r/Ultraman

As I’ve been going back and catching up on the Ultraman series I’ve missed, Tiga has been a highly anticipated one for me. I remember starting it a few times in the past, only to fall off and never come back. This time around, though my recent marathoning, I committed to watching Tiga in its entirety and even picked up the Mill Creek DVD set to make the experience easier. The DVD is fine for the most part, though the large absence of Take Me Higher is sorely missed.

That aside, I can see why Tiga has such a strong reputation among long-time fans. I see it as a bridge of sorts between the old-school shows and what would become the current era of shows, blending traditional elements with new-school ideas like the form changes. Tiga celebrates 30 years of Ultraman, utilizing what made the franchise special in the first place and incorporating its own flare to make this new hero stand out.

Speaking of the new hero, Tiga himself is an excellently designed Ultraman. I would go so far as to put him in my top 5 or 10 favorite Ultras. His look is incredibly sleek, bringing in touches of indigo to the standard red and silver tones of Ultraman. He certainly stood out, especially among his Ultra contemporaries at the time.

GUTS, as an attack team, is great as well. Not since the SSSP in the original ‘66 show have I enjoyed an attack team this much in an Ultraman show and I think the main reason for that is, much like SSSP, we see and learn about the GUTS members beyond their duties. From Iruma’s relationship with her son to simply Munakata having a drink with his buds, these moments helped me care for them that much more.

I will say that Daigo may be the least interesting of the group, though that’s largely due to his own lack of development compared to the rest of GUTS. I think his actor does a great job bringing likability to the role, though, and I didn’t know until midway into the show that not only was he in a band but his band produced Take Me Higher, which was an excellent piece of trivia.

All of this and I haven’t even discussed the battle scenes, which are impressive even today, largely in regard to how they’re filmed. Everything from camera angles to the use of sunsets helps make these scenes feel dynamic. The final battle, though, may be one of the best I’ve seen in the entire franchise. Even if the special effects are dated, good camera work never goes out of style.

Overall, Tiga was an excellent watch. It did take a few episodes for it to truly grab me, but once it did, it maintained a steady clip throughout. I haven’t seen the movies or specials, so maybe I’ll do that once I’ve wrapped up a few other series. Can’t wait to see what else his franchise has in store!