Ultraman . . . forever (By Mark Schilling, The Japan Times, 11/12/2006)
Zap! Pow! Suwatch! After 40 years and 16 series, the Ultra Warriors are still saving the Earth and entertaining kids of all ages everywhere ...
The "Ultraman" live-action science-fiction series has been a rite of passage for Japanese boys (and a few girls) and their families for four decades now, since the first show was aired in 1966. For many, one day you are the parent of a preschooler whose idea of fun television is "Sesame Street" or "Ponkikki," the next you are living with a junior superhero who makes strange cries and arm movements in addition to more familiar karatelike kicks and chops. Your child is, you notice, not merely knocking imaginary space monsters into the next galaxy, but vaporizing them with his "specium beam" fired from forearms crossed in an "L" position, with the upright arm doing the zapping. Read entire article

ULTRACOLLECTIBLES - Serious toys for serious fans (By Martin Webb, The Japan Times, 11/12/2006)
Ultraman is often cited as an example of just how different the Japanese outlook is from that of Westerners. While the bug-like eyes and clingy bodysuit of the hero himself may strike the uninitiated as ridiculous, it is the outlandish aspect of the monsters from whose wrath Ultraman is perpetually saving the world that really raises eyebrows. Read entire article

ULTRABONDING - SF hero conjures memories old and new across the generations (By Setsuko Kamiya, The Japan Times, 11/12/2006)
A few months ago, Hiromasa Kaneko noticed that his son Hibiki had started pretending he was characters from "Ultraman Mebius" that he said the other children at his nursery in Tokyo's Meguro Ward were all into. But rather than just let his 4-year-old son copy his friends, Kaneko figured it would be better for him to see the real show so he would actually know what was going on. Read entire article

ULTRASUCCESS IN PRINT - Alien star flies off the shelves (By Setsuko Kamiya, The Japan Times, 11/12/2006)
Children's books typically feature anything from frogs or cats or pigs to dinosaurs and sometimes even people. Those authored by Tatsuya Miyanishi have all those -- but he's also written several books featuring Ultraman. Read entire article

SCARY MONSTERS AND SUPERHEROES - Fighting the good fight for all (By Yuko Naito, The Japan Times, 7/22/2001)
In the pantheon of Japan's fictional action heroes, it would be hard to find one better known or loved than Ultraman. Since 1966, Ultraman has been one of Japan's favorite heroes. Now showing on a small screen near you in "Ultraman Cosmos," the 12th series since he first strode onto the scene in 1966, this 40-meter extraterrestrial is still wowing new generations with what he does best: battling ghastly monsters wreaking havoc on Earth. Read entire article