Ultraman Nexus (series)

ran from October 2nd, 2004, to June 25th, 2005, as the 17th entry in the Ultraman Series, and the third and final product of the Ultra N Project. Although known for featuring a more serious, adult, and atmospheric story than its predecessor, Ultraman Cosmos, it was also intended as a re-imagining or reboot of the original Ultraman.
On April 24, 2017, TOKU announced that the series would be broadcast in the United States on its channel beginning May 9, 2017.http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2017-04-24/toku-to-air-ultraman-nexus-live-action-series-with-english-subtitles/.115237http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/04/25-1/toku-channel-lines-up-ultraman-nexus
The series can be watched on Vudu.
==Production==
After the broadcast of Ultraman Cosmos in 2002, Tsuburaya Productions gradually recognized the need to establish a new Ultraman image that would adapt to the 21st century. This new image of Ultraman was referred to internally at Tsuburaya Productions as the "New Standard Hero." This necessity led them to conceptualize an Ultraman that could serve as a "completely new foundational image." The birth of this new series can be traced back to a film project centered around producer Kiyoshi Suzuki., pg 4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6557cGaCmM
In the summer of 2001, during the release of Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact, Suzuki, while planning for the 2002 film Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet, also considered the possibility of an original work that would be planned solely as a film, without the premise of a TV series. This work was YELLOW EYES, which reimagined "Ultraman" as a genuine science fiction project that emphasizes human psychology. The screenplay for this movie was written by Keiichi Hasegawa, and Kazuya Konaka directed it. The story mainly depicted a young man who gains unimaginable mysterious powers, and in the midst of unreasonable battles, overcomes violent impulses and awakens a sense of justice.
However, due to the impact of the September 11 attacks, directly depicting violence became extremely difficult, and the content needed to be adjusted, shifting the theme slightly in another direction. As a result, while inheriting the concept of Ultraman's rebirth and the biological textures and realistic military settings, a father figure who fights for his children was added, incorporating some familial warmth. This ultimately shaped the project into ULTRAMAN.
At that time, Suzuki aimed to expand the age range of "Ultraman" audiences and increase the thematic diversity of the "Ultraman" series. Additionally, in Tsuburaya Productions' vision for the future, 2006 was clearly defined as the "40th anniversary of Ultraman's birth." To vigorously promote the "Ultraman" character at this milestone, the "Ultra N Project," which interconnected magazine activities, theatrical films, and TV series, began preparations at the end of 2003, becoming an unprecedented large-scale project in Tsuburaya Productions' history., pg 5 Thus, the TV series planned to premiere in October 2004 became the cornerstone of this project. The series proposal for the TV series Ultraman Nexus was handled by Keiichi Hasegawa. A premiere announcement event was held on September 16, 2004.https://hicbc.com/tv/nexus/info/002/ The TV broadcast channel was changed from Mainichi Broadcasting System, which aired the previous four TV series, to Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting, which is also part of the TBS network. This secured a nationwide broadcast slot in Japan at 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays.
The proposal to base a new TV series on the ULTRAMAN theatrical film and continue its storyline in the series was put forward by Hiroyasu Shibuya. He also designed Ultraman Noa, the hero who serves as the foundation for the overall worldview, and proposed a comprehensive rollout through children's magazines and events. Among these, the ULTRAMAN film was scheduled to be released in theaters in July, with the TV series Ultraman Nexus set to air in October. The production committee and the film distributor, Shochiku, believed that the popularity of the TV series would enhance the film's box office performance. Therefore, they decided to schedule the theatrical release date for ULTRAMAN in December. This decision necessitated adjustments to the structure of the TV series.
Considering that ULTRAMAN had characteristics of a reboot of the Ultraman series, the theme of the "Ultra N Project" was set as "Return of the Soul," signifying a return to the original spirit of the series. The Ultraman Nexus project also inherited this essence by adopting a fully serialized format. It introduced successive "Dunamists" who would alternate throughout the TV series. The protagonist is a member of a defense team, but he remains an ordinary person without special abilities until the final episode.Ultraman Nexus and Ultraman Max (TV Magazine Special Edition) pg 36
This innovative setting has brought a clearer expression to the "bond" element that Shibuya has always emphasized. In the proposal, these "bond" are metaphorically likened to a relay race runner, emphasizing the importance of trust. The advantage of setting up "Dunamists" lies in the fact that replacing them allows for a wider range of plot variations, which is a key feature of developing this series.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QGJ4XxyT4I Suzuki and Shibuya's goal is to create an Ultraman that can be enjoyed by people of all ages regardless of the era, rather than just providing different content for adults or simplistic content for children. According to Suzuki's idea, the main target audience of the past "Ultraman series" was elementary to high school students. In order to broaden the target age range, they proposed increasing the difficulty of the content.
