Ultraman Omega (2025)

Mostly an advertisement for Bandai's toys

Ultraman Omega is a standalone member of the Ultra Series which celebrates the 60th anniversary of the original Ultraman by doing this alternative reboot of the original story. In this version, Ultraman falls to earth in the form of an amnesiac human who is found by the protagonist Kosei who quickly gives him the name Sorato. Seemingly coincidentally huge kaiju have started to become active again after millennia of dormancy, and Sorato and Kosei work together to fight them, and soon the team is joined by the biologist Ayumu who holds and maintains the one brain cell that is shared by the trio.

As is appropriate for a very young audience, the series is HIGHLY repetitious. In each episode, a kaiju will emerge somewhere near the trio who then investigate. Soon Sorato will decide to become Ultraman using his "Omega Slugger", and will battle the kaiju for a bit, but will learn he needs help at which point Kosei will grab one of three toys, I mean, "Meteor Kaiju" from his bag an point it towards the sky at which point it becomes the same size and joins the melee. But that gambit usually fails too, and Kosei will then tell the toy to transform into a weapon for Ultraman Omega, and the battle will then be won.

The acting is perfectly fine for the genre. Yoshida Haruto overacts as directed throughout the series, but has a nice moment or two in the final episodes. Kondo Shori is appropriately handsome and gregarious as Sorato who is discovering what life is like for humans. He gets to show a bit more range as the series reaches its climax. Ayumu (Kudo Ayano) has nothing much to do during the battle sequences, but is only damselled once and even in that episode retains much of her agency. She largely becomes the liaison with the governmental forces that are martialed to defend against the kaiju.

The series is perfectly safe and probably enjoyable for kids. The time that is left for any plot outside of the battle sequences and the required "hey, kids, look what these cool toys do" moments is pretty minimal, but the principal cast has a good convivial chemistry. It's a good light watch.

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