Mill Creek has graciously provided us with a copies of their Ultra Q and Ultraman Steelbook Blu-ray releases which is just the tip of the iceberg of their Ultraman releases. While some Ultraman series have been available to some degree previously this is the first true full fledge release.

First the packaging, both sets are very similar to the previous Mothra release featuring a clear sleeve with the Steebook and booklet inside, the clear sleeve has the series logo on the front and series info, technical specs, and some pics. The Steelbooks themselves feature clean unobstructed looks, Ultra Q has a circular white area in the center with the Ultra Q logo embossed within surrounded by a number of Ultra kaiju from the series. Around back there is Namegon, Garamon, and scenery.

​The Ultraman set features Ultraman (nearly full body)with a few Ultra kaiju and scenery near the bottom, on the back is another image of Ultraman (close up) in the specium ray pose with scenery near the bottom. Both sets have similar spines with series 1 or 2 near the top, series logos in the center and Mill Creek logo along with Ragon (Ultra Q) and Ultraman (Ultraman) at the bottom.

Inside Ultra Q feature a multi colored background (based on the Ultra Q opening), while Ultraman has a close up of his chest and color timer. The disc feature the disc numbers, series logos different Ultra kaiju, and logos for Mill Creek, etc. at the bottom. The discs themselves are stacked half on the front half and half on the back, this isn't horrible for the Ultra Q set because it is 4 discs but for Ultraman there is 6 discs which requires a fair amount of swapping to watch all. 

The booklet are fairly similar, Ultra Q features Tsuburaya: A History, Introduction, Episode Guide, Key Monster Guide, Character Guide, and Technology Guide. Ultraman features The Birth Of Ultraman, Series History, Hero Profile, Episode Guide, Monster Guide, Character Profiles, and Key Technology, not sure why they didn't use the same headings for certain sections but it wasn't a big deal. The sections were overall well done and layed out but seeing the booklet is relatively small (only 24 pages), the images are too big and descriptions are short but had they been bigger the booklet would have had to be much larger and more expensive.

​When it comes to the content for each series has it own vibe, but both have similar quality and features. Ultra Q is definitely a more odd series, basically Godzilla meets the Twilight Zone and the fact it is filmed in black and white actually helps that analogy. There are episodes where there is more traditional monster fighting while others have a more mysterious feel to them. The quality of the Blu-ray transfer is pretty good both video and audio there are some moments where there are scratches or marks but this maybe from the original film used. The one negative was with the subtitles it was hard at times to see them depending on the background image since it was in black and white, white lettering on a light colored image.

​Ultraman is a little more like short versions of Godzilla films, the drawback is there is not a lot of time to develop a good story for each episode some episodes are somewhat weak, but the realization is this series was geared towards children, more so than Ultra Q. Now I haven't seen an original Ultraman episode in some time so one thing that got me was the short amount of time Ultraman has before he gets his color timer warning (red flashing), oddly he seems to go almost as long on that limited power. I found the intro music was kiddish but it caught on after a few episodes and I found myself humming along.

​The transfer to Blu-ray was pretty good but the drawback with that was I noticed wires being used in some scenes, problems with Ultraman costume, for example tears in the suit (noticed one under his arm) or something from the set stuck to it (pebble or something small), one of the problems with high definition transfers on older films and series. One thing with both series that fans were hoping for was an English dubbing, but sadly that didn't happen, for a few reasons. Both series do have digital copies available from Mill Creek's Moviespree streaming service, currently they are only available there but they may be available through other services in the future.  

Overall we feel this is a good release, some items like English language track or other extras could have been included but the fact this has not been available in the US in its entirety is a great reason to get it. The one option is to get the standard Blu-ray sets instead of the Steelbook, while the content is the same the packaging is different so that would be a decision each person would need to make based on their preference.

Tsuburaya has announced the Japanese release of Ultra Q in 4k UHD and MovieNEX digital. The release includes the Ultra Q series, Ultraman Archives presentations (8), as well as the MovieNEX digital release (basically the Japanese version of Movies Anywhere (Disney)) and a bonus desk calendar. Check out the details below (translated from Japanese) and pre-order here.

