Tag Archives: Ultraman: Rising

#3836: Ultra Dad

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ULTRA DAD — ULTRAMAN: RISING

S.H. FIGUARTS (BANDAI)

I feel like every time I review an Ultraman, I remark that I don’t review Ultraman stuff enough.  And, seeing as it’s been seven months since my last review, I suppose it still holds true.  When last I spoke of Ultramen, I talked a bit about Ultraman: Rising, Netflix’s animated Ultraman movie from last summer.  This builds a bit on that.  The central theme of the movie is parenthood, with the main character’s respective relationships with his adoptive “daughter” Emi and his own father playing parallel with each other.  One of the film’s neat surprise twists is the reveal that Ken’s father, the previous holder of the Ultra mantle, can still harness the abilities, granting him a modified version of the classic design, affectionately dubbed “Ultra Dad.”

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultra Dad is a 2025 online-exclusive S.H. Figuarts release, designed to follow-up on the main Ultraman release for the film from last year.  The figure stands about 4 3/4 inches and he has 38 points of articulation.  Ultra Dad’s articulation scheme is pretty much what you’d expect from a Figuarts release at this point.  The range of motion is all pretty solid, especially given his smaller stature.  Speaking of smaller stature, this guy’s an inch and a half shorter than the main Ultraman, which is a bit surprising when you see it, but also accurate to the depictions of the characters in the movie.  He’s got a new sculpt, and it’s a solid, clean recreation of Hayao’s Ultra Dad design from the movie.  Like Ken, it’s very stylized, and in a way that lines up very well with the Ken figure from last year.  Ultra Dad’s color work is likewise a good match for the prior figure.  The silver is a little on the flat side compared to the film’s very reflective take, but it ultimately works okay.  I do really like the extra shiny finish on the red sections.  The only slight downside is that the ankles, wrists, and knees are more of a flat grey, which doesn’t quite match.  Ultra Dad is packed with three different eye plates, 13 different hands (L and R fists, L and R relaxed, L and R open gesture, L and R open-er gesture, L and R powered up, L and R flat, and a left flat that’s different than the pair?), two different color timers, and an extra effect piece hand meant to go with the prior Ken figure.  Generally, it’s decent spread, covering most of the bases.  The one issue I did run into with this one is that his outer faceplate doesn’t sit as securely as it did on the Ken figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Given how much I enjoyed Rising, I’ve been really on board for all of the figure coverage too.  When this look showed up in the movie, I immediately wanted a figure of it.  I was very happy to see it get announced so quickly after the fact.  He’s certainly a fun figure.  He’s not as much his own standalone piece as he is an accent piece for the main Ultraman release, but that’s what I wanted him to be, so that works out well for me.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3696: Ultraman & Emi

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

ULTRAMAN & EMI — ULTRAMAN: RISING

S.H. FIGUARTS (BANDAI)

Every so often, I get to talk about Ultraman here, but it honestly never feels like it’s often enough.  I should be talking about Ultraman all the time!  If only there were some way for me to control what I write about here on the site…oh well.  Since I only talk about the franchise every so often, I haven’t yet gotten to discuss Ultraman: Rising, Netflix’s animated film that hit back in June.  That’s something I should really fix, because, simply put, Rising was amazing.  Genuinely loved every minute of it.  It was just a really strong break down of the core Ultraman elements packaged in an easy to approach story that works not just for me, a lifelong Ultra fan, but also for my wife and kids, who know very little about the franchise.  If you haven’t checked it out, I very much recommend it.  To, like, everyone.  Even if you don’t really know or like Ultraman.  Especially then, honestly.  More people should know and like Ultraman.  And, the coolest thing about new Ultraman media is new Ultraman toys!  The Rising designs are getting coverage in all manner of styles, and, keeping consistent with my collecting habits, I snagged the S.H. Figuarts release of main character Ken Sato as Ultraman, alongside Emi, the infant monster he finds himself responsible for raising.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultraman and Emi are a late-summer/early-fall S.H. Figurarts release for this year.  There’s technically two releases of Ultraman: this one, and one at a lower price point that cuts the Emi figure.  I get what they’re going for, but it does seem somewhat to miss the whole point of the movie to cut the Emi figure.  Why would you not want the Emi figure?  Are you some sort of silly person?  Well, there’s certainly no silly people around here!  The main Ultraman figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 38 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is pretty standard for the Figuarts Ultras, so it’s very poseable.  I did find the joints were a little tighter on this release than some of the others I’ve snagged.  He’s based on the film’s animation models pretty directly, and he does quite a nice job of capturing Ken’s look as Ultraman.  He’s got those proper exaggerated proportions, and the detailing is all very sharply handled.  The articulation is largely worked in pretty well, with the only exception being his slightly wonky hips.  In the film, Ken’s Ultraman form is very shiny and reflective, which can be tricky to translate to a plastic figure.  This one doesn’t do so bad with it, though.  The silver’s maybe a touch flatter than it should be, but it’s cleanly applied, as is the red around it.  Everything is very crisp, and I do quite like that.  Ultraman is packed with five pairs of hands (in fists, relaxed, light gesture, wide gesture, and flat), two color timers, and three separate eye plates, allowing him to look forward, and off to either side.  I particularly love the eyes; they add so much expression to the figure!  Not to be outdone, there’s also the Emi figure included.  She’s very tiny, at just over an inch tall, and she’s got 5 whole points of articulation, which doesn’t do a ton, but it does do enough.  Though small, the sculpt is quite accurate, and she scales nicely with Ken.  She’s even got her own accessory, a little stand that goes under her tail to help her keep her balance.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, umm, did I mention that I really liked the movie?  Because I really did.  My general Ultra fandom of course loved all those parts, but in particular the whole Emi angle really hit home with me, due to my own recent experiences with fatherhood, and her particularly reminding me of Aubrey.  I knew I wanted this pair even before the movie came out, and seeing the movie only strengthened that.  This was the last of the main product to hit, so I had to be patient, and I almost caved on some of the lower price point stuff, but I didn’t, and I’m happy I waited.  This is an exceptionally fun little set, and I can’t wait to pair them with the upcoming Ultra Dad.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.