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under General Tokusatsu News, Ultraman

ACCESS CODE: GRIDMAN!

The lead up to the release of the SSSS Gridman anime series is sure to result in a surge of new original Gridman merchandise, and that wave has already kicked off with the reveal of new Gridman & God Zenon candy toy figures! Though the watermark shows that the figures will be released under Bandai’s Shokugan label, it is currently unconfirmed whether these figures are SHODO, Super Minipla or an entirely new line of toys.

The articulated Gridman figure features a selection of alternate hands and his Plasma Blade, while God Zenon can be separated into its Thunder Jet, Twin Driller and God Tank components (the Twin Driller also includes Gridman’s Barrier Shield). Of course, these vehicles can also combine together with Gridman to form the mighty Thunder Gridman!

We’ll bring you more information on these exciting new toys as its released. But in the meantime, check out the full selection of images after the jump!

under Ultraman

The newly released 12th volume of the ongoing Ultraman manga has revealed that it’s forthcoming anime adaptation will premiere on Netflix in Spring 2019! More importantly the announcement also confirms that the series will have a simultaneous release worldwide, with the whole series being made available to subscribers that day.

The series is being animated by prolific studio Production I.G., with Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), and Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) serving as directors. It will be produced as a 3D CGI series, with motion capture also being utilised for an added sense of realism.

The Ultraman manga series first began in 2011, serving as a direct sequel to the original 1966 series. Its North American publisher Viz Media describes the series as;

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…

Shinjiro is an ordinary teenager, but his father is the legendary Shin Hayata. When he learns that his father passed on the “Ultraman Factor” to him, and that he possesses incredible powers, nothing will ever be the same again.

Are you looking forward to the release of the Ultraman anime adaptation? Let us know your thoughts after the jump!

under Ultraman

Last week we reported the initial announcement and that preorders would be coming soon, but now Bandai Tamashii Nations have updated their webshop with pre-order info and high quality images of S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Zero Beyond.

As previously reported Ultraman Zero Beyond will be released as a Tamashii web exclusive in November 2018 for the price of 5940 yen. However now we can also confirm that the figure will come with five alternate hands, a replacement colour timer, energy versions of his Beyond Twin Edge swords and an additional translucent purple fist effect part.

Check out the full selection images after the jump!

under Ultraman

Two Giant Monsters Attack Tokyo!

Bandai Tamashii Nations continue their journey into The Return of Ultraman with the release of S.H. Figuarts Gudon! Appearing in episodes 5 and 6 of the 1971 series, Gudon is a prehistoric kaiju that preyed upon Twin Tail. When a Twin Tail egg was discovered and hatched in modern day, a Gudon also appeared to hunt its eternal rival – prompting a three way battle between the two monsters and Ultraman Jack.

S.H. Figuarts Gudon is a Tamashii web exclusive due for release in December, at the price of 7560 yen. It comes with a single accessory – an alternate damaged head for the soon-to-be-released S.H. Figuarts Twin Tail figure.

Will you be adding this ancient monster to your collection? Check out the images and let us know after the jump!

under Ultraman

The special Ultraman page on the Bandai Tamashii Nations website has recently updated with a teaser confirming that the release of S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Zero Beyond. Previously unveiled at last year’s Tamashii Nation’s event, Ultraman Zero Beyond is the powered up form of Ultraman Zero that appears in Ultraman Geed. Other that displaying the figure facing off against the forthcoming S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Belial Atrocious, the teaser image simply states that preorders for the figure will open on the 29th of June.

However the newest wave of magazine scans also confirms that the figure will be a Tamashii web exclusive, releasing in November for the price of 5940 yen. So far the only confirmed accessory is his Beyond Twin Edge weapon, but expect more to be confirmed next week when the official images surface!

Are you ready to “beyond” and add the newest form of Ultraman Zero to your collection? Let us know after the jump!

under Power Rangers

Shattered Grid continues as the Ranger Slayer has arrived, threatening the future of the Power Rangers by destroying their past in service of Lord Drakkon! Issue #10 of Boom! Studios’ Go Go Power Rangers arrives on June 6th and we have a selection of preview images to whet your appetite.

