I am still stunned to consider that I am living in a time where both ULTRAMAN, ULTRASEVEN, and now ULTRA Q have been given official DVD releases with English subtitles. Like many, I owned a copy of this show, but never watched very much at all, since there were no translations available. I have seen the famous first episode (featuring a '64 Godzilla-In-Disguise), but little else.
Until now! Shout Factory has done it again. Run, don't walk, and do whatever you have to do to obtain this set. I am not going to bloviate on the picture, sound, or subs, but everything is excellent so far, and now I'm finally getting the TWILIGHT ZONE/OUTER LIMITS feel they were going for...and how the next logical step was to develop a giant hero to save the earth, in the form of Ultraman.
An interesting side note: Ultra Q was dubbed in English (as was the first Ultraman), in an attempt to get the American market to pick it up. There are conflicting theories on whether the entire series was really dubbed, but the evidence suggests it was...at any rate, it was news to me, but Episode 3 (with the giant snail/slug Namegon) is out there:
I think it would have been amazing if the dubs could have been included on the new DVDs....so maybe they don't all exist....but such is life, it's still a stunning release. BUY IT.
Recently, a set of RETURN OF ULTRAMAN (Jack) DVD's has gone up for sale in Malaysia, with somewhat-dodgy English subtitles, but now it makes me wonder if Jack couldn't be far behind for the American market too? Time will tell!
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