Ultra Q: Complete Series (steelbook)

Muy nítido para ser series de los 60s ✌🏻

Ultra Q is an odd series, and an outlyer in the grander scheme of the Ultraman franchise since it predates the Ultraman character. This show is deeply inspired by the Twilight Zone but akso cashes in on the kaiju boom of the time, so there are a lot of rubber monsters but nobody in spandex to fight them. Some sources on the internet liken this to the X-Files, but the only thing the two shows have in common are the recurring main characters. It's like comparing the Mod Squad to Law and Order.Anyway, this show gets incredibly weird at times, with episodes abruptly ending without any satisfactory resolution leaving you to wonder if it's a two parter but all of these episodes are self-contained (with the exception of two episodes). It's jarring, but very entertaining.It is a very weird show but very entertaining and some great special effects for its time.Mill Creek does a great job remastering this set. There are a few issues. They add sound effects to fake surround sound, but do not give you an option to switch to the original monotrack. Another sticking point is that the (at least with the steel book release) they have double stacked discs two per side. This was probably a cost saving measure and frankly, I would have gladly paid a few dollars more for something a little better.

I picked up Ultra Q after watching the much more popular sequel series, Ultra Man and Ultra Seven. I knew that it would be very different going into it, so I wasn't disappointed by the lack of an Ultra-style hero. As a matter of fact, I was happy this show was so different!Ultraman shows follow a very rigid formula, but since Ultra Q predates all that, it can be pretty unpredictable in its content. Giant monsters are the most popular, but there are all sorts of other creatures throughout the show that can be human-scale or extremely abstract (including one about a phantom train; no monsters to speak of). And since there is no central superhero character like Ultraman, the monsters that do show up have to be dispatched in unique ways with each plot; there is no set formula to their defeat. So each story feels more exciting and the stakes higher; how DO a news reporter, a pilot and a mechanic defeat a 100 foot-tall dinosaur?The show does seem to have a hard time finding its age demographic, though. There are some extremely juvenile episodes, and by that I mean they utilize cartoon physics where getting blown up by an explosive just launches you harmlessly into space. Other episodes are horror themed and more mature and death and danger are very real. There are also episodes, such as the apparently famous one about Okanegon (the coin purse monster) that don't even feature the central cast. At times you aren't sure if it's supposed to be an episode of the same show or you're left wondering when the cast is gonna pop up (but they never do).Likewise, Ultra Q can't seem to settle on whether it wants to have an ongoing narrative with main characters or if it wants to be a Twilight Zone style anthology. So most episodes follow the main cast as they deal with weird monsters or curses, a handful of episodes don't feature the cast at all and are totally disconnected, but other episodes try to have it both ways. Some end with the main cast in mortal peril as a monster triumphs and looms ever closer, or their hold on reality fades and they begin to drift into oblivion. But next week, everything is ok.Ultra Q is definitely unpredictable in both the best and worst ways, but I think that's a strength no matter what. I found myself getting bored with Ultra Man and Ultra Seven after the formula burned me out, but I plowed my way through Ultra Q and was done before I knew it. Lots of those classic Tsubaraya effects you have to love going in, but like I said, more variety in the types of effects and monsters than what you'd see in the later Ultra shows. Ultra Q is a rarity of its genre and all the more worth checking out because of it.The Mill Creek Steelbook blu ray set is very nice, beginning the uniform, numbered packaging that will run through the whole Showa Era Ultra Series. The booklet is informative, with background info, episode guide and still photos. Could stand to be more substantial, but it'll do. The blu rays are STACKED in the steelbook, though. I haven't noticed scratching on my disks, but be very careful when removing them. Wish Mill Creek had sprung for tray compartments for each disk, but oh well. All in all, it's a very nice package.

タイトル画面からサブタイトル(字幕)をオフにしないと映像を見ながらだとタイトルが変わるたびに字幕が表示されるので面倒です　映像も当時よりずっと綺麗で傑作だと思います　外国版なので安価ですがこれで充分だと思います

An incredible blu-ray set for Ultra Q. Love the collectible booklet that contains information not only each episode but the kaijus too!