Featuring flashback panels of the Ranger Slayer’s life before they served Lord Drakkon, the images naturally contain spoilers for those not fully up to date with this 25th anniversary Power Rangers event. But for those curious – be sure to check out the images and discuss after the jump!

under Ultraman

Tsuburaya Productions have announced that the next instalment in the Ultra Series to receive high-definition treatment will be none other than 1987 animated joint production with Hanna-Barbera, Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (also known as Ultraman USA).

After the stunt pilot trio “the Flying Angels” are caught in a mysterious flash of light, they become the hosts of three alien warriors  from Nebula M78. With a base inside of Mount Rushmore and assistance from a trio of robots, this new Ultra Force defend the planet from escaped monsters from the alien planet Sorkin. They are Scott Masterson (Ultraman Scott), Chuck Gavin (Ultraman Chuck) and Beth O’Brien (Ultraman Beth).

As as featuring a brand new Blu-ray conversion, this is the first time that the film has been made available since its original VHS releases. The Blu-Ray will feature both the 75-minute Japanese and 78-minute English cuts of the film, however at the time of writing there is no confirmation that the latter also features English audio.

Ultraman: The Adventure Begins will be released on September 26th 2018, for the price of 7800 yen. Stay tuned to Tokunation for more information on this release as it comes!

under General Tokusatsu News

Although the S.H. MonsterArts line has remained a strictly Godzilla-affair for sometime now, it looks like everyone’s favourite child-friendly turtle will be joining the line once again with the announcement of S.H. MonsterArts Gamera [1999]!

Based on the monster’s appearance from the third film in the Heisei Gamera trilogy, Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris, Gamera [1999] is a remould of the original MonsterArts Gamera figure featuring a new spiked shell to match the movie suit. The magazine images confirm that the alternate flight parts from the previous release will be carried over, together with a brand new alternate translucent orange right arm – recreating the final scenes of the movie where Gamera defeats Iris with a fiery plasma fist.

S.H. MonsterArts Gamera [1999] will be a mass release item released in October 2018 for the price of 10800 yen. Be sure to check out the full-sized image and let us know your thoughts after the jump!

under Godzilla

After Godzilla made its triumphant return in Japan in 2016, fans have been eagerly awaiting what’s next for the King of the Monsters. Thanks to an interview with Toho executive Keiji Ota in the magazine Nikkei Style , it’s been revealed that the studio’s plans are now to create a shared Godzilla universe akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with a new film being released every 1-2 years. These plans are expected to move forwards after 2020.

However this announcement comes with some bad news for Shin Godzilla fans, as it confirms that any plans Toho may have had for a sequel are now defunct. In the interview Ota said that they are “instead of thinking of doing the obvious idea of making a Shin Godzilla 2, instead thinking about a world that can be used for a long time”.

This new release strategy bears obvious similarity to Legendary’s own “MonsterVerse” plans, which connects their own Godzilla film, Kong: Skull Island and the forthcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs King Kong movies. Of course its worth mentioning that even in Japan Godzilla is no stranger to a shared universe, with the Showa and Heisei eras showing particular continuity between its various films.

Are you excited for Toho’s future Godzilla plans? Let us know your thoughts after the jump!

under Ultraman

Rejoice Ultra fans!

Today is a landmark day in tokusatsu history as Tsuburaya Productions Co. Ltd announced their victory in US courts against UM Corporation (aka Chaiyo) for the international rights to the first six instalments in the Ultra Series. That’s right everyone, it’s been a long battle but Ultra Q, Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Return of Ultraman, Ultraman Ace and Ultraman Taro are finally home.

For those unaware the international rights for these six series have been in question for several years, after Chaiyo Productions founder Sompote Saengduenchai claimed that in 1976 Eiji Tsuburaya‘s son Noboru (who died in 1995) had provided him with a contract giving him rights to everything related to Ultraman outside Japanese territories, in exchange for a monetary loan. The legitimacy of the document was extremely questionable, however Japanese and Thai courts accepted this contract as real and binding due to supposed appearance of Noboru Tsuburaya’s hanko (signature stamp) in the document.

Headway was finally made November last year when a Californian jury deemed the document to be a fake and ruled in favour of Tsuburaya, but it isn’t until today that we have confirmation that the company’s long ordeal is finally over.

So what does this mean for the series in question? Will they be joining the rest of the Ultraman backcatalogue on Crunchyroll? New home releases with better quality masters? Who knows, but with Tsuburaya continuously looking to promote Ultraman on a worldwide scale we’ll find out soon enough.