Ultraman Gaia premiered at last.
Daniel sat in front of his TV, brimming with anticipation. A series that possibly featured two Ultraman protagonists? That was more than enough to spark his interest.
"Is this the main character?"
On the screen, the protagonist appeared seated on a strange machine. His surroundings were a fiery wasteland, where molten lava flowed freely across the ground.
In the midst of this scene, a serpent-like monster battled Gaia Ultraman, just as depicted on the promotional posters.
This marked the first encounter and fateful meeting between Gaia and the protagonist, Takayama Gamu.
Suddenly, Gamu was jolted back to reality.
"An experiment, huh?"
The next scene revealed an elaborate laboratory filled