The design of Ultraman Nexus in the series was also very innovative. It was almost the first time that the concept of armor was incorporated into Ultraman's body. This design, created by Hiroshi Maruyama, was based on traditional Japanese samurai helmets for the head and Japanese armor for the body. The toy-interactive armor naturally integrated into the lines of the right arm.Tokusatsu Design Works Hiroshi Maruyama pg 33-49 The uniqueness in character design was also reflected in the Space Beasts. Judging by their shape and mode of existence, Space Beasts were clearly not the familiar monsters but were envisioned based on biological imagery. The term "Space Beast" began to be used during the planning phase of ULTRAMAN. The planning team insisted on this classification to highlight their ferocity and alien nature.Ultraman Nexus and Ultraman Max (TV Magazine Special Edition) pg 37
The production of Ultraman Nexus also aimed to improve budget efficiency. Due to the need to make trade-offs to break even, the budget for this project was reduced from the traditional amount exceeding 30 million yen to about 10 million yen. Additionally, the sci-fi setting was utilized to limit the battle zones, allowing for the repeated use of the same stage settings.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVEo_JkI57Y&t=189s
Although efforts were made to significantly reduce production costs compared to traditional series in various aspects, such as adopting VARICAM digital cinematography in DVCPRO HD format to replace the long-used film shooting and extensively using computer-generated imagery in the production process, the storyline of this series appeared too realistic and heavy compared to other series. After the broadcast began in October 2004, the popularity of serious tokusatsu works slightly declined due to differences in the time slot. Additionally, the limited initial publicity and the dark, obscure content made it difficult for the audience to resonate with the show. As the viewership ratings declined, related merchandise sales also performed poorly, resulting in sluggish sales in the commercial rankings at the end of 2004.
Due to the low viewership ratings and poor sales, the TBS network decided in April 2006 to replace the Saturday 7:30 a.m. time slot with an information program produced by Mainichi Broadcasting. In December 2004, during the third quarter of the series' filming, Tsuburaya Productions, which intended to create another work following Ultraman Nexus, had to adjust the broadcast time of the new work to the summer of 2005. Consequently, the originally planned 50 episodes were ultimately shortened to 37 episodes., pg 4 Despite the reduced number of episodes, Shibuya adhered to the belief that "changing course is a betrayal to the audience" and did not alter the initially planned direction. They completed the third quarter and the final episodes.
Ultraman Nexus ended after three seasons in June 2005. Two episodes that had been filmed but not broadcast were released as video media. The movie project ULTRAMAN2: requiem, aimed at expanding the audience age range, was also shelved.
Despite the commercial failure, Ultraman Nexus attracted fans interested in its style. Thus, in the years following its broadcast, the work was repeatedly re-evaluated and recognized, gaining a certain level of appreciation among the audience.https://www.sanspo.com/article/20230524-MUWNMBSCYVMBVFSW2LSZXTLKD4/
==Synopsis==
The TLT is a covert international anti-monster unit established secretly to combat Space Beasts, mysterious monsters that are out to attack humans in the year 2009. One of the TLT's new recruits, Kazuki Komon, is attacked by one of them prior to reporting for duty. However, he is saved by a silver giant that he names "Ultraman". What no one knows is that the silver giant is an Ultraman — to be precise, Ultraman Nexus, ready to fight the Space Beasts to save the planet Earth.http://www.hicbc.com/tv/nexus ウルトラマンネクサス
==Characters==
===Dunamists===
*Shunichi Maki (Mentioned Only)
*Jun Himeya
*Ren Senjyu
*Nagi Saijyo
*Kazuki Komon
===TLT===
*Yu Kirasawa
*Yoichiro Matsunaga
*Sara Mizuhara
*Hayato Kaimoto
