Series REVIEW: Ultraman Taro

Despite Ultraman Ace proving to be fairly popular throughout its run, the show was not without its problems behind the scenes - so much so that some at broadcaster TBS even suggested putting the franchise on hiatus for a year following its completion. However producer Yoji Hashimoto was able to convince them otherwise, and work began on the next instalment as Tsuburaya Productions approached their tenth anniversary. The initial pitch was "Ultra Jack" - a space-based "neo fairy tale" series which would introduce the sixth Ultra Brother and build upon ideas from Ace. While many of the ideas presented would remain in the final version, the trouble was coming up with a name. Jack was a common name in Western fairy tales, but it was also felt to be too similar to "hijacking" - something which was a global issue at the time. So director Kazuho Mitsuda suggested a more Japanese name which conveyed the same idea - and thus Ultraman Taro was born. The series premiered on April 6th 1973, and ran for a total of 53 episodes.

Kotaro Higashi returns to Japan after a long voyage, with dreams of becoming a boxer. After inadvertently bringing the flower kaiju Astromons with him, a guilt-ridden Kotaro attempts to battle the monster - falling from it mid-flight. The next morning Kotaro is found by a group of elementary students as well as mysterious woman who reminds him of his deceased mother. The woman responds that Kotaro also reminds him of her son, handing him a strange badge.

After enlisting in the defence force ZAT (Zariba of All Territory), Kotaro engages the kaiju once more - this time seemingly killed when his aircraft is shot down. Instead he is transported to the Land of Light by the five Ultra Brothers, where Mother of Ultra revives him as their newest sibling. Returning to Earth, Kotaro fights both as a member of ZAT and Taro, Ultraman number six!

The first revival of the Ultra Series, starting in 1971 with Return of Ultraman and then following through to both Ace and Taro set about creating a shared universe that had been previously absent in the original three shows. Return started things steadily with the cameo appearances from Ultraman, Zoffy and Ultraseven, while Ace expanded upon this by fully establishing them (along with Jack) as the Ultra Brothers alongside Father of Ultra. The seeds were sown, but it's Taro that truly begins to shape the Ultraman mythos into the form we continue to see it to this day. Along with the Ultra Brother ranks continuing to grow, Taro introduces both Mother of Ultra as well as the Land of Light - the home planet of the Ultras. While its appearance would change in later years, its history as presented in "Burn! The Six Ultra Brothers" remains intact - even referencing concepts that wouldn't be fully expanded on until decades later. As such, it remains a pivotal piece of Ultraman history despite it also being something of an oddity. Tonally not only does it stand apart from its predecessors, but also as Tsuburaya themselves have presented the character in the years since.

The second half of Ultraman Ace debuted a much lighter tone for the franchise, something which is carried throughout Ultraman Taro almost in its entirety. While the sci-fi roots Ultraman built itself on are still there, Taro very much emphasises the fantastical - playing up the idea of it being a "neo fairy tale" with stories of wonder and whimsy. Whereas Ace had sets of episodes which it dubbed its "Summer/Winter Horror Stories", Taro has ones based on fairy tales and nursery rhymes. The result isn't just a more light-hearted and upbeat series, it's one that's unashamed to just be downright weird at time. Some of the more unique ways Taro defeats monsters over the course of the series include shrinking a giant crab kaiju down into lots of smaller crabs (which are then feasted upon by the people of Tokyo), engaging in a dance-off with an intoxicated monster before then attempting to sober it up and even pickling one with salt in a giant vat. Even the presentation of Taro feels different to previous Ultras, with little details like him calling out his attack names in Japanese (rather than just the usual signature Ultraman grunts) feels more superhero than mysterious alien. Even within the series the Ultras themselves have become far more marketable, evidenced not only by their status among the public but also the amount of merchandising they have.

All this was part of a conscientious effort by Tsuburaya to make Taro a more familiar character, both in terms of his Ultra form and his human alter-ego. In fact the show really blurs the lines between the two personas, so it's hard to see exactly where Kotaro ends and Taro begins. The premiere feels almost purposely vague, with Mother of Ultra's actions able to be read as a typical Ultraman merge, Taro becoming Kotaro or quite literally being born depending on how you read the scene (granted English subtitle translation could also have a lot to do with this). Later episodes confirm the latter not to be the case, but the show constantly flitters between evidence supporting either of the other scenarios. The same can also be said of Mother of Ultra, whose relation to the mysterious woman and Kotaro is left similarly unclear. Whether or not this works to make Taro a more relatable hero is debatable, but it certainly makes him one of the more interesting (if perhaps a little muddled) Ultraman protagonists.

