Third and final season of the Netflix edition of Ultraman, “Ultraman Final” is an audiovisual extravaganza and one of the best looking 3DCG anime we have ever seen.
Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
Shinjiro and the whole group of Ultramen are in more trouble than ever. The SSSP have realized that he is about to experience a second awakening that will increase his powers even more, and have designed a specific suit for him, but his first mission ends up in disaster. Not being able to control his power, he destroys a part of the city, hurting a number of civilians. Meanwhile, an enemy working from the Shadows, Mephisto, along with his sultry henchwoman, Valkyrie, take advantage of the fact in order to turn public opinion against the Ultramen and particularly Shinjiro. The organization decides to detain him until everything settles down, but their plan backfires as the young man chooses to go rogue instead. With SSSP on his heel and the public turning against him, Shinjiro tries to clear up his name, only to find things about his father he previously ignored. Meanwhile, Rena, who is also searching for him, has her own issues with her own father, while, eventually, she finds herself being part of the action. As the events unfold more and more, it becomes obvious that there is a traitor within the Ultramen ranks.
Allow me to start with the negative. The story does not stand up to any scrutiny, with the holes being rather huge throughout the 12 episodes of the season. Some of them in particular, like why the Ultramen do not decide to destroy the gate that will bring an arch enemy from the past to Earth, or the concept of the traitor and his reasons, border on ridiculous. The presentation of the two female protagonists also follows similar paths, with the villain being as sultry as possible and the views the directors offer to her body… voyeuristic, and the hero as kawaii as possible all the way down to the skirt that is part of her uniform. The cliche about the American's attitude, the fate of Shinjiro's father and the Iron Man-esque appearance of a number of Ultramen conclude the list of faults in here.
On the other hand, everything else in the series is impressive. Production I.G. and Sola Digital Arts present one of the best 3DCG anime we have ever seen, which, although suffers a bit in the movement of the human characters, is outstanding in the action scenes. The fighting among Ultramen allows this aspect to shine even more, also giving a dramatic hypostasis to the battles, while the plethora of hand-to-hand combat, both on the ground and on the air, showcases the quality of both the animation and the action choreography. The final battle, which brings almost every character of the season fighting is where all the technical values of the series find their apogee, with the two “arenas” and the images of destruction being as imposing as possible. The grander scale of one of the two in particular is a wonder to look at and will definitely stay on the mind of any viewer.
This prowess also extends to the coloring of the characters and the background, which is impressive throughout, particularly regarding the reds which also includes a new form of Ultraman,while the explosions, the fires, and in general the results of the violence are astonishing to watch. Excellent job has also been done to the sound, with the rockish music and the various effects being top notch, and the recurring one of metal clashing with metal one of the best audio aspects of the season.
“Ultraman Final” is a worthy finale to a series that aimed to impress through action from the beginning. All fans of 3DCG and the franchise will probably be satisfied, while I feel that even those who despise any anime that is not hand-drawn, should also give it a chance.
