Customer Reviews

Ultraman: The Complete Series

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First things first...I've seen some of the audio comments (English dubbing intercut with Japanese subtitles) made for this release and the one back in 2006. Think of your favorite syndicated show. You know having watched the original that some scenes get cut in syndication. Now, think of Ultraman in that same vein, only it was already in "syndication" when it reached our shores way back. So, when the complete, original episodes are released on DVD, they include original, Japanese-only scenes which WERE NEVER DUBBED IN ENGLISH. However, to be a complete episode, they are still inlcuded.

Now, on with the review. After occasionally catching a Power Ranger show a few years back, I knew that I would need to steer my young son clear of this influence (the kids are always fighting and sarcastic with each other.) Anyway, my comment in seeing the "power" rangers would be, "Ultraman could defeat these guys." My boy became curious as to who I was talking about, and when the Ultraman DVDs were released back in 2006, I was able to show him.

Talk about the memories that this show rekindles. The first time the show's theme song began to play, I got chills. I was immediately taken back to my grandmother's house in rural Pennsylvania (we didn't get Ultraman in Texas in the '70s.) I watched a few episodes with my son and I could still recall some of the details in the story line that I hadn't seen for thirty years. Over time, I have managed to find Ultraman action figures that my son loves, and even a beta capsule that makes the familiar sound.

I bought this latest release because over the three years, nephews have managed to scratch the older DVDs. Now, each one will have their own set for Christmas (hard to beat at this price.)

If you remember Ultraman as he was, your memory will probably be stirred by this set. If you are new to the original Ultraman, you'll have to dial back your current expectation level of special effects and sound quality, but hopefully you will still be able to appreciate the presentation of how things were in the almost forty years ago.

I used this series to springboard my son's exposure to the Godzilla movies of the '60s and '70s. Enjoy.

This review is for the Complete Series 4 DVD set released in 2009, not the 6 DVD set released in 2008. Since this is my first Ultraman DVD set, I am not sure if the quality suffers be squeezing all episodes from 6 DVDs to 4 DVDs.

The DVD case is a double-wide DVD case, but there are no spindles/holders. The 4 DVDs are each put in a black paper sleeve and are stacked on top of each other. The sleeves don't move around because they are "held" in place by a square shaped molding on the inside of the DVD case.

I was very surprised by this packaging because I have dozens of DVD television sets and have never seen a set packaged like this. For the price (I paid $10.99 free shipping), I am okay with it, but just be prepared that is a bare-bones budget set.

5 stars for the show, 3 stars for the packaging.

It is true that if you already have the previous, two box sets, (Volumes 1 and 2), then this full collection is not needed, BUT, if you are an Ultraman fan from way back, then this new collection is well worth having if you don't already own the previous, two volume collections.

I think it is amazing that this set is even available. This is quite enjoyable for me, having seen these episodes on broadcast TV, way back in the 1970s.

This collection is a bit of a labor of love, perhaps more so than it being a major commercial studio release. So, at times it may seem rough around some edges, yet, I say again, it is a wonder that these episodes are even available, and even more complete than they appeared on 1970s TV in the USA, nearly four decades ago.

A lot of creative talent overlaps the Godzilla films of the 1960s and 1970s, so if you like those Godzilla films, then this TV series is pretty similar. It leans to the more kid-friendly aspects of the Godzilla films.

The only thing you should be warned about is to not be confused by the added footage that never appeared on TV in the USA. Imagine if the DVD makers of this set were able to round up all the deleted scenes that were cut from each episode, well, they have! But, instead of putting them on the DVD as a Bonus Feature, separate from each episode, they have done it better by restoring these cut scenes and footage right back into their natural continuity of each episode. Here's the catch: this restored footage was never dubbed into English for TV in the USA, so there is no English dialog recorded. The DVD makers had to just use the original Japanese language audio with English sub-titles for these extra scenes.

I don't mind. It is easy to get used to it, once you understand the situation.

I can highly recommend this DVD set to anybody who fondly remembers these old Ultraman episodes from way back, or for any fans of the Godzilla films. You will not be disappointed, and the more of a serious fan you are, the more you will enjoy this DVD collection!

If you already own Ultraman Series One, Volumes 1&2, (as I do) then you already own this release. The only thing that is different is the box and the box art. The part numbers for each DVD are exactly the same. I was hoping that for this "complete" series, they would have resolved the licensing issue and released the entire set in English as was shown on American TV, but no such luck. Scenes within a single episode randomly switch between English and Japanese. The begining and ending credits are in Japanese with English singing. There should have been some indication in the promotion of this set that it was the same as the previously released DVD's.

If you were a kid in the early '70s and you remember being glued to the TV watching Ultraman then you certainly can't go wrong buying this DVD release. If you have children this is the perfect opportunity to show them a series with substance that inspires thought and creativity instead of the nonsense that is aired these days.

However, having said that, I am a little disappointed in these last two DVD releases (this one and the 2006 release) for a couple of key reasons:

First off, not all of the dubbed English is present. It is not because it doesn't exist anymore; in 1996 a video tape was released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the show. It was labeled Vol. 1 and contained the first four episodes.

