#Ultraman 1970s shows series
#Ultraman 1970s shows tv

These documents can then inform partners, such as toy licensees, comic book publishers, and video game designers, who could study aspects of the mythology and develop self-contained stories that fit into the franchiseвЂ™s new canon.

#Ultraman 1970s shows series

Thus, his team of pop culture experts, writers, and translators mined decades of Ultraman content for its most intriguing aspects and merged them to create a series of вЂњmythology documentsвЂќ that showed how their versions of the characters and story worlds worked with each other. On the flipside, Gomez-a member of various Ultraman fan pages-realized the 50+ years of Ultraman mythology needed to be streamlined for new fans to have jump-on points and come to understand the property. Mill Creek Entertainment is distributing Ultraman series from all three periods of the franchise. He also sought to retain the defining traits of Ultraman-particularly the way most Ultras shared their power with a human host, allowing an ordinary man or woman to become a giant capable of protecting humanity in moments of crisis. To amplify this core value to an international audience, Gomez saw an opportunity to emphasize how kaiju represent modern problems such as rising authoritarianism, climate change, and disinformation, which would resonate with contemporary audiences. вЂњTo be able to share those insights with Tsuburaya Productions allowed for them to realize that we were sensitive to not just Ultraman as a type of superhero, but Ultraman as a symbol that was still relevant and ought to be communicated to the rest of the world.вЂќ вЂњAnd that speaks to this notion of the positivity of technology, the aspiration to courage and hope and kindness,вЂќ he states. He emphasized that, unlike other heroes, Ultraman often вЂњprovides spaceвЂќ for the kaiju he battles to retreat or surrender, and only destroys them as a last resort. In an interview with Den of Geek, Gomez relates how he used this understanding of what Ultraman represents to Japanese audiences in his meeting with Tsuburaya Productions to show he knew what made Ultraman such a unique property. The Ultras, by contrast, were symbols of Japanese progressiveness-technologically advanced beings who used their enlightened natures and powers to protect and inspire humanity. Audiences MarvelвЂ™s Top 20 Ultraman comics boast covers from renowned artists like Jorge Molina.ДЄs a Japanese franchise that emerged in the 1960s, Ultraman originally reflected many of JapanвЂ™s post World War II anxieties, as represented by the giant kaiju creatures that attacked its cities. Then, using both nostalgia marketing and a transmedia storytelling strategy employed with great success by Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and other companies, The Licensing Group and Starlight Runner created a marketing plan for Ultraman to reach existing fans and new audiences through multiple platforms. A lifelong fan of the Ultraman series, Gomez employed his understanding of the franchise to help emphasize its unique qualities and translate it into a form more accessible to American audiences. Recently, however, Jeff Gomez, CEO of transmedia production company Starlight Runner Entertainment, was recruited by Danny Simon, founder of licensing company The Licensing Group, to team with Tsuburaya and bring Ultraman to America using a different marketing strategy. The original Ultra Brothers are celebrated as classic superheroes in Japan, predating Power Rangers and Kamen Rider. As a result, Ultraman remained an obscure property in the US for decades. While Ultraman did develop a fandom in the U.S., simply offering English dubbed versions of the show failed to give it the same traction as other U.S. release in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly after the success of Westernized franchises like Power Rangers (itself adapted from JapanвЂ™s long-running Super Sentai series). Additional series and an animated show also saw U.S. The franchiseвЂ™s success caught the attention of American producers who sought to adapt shows like Ultraman and Ultraseven for U.S.

#Ultraman 1970s shows tv

Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the story of a race of giant вЂњUltrasвЂќ superheroes who came to Earth to battle kaiju (giant monsters and aliens), struck a chord with Japanese audiences who eagerly consumed Ultraman TV shows, movies, toys, and comic books (manga), giving their hero the same pop culture status as AmericaвЂ™s Superman. Since 1966, JapanвЂ™s Ultraman media franchise has generated billions of dollars in merchandising revenue, proving to be one of the countryвЂ™s most lucrative properties.