by Éireann Mannino

Retro Isn't New is a celebration of all things repertory and an open love letter to physical media, which feels like a treasure in the age of streaming.  

Minnetonka, Minnesota based Mill Creek Entertainment’s crown jewel collaboration with Japan’s Tsuburaya Productions has just yielded its 14th title since fall of 2019, with Ultraman Taro holding it down as the first official release of an ambitious 2021 schedule that intends to double the existing collection. The 6th classic installment of the long running Japanese special effects Ultra Series, which began in 1966 with Ultra Q, Ultraman Taro shines alongside his Ultra Brothers in clear-jacketed red-and-silver Steelbook fashion, my shelf now shaking under the weight of so much assembled greatness. I have yet to tire of this uniform design for the slate of classic releases. It is impeccably honed, cleanly executed, pointedly nostalgic and like the Ultra Series itself, the slightest variations between between each edition provide ample opportunity to relish them both individually and as an ever expanding collection. 

Each iteration of the Giant Hero vs Giant Monster Ultra Series follows a relatively consistent modality, wherein someone on Earth demonstrates a selfless and bold act during a terrible calamity and at the very moment of their death, an Ultraman, massive ancient beings from the Land of Light in Nebula M78 that have been disbursed into the fabric of the universe, envelopes them in light and merges with that person so that they can be revived. Henceforth, that person is able to transform at will to defend Earth from nefarious aliens, mysterious forces, monsters and sometimes even humanity itself. This has proved itself a sturdy enough framework upon which to build arguably the first multiverse of sci fi television history, essentially in continuous expansion since 1966. The ease with which Ultraman can be varied in the small details series-over-series, its gleeful use of pageantry, gadgetry, iconography and mythology, and and its predication on the fusion of powers has provided that staggering longevity and constantly renewable appeal, evidenced by its holding the Guinness record for most official spinoffs at a cool 27. 

At the uptick of Japan’s second Kaijû boom, Ultraman Taro came to television screens hot on the heels of its predecessor Ultraman Ace (the 3rd and 4th spinoffs respectively), with barely a breath between broadcasts in the Spring of 1973. Kotaro (Shinoda Saburô), recently come ashore from a few years spent globe trotting on an ocean liner, is an aspiring boxer finally returned home. Kotaro’s fight-or-fight mechanism has him brazenly confront a Kaiju one-on-one as a mere human only moments after his arrival. His near-death in this struggle precipitates the intervention of the Mother of Ultra and his subsequent expression as Ultraman Taro, a gift bestowed by her and the five Ultra Brothers (Ultraman Zoffy, Ultraman, Ultraman Jack, Ultraseven, Ultraman Ace). Thus begins his journey as host of an Ultraman. Incidentally Taro marks the first occasion in which the human in symbiosis with an Ultraman’s power actually possesses a skillset for hand-to-hand combat (which has always felt like a missing link when they start to throw down as newbies in their first battle). It also makes a satisfying correlation between the host himself and his name as an Ultraman, deriving “Taro” from Kotaro. 

The Ultra Series tends to oscillate between two basic modes. One in which the titular character’s human host is inducted into some form of cooly emblazoned Earth defense unit where he must keep his identity a secret, or else the less common “flying solo” iteration, like that of more recent entries such as Ultraman Orb, Ultraman Ginga and Ultraman Geed. Taro follows in suit with the former, with Kotaro joining the ZAT (Zariba of All Territory) team while preserving his lofty erstwhile aims at a boxing career. The difference between these modes is that the “flying solo” storylines tend to embellish more personal, existential and dramatic material, consequently insisting upon a more robust individuality from the other series. Story arcs like that of Taro focus more on the dynamics of the defense team itself and are spare in their approach to personal plot threads. With so many series now under the canopy of Ultraman, the creators have had plenty of latitude to play with these proportions of focus and emphasis on the group/individual/society over the years, which is in and of itself a way to observe and enjoy this Kaijû-laden multiverse. 

Hajime Tsuburaya, son of Ultraman creator and Tsuburaya Productions’ founder Eiji Tsuburaya, who oversaw the production of three series in as many years–including Return of Ultraman, Ultraman Ace and Ultraman Taro–would sadly pass away in February of 1973, only three years after his father and two months before the original broadcast of Ultraman Taro, at the age of only 41. The sting of that loss is all the greater because Taro is in many ways a crowning achievement of the growth of practical effects within the studio and a pure unadulterated hit of simple entertainment. 

Geared only slightly more toward a younger audience in terms of its vibrant pageantry, its emphasis on the familial relation of Taro as a son to an Ultra mother and father, and a generally more simplistic approach to areas like characterization, psychology and plot resolution, Taro still manages to grapple with moral dilemmas, delve into dark themes, make pointed critiques of environmental destruction, and present astounding scenes of urban carnage. In fact it is the slight tonal shift toward the younger set that makes Taro’s knock-down-drag-out battles that much more surprising by contrast.

If anything truly stands out in this entry of the Ultra Series, it is the more evidently 70’s cinematography and the properly and unabashedly futurist design elements of the ZAT teams technology. The ZAT base is easily one of the most innovative and impressive miniature set pieces of the legacy series, and its architectural influence can be seen as recently as the XIO base from Ultraman X (2015). The ZAT base’s most exciting function, in as much as it bears some structural resemblance to a massive oil rig, is that the hub itself can detach and levitate as an escape measure, with its stilts retracting into the ground. The introduction of this feature early in the series was the kind of practical effects magic that would have set my imagination on fire as a child, and even now it sparks pure joy, as indeed this story of the 6th Ultra brother does from start to finish.

Next in succession is the much darker and more violently themed Ultraman Leo, slated for an April release from Mill Creek. Originally broadcast in 1974, Leo sees Dan Maboroshi/Ultraseven of the third Ultra Series reprise his role team with our new hero Gen Otori/Ultaman Leo for the first mentorship in Ultraman history.