ULTRAMAN ARCHIVES Ultra Q UHD & MovieNEX
Price: 70,000 yen (excluding tax)
Release date: November 20, 2019
Product number: PCWE-52001
10 discs / 28 episodes + Premium Talk

4K ULTRA HD Blu-ray
715 min / 4: 3 <3840x2160p> / 3 layers x 3 / monochrome / HEVC / linear PCM (stereo / mono) / partial Dolby Digital 5.1ch

Blu-ray
(Planned) 1530 minutes (main disc: 1430 minutes + PremiumTalk: 85 minutes)
Main disc: 4: 3 <1080P High Definition> / 2 layers x 6 / color / monochrome / AVC / linear PCM (stereo / mono) / one Dolby Digital 5.1ch
PremiumTalk: 16: 9 <1080i High Definition> / 1 layer / color / AVC / linear PCM (stereo)

Premium Talk
Basic knowledge of "Ultra Q" Seeing colors in a colorless world
Chapter 1,
Chapter 2 that summarizes "Ultra Q" , As a scripter Shooting, editing, completion and
Chapter 3, "Ultra Q" eve TBS viewpoint
Chapter 4, Ultra-Q "on-site people Part1
Chapter 5," Ultra " Creators who grew up in Q "
Chapter 6, the theme song birth
of" Ultra Q "Chapter 7, the site people who challenge" Ultra Q "Part2
Chapter 8, the site people who challenge" Ultra Q "Part3

There was a reason why modern creators, cultural figures, various scholars, and analysts focused on “Ultra Q” and continued to evaluate it. The staff's ingenuity, struggles, thoughts on the work ...
everything is revealed in PremiumTalk.

TSUBURAYA MovieNEX
Blu-ray Disc & Main (Monochrome / Color) / PremiumTalk Streaming

TSUBURAYA MovieNEX World
Bonus video, text media, etc.

Release: Tsuburaya Production Sales: Pony Canyon

In 1966, the “Fantasy Special Effects Series” was created as a science fiction drama with one episode complete with the “Twilight Zone” in the United States as a hint.

A TV program project that started under the concept of Eiji Tsuburaya, who became famous worldwide as a special effects director for the movie "Godzilla". The first special effects TV movie in Japan, in which three companies, Tsuburaya Pro, Toho and TBS, formed a triangle. It is. Recorded a maximum audience rating of 36.4% and an average audience rating of 32.39%. It caused an unprecedented monster boom all over Japan.

Cast
Manjome Satoshi: Kenji Sahara
Ippei Togawa: Yasuhiko Nishijo
Yuriko Edogawa: Hiroko Sakurai
Narrator: Koji Ishizaka and
others

Staff
Supervision: Eiji Tsuburaya
Director: Hajime Tsuburaya, Mamaji Nogata, Kouji Hamada, etc.
Screenplay: Tetsuo Kaneshiro, Masahiro Yamada, Kitao Senzoku, etc.
Special Directors: Keiji Kawakami, Toru Matoba and others

Mill Creek Entertainment has officially announced their next Ultraman releases, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Geed, and Ultraman Orb.Ultra Seven will have both a Steelbook and standard Blu-ray releases, Ultraman Geed and Ultraman Orb with get standard Blu-Ray releases. Check out all the details below.

Ultra Seven
Synopsis:
Blu-ray + Digital
In the Age of Interplanetary Wars, Earth is in danger from those who would threaten its very existence. From their massive underground complex near Mt. Fuji the Ultra Guard, an elite unit of the Terrestrial Defense Force, stands vigilant as our decisive first-line of defense. But unbeknownst to his teammates, Dan Moroboshi is secretly an extraterrestrial aiding them in their fight to preserve the future of humanity. Dubbed Ultraseven, he aides the Ultra Guard in fighting back alien hordes that would doom the world to conquest.

A far greater threat emerges, though, as Ultraseven sees the consequences of his power: can he maintain his soul in the face of constant violence, even when that is necessary to protect his newfound friends?

Produced by the creative team behind ULTRAMAN, ULTRASEVEN is the third entry in the Ultra Series. One of the best of the long-running franchise, its science fiction themes range from the cruelty of war to social and racial injustices in the grand tradition of Star Trek and The Twilight Zone. For the first time in High-Definition, ULTRASEVEN features the colossal monsters and spectacular visual effects the Tsuburaya team is known for across the galaxy.
Critic Reviews:
"Ultraseven takes the core concepts that made Ultraman so memorable and expands them tenfold, creating a series that overflows with energy, imagination and craftsmanship." -MyShinyToyRobots.com

