Review by C.J. Bunce
The 1960s saw the beginning of some major live-action sci-fi franchises. In the U.S., there was Star Trek, and before that in the UK there was Doctor Who. In Japan, TV audiences met Ultraman, an alien from another world (Nebula M78) who finds himself chasing an escaped monster called Bemular across the cosmos. This brings them both to Earth where Ultraman crashes in a lake in Japan, where he meets Shin Hayata, a member of a government program watching for unidentified flying objects. The crash is fatal for Ultraman unless he merges with Hayata. Once they become one, Hayata is able to use his powers at will, and this includes increasing his size to fend off an oncoming barrage of kaiju invaders. Across the decades the Ultraman franchise has seen sequels, spin-offs, imitations, more sequels, spoofs, comics, games, and other merchandising. Next month a novel brings Ultraman to the 21st century: Ultraman: The Official Novel of the Series is available for pre-order here at Amazon.
Sci-fi writer Pat Cadigan has said she watched the original series as a kid. How do you adapt anything from the 1960s and make it appeal to current readers? This proclaimed official “novel of the series” is actually a really good translation as much as a novelization. We’ve reviewed many international works get their first English translation here at borg, and despite the effort on translating the language, rarely does the culture get translated this well. Cadigan treats this translation with great respect.
Part of the challenge is making what could easy be seen as a hokey 1960s, low-budget kids show into something more. Part of it is updating the Japanese slow pacing and long dramatic stalls in action movies–which can be seen to this day in its popular Godzilla movies, as one example. Part of it is updating the technology, which includes everything from the Internet to modern scientific principles.
Currently you can watch the vintage Ultraman series here on YouTube:
Cadigan takes the characters from the series, including the lone woman character Akiko Fuji, as well as the band of workers in Japan’s Science Patrol, and makes it work–at least enough so kids will get sucked into the worldbuilding, science, and giant monsters. Some of the naivete of the Space Patrol members and the locals who encounter the monster-of-the-chapter won’t work for all adult readers. That’s because it’s faithful to the source material. The feel is Godzilla, Transformers, and Pacific Rim, so if giant beasts fighting with an armored, enlarged human makes you frown, this isn’t the franchise for you. For the rest, it may take you back to series like Battle of the Planets or Land of the Lost. The key crew is fleshed out like in a TV series, and it’s easy to jump into Hayata’s workplace–like watching a group of co-workers solve problems like in Castle or Warehouse 13. But despite the material it’s not The X-Files.
Like his UK contemporary hero, Ultraman even carries his own transformation device that resembles a sonic screwdriver. I like the way the author tries to address the concept of heroes killing beasts as the core of the action, a trope found in Starship Troopers to The Mandalorian. The source material assumes the target is kids watching monsters get killed and all monsters are bad, end of story. She doesn’t go all the way in giving layered motivation to the beast opponents, but the characters address it, which is a starting point.
It’s a great window into a Japanese multi-media sensation and 1960s retro fun. Ultraman: The Official Novel of the Series is available for pre-order now here at Amazon. It is slated for publication December 12, 2023, from Titan Books.
