Ultraman (manga)

Ultraman (stylized as ULTRAMAN) is a manga written by Eiichi Shimizu and drawn by Tomohiro Shimoguchi of Linebarrels of Iron fame. Published in Monthly Hero's since the magazine's inaugural issue,[3] it is a manga sequel of the 1966 Ultraman television series,[4][5] The series has been collected in 14 volumes as of November 2019.[6][7][8] and is part of the Ultraman franchise. A 3DCG original net animation (ONA) anime adaptation co-produced by Production I.G and Sola Digital Arts was released on Netflix on April 1, 2019. The series has been renewed for a second season.

Ultraman
Cover of volume 1
GenreAdventure, science fiction,[1] superhero[2]
Manga
Written byEiichi Shimizu
Illustrated byTomohiro Shimoguchi
Published byShogakukan
English publisher
MagazineMonthly Hero's
DemographicSeinen
Original runOctober 1, 2011 – present
Volumes14
Original net animation
Directed by
Music by
  • Nobuko Toda
  • Kazuma Jinnouchi
Studio
Licensed byNetflix
Released April 1, 2019 – present
Runtime23–25 minutes
Episodes13

Story
Main article: List of Ultraman manga characters

Several years have passed since the events of Ultraman, with the legendary "Giant of Light" (光の巨人, Hikari no Kyojin) now a memory, as it is believed he returned home after fighting the many giant aliens that invaded the Earth. Shin Hayata's son Shinjiro seems to possess a strange ability, and it is this ability, along with his father's revelation that he was Ultraman, that leads Shinjiro to battle the new aliens invading the Earth as the new Ultraman.

Media

Manga

The series began serialisation in Monthly Hero's magazine on November 1, 2011, which is coincidentally the date of said magazine's first release. The first collected tankōbon volume was published on September 8, 2012.[9] In 2014, support videos were streamed at the official YouTube site of Monthly Hero's, featuring Ruriko Kojima, Takeshi Tsuruno (actor of Shin Asuka from Ultraman Dyna) and Susumu Kurobe (actor of Shin Hayata from Ultraman). The three were even interviewed, as well as reviewing chapter 4 of the manga themselves.[10][11][12]

A portal site for the Ultraman manga was announced and launched on October 16, 2014.[13] On May 1, 2015, an alien character design contest was announced for contestants to draw their respective aliens. Winning entries got their characters to appear in volume 7 of Ultraman.[14] The contest ended and the winning entries were announced on August 3, 2015. The winning entries are the grand prize Alien Nephentes (ネペンテス星人, Nepentesu Seijin, by Keisuke Watanabe), Ace Kiler Award (エースキラー賞, Ēsu Kirā-shō) goes to Alien Woovelve (ウヴェルヴ星人, Uveruvu Seijin, by Hiroyasu Okanaga) and Alien Megoma (メゴマ星人, Megoma Seijin, by Kirimoro). These aliens made their appearances in Volume 7 as members of the mercenary group the Ace Killer Squad.[15]

Several tankōbon volumes are also provided with extras, such as soft vinyl figures of Shinjiro's Ultraman Suit in Volume 5, Moroboshi's Ultraman Suit Version 7.2 in Volume 7, and a special edition Volume 8 bundled with a DVD, as well as commentaries, such as in Volume 1 by AKB48 member Sayaka Akimoto, Volume 4 by Hideo Kojima, Volume 5 by Koichi Sakamoto and Volume 9 by Hideo Ishiguro (Ultraman Orb).[16]

On June 23, 2015, Viz Media welcomed the creators of the Ultraman manga series, Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi, at the 2015 Comic-Con International: San Diego.[17] The series is licensed for English language release in North America by Viz Media, who published the first volume on August 18, 2015, having received the rights earlier on February 18, 2015.[18][19]

Volume list
No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 September 8, 2012[9]ISBN 9784864683012August 18, 2015ISBN 978-1421581828
2 March 5, 2013[9]ISBN 9784864683210November 17, 2015ISBN 978-1421581835
3 September 5, 2015[9]ISBN 9784864683418February 16, 2016ISBN 978-1421581842
4 March 5, 2014[9]ISBN 9784864683586May 17, 2016ISBN 978-1421581859
5 November 5, 2014[9]ISBN 9784864683784August 16, 2016ISBN 978-1421581866
5SP November 5, 2014[9]ISBN 9784864683777——
This release is bundled with a soft vinyl figure of Shinjiro's Ultraman suit.
6 July 4, 2015[9]ISBN 9784864684200November 15, 2016ISBN 978-1421586472
7 December 29, 2015[9]ISBN 9784864684224February 21, 2017ISBN 978-1421590608
7SP December 29, 2015[9]ISBN 9784864684231——
This release is bundled with a soft vinyl figure of Moroboshi's Ultraman suit version 7.2.
8 July 5, 2016[9]ISBN 9784864683012May 16, 2017ISBN 978-1421592725
8SP July 5, 2016[9]ISBN 9784864684668——

