Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi
Starring Tomoya Warabino, Himena Yamada, Konomi Naito
Ultraman Blazar is a 2023 entry in the long-running Ultraman cycle which aired worldwide on YouTube to positive acclaim. I get the sense, browsing the odd comment here and there that, among fans, it enjoys a better-than-average reputation. My own experience with Ultraman is limited to a few episodes of the original 1960s series and the excellent Shin Ultraman from 2022. Beyond that, which of the almost forty TV shows would I choose from? Blazar happened to be in the right place at the right time, though the exact chronology escapes me now. I don’t remember if I knew about star Konomi Naito (the actress and martial artist discussed on my last video) and then heard a reputable recommendation or vice versa. Either way, the final factor was its proximity to Godzilla Minus One. I was in the tokusatsu mood, and here again – though this time coincidentally – staring down the barrel of Godzilla Minus Zero, I’m back in Tokyo for one final kaiju showdown.
Ultraman Blazar the Movie is, as its title suggests, the feature-length sequel to the 25-episode television series which, if I remember correctly, ended on a satisfying note. This is hardly an End of Evangelion scenario, but maybe more like the supplemental Cowboy Bebop or El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. Gotta say that title every time, so they’ll never forget. The titular showdown is not the grand, climactic event, but a new monster of the week, with additional time and budget for character work and more involved set pieces. I’m not totally convinced of the former, that we’ve capitalized on the opportunity afforded by the runtime, but the latter, surely. With double the length, we have twice as many Ultraman appearances (two), as well as a fun John Wick-style run-and-gun scene and plenty of monster mayhem. There is zero change to the visual texture which is as plain as daytime children’s programming – nondefinitional lighting, not even any nauseating color-grading – except for a few affected angles which don’t add too much:
And this doesn’t add too much because the formula was already perfect. The weird lenses and wide shots of the scene pictured above gesture toward clinical distance to the characters, when they’ve always been warm. To set the scene a bit: like the TV show, Ultraman Blazar the Movie follows the six-member SKaRD team, which stands for “Special Kaiju Reaction Detachment” and responds to giant monster attacks. It’s led by Captain Gento Hiruma, who’s bonded with a powerful but benevolent alien entity known as Ultraman Blazar, a more feral and goofy take on the Giant of Light than I’ve ever seen. When Gento inserts a disc into the Nerf gauntlet on his wrist, he transforms into 150-foot Blazar, who makes trilling sounds and jumps up and down and pokes his head out from behind buildings just because he’s feeling mischievous (see: the top image). While Gento/Blazar delivers flying knees into the faces of hapless rubber-suit kaiju – of impeccable design and construction – the rest of SKaRD assists either on the ground or in Earth Garon, a wolf-themed take on Mechagodzilla. Naturally, they don’t know about Gento’s alter ego, and never wonder why he’s missing during the final battle.
In practice, Ultraman Blazar is as much daikaiju eiga as it is a workplace sitcom, like a family-friendly Patlabor. The acting is dialed up to the zone of big facial expressions, and the silly technobabble is delivered with force. The delicate balance is effortless; it’s lighthearted but never insincere. In effect, it’s so likable. The actors – who are all hot – live in this tone like a second skin, stretching the range for individual episodes focused on their respective characters or, in the case of the movie, spotlight moments. The show and the film are both good about distributing these moments evenly among the cast. Still, Captain Gento is our lead here, and he’s given not necessarily a character arc but time for reflection when the job mirrors his home life. While he deals with a son who’s worried about a possibly sick mother, the unfolding kaiju crisis gradually reveals a young boy at the center, the son of Dr. Mabuse, who’s one of these guys who has to tell people “I’m not a mad scientist” despite researching the bodies of fallen monsters to unlock human immortality.
For those who have seen the movie and its big twist, I’m really not sure how those missiles were fired. And for those who haven’t but are interested enough to read this far, Ultraman Blazar the Movie is easily recommended. Of course, start with the first episode of the show, but failing that, there’s a sizable recap at the start of the movie which at least shows you the highlights. No crazy, complicated story, it’s more about the atmosphere. There’s a coziness to the world of Blazar, from its tight-knit team of lovable goofballs to its positively toyetic production design. Every time Ultraman pulls out a new weapon, the style du cinema is indistinguishable from a commercial. In total, it scratches an itch you might not even know is there. It certainly does for me, especially ahead of our unprecedented “R-rated Godzilla,” which is nothing short of absurd (I’m sure that movie will make me cry).
Won’t have this guy, though. Well, it might
