Return of Ultraman: MAT Arrow 1 Takeoff Order is a 1983 fan-made short film based off Tsuburaya Productions' Return of Ultraman. The film was made by Hideaki Anno, a longtime fan of the Ultraman Series who would go on to produce works such as the Evangelion series and Shin Ultraman, and his company Daicon Film, which he started with his friends in university. The film stars Hideaki himself in a maskless/headless Ultraman Jack-like suit.
On November 18, 2022, the film was released on Prime Video alongside Shin Ultraman.[1]
Production[]
Hideaki Anno and his friends/partners at Daicon Film decided to produce this short film to promote Daicon 4 at the 22nd Japan Science Fiction Convention in 1983, and had to make their own suits, sets, props and effects. Because cosplay shops barely existed back then, the staff had to create their own MAT uniforms (which better resembled the UG's) by having them sewn at an ordinary clothing store. Nishigaki Toshihiko and Yuki Nishi spent some of their time making the suits, but they ended up not fitting very well.
Several sound effects and musical scores were taken from Return of Ultraman and Ultraman 80, with the opening theme being "Tatakae! Ultraman", the rejected runner-up theme song of Return of Ultraman.
Hideaki's own spectacles were used for Ultraman's transformation item.
Plot[]
The meteor Lambda 1 crashes onto the Earth, destroying the whole of Hiratsune city instantly. While investigating the meteorite, MAT member Ibuki is attacked by the monster Bug Jewel, causing his MAT Arrow to crash. After finding conventional weaponry to be ineffective against the monster, the Earth Defense Force decides to use nuclear weapons against it, but member Hayakawa (who was actually Ultraman) disagrees. The next morning, member Ibuki's father Captain Ibuki sortied in a MAT Arrow equipped with nuclear weapons.
Characters[]
MAT[]
- Captain Ibuki
- Member Hayakawa
- Member Ibuki
- Member Yamaga
- Member Imamura
- Member Nishi
Ultra[]
Kaiju[]
- Kiruan/Bug Jewel
Cast[]
- Captain Ibuki: Yasuhiro Takeda
- Member Hayakawa: Joiichi Hayashi
- Member Ibuki: Takeshi Sawamura
- Member Yamaga: Takashi Nyoten
- Member Imamura: Nishigaki Toshihiko
- Member Nishi: Yuki Nishi
- Ultraman: Hideaki Anno
- Kiruan: Norio Tamura
- Narrator: Kifumi Seizumi
Staff[]
- Director: Hideaki Anno
- Special effects director: Takami Akai
- Screenplay: Toshio Okada
- Producers: Yasuhiro Takeda, Takeshi Sawamura
- Planning and production: Daicon Film
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
External Links[]
- Unofficial YouTube upload
- Return of Ultraman trailer
- The making of Return of Ultraman
- Archived link to Gainax's website
References[]