alchemicink

Challenge #14

In your own space, create a promo and/or rec list for someone new to a fandom.

cracks knuckles 😁 It is time for me to talk about Ultraman Arc!! This show has been living in my head since it finished airing last January, and I would love for more people to try it out.

Here is my super long and rambly (but full of love) guide to the series:

What is it about?

Ultraman Arc is the story of Hize Yuma, a member of his local SKIP (Scientific Kaiju Investigation and Prevention) team. Sixteen years ago, kaiju started appearing all around the world, and teams like SKIP were formed to gather data and research to help lessen the impact on people when they emerge.

But Yuma also has a secret: he can transform into Ultraman Arc to fight against the kaiju, helping to protect Hoshimoto City from danger.

But how did Yuma gain this power? And why did kaiju begin appearing 16 years ago? And is there a greater threat lurking that no one knows about?

(That's the surface-level plot. But what I love about Arc is that it has some deeper themes too. I'll talk about that later in the post.)

So what's an Ultraman? And what's a kaiju?

Ultraman is a long-running Japanese franchise which is celebrating its 60th (!) anniversary this year. So you may be thinking, do I need to watch 60 years of this show to watch Arc?!

But the answer is no! Arc is a standalone series that can be enjoyed without knowing anything else about the franchise. You can just dive right on in! (It was my first Ultraman series actually.) There is one brief crossover with the prior series, Ultraman Blazar, but it's done in a way that you don't need to be familiar with that show at all to understand what's going on.

There's not a lot of specific jargon you'll need to know. "Kaiju" is what they call the giant monsters who show up every week. SKIP is the aforementioned research team. And the GDF (Global Defense Force) are the people who take military action against the kaiju. They're mostly unseen onscreen, though one of the main characters is from the GDF's Space Science Division.

Also, not in the show itself, but Ultraman Arc is tokusatsu, which is Japanese for "special effects." It's a genre of television categorized by its particular filming techniques. And the most popular tokusatsu franchises are often ones that feature transforming heroes fighting monsters, like this one.

Just who are the characters anyway?

Hize Yuma: as mentioned before, he's the protagonist. He's the SKIP team's kaiju biologist who just joined three months before the series begins. He's a pretty normal guy. Very kind and friendly. Always looks for the best in people. Used to have an art hobby as a kid.

Ishido Shu: Special Investigator from the GDF assigned to provide assistance to SKIP's investigations while Hoshimoto City is experiencing an increased kaiju threat. He's generally a very serious guy, and always willing to do what he can to protect people (especially Yuma). But also he's a coffee snob 🤭

Natsume Rin: SKIP's mechanical engineer. She provides technical support when needed, and isn't afraid to speak her mind.

Ban Hiroshi: Chief of Hoshimoto City's SKIP branch. A kind and caring leader who listens to his team and keeps them on task during emergencies.

SKIP also has a robot named Youpi to assist them in investigations. He's fun but not much of an actual character in the show.

What are the episodes like?

This is a very episodic show. In each episode, you're pretty much guaranteed that SKIP is gonna run into a kaiju at some point, and then Arc shows up and defeats it. The directors do a good job, I think, of filming these fights to make sure they aren't too boring and repetitive. (The neat way they showcase some of the fight in episode three is my personal favorite.) Most of the plots are standalone, though there are a couple that connect to an overarching arc that concludes at the end of the series.

But I think that Yuma and Shu's character arcs span the whole series, with their relationship developing slowly over the series. (I interpret it as a romantic relationship, but you can easily interpret it as platonic too.) And that's what I really love about the series.

Is there a theme to this series?

✨️🌈~imagination~🌈✨️

😂 Okay, imagination is a word that comes up a lot in the show, but it's perhaps better described as learning to envision a better future in the wake of tragedy. I'm gonna be honest, there are parts of this show that are about grief and loss, despite its mostly lighthearted tone. Yuma and Shu both have things in their past to contend with, but several one-off characters explore this theme as well. Connection with others is also something important that keeps popping up too. I won't go too in-depth about all this because I think themes are something viewers should interpret on their own. But that's what I got out of this show!

Wait, is this a kid's show?

Yes, it is! But actually, I'd categorize it more as a "family show" because you can watch it together with people of all ages. It is mostly lighthearted fun with a few emotional gut punches along the way.

I kinda think of it the same way I think of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the Star Trek series I grew up with. I enjoyed them as a kid, but I'm able to continue enjoying them as an adult now too.

Sure, some things are a little cheesy. But hey, sometimes you need some extra whimsy in your life every now and then!

Okay, how do I watch if I wanna check it out?

Arc is 25 episodes, with each lasting around 25 minutes in length. You could easily binge it in a day if you wanted to. It is currently legally available and free to watch right on YouTube!! And as far as I know, it's not region-locked anywhere but in Japan itself.

Japanese with English (and other languages) subtitles is available here (The playlist starts with episode 25, so you'll have to jump to the bottom and go up)

English dub is available here (this playlist is unfortunately still out of order 😒 I don't think they're gonna fix it at this point)

I personally love the dub version! But both are good to watch.

There are three special "recap" episodes included in both playlists. I recommend skipping them because they add nothing. (Episode 13 is also a recap, so you could skip it if you want, but it does tease an important plot point that'll come up in episodes 14 and 15)

My favorite episodes: episode 3 (Yuma's backstory), episode 6 (Shu's backstory), episodes 11 & 12 (interpersonal conflict!), episode 14 (Arc's backstory), episode 16 (Shu's fears), episode 22 (weird as hell episode featuring Rene Magritte art 😂💜), episodes 23-25 (the final arc).

There's also a movie! Ultraman Arc the Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil is currently available to watch on Tubi (English dub only). I don't know where else it's available if you don't have Tubi, but I'm sure it's available somewhere (🏴‍☠️)

Also, I recommend reading Ishido Shu's diary entries after watching each episode. They were released as bonus content while the series aired, and they add a lot of fun and interesting details. (Come learn about Shu's love of detective novels 😁) I have a link to all the English translations in my Ultraman Arc Resource Post

Any content notes?

If you struggle with stories that feature parental death, this might be difficult to watch at times.

Anything else to know?

The opening theme is arc jump’n to the sky by access

Ending theme 1 is Mera Mera by Arcana Project. They also did the second ending theme: Michikake

The soundtrack composer for the series was Hayashi Yuki, who has done soundtracks for a variety of anime... including one of my other favorites: My Hero Academia 😁 Anyway, the Arc soundtrack is fantastic! Definitely recommend looking it up

Does this have a happy ending?

It sure does 😊

And....... that's it, I think 😅 This show may not be for everyone, but as you can see, I love it! If you check it out and enjoy it, feel free to drop by anytime and talk about it with me!!