When I first watched the DVDs I realized that dialogue spoken in Japanese was definitely aired with an English dub. I compared a couple of scenes with the videotape and those scenes were definitely aired in English.

I think what has happened with these DVD releases is that they reflect copyright and distribution battles between companies. This is why it took so long to release the series in the first place. The research was sloppy and hurried. With more time and care invested I think they could have incorporated most of the missing English. It is definitely available since various versions of the series have existed in one form or another throughout the years.

The other thing that bothers me is that they used the Japanese opening credits instead of the English version. This is an American release intended to be purchased and viewed by Americans. The show has always been available in Japan but here in the United States children saw English titles.

For me personally, the credits and theme songs are just as important as the contents of the show in order to recreate the original experience of having watched these shows as a kid back in the early '70s.

Overall, it is wonderful that the series has finally been released in the United States. If you loved this show you will love watching these discs.

I just wish that someone would release Ultraman, Space Giants and Johnny Sokko as they were presented on American TV with all English dubbing intact and all opening/closing credits (and themes) intact.

If you are fortunate enough to speak and understand Japanese you could have bought imports of the show all along in their native environments but the opening credits and theme songs that we have come to know are different and should have been preserved for an American release.

As someone born shortly after the show finished, I saw the episodes as a child in syndication in Detroit in the late 70's on WXON (TV 20). I have observed various incarnations of the "complete" series both here and on various other web sites, but never at less than $10. When I saw this box set, I knew I had to add it to my order.

My review:

Packaging: The four DVD set comes in a single plastic case, the four DVDs inside are protected from scratches by being further packaged in CD envelopes (I actually like and appreciate this!). The case did arrive to me (all the way in Afghanistan) with a corner cracked (no DVDs were damaged). One hit to Amazon for a crushed box that had no filler inside (popcorn or airbags).

DVDs: The 39 episode series is from the mid-to-late 60's, so I expected very little quality increase from the episodes available on YouTube. I was surprised to find the quality of this set was actually excellent! The main menu features the title song (in Japanese) and a short clip of Ultraman. You can change the available languages from Japanese (default) to English. The final DVD has bonus interviews with the dub & voiceover actors and a nice slideshow of the monsters.

The episodes are shown in their entirety. This means that when certain scenes were clipped in the U.S. dubbed version, they appear in the episode (not dubbed, but in Japanese with English subtitles). This is where some people are not happy with the series. I did not mind it at all, as it happens very infrequently. I do remember, however, that some of the scenes were actually dubbed and I viewed them as a child on TV. I don't know what happened to the dubbed scenes, but I am still happy with the final product.

At less than $10, how can you go wrong? The episodes are all here and now I am interested in seeing the "other" Ultraman series available at Amazon.

This is Ultraman complete and unabridged. All 39 original episodes of glory.
There have been complaints on this site that some parts are in Japanese, but these parts were clipped from the original English dub making it impossible for them to be in English. The people who made this are not trying to cheat you they are just giving it to you like it is or was or whatever. Shuwatch!

It has all the episodes. I'm watching it on an old CRT so I can't say how great the quality is...I assume it has a low bit rate to squeeze the entire series onto 4 discs. But it seems to be good enough quality for the source material. Only giving it 4 stars because of the switching between English/Japanese (the English dubs are not the full episodes, so where they added back the Japanese-only scenes, it switches to Japanese audio with English subtitles). Not ideal but it works.

For the price, getting this set is a no-brainer.

Sound quality is terrible, however it's really old so, what did I expect for 1966? Fantastic memories brought back. When that swirly paint effect came on Saturday mornings, that's when I knew Ultraman was about to start! I had no idea it was such a cheesy show. It makes sense, though. A kids show put together by Japanese men who thought like kids, especially, Eiji Subaraya. He's the same guy who did the special effects for Godzilla. A big shocker came in one of the episodes where a special appearance is made by an old famous monster who got prepped to look like a different creature when in fact there's no mistaking who it is! I'm not giving it away! You just have to watch for yourself. Oh, yeah! It's easy to see that monster suits were recycled to look like different monsters in other episodes. Isn't it crazy all the stuff that just flew over my head as a kid? It's cheesy, special effects weren't that great, and story lines made no sense every week. When their not on duty, they still wear the exact same suit to go on vacation, shopping, the gas station or anywhere. How weird! And yet......... I LOVE IT! I must be weird! to all you weirdos who used to pretend to be Silvery Red himself...... ULTRAMAN!

Being a huge fan of the early Godzilla movies, I thought I'd check this out. I was a little worried as I'd seen comments regarding the image quality, though from what I've watched so far it's really what you'd expect: A show from the 60s put to DVD. The show itself is lots of fun, with cheesy laser special effects, budget monsters-of-the-week and lots and lots of models being blown to pieces.

Honestly, you already know if you like this sort of stuff. And I love it. And for this price, it's hard to say no.