====Night Raiders====
*Eisuke Wakura
*Shiori Hiraki
====Memory Police==== 
*Saya Shuto
*Mizuo Nonomiya
===Antagonists===
*Riko Saida
*Shinya Mizorogi
*Hiroyuki Misawa
*Mitsuhiko Ishibori
===Others=== 
* Megumi Sakuta
*Jinzo Negoro
*Sera
*Naoichi Harisu
*Takashi Ojiro
*Horokusa
*Hazuki Matsunaga
*Hajime Yamaoka
===Ultras===
*Ultraman Nexus
*Ultraman Noa
* Giants of Darkness
**Dark Faust
**Dark Mephisto
** Dark Mephisto (Zwei)
**Dark Zagi (Unknown Hand)
=== Kaiju===
*Pedoleon
**Kureain
**Guros
**Furigen
*Beesectar 
*Bugbuzun 
**Brood
**Grooler
*Galberos
*Lafleya
*Nosferu
*Beast Human
*Arakunia
*Froguros
*Golgolem
*Kutuura
*Grantella
*Banpira
*Lizarias
**Lizarias Grolar
*Mega Flash
*Izmael
==Cast==
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==Music==
:;Opening Themes
* 
**Lyrics, Composition, & Arrangement: 
** Artist: doa
**Episodes: 1-25, 37
*
**Lyrics: Daiki Yoshimoto
** Composition & Arrangement: Akihito Tokunaga
**Artist: doa
**Episodes: 26-36
:;Ending Themes
* 
**Lyrics & Composition: Yuka Saegusa
**Arrangement: 
**Artist: U-ka Saegusa IN db
**Episodes: 1-13
*
**Lyrics: Yuka Saegusa
**Composition: 
**Arrangement: Masazumi Ozawa
**Artist: U-ka Saegusa IN db
**Episodes: 14-25
* 
**Lyrics: Rina Aiuchi
**Composition: 
**Arrangement: Masazumi Ozawa
**Artist: Rina Aiuchi
**Episodes: 26-36
==Home Media==
Ultraman Nexus released across 10 DVD volumes in 2005. On February 22, 2008, Climax Stories: Ultraman Nexus released, featuring the series compiled into a hour-long film with narration by Takuji Kawakubo. A complete DVD box set was released on August 24, 2012.https://m-78.jp/news/n-1379 Box sets of Ultraman Max and Ultraman Mebius released around the same time, with all three having covers illustrated by Masayuki Gotoh.
Ebac6454.jpg|Volume 1 (episodes 1-4)
D953ae2dd7 100838 450.jpg|Volume 2 (episodes 5-8)
E335f3db90 101229 450.jpg.jpg|Volume 3 (episodes 9-12)
720.jpg|Volume 4 (episodes 13-16)
511FPZNSG5L.jpg|Volume 5 (episodes 17-20)
Img62757694.jpg|Volume 6 (episodes 21-24)
BCBS-2097.jpg|Volume 7 (episodes 25-28)
Ultraman-nexus t80020 3 jpg 290x478 upscale q90.jpg|Volume 8 (episodes 29-31, director's cut of 29)
BCDR-0764.jpg|Volume 9 (episodes 31-33, EX)
BCDR-0765.jpg|Volume 10 (episodes 34-37)
Climax Stories Nexus.jpg|Climax Stories: Ultraman Nexus
513YyP5AMfL.jpg|TV COMPLETE DVD-BOX (episodes 1-37, director's cut of 29, EX)
Nexus Mill Creek.webp|Mill Creek's DVD box set (episodes 1-37, ULTRAMAN)
==Spin-offs==
*Manga: A manga adaptation created by Takashi Shiina was serialized in Televi-Kun from December 2004 to August 2005. A tankōbon was released on May 18, 2015.https://m-78.jp/news/n-3102
*Video Game: A video game based on the series was released by Bandai on May 26, 2005 for the PlayStation 2.
== Gallery==
===Images ===
Ultraman Nexus 0002.png
Ultraman Nexus 0003.png
Ultraman Nexus logo.webp
Ultraman Nexus English Logo.jpg
Ultraman Nexus 2004 4.jpg
Ultraman Nexus 2004 5.jpg
Ultraman Nexus 2004 6.jpg
Ultraman Nexus 2004 7.webp
Ultraman Nexus OP HD 021.png
Ultraman Nexus OP HD 023.png
Ultraman Nexus OP HD 022.png
Ultraman Nexus OP HD 024.png
==Trivia==
*At one point in development, Ultraman Nexus was meant to be a series called and was conceived as a foil to its predecessor, Ultraman Cosmos. 
**As production on the movie that eventually became The Next involved more of the crew from the new show, the decision was made to merge the show into the movie's continuity, and it was renamed Nexus.
*Another suggested title was Ultraman Noa, which comes from the true form of Ultraman Nexus, Ultraman Noa.
*This is the last series to use Ending Credits. The following shows until Ultra Galaxy removed Ending Credits.
*This the first and only Ultraman Series where the Ultraman's host was not the main character. 
**It is also the first show with multiple hosts for a single Ultraman.
==External Links==
*Official website (CBC)
*Ultraman Nexus at TBS's website (web archive)
*Official Ultra N Project website (web archive)
*Ultraman Nexus at Tsuburaya Productions' official website
==References==
id:Ultraman Nexus (seri)
ja:ウルトラマンネクサス
Category:Productions
Category:Series
Category:Heisei Series
Category:Ultra N Project