Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 11, 2020

The Ultraman franchise's longevity and breadth are only matched by its entertainment value and fun factor. The franchise somehow, someway, maintains freshness and vigor even through what seems like countless iterations and endless variants of the character. What was once a small Japanese TV production has blossomed over the decades to include feature-length movies and, now, Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga, an Amazon web series that debuted on the online giant's service in December 2016. The Origin Saga serves as prequel to the 50th anniversary series Ultraman Orb, which itself premiered only months earlier in July 2016 on TV Tokyo. This two-disc Blu-ray set also includes the short Ultra Fight Orb on disc two. That program originally aired in April 2017. Find below brief recaps of both programs, followed by video and audio presentation analyses. No supplements are included.

Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga:

Official synopsis: Hidden away in the furthest reaches of the galaxy, Planet 0-50 and its Crusader's Peak is where the worthy may become a Crusader of Light. Two young men, Gai (Hideo Ishiguro) and Juggles Juggler (Takaya Aoyagi), have travelled here so that they may reach into the light at Crusader's Peak and be judged. The light chooses Gai, bestowing him the holy blade Orb Caliber and transforming him into Ultraman Orb. Gai and Juggler set out to protect humanity from Dr. Psychi (Takaya Aoyagi) and the Space Devil Bezelves under his command.

Prequels are always tricky business -- it's not as easy to narratively move backwards as it is forwards, affording content creators less flexibility in storytelling and world shaping while tasked with building a fresh story at the same time -- but The Origin Saga pulls it off with seamless ease and efficiency. The series starts with a foretelling incident with Gai and Juggles Juggler ascending a frigid, blustery, steep peek to find the Power of Light. It chooses Gai, leaving Juggler momentarily furious, a first push towards villainy that will gradually overwhelm the character and lead him to the more familiar role he plays in the Orb series proper. But that doesn’t happen right off the bat. Juggler accompanies Gai on his first mission to the Royal Planet Kanon, an extraterrestrial jaunt that is a welcome move away from what is often a terrestrial-intensive show. The show is packed with well developed characters and the typical barrage of superbly constructed action scenes, holding the charm while developing the story within the prism of its backwards-facing narrative line. It intermixes critical story beats and foreshadowing content -- Juggler’s turn is gradual but that first angry reaction certainly sets the stage -- with spectacular Ultraman action. It’s a seamless prequel that works well both chronologically for newcomers and within the rearview mirror perspective for series veterans.

Ultra Fight Orb:

Official synopsis: The vengeful spirits of deceased monsters provide power to Ghost Sorcerer Reibatos, a new enemy that rises to fight Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Orb! Orb mounts an incredible defense using all kinds of Fusion Up forms, like Lightning Attacker which has the power of Ginga and X! Veteran warriors dispatched from the Land of Light's Inter Galactic Defense Force race to aid them in the chaotic battle. Meanwhile, Orb gains a new Fusion Up form: Emerium Slugger, which inherits the power of Father-and-Son from Seven and Zero!

Not a series but rather a thirty-minute special, Ultra Fight Orb delivers a microcosm of what modern Utlraman is all about, at least on the action side of things. Short on story but high on action -- familiarly staged and executed action at that -- it's certainly more for longtime fans or anyone who just wants a peek at what the series is all about at its most fundamentally energetic. With little narrative muscle behind it -- the special more or less throws the viewer into battles that rage for the entire runtime -- there's little here to work the brain. Fun and colorful but certainly only for hardcore Ultraman fans only.

Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga earns a hearty Blu-ray release that is not without flaw but that holds up as an extremely satisfying picture in the aggregate. The most glaring weakness comes in the form of compression artifacts which are minimized in intensity in well-lit scenes but that tend to present with higher visible yield in lower light shots, scenes, and sequences, often to the point of distraction. But this and a bit of noise here and there are the only real sore spots in an otherwise excellent presentation. One might could argue that the 1080p resolution delivers enough in terms of clarity and robustness to render some of the CGI fakery a little too fake against the well-defined real elements in play, but there's always been an inherent charm to the series' somewhat silly visual effects, and that holds true here. It doesn't remove the viewer from the show, but it does serve as a reminder of the fantastical, slightly goofy nature of the whole thing. Indeed, textural might is obvious throughout, with character, costume, and environment details holding very clear and very well defined. There's not a missed pore or out off place hair to be found, not a shoddy looking environment or a poorly managed article of costume or clothing. The digitally sourced imagery shines across the board, in close-up and well way from the camera, too. Colors are vibrant and healthy, presenting both essential, real-world tones and digital constructs with equal pizzazz. Tonal intensity is excellent throughout the spectrum, flesh tones appear spot-on, and black levels are suitably deep and accurate. While certainly struggling with a few problems that might have been mitigated with a bit more sprawl onto other discs -- pushing the content onto three platters rather than two -- the overall presentation quality is relatively high, particularly given the aggressive Mill Creek pricing.

Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The only audio option available on both programs is the original Japanese language track, presented here in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless configuration. Much like several other Ultraman releases -- particularly the more newly minted shows -- this one plays larger than its limits. The two-channel lossless soundtrack is exuberant, energetic, even exciting. There's so much energy, width, and activity -- not to mention sound foundational detail -- that the two channel effort sometimes passes for a multichannel surround presentation. There's a barrage of activity in everything from the opening title theme song to the various action scenes. The former offers crisp, intense, widely dispersed notes and well defined centralized lyrics, the latter a barrage of sound elements that draw the listener into the mayhem with various crashes, beams, punches, kicks, zooming spacecraft, and all variety of oversized mayhem spilling into the soundstage with very impressive energy and dedication; it's a shame more two-channel tracks can't find this level of engagement and fun. Dialogue is clear and lifelike with firm, consistent front-center engagement. Two channels, no problem. This one's good to go just as it is. Note that English subtitles are included and default to "on;" they can, of course, be turned off in the menu or during playback using the remote's subtitle button.

Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, no supplemental content is included anywhere across the two Blu-ray discs, none for Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga and none for Ultra Fight Orb, disappointing but par for the Ultraman Blu-ray course. The two disc set does ship with a non-embossed slipcover that includes alternate artwork that differs from that included as the Blu-ray case insert. A MovieSpree digital copy code is included with purchase.

Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Whether the stories move forward in time or move backwards to offer a new angle look at an established corner of the saga, the Utlraman freight train keeps moving forward with richly developed stories, robust action, and all of the charm that has helped maintain the status quo even through decades of technological and narrative advances. That all holds true for both The Origin Saga and Ultra Fight Orb, and for their Blu-ray releases. Mill Creek has certainly been consistent with the presentations, offering sound video and rock-solid audio here across two discs. There are once again no extras, a disappointment but understandable at the aggressive price point that is all but begging fans and newcomers alike to pick this up, along with everything Ultraman the studio has released so far. Recommended.