Starring: Koji Moritsugu, Yuriko Hishimi, Shoji Nakayama
Co-Starring: Iyoshi Ishii, Shinsuke Achiha, Bin Furuya
Director: Hajime Tsuburaya, Samaji Nonagase, Kazuho Mitsuta, Toshitsugu Suzuki
Writer: Tetsuo Kinjo, Masahiro Yamada, Shozo Uehara, Shinichi Ichikawa
Tech Specs:
SKU: 63433
UPC: 683904634337
Language: Japanese
Genre: Television
Discs: 6
Contents: 48 Episodes
Run Time: 20 hr 8 min
Rating: Not Rated
Region Code: BD Region A
Street Date: 12/10/2019
Color:Color
Price: $49.98 Steelbook
$39.98 Standard Blu-ray

Ultraman Geed
Synopsis:
Blu-ray + Digital
ULTRAMAN GEED – THE SERIES
This is a story of a hero who inherits Ultraman Belial, the evil Ultraman’s genes.  Despite suffering from repeating setbacks and despair of knowing the secret of his birth and cruel fate, he never loses sight of friendship and strong will to become a true hero.  The story unfolds through the spiritual growth of the protagonist who seeks for the meaning of his own life and finds the place where he belongs, through fighting against evil and his own cursed destiny, to become a hero of justice
 
ULTRAMAN GEED – THE MOVIE – Connect the Wishes
Gigantic Mechanical Brain Gillvalis and the Galactron Army, intent on wiping out all intelligent lifeforms in the universe, close in on Earth. Riku Asakura heads for Okinawa, where there are said to be clues to the “Red Steel” sought by Gilbaris. There, Riku encounters Ail, who realizes that he is Ultraman and assigns him an important mission. Meanwhile, the Galactron Army begins attacking Okinawa
in search of the “Red Steel”. Ultraman Geed, Orb, and Zero rush to Earth, but Geed’s hasty actions in sticking to his mission put the Ultraman team in even more danger!

Starring: Tatsuomi Hamada, Chihiro Yamamoto, Mayu Hasegawa
Co-Starring: Yuta Ozawa, Kunito Watanabe
Director: Hirotaka Adachi, Uiko Miura, Sachio Yanai, Misaki Morie
Writer: Koichi Sakamoto, Ryuichi Ichino, Masayoshi Takesue, Suguru Tomita
Tech Specs:
SKU: 63429
UPC: 683904634290
Language: Japanese
Genre: Television
Discs: 6
Contents: 25 Episodes + Movie
Run Time: 11 hr 37 min
Rating: Not Rated
Region Code: BD Region A
Street Date: 11/19/2019
Color:Color
Price: $39.98

Ultraman Orb
Synopsis:
Blu-ray + Digital
ULTRAMAN ORB – THE SERIES
Naomi has had the same strange dream since she was young: visions of a giant of light battling a giant monster. With her interest sparked by those dreams, she starts the paranormal phenomena tracking website called “SSP” with her friends Jetta and Shin. One day the trio is on the tail of a mysterious animal suspected of causing strange meteorological activity. They encounter the Cyclone Lord Monster, Maga-Basser!  Naomi is blasted vicious winds but rescued by the vagabond, Gai Kuernai. By using his Orb Ring, Gai is able to Fusion Up into a warrior of light from a distant galaxy, Ultraman Orb!

ULTRAMAN ORB – THE MOVIE – Let Me Borrow The Power of Bonds!
A mysterious item is delivered to paranormal investigators SSP.  SSP members Naomi, Jetta and Shin determine that it is a transformation device… the X Devizer that housed Ultraman X both during and after his merging with Xio agent Daichi Oozora (Kensuke Takahashi). Gai Kurenai (Hideo Ishiguro), the human form of Ultraman Orb returns from his wanderings to search for X… unaware that this is just the first sign of a new threat to the Earth.  The villainous space witch Murnau has allied with Ultraman Orb’s arch enemy Jugglus Juggler to use the Dark Ring she now possesses.