This version is bundled with a DVD special and ULTRASINGLES.[20] The DVD contains:[21]

  • Motion Comic Volume 1: Truth (実態, Jittai)
  • Motion Comic Volume 2: Hokuto (北斗)
  • Music Video: "Ultlove" (ウルトラブ, Urutorabu) by Maaya Uchida
  • Music Video: NO ONE KNOWS by Megumi Han
9 December 29, 2016[9]ISBN 9784864684866October 17, 2017ISBN 978-1421597577
10 July 5, 2017[9]ISBN 9784864685078May 15, 2018ISBN 978-1974700448
11 December 5, 2017[9]ISBN 9784864685290January 15, 2019ISBN 978-1974702596
12 July 5, 2018[9]ISBN 9784864685375June 18, 2019ISBN 978-1974705184
12SP July 5, 2018[9]ISBN 9784864685382——
This release is bundled with a soft vinyl figure of Shinjiro's Ultraman suit B-type.
13 March 5, 2019[9]ISBN 9784864686242April 21, 2020ISBN 978-1974710553
14 November 5, 2019[9]ISBN 9784864686778——

Motion comic

To celebrate the fourth volume of Ultraman, Monthly Hero's announced the launch of Motion Comic (モーションコミック, Mōshon Komikku) in March 2014, which features the manga itself being partially animated with colors and voice actors. The first release was all six chapters from Volume 1 of the manga, with Ryōhei Kimura was the first cast to be announced and voicing the main character Shinjiro Hayata. Soon, more casts were added as well while the Motion Comic in progress.[13] Two special Motion Comics were bundled alongside a special release of Volume 8 of Ultraman manga alongside the ULTRASINGLES.[20]

Discography

A single titled as ULTRASINGLES was released alongside the special release of Volume 8. The single contains three songs by Maaya Uchida, all of them were sung by her character, Rena Sayama, in the Motion Comic, with the lyrics provided by Eiichi Shimizu. The third single, "Ultlove", was first released in the official YouTube site of Monthly Hero's in late December 2015.[21]

  • Lovely Me
    • Composer: Tomokazu Tashiro (田代 智一, Tashiro Tomokazu)
  • Authentic
    • Composer: Koji Igarashi (五十嵐広二, Igarashi Koji)
  • Ultlove (ウルトラブ, Urutorabu)
    • Composer/Tsugaru-jamisen: Shinjiro "MANI" Sakamoto (坂本マニ真二郎, Sakamoto Mani Shinjirō)
    • Guitar Player: Eiichi Shimizu

Anime

An anime adaptation of the manga was announced in November 2017,[22] which was later revealed to be a 3DCG anime co-produced by Production I.G and Sola Digital Arts. The anime will be co-directed by Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki.[23] Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi are composing the music. The series was released on Netflix on April 1, 2019.[24] Oldcodex performed the series' ending theme song "Sight Over The Battle."[25] The series is also announced to get a TV broadcast in Japan during the "Tsuburaya Convention 2019".[26] and will schedule to air in Tokyo MX and BS11 in April 2020.[27]

During the 2019 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Netflix announced that a second season is in production. The staff are returning to reprise their roles.[28]

Episode list
No.TitleOriginal release date
1"A Power That Shouldn't Be On This Earth"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
2"An Inescapable Fate"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
3"Being Ultraman Isn't Bad"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
4"Release the Limiter!"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
5"City of Aliens"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
6"The Curse of Ultraman"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
7"Hidden Thoughts"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
8"The Beginning of Truth"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
9"Nice To Meet You, Brother"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
10"Star Council"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
11"You As You Are"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
12"Ace Killer"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)
13"A Real Ultraman"April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01)

Note: These titles are translated from the Japanese titles. In other regions, they are simply labelled Episodes 1 to 13.

Video Games

On January 10, 2020, an Ultraman mobile game based on the manga has been announced for released on iOS and Android devices. The game, titled Ultraman: Be Ultra, is due to Launch on Spring 2020 in Japan.[29][30]

Reception

In the week of June 29 to July 5, 2015, Japanese site Oricon revealed that the Chapter 6 of Ultraman was placed at 33rd in a ranking with a total of estimated 26,214 sold copies.[31] From July 6 to 12 of that year, Volume 6's selling was boosted to number with an estimated number of 73,673 copies.[32] On December 28, 2015 to January 3, 2016, the Volume 7 of Ultraman was placed 20th rank with an estimated total of 43,969 copies.[33] The ranking dropped to 38 in the week January 4–10 with a total of 68,100 copies.[34] In the week of July 4–10, Volume 8 was ranked 20 with an estimated 41,077 sold.[35] During the 2016 annual Comic-Con International, Ultraman is ranked 5th in "Best New Manga for Kids/Teens".[36] In early 2017, Volume 9 was ranked 24th with a total of 59,898 copies.[37]

