The Man Who Wanted to Be Ultraman is a period drama that aired on TBS on October 18, 1993. Set in the 1990s, the story is a fictitous behind-the-scenes look at Tsuburaya Productions as they work on a Ultraman Series film. The drama was co-produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Dreamax Television.
Synopsis[]
Hiroshi Asami has been working at Tsuburaya Productions for nearly 20 years. He is a member of the special effects team who both creates and wears kaiju costumes, making him an expert on how they move. As a seasoned veteran of the Ultraman Series, Hiroshi is involved in the production of a new movie, All Ultraman vs. the Monster Army . However, when it is decided to replace the traditional kaiju costumes with CGI to make the film more internationally appealing, he is removed from the team and transferred to another department.
Meanwhile, a young elementary school student and avid Ultraman fan named Toru enters the studio, asking to watch the filming. Hiroshi happens to know Toru's mother, Yuko, from many years ago when they met at the studio.
Cast[]
- Hiroshi Asami : Tetsuya Takeda
- Masanori Teramura : Kyozo Nagatsuka
- Junichi Yoshida : Toshinori Omi
- Yoko Asami : Shinobu Sato
- Ichiro Ogura
- General Director Natsume : Tappei Shimokawa
- Shingo Hiramatsu
- Kimihiro Reizei
- Aikawa : Kenichi Ishii
- Toru Takeuchi : Kii Ikeda
- Manabu Sudo
- Akiko Okawa
- Ohito Haramoto
- Masayoshi Yamaki
- Junichi Kai
- Rinzai Yamanaka
- Mizuki Nakamura
- Hiromi Kanai
- Kohei Miwa
- Special Effects Director Matsuda : B-Saku Sato
- Yuko Takeuchi : Keiko Takahashi
Suit Actors[]
- Ultraman: Akitoshi Otaki
- Bossdon: Ryoji Matsuoka
- Ultraman Leo: Tatsumi Nikamoto
Staff[]
- Director: Rokuro Sugimura
- Screenwriter: Mamoru Sasaki
- Planning: Toshihiro Iijima, Akira Tsuburaya
- Producers: Norisuke Yamamoto (Tsuburaya Productions), Kazuho Mitsuta (Tsuburaya Productions), Makoto Hamai (TBS)
- Associate producer: Masahiro Tsuburaya
- Music: Hiroya Watanabe
- Piano: Kato Yumiko
- Cinematographer: Kumi Fujita
- Art directors: Nobuaki Nishimura, Satoru Ito
- Sound: Osamu Fukuoka
- Editor: Kiyoharu Miyazaki
- Special effects advisor: Junkichi Oki
- Kaiju designer: Noriyoshi Ikeya
- Special effects storyboards: Shinji Higuchi
- Assistant special effects director: Hiromasa Mitsudome
- Visual effects: Minoru Nakano, Tetsuo Oya, Yoshiharu Watanabe
- Action choreographer: Tatsumi Nikamoto
- Kaiju production: Up Art, Special Art GAM, Kikkōsen
- CGI: Fujitsu (using FM TOWNS II)
- Technical cooperation: Video Focus
- Production: Dreamax Television, Tsuburaya Productions, Tokyo Broadcasting System
Home Media[]
The film was released on VHS by Marvelous Interactive on February 25, 1994.
Gallery[]
Images[]
Trivia[]
- A number of Ultras and Kaiju appear throughout the film:
- Ultraman, Ultraseven, Ultraman Jack, Ultraman Ace, Ultraman Taro, Ultraman Leo and Ultraman 80, as well as Red King, Alien Baltan, Garamon, Neronga, Pandon, Eleking and Gomora appear during the filming of All Ultraman vs. the Monster Army. An Ultra Key prop can also be seen on the set.
- Numerous kaiju suits are visible in a warehouse, including Red King, Alien Godola, Alien Pegassa, Pandon, Eleking, Gomora, Garamon and Alien Mefilas, as well as the heads of various Ultras.
- In one scene, Asami sees Garamon, Alien Baltan, Alien Mefilas, Alien Pegassa and Eleking in his imagination.
- Zumbolar, Gango, Garamon, Zetton and Alien Baltan appear on a computer screen.
- Hiroshi Asami has a stuffed Seabozu in his backyard.
- On a sign for the fictional film, nine Ultras are stood-by-side, including Father of Ultra, despite only seven being seen during filming. Peguila is also on the sign. Additionally, a banner for the film displayed at the cinema features art of kaiju and eleven Ultras, also including Father of Ultra and Peguila.
- Alien Baltan and Garamon suit actors are seen advertising the movie outside a cinema.
- The film features two new original kaiju: Bossdon and God King.
- Bossdon was originally created for an unrelated, cancelled TV special that was planned sometime after Ultraman Story.[1][2]
- Within the film's plot, God King is portrayed with CGI projected onto a mist screen, but in reality, a large manuverable model of his head and torso was made, with CGI only used to distort its face to form different facial expressions. The film also has its arms portrayed with close-up shots of large model limbs, as well as composited shots of smaller arms worn by a staff member. God King's bust was later displayed at Ultraman Festival in 1993.[3][4]
- Unlike the docudramas The Men Who Made Ultraman: Moon Ship in a Forest of Stars, My Beloved Ultraseven and The Two Ultramen, this film is not based on specific people or events from Tsuburaya Productions' history and is entirely fictional.
- In Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 37, this film is subtitled A Moving Drama of a Man Fascinated by Monsters ,[5] although this is not actually displayed in the film.
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Tsuburaya Pro All Kaiju Encyclopedia, pg 199
- ↑ https://x.com/shinichiwakasa/status/1540462763537211392
- ↑ https://x.com/aitahide/status/1768843687902204094
- ↑ https://x.com/akunotsubo/status/1545966260931833859
- ↑ Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 37: Ultraman Zearth / Ultraman USA, pg 31