Ultraman: The Next
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2021) |
| Ultraman: The Next | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Kazuya Konaka |
| Written by | Keiichi Hasegawa |
| Produced by | Kiyoshi Suzuki |
| Starring | Tetsuya Bessho Kyoko Toyama Nae Yuuki |
| Cinematography | Shinichi Ooka |
| Music by | Tak Matsumoto |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | $6.3 million[1] |
Ultraman: The Next, released in Japan simply as Ultraman (ウルトラマン, Urutoraman) is a 2004 Japanese
Plot
 | This section needs an improved plot summary. (June 2013) |
First Lieutenant Shunichi Maki of the
Maki decides to quit the Air Force to devote more time to his family and to spend whatever time is left with his son. He takes a part-time job as a commercial tour guide for a kindly group of people who allow him time to take care of his family.
Before quitting, Maki and his flight partner Yamashima are alerted to a strange red light streaking towards Japan, and Maki's plane passes through the red light seemingly without any damage. He suffers no ill effects other than strange images briefly playing out in his mind. He later discovers that the images are telepathic messages from a strange being that exists in the red light.
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2018) |
Production
Design
Veteran Ultraman designer Hiroshi Maruyama stressed the difficulty of reinventing the Ultraman design, stating, "Ultraman is a very simple design. This, unfortunately, removes some of the simplicity which is a big part of the design’s charm. But it really can’t be helped. If you tried to remove anything frorm that design what would you have? It would look like
Cast
Main characters
- Shunichi Maki (真木 舜一) / Ultraman the Next (ウルトラマン・ザ・ネクスト): Played by Tetsuya Bessho.
- Ayumi Hamakawa as a young Shunichi Maki
- Sara Mizuhara (水原 沙羅): Played by Kyoko Toyama (遠山 景織子).
- Takafumi Udou (有働 貴文) / Beast the One (ビースト・ザ・ワン): Played by Kenya Oosumi (大澄 賢也).
Supporting
- Nae Yuuki as Yoko Maki
- Ryouhei Hirota as Tsugumu Maki
- Toshiya Nagasawa as Tsuyoshi Kurashima
- Eisuke Kakuta as Ippei
- Yumiko Sato as Yuriko
- Ed Yamaguchi as JASDF Operator Base Commander
- Kazuya Shimizu as Yashiro
- Yoichi Okamura as Restaurant Owner
- Mikiko Amuro as Store Wife Yukie
- Mahiro Endo as Miku
- Hijimi Ono as Miku's Mother
- Kazuya Konaka as Miku's Father
- Naoki Ichimura as JGSDF Signalman
- Kengo Komada as an Announcer
- Keizo Yabe as a Special Forces Member
- Hiroaki Nakamura as a Special Forces Member
- Ryo Kinomoto as a Gourmet Reporter
- Daisuke Ryu
- Masao Kusakari as President Manjime
Theme songs
- OP: "Theme from ULTRAMAN" by Tak Matsumoto
- ED: "Never Good-bye" by TMG
References
- ^ a b Ballard, James. "Tsuburaya Productions, 2004: A Year In Retrospect". Scifi Japan. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "Ultraman: The Next Press Notes". Scifi Japan. May 15, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