The manga sold over 2.4 million copies by 2017.[38] As of 2018, the manga has sold more than 2.8 million copies.[39]

Rebecca Silverman of the Anime News Network reviews volume 1 of the manga and praises Shinjiro for his plot involvements in the storyline, although highlighting that "the timeskip is a bit abrupt, as is Bemular's introduction".[40]

Merchandise

On April 30, 2016, a 1:1 scale FRP version of Dan Moroboshi/Ultraman Suit Version 7.2's Spacium Sword was announced to be released at August 2016 and pre-orders were made available at 55,000 Yen (59,400 Yen if tax is included) in Eikoh.[41][42]

In October 2015, an articulated action figure of Shinjiro Hayata in his Ultraman Suit, which was made by a collaboration between Ultra Act (Tsuburaya's own figure line) and S.H. Figuarts. The figure is sold under the price of 6,840 Yen and pre-orders were made from October 23, 2015, while shipping started in May 2016.[43] In 2016, Gecco Corp. produced a 1/6 scale diorama of Shinjiro Hayata in his Ultraman Suit, which has a removable head to switch between either Shinjiro or Ultraman Suit helmet.[44] Another collaboration merchandise was made with Pioneer SE-MX9-K in releasing headphones themed after Shinjiro's Ultraman Suit helmet.[45]

References
  1. "The Official Website for Ultraman". Viz Media. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  2. "Viz Media Launches The New Ultraman Manga Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  3. "コミックナタリー - 「鉄のラインバレル」コンビが描く新たなウルトラマン始動". Natalie.mu. 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  4. "コミックナタリー - ヒーローズのウルトラマン本、夏コミ企業ブースで頒布決定". Natalie.mu. 2011-08-02. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  5. "コミックナタリー - ヒーローズ創刊、ラインバレルコンビがウルトラマン描く". Natalie.mu. 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  6. "コミックナタリー - 「鉄のラインバレル」の清水×下口描く「ULTRAMAN」1巻". Natalie.mu. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  7. "コミックナタリー - 清水×下口「ULTRAMAN」3巻発売でTシャツプレゼントも". Natalie.mu. 2013-08-18. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  8. "コミックナタリー - ウルトラヒーローが書店を行脚！「ULTRAMAN」4巻記念". Natalie.mu. 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  9. "コミックスULTRAMAN公式サイト" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  10. "ULTRAMAN 第4巻発売記念 特別インタビュー 第１弾 小島 瑠璃子" (in Japanese). heros-ultraman.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  11. "ULTRAMAN 第4巻発売記念 特別インタビュー 第２弾 つるの 剛士" (in Japanese). heros-ultraman.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  12. "ULTRAMAN 第4巻発売記念 特別インタビュー 第3弾 黒部 進" (in Japanese). heros-ultraman.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  13. "ニュース・イベント 2014" (in Japanese). heros-web.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  14. "ニュース・イベント 2015" (in Japanese). heros-web.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
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  19. "Viz Media Launches The New Ultraman Manga Series". Anime News Network. 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  20. "DVD付特装版も！『ULTRAMAN』第8巻が本日7月5日(火)にいよいよ発売開始！" (in Japanese). m-78.jp. 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  21. "「ULTRAMAN」モーションコミック観れる新刊、内田真礼演じる佐山レナのCDも" (in Japanese). natalie.mu. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
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  23. "Ghost in the Shell: SAC, Appleseed Directors Helm Ultraman 3D CG Anime". Anime News Network. 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  24. "Ultraman Anime Unveils Cast, Composers, Trailer, April 1 Premiere". Anime News Network. 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
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  26. https://mantan-web.jp/article/20191213dog00m200088000c.html
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  38. http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/11/27/ultraman-manga-site-starts-mysterious-countdown-to-december-1
  39. "A comic that sold 2.8 million copies comes back as an animation! Anime "ULTRAMAN" to be Released Worldwide on Netflix from Spring 2019! Announcement made at the Anime Expo 2018 as one of the featured animation". Tsuburaya Productions. July 6, 2018.
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  42. "【エイこれット限定販売】「ULTRAMAN」1/1スペシウムソード【8月発送予定】【代引・コンビニ決済不可】【送料無料】【同梱不可】" (in Japanese). eikoretto.jp. 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  43. "コミック『ULTRAMAN』登場のウルトラマンスーツがフル可動アクションフィギュア化！「魂ウェブ商店」にて受注受付スタート！" (in Japanese). m-78.jp. 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  44. "Gecco製「ULTRAMAN」1/6サイズフィギュアの予約受付開始！清水栄一×下口智裕先生 完全監修！" (in Japanese). m-78.jp. 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
  45. "【DVD付特装版】潘めぐみさんが歌う「北斗」のキャラソン！取材に行ってきました！" (in Japanese). heros-ultraman.com. 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
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