But even if he isn't more relatable to the children of Japan, Kotaro is unquestionably a likeable hero. Lively and charismatic, Kotaro immediately makes a strong impression - jumping off of a boat before trying to take down a monster (as a civilian) with a crane. While Kotaro has the same strong sense of justice as his predecessors, much like the series itself he's a lot more jovial and rarely seen without a big smile on his face. In making Kotaro/Taro (for all intents and purposes the story largely treats them as one and the same despite the ambiguity) as the youngest of the Ultra Brothers it also often tries to present them as being more inexperienced, but this doesn't really show other than a few rare occasions. In fact the episodes that do make a big thing out of it (two-parter "Five Seconds Before the Great Explosion of the Land of Ultra" and "The Last Day of the Six Ultra Brothers") actually feels the most out of character, with the Ultra Brothers themselves proclaiming that they assist Taro too much and Kotaro in turn becoming uncharacteristically overconfident in his abilities until he's forced to learn a valuable lesson about teamwork (in reality, they don't really help Taro anymore than they previously helped Ace, and are quite often defeated whenever they do show up). Nevertheless Kotaro certainly isn't one of the weaker aspects of the show, and given how affable he is it's a shame that actor Saburo Shinoda has never returned to reprise the role.

Supporting Kotaro throughout his battles are ZAT, who again come across strongly. Whereas other Ultraman protagonists would sometimes clash with their respective organisations, ZAT really feel like a family - with any conflict more playful than anything else. Not only do they work brilliantly as a unit, but they also have similar personality types for the most part - often allowing them to properly get in on the silliness of the various situations they're thrown into. But while they're an active part of the series as a unit, individually they're a little more lacklustre. This is partly due to Ultraman Taro having a revolving door of cast members as far as ZAT is concerned, with key members coming and going without leaving much of an impression. Captain Yutaro Ashina for example only appears in 12 episodes due to actor Akira Nagoya's busy schedule, with the vice-captain Shuuhei Aragaki effectively taking charge for the majority of the show. But when his actor Takahiko Tono became injured near the end of the show, they introduce yet another vice-captain (Kazumi Nitani) for a mere three episodes. Jiro Nishida is another member that doesn't last long, with his actor Kiyotaka Mitsugi exiting by episode 13. But even though other members like Tadao Nanbara, Tetsuya Kitajima and Izumi Moriyama are far more memorable in that they actually appear all the way through, Taro feels much lighter on focus episodes for these characters. While there are some particularly memorable ones towards the end of the series, overall it feels much more focused on presenting them as a unit than individuals. It's interesting that the show's opening credits actually make ZAT the focus rather than Taro himself -  a close-up look at their base and gloriously kitsch fleet of vehicles through a very Gerry Anderson-inspired launch sequence.

ZAT aren't the only regulars of the series either, as Kotaro moves in with Saori and Kenichi Shiratori (the children of the Captain whose boat Kotaro travelled on) upon his return to Japan. Saori is another character that falls victim to actors' other commitments, with Mayumi Asaka portraying her for the first 16 episodes before Keiko Ono takes over in episode 20 for the remainder of the show. While played as a potential love interest for Kotaro, it isn't really something focused upon much - ultimately leading her to fall into the background a lot of the time. Kenichi on the other hand feels like a much bigger part of the show. With the majority of Taro's stories involving children, a recurring child character was essential - not just for focus episodes, but also highlighting his relationships with episodic cast members. As a more refined version of Ace's Dan Umezu, Kenichi works as an anchor and main point of view character for these episodes without becoming annoying, even if the set up for them often feels repetitive.

