I am Ultraman!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi
Translation: Joe Yamazaki
What They Say
Decades ago, a being known as the Giant of Light joined Shin Hayata of the Scientific Special Search Party to save Earth from an invasion of terrifying monsters known as Kaiju. Now, many years later, those dark days are fading into memory and the world is at peace. But in the shadows a new threat is growing, a danger that can only be faced by a new kind of hero—a new kind of ULTRAMAN…
Fighting to protect his childhood friend Yuko from the shadowy group that sent the Ace Killer Squad after him, Seiji Hokuto has his work cut out for him. Shinjiro, Jack and the alien Red also join the fight. But the members of the Ace Killer Squad are more ruthless than any enemy Shinjiro has ever faced. Taking down these villains is going to take some help from an older and very upset Ultraman!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Though our heroes aren’t in the greatest position as things open up here, Shinjiro finds himself back in action when his dad frees him, turning the tables a bit. They aren’t exactly out of the frying pan just yet, though, as the leader of the enemies finally tips his hand and shows that his speed is rather insane. As a result, Hokuto is backed into enough of a corner that it looks like it’s curtains for him. However, it turns out Hokuto was holding something back too, allowing him to finish things off in a rather impressive and explosive finale. I particularly like the touch of the killer taking the realization of his loss so calmly, as it’s a nice way to close things off on his character and the way he’s acted so far. Just feels like a really fitting, well played little moment.
Though this brings the core of the group down, the plant alien still remains, and pissed off at the loss of his master, he moves to finish off Hokuto. This, however, gives Shinjiro an impetus to push himself even further, shaking off his limiters all on his own in a rather impressive display. It’s a great mix of brutal yet flashy, and is a fantastic moment for the character, ending in an absolutely stunning “I am Ultraman!” drop in just the right way. So yeah, a hell of a way to end the fight, and in a way a real moment in which we see our hero take up the mantle and more properly become the “true” Ultraman.
In the aftermath, Shinjiro actually entrusts Hokuto to Bemular, who promises to save the boy. It’s certainly interesting to see Bemular become a little more ambiguous in just how much of a “villain” he is not just behind the scenes, but to the hero’s face as well. Things continue along with a number of developments, like Jack apparently defecting to America, and Dan rushing to keep up in the Ultraman arms race. My personal favorite bit during this part of the book is Shinjiro meeting his idol crushes’s dad, who then talks down the modern Ultraman… only for our hero to just go ahead and yell out “I’m Ultraman!” It’s a pretty fun little moment if only because it’s certainly an unexpected reaction to that somewhat cliché pinch, even if Shinjiro does immediately take it back. Oh, and the dad actually doesn’t seem to drop it right away, so it may indeed have some implications in the future even with the backpedaling.
As the volume winds down, our focus shifts to a cameraman by the name of Kotaro in America. Just what role will he play in the main plot of the series, and how will his story tie in?
In Summary
Carrying on from last time around, this volume kicks off with a bang and just keeps on rolling. The big fight has some of the best moments in the series thus far, with Hokuto and Shinjiro in particular taking center stage in some big, awesome ways. It’s just a really awesome thrill ride throughout that’s sure to please, from start to finish. The new developments in the plot afterwards are also solid, and Shinjiro has an especially great moment in his personal life as well. And to top it off, though the ending of the book shifts focus heavily, what it presents certainly makes for an interesting change of pace that’s no weaker for being so detached from the main plot, at least for the time being. All in all, this is just a top notch volume, and is more than worthy of a purchase.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: May 16th, 2017
MSRP: $12.99
