Ultraman monsters go for laughs in upcoming TV variety show

by Chris MaGee

Okay, we all know that despite the years of hard work by Eiji Tsuburaya and the folks at Tsuburaya Productions that the monsters he and his crew created for Toho's kaiju movies and TV's "Ultraman" that there was always a heavy dose of tongue-in-cheek camp to these momentous creatures. There are more than a few of us who have probably popped in DVDs of old "Ultraman" episodes from the 60's to get a good laugh. Now there is news that some of the classic monster bad guys from the original "Ultraman" series will be returning to TV... and this time we won;t have to feel a tinge of guilt when we laugh at them.

According to this post over at Anime News Network a new variety show titled "Ultra Zone" will begin airing on Japanese television this month. The show will apparently be hosted by actress Riho Takada and feature Ultraman monsters such as Gudon, Sadora, Bemstar, and Hou in various comedy skits where they are depicted as transfer students or customers at a massage spa. We kind of like our monsters destroying cities, but it sounds like fun. "Ultra Zone" is being aired in advance of next year's 45th anniversary of "Ultraman" and the release of a new "Ultraman" feature film on March 24th.