Ultraman Rising: Tokusatsu Goes Mainstream
Josh B.
I have always loved Japanese media and while my love for Kaiju remains loud and proud, that’s not the only genre Japan is known for that I adore. There’s also Tokusatsu, something I’ve come to appreciate more and more ever since my first visit to G-Fest several years ago. Tokusatsu is the Japanese word for “Special Effects”, and is used to describe Japanese film or television series that use practical special effects to portray science fiction or superhero stories. Many of us have already seen Tokusatsu in our lifetime thanks to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, an American adaptation of the Tokusatsu series Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. However, the Tokusatsu genre’s true boom came in the form of 1966’s Ultraman, a series centering around an alien who can turn from human to giant, who came to earth to defend humanity from Kaiju and alien threats.
Ultraman (1966)
Ultraman has had dozens of series over the years, each time introducing a new version of Ultraman, much like the British phenomenon Doctor Who, which puts a new actor in the role every few years. In many countries, Ultraman is actually more popular than Godzilla! However, while Ultraman is known here in America, he’s been far more niche than Godzilla or Power Rangers. At least, that’s how it was. But all of that may have changed thanks to the release of Netflix’s Ultraman Rising.
Ultraman Rising follows the story of Ken Sato (voiced by Christopher Sean (left)), a Japanese baseball player who has inherited the mantle of Ultraman from his father after his retirement. Ken has been struggling to balance his work as a baseball player with his responsibilities to the people as Ultraman, and things get even more complicated when Ken is thrust into the role of parent for a baby Kaiju, later named Emi, the first ever seen by humanity. To make matters worse, the Kaiju Defense Force is on the hunt for Emi, to use her to wipe out all of the Kaiju once and for all.
Ken Sato, is now a baseball player, Ultraman, and mother to Emi, and has to find a way to do all three at once. At its core, Ultraman Rising is a story about family, both the found family of Ken and Emi, and Ken’s real family – Professor Sato (voiced by Gedde Watanabe (below)), his estranged father. The Professor is the only family Ken has left, after his mother vanished years ago. Ken resents his father for not being there enough for him growing up, yet, raising Emi brings them closer together. The true strength of this film is in its familial bonds, both human and not. While I do have some gripes with the story, which I will get to later in a spoiler section, the emotional core of the film is undeniably strong, and one that will move you, especially if you have kids of your own. And, as an added bonus, there’s plenty of thrilling action from the film’s start to finish too!
The other greatest strength of Ultraman Rising is its stunning visuals. This CG-Animated film takes full use of its medium, with vibrant, dazzling colors and an incredible sense of movement, scale and action. Some of the shots in this film are so gorgeous I had to stop the film just to take it in. The last time I saw an animated picture that visually stunning was last year’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and if you’ve seen that movie, you know how high praise that is.
The film pays great homage to its original source material, from including legacy Ultra Kaiju like Bemular and Neronga on-screen, to the dozens of easter eggs eagle-eyed fans can find littered in the backgrounds of various scenes. Ultraman Rising’s synthwave and rock soundtrack takes pieces of the original Ultraman theme music and remixes them, modernizing them and recontextualizing them for this film. The soundtrack, produced by Scot Stafford, gives this Ultraman his own auditory identity while paying respects to where it all began. Plus, those of you paying attention can hear vocaloid sensation Hatsune Miku in Emi’s Theme, further tying the soundtrack to the franchise’s Japanese roots.
Ultraman Rising has exploded on social media, causing a tremendous boom in interest for the Tokusatsu titan. So many people are excited to experience more Ultraman, which, as a fan, is fantastic to see. By the way, if you’ve just seen Ultraman Rising and are looking for more to experience, I personally point you to the original 1966 TV series, and the recent film Shin Ultraman – those two pieces of media are what made me fall in love with the character after all. Overall, I’m very happy with Ultraman Rising, and wholeheartedly recommend it to kids and adults alike! Though, while I am a big fan of Ultraman Rising, there are a few gripes I have with the film that hold it back from being truly great. Spoilers ahead for those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet!
My two biggest gripes with this film are with how it handles Ken Sato’s mom, Emiko (voiced by Tamlyn Tomita (left)) , and how it approaches the villain, Dr. Onda. After the film’s initial time skip, Emiko is nowhere to be found. Initially, I believed she had died, but the film later clarifies that Emiko isn’t dead, simply missing. The film also doesn’t explicitly tell you how or why Emiko went missing, which makes it harder to connect with on an emotional level. Due to their strained relationship, I had expected Emiko to have been lost during one of Ultraman’s many battles, which was why Professor Sato retired and Ken took up the mantle as Ultraman. However, this is not the case. In fact, Emiko asking is the reason Ken became Ultraman to begin with. To me, the family conflict would have been stronger if the film had committed to the idea of Emiko having perished in a Kaiju attack, which would have shown the sacrifices that come with being Ultraman. It would have made the conflict between Ken and his father far rawer and more emotional, instead of Ken just being mad that his dad wasn’t there for him growing up – he could have held his father responsible for his mother’s death. Instead, we’re left with this “missing person” angle which feels far more “kid-friendly”, a bizarre choice when so much of this film reads as adult, from the way parenting is front and center in it. It’s an angle I personally didn’t agree with.
Speaking of which, let’s discuss the film’s villain, Dr. Onda (played by Keone Young (right)). Dr. Onda is the head of the Kaiju Defense Force, and a man on a mission to exterminate all Kaiju after an attack killed his wife and daughter. This is an exceptionally understandable origin for the film’s villain, and one we as an audience can empathize with. The problem is that the film never presents us with a real argument as to why what Dr. Onda wants is wrong. Yes, obviously killing an entire species is wrong, from a base level. However, these Kaiju undoubtedly kill hundreds or thousands of people every time they rampage through the city, with or without Ultraman’s involvement. When a creature presents such a clear and present danger to humanity, it’s no wonder people want to eliminate them! Not to mention, we see several Kaiju who Ken’s father fought before reappear in the city, and Ken has to fight them. So really, by sparing the Kaiju, that just means they’ll return and kill more people! At no point do we, as an audience, see any argument for why Ultraman’s way of doing things is better than Onda’s. In the final battle, when Onda is screaming at Professor Sato that Ultraman couldn’t protect his family, that he let them die, Sato offers no rebuttal, no excuse, no apology. While Ultraman can’t save everyone, it feels kind of ridiculous to not even try and open a dialogue with Onda, when he’s clearly suffered so much. Overall, Ultraman Rising doesn’t do enough to support its titular hero’s views, which makes the central conflict feel a little deflated, honestly.
Having said all of that, I still recommend Ultraman Rising. It and Shin Ultraman are excellent jumping-on points for the franchise. While Ultraman Rising does have its flaws, none of them make the film terrible. It’s still a visual feast for the senses, and one fans of the Tokusatsu genre will surely treasure for years to come. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s never been a better time to be a fan of Kaiju and Tokusatsu. I give Ultraman Rising 3.5 stars out of 5. When the going gets tough, rise up.