The lighter tone and more fantasy-based stories means Ultraman Taro naturally skews to a younger demographic than previous instalments, which perhaps gives it slightly more limited appeal to older fans unless they're fully behind Taro's brand of craziness - something which feels borderline parody at times. More kid-focus means most of the stories revolve around a child of the week, as well as a lot more sympathetic monster encounters as well. The latter is however often counteracted by the cartoon levels of violence found in Showa era Ultraman, resulting in regular bouts of tonal whiplash. In some respects mixing things up so that the franchise could continue to grow was probably a good thing, and in the end the series was far more successful with audiences than the darker tones of Ace. But on the other hand it also feels a lot more limited in scope than previous Ultra shows - fun to watch, but often much less thought-provoking. Of course that isn't to say Ultraman Taro doesn't have its own moments of seriousness, and it's perhaps the fact that these can suddenly spring from a lighter setting that make them all the more memorable. Take Birdon for example, widely considered to be Taro's most memorable monster. Over the course of three parts the kaiju proves itself to be one of the franchise's most deadly creations, not only defeating any rival monster in its past but also multiple Ultras in the process. And all whilst looking like a giant mutant turkey.

Together with weird and wonderful stories, Ultraman Taro brings a whole host of weird and wonderful monsters. Again a lot of the designs feel like a departure from previous series, with many monsters featuring simpler designs with more rounded features. From one standpoint they look "cheaper" or lesser quality - a by-product of the oil crisis the globe was facing at the time (something even referenced in the show itself). While Taro didn't fall victim to it quite as much as Ultraman Leo would the following year, the crisis still forced changes in the way the suits were produced. But a slightly more optimistic view is that they're almost childlike in design - something that fits the style of the show perfectly. That said the show still has plenty of strong offerings, with favourites such as Birdon, Alien Temperor, Tyrant and Alien Valky all making their debuts here. Naturally there are also a lot more monsters that tie back to folklore as well, such as the Oni kaiju Kisaragi to go alongside the bean-throwing Setsubun festival.

On top of newly created monsters more in-keeping with Taro's lighter tone, the series also includes the return of a few old favourites. As you might expect however, how exactly they're used is a far cry from their original appearances - making them a lot less appealing than they originally seem. Take Alien Mefilas' return for example, an alien notable for being one of the few to truly stand up against the original Ultraman. The Alien Mefilas of Ultraman Taro? His plan to take over the world involves hiding out in a vending machine to poison children. Eleking is another kaiju that takes a very strange turn for his reappearance, revived by the moon and now inexplicably a fire-based monster rather than electric. While the episodes themselves are consistent with the overall feel of Taro, how far removed these versions feel makes the return of these fan favourites fall flat. Bemstar (in a suit that's looking considerably worse for wear) and Yapool also return in a much stronger two-parter, which stands out among some of Taro's darker moments.

Returning characters also stretches beyond simply enemies as well. By this point cameo appearances from the previous Ultra Brothers was to be expected, but Taro takes it one step further by having their human alter egos also reprise their roles. Shin Hayate (Susume Kurobe), Dan Moroboshi (Kohji Moritsugu), Hideki Go (Jiro Dan) and Seiji Hokuto (Keiji Takamine) all return for the previously mentioned two-part story, making the first and only these actors have appeared onscreen together. Perhaps even surprising however is the return of Yuko Minami in "The Father of Ultra and Son Big Mochi-Making Strategy", a somewhat festive special in which Taro helps the kaiju Mochiron in sampling Earth's mochi. Given how sudden her departure in Ultraman Ace felt it would have easy for the franchise to just carry out without ever seeing her again, so her reappearance here comes as a very pleasant surprise. Not only is her return alongside Father of Ultra a nice continuation of their appearance in Ace's own Christmas special, but her being from the moon finally feels fitting - perfectly blending in with Taro's unique take on Japanese folklore. Despite being as prominent in the show's opening theme lyrics as Mother of Ultra, Father of Ultra's appearances are far more fleeting. The pair never really cross paths either, which is a shame given their mythos feels just as important to the show as Taro himself.

Even during a time when the popularity of superhero shows was reaching an all-time high, Ultraman Taro stands out as something unique. While its wackiness doesn't always stick the landing, the "neo fairy tale" premise is often so out there that you can't help but admire the ambition. The shift in tone also won't be to everyone's tastes, but it's a stronger series for sticking with it than pivoting halfway through the same way its predecessor did. Though not the strongest series the Ultraman franchise has to offer, Taro is definitely one that has to be seen to be believed.