Starring: Hideo Ishiguro, Miyabi Matsuura, Naoto Takahashi
Co-Starring: Hiroaki Nerio, Takaya Aoyagi, Shingo Yanagisawa
Director: Kiyotaka Taguchi, Yuichi Abe, Ryuichi Ichino, Suguru Tomita
Writer: Takao Nakano, Yuji Kobayashi, Sotaro Hayashi, Akio Miyoshi
Tech Specs:
SKU: 63428
UPC: 683904634283
Language: Japanese
Genre: Television
Discs: 6
Contents: 25 Episodes + Movie
Run Time: 11 hr 35 min
Rating: Not Rated
Region Code: BD Region A
Street Date: 11/19/2019
Color:Color
Price: $39.98

Animation studio Khara has announced the forthcoming release of Shin Ultraman, from Hideaki Anno, the man behind Shin Godzilla. Not much has been announced of the projects details other than it seem like it will begin production after Anno completes work on Evangelion: 3.0+1.0. It seems the project was being worked on in February, and will also be a collaboration between Toho and Tsuburaya.  Press release below.

RELEASE NEWS - A NEW FILM "SHIN ULTRAMAN" 
Tokyo, August 1St 2019 -. A New Film Production Of "SHIN ULTRAMAN" Was Publicly Announced Today The New Movie Will Come To Theaters In 2021. 
Hideaki Anno Will Join A Film Team, Higuchi- First draft script has been completed in February 5th, 2019. Anno will fully join the project after finishing his “EVANGELION: 3.0 + 1.0” film.

Presented by: Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. 
Toho Co., Ltd. 
Khara, Inc. 
Distributed by: Toho Co., Ltd. 
Release: 2021 
 
Toho Co., Ltd. Will take care of public communications.

From Tsuburaya
For over half a century, Ultraman has been loved by fans all around the world.
We are proud to announce the production of SHIN ULTRAMAN, which will be a movie adaption of the original ULTRAMAN (1966) – the legendary series that started it all!
Details of “SHIN ULTRAMAN”
Produced & Screenplay by: Hideaki Anno
Directed by: Shinji Higuchi
Starring: Takumi Saito, Masami Nagasawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima
Presented by: Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd.
Toho Co., Ltd.
khara, Inc.
Distributed by: Toho Co., Ltd
Produced Companies: Toho Pictures
Cine Bazar
Release Information:  To be released in 2021, by Toho Co., Ltd.

Press release
A new world named “Kaiju no Sumika” (Home of the Monsters, hmmm), which introduces the charisma of Kaiju from the past works, is coming to you soon. So what is it about?

What is “Kaiju no Sumika”?
Monsters and aliens have appeared in the works of Tsuburaya Productions for numerous times.
From their actions, what were they trying to tell us…?

The answer to this question could lead to a solution of something bigger, something universal, something we humans need to take well care of.
“Kaiju no Sumika” is world set in a group of works that portrays those monsters and aliens not as enemies of any kind, but in their natural state.

“Kaiju no Sumika” will been seen from the perspective of a group of boys and girls who have landed in a mysterious world where Kaiju live together. In August 2019, a picture book will be published, and in November 2019 a high quality amazing experience-based attraction will open at Gallery AaMo of Tokyo Dome City.

Science Fantasy Picture Book Kaiju no Sumika
Publication Date: Late August, 2019
Pages: 48
Size: Letter Size, Full Color
Price: TBD
Publisher & Original Story by: Tsuburaya Productions

Experience Based Attraction Kaiju no Sumika
Duration: early November, 2019 – late January, 2020 (3 months period)
Place: Gallery AaMo, Tokyo Dome City
Address: 1-3-61 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Advance Ticket: To be sold from July 2019
General Ticket: To be sold from September 2019

With the analogue Tokusatsu technology and the newest digital technology, an experience-based attraction that revisits the charm of the “Kaiju” will open at Tokyo Dome City for a limited 3 months, starting this Autumn.
The attraction is not only for children and families, but also grown-ups who may not be fond of Kaiju, such as students, females, couples… Everyone could enjoy this fantastic high quality realistic entertainment experience.
Please stay tuned as we create an opportunity for everyone to come close to the “Kaiju” and find out new and facts about their habitat!

*More details will be announced soon.

Introduction of the Original Story
There’s a secret place where humans haven’t entered.
It’s where Kaiju can live naturally and peacefully.

In the place that is cut off from any industrialization, time flows quietly without Kaiju having to fight against humans, but can just live normally with each other.
One day, an “Unbalance Zone” appears and opens a portal from this secret world to the human world.
At the same time, a portal also opens in the human world, where a boy unintentionally drove into it.

Away from his parents on a summer camp, the boy drifted through time and space, and landed into the world “Kaiju no Sumika”.
He looked back, but the portal is closed.
This was the beginning of an adventure, where there is no way back…