunyi runut iringan –Malaysia Satu, Faizal Tahir)

It’s Tuesday. I took a break last week to take care of finals for my first quarter at ITT. That’s done, so let’s get back to the fun stuff, shall we?

Toku Tuesday: Vol.1, Issue 10

Tokusatsu’s Greatest Hits

10.  VR Troopers

“We are. We are, V-R!” Simple, to the point, and catchy. For the 90’s, that’s about as much as you can ask out of any sub par action show’s theme. Saban Entertainment might have been over-extending itself a little with Power Rangers, VR Troopers, and the coming Mystic Knights, Beetleborgs, and Masked Failure, but the fact that the shows it cranked out were inventive (considering the time) and fun (except said FAILURE) shows that even the doomed franchises had promise. This tune still creeps into my head from time to time, bringing happy memories of weekday mornings.

9. Cutie Honey

She had her own anime series (at least two of them actually), OVAs, and a feature length, live-action film before she went “the LIVE” on TV a few years back. I place no particular rendition of the famous “Honey Flash” tune on the list, but highlight “the LIVE” version simply because it’s as upbeat, fast-paced, and sexy-crazy as the show actually was – and there happens to be some rap lyrics for good measure. If you haven’t seen the recent live-action series, you should, for it is excellent.

8.  Fight (MMPR)

Believe it or not, this is the only insert song on the list. Okay, maybe not-so-hard-to-believe as most insert music is forgettable or downright unnoticeable with all the action going on on top of it. This one, however, most will remember, even if they don’t realize they remember it. When the Putties terrorized Angel Grove, the Power Rangers battled them to this awesome battlecry. It’s simple, but full of heart – FIGHT!

7. Gosei Sentai Dairanger

You will be humming this track soon after listening. It quickly became one of my favorite Sentai themes, and it happens to be the first thing you get upon watching on of my favorite Sentai series. Beautiful.

6.  Another Day Comes (Ultraseven X)

The end (?) theme of Ultraseven X, this was the song that got me into Pay Money to My Pain. I was surprised to find their album on iTunes. I was even more surprised to learn the group is straight out of Tokyo – damn good English, even better shredding. Overall, this cut is superbly matched to the tone of the series.

5.  Jumon Kourin Magical Force (Mahou Sentai Magiranger)

You want to know why this ending theme to Magiranger is on this list? It’s on the list because it’s so figgin’ cute, that’s why. Listen to the song, watch the video, and tell me that’s not cute. Then sit down and make sure no one was watching you make a fool of yourself trying to do the dance…

4.  Kamen Rider AgitΩ (Kamen Rider Agito)

The most singable hooks in all Kamen Rider themes. This is another that can easily get stuck in your head and hold it ransom.

3.  Climax Jump (Kamen Rider Den-O)

The Kamen Rider series that refuses to die has a theme that has as many versions as there are spinoff properties and then-some. There’s like, a version for each movie and special and a version for each of the Den-O’s EIGHT forms. I prefer the main version – the one used to open the main show about 80% of the series. Another catchy little ditty, indeed.

2.  Savior in the Dark (Garo)

An epic show needs an epic theme, and anime/game music super group JAM Project delivers here (as they have always done). One listen, and you will be hungry for Makai Knight action, your heart will be pumping and you will want to ride into battle with the Golden Knight yourself. What’s even better, this epic song is even more EPIC live.

1.  Go, Go Power Rangers (MMPR)

Did you thing I was going to overlook this? Please…

This guy came in my studio this afternoon and said, “I have a package for you” as he was rolling into my place on his roller blade, and handed me a white envelope.  A check for next weekend’s job.  Nice.  That’s TGIF is all about.  (Thank you!!)  I told him that I had messenger guys on the bike before but never on roller blades.   I also said, “dude, do you know what your T-shirt say?”   “Oh, you can read this?  What does it say?”, he said.   “Dirty”, I replied.   He was like “oh.., I just got this today”.   There was also a picture of a Japanese super hero “Ultraman” next to the word.  I don’t know why my childhood super hero “Ultraman” got anything to do with a word “dirty’ but I can’t really be upset about that because I too have a shirt with an obscure message in English (made and purchased in Japan) which I often get commented on.   Yep, beauty of foreign languages.  (Thank for the delivery, Benjamin!)

. . .

It’s Tuesday! You know what that means: Toku Tuesday, Vol. 1 Issue 9

Ultraseven X

The 23rd series in the long running Ultra franchise, Ultraseven X is the first in the franchise to be aimed exclusively at adults, and, trust me, it works – very well. The show has none of the kiddie-friendly extras that tend to clutter most henshin hero programs (including Kamen Rider and Super Sentai) that’s meant to sell toys. So, you won’t find any crazy cool jets or bulky weapons or advanced power-ups for our hero. This is a henshin hero series stripped down to the bare minimums with a focus set squarely on telling an engaging, character driven story. This series is so focused, Ultraseven gets little screen time, but when he shows up, there’s purpose and reason and the conclusion is often satisfying and yet still open enough to warrant suspense and anticipation for the next episode.

The story begins with our hero, Jin, waking up from a strange dream in a sparse apartment/office overlooking the city. A mysterious young woman gives him cryptic admonishment and gives him the Ultra Eye before an explosion rocks the building, cutting their meeting short and forcing Jin to escape. From here on, Jin must rediscover his memories, uncover the truth behind DEUS (the special police force he apparently is an agent of), and protect the city from alien invaders as the mighty galactic being known as Ultraseven.

I can’t really get any deeper than that synopsis without spoiling things – and I think I’ve been pretty good at not posting spoilers – so I’ll just encourage you to check this great series out. It was my first foray into the Ultra franchise as it was the first Ultraman show I watched to completion. It’s only 12 episodes long, but it’s a ride I still find time to relive from time to time.

Overall, this show is a solid, mature take on the original 1967 Ultra Seven (that’s right, Ultraseven X is a remake/sequel). There’s no pandering to parents’ wallets and the action (super-sized and not) is entertaining and, at times, inventive. Plus, the theme by band Pay Money to My Pain is down good.