Ultraman, Vol. 1 (1)

A interesting take on the Ultraman franchise. It's set years after the original TV series and Hyata, if you follow the Japanese ending and not the English dubbed one, still doesn't remember his time with the Science Patrol during the period Ultraman was around or the fact he was Ultraman. Although he does have some enhanced strength now that he can not explain and hides.But his friend Ide shows him footage the government doctored to remove the fact an alien destoryed a plane in mid air. Flash forward 12 years later and Hyata's son Shinjiro, who also processes enhanced abilities, is met by said alien and attack.

Now as a first volume, it's not bad. actually it went by by pretty quick. but it sets up the premise for shinjiro, the hero in this series, explaining that his father had a left over "Ultraman factor" in his genes that he inherited. Outside of a kid who's trying to appear normal I really didn't get much of a read on Shinjiro. Although Ide seems to have some secrets and a agenda, or that could also just be how interpreting his line, that doesn't jive with his more comedy relief role in the original series Hyata feels the same to me. If you are a fan of the ultra franchise I would check it out.

A great start to a manga adaption of a classic Japanese hero with a rich history and lore from his own TV show. Its no problem if you don't know a thing about the Ultraman television series or any other related media, this first volume introduces elements and characters you need to know in a fresh new take similar to a reboot. Highly recommended reading for both old and new fans alike.

Picking up years after the original Ultraman series (yes, the 1960's one) we find Hiyata and the Science Patrol has retired and have been living in peace. Hiyata now has a son named Shinjiro and lives a simple life without the title of Ultraman, however, trouble begins to brew over the once peaceful nation of Japan... !

This was a fun read, defintely recommend this to any Ultra-fan or even if you want a new manga to read, check this one out!

*****Spoilers*****
I'm a huge Ultraman fan and love all the variations of the hero that appear on TV and movies. This manga feels like it's written to appeal to me, but ends up pandering - starting off with introductions of elderly Hyata and Ide. Hyata seems dull and frightened, while Ide seems unrealistic. Despite decades of close relationship, they've hidden enormous secrets from each other - I don't buy it. Over and over, the story contains unbelievable elements like "the ultra factor", Hyata in unhelmeted exo-armor, and why would a Bemular even need exo armor much less fit in it? c'mon.
The art is dramatic but hard to decipher - even for a manga maniac. But I'm a huge fan, so I read it and I'll read the sequels but I can't recommend it.

An interesting take on the Ultraman world. As someone who's only watched the original show, the transition was pretty seamless. However, I will say that the book's plot, while good, suffers from one problem - it's not the Ultraman of old. I understand that the market for giant monster fighting isn't really huge anymore in Japan, but the human-sized battle suits don't really live up to the size and spectacle of the mega-sized creatures of old. It seems more like a traditional mech or superhero story rather than an Ultraman-vs-Mega-Monsters story, which I was hoping for. Like I said, it's a good read - and I recommend checking it out - but it's best to go in KNOWING it's not a traditional Ultraman tale. Otherwise, you might end up underwhelmed.

This is a fun new take on the Ultraman universe. Not your old school man in a rubber suit kids show from Japan. This manga is the basis for the netflix series. If you are a fan of ultraman I would give it a look.

This is a good action book that continues from where the original Ultraman tv series picked up, but doesn't have a ton in common with that series - there aren't any giant monsters or growing to extreme sizes to fight said monsters. Instead, we're treated to something closer to what you'll find in Kamen Rider or Metal Heroes - somebody with super powers wears a powered suit in order to fight another human-sized monster. Not that that's a bad thing, but if you're picking this book up in hopes of finding awesome city-demolishing daikaiju action, you won't get it here. Perhaps this will be remedied in future issues, but so far there is none.

The plot is enjoyable, with cool little nods and references to the old series, but is easily understood if you've never watched Ultraman. It offers a nice set up for potential future storylines, and I can see this becoming something very enjoyable in the future. The art is good, though a bit hard to tell exactly what is going on at times. Overall, a solid and fun book with potential to do really cool things in the future.

I'm actually not at all familiar with the Ultraman franchise but I do like manga, so I decided to give this a try. There's enough backstory for those unfamiliar with the franchise so you're not left hanging, and later the story picks up to the son of the previous Ultraman as a sort of "coming of age" thing where he gets the torch passed onto him and he deals with his powers and how to use them constructively. It's still the beginning so there's still room to grow and change but at this point the opening after the time skip seems a bit generic.

This is a great starting point for readers new to the Ultraman mythos. The first volume sets the tone for the strange,strange universe humanity lives in, and the idea that what we see isn't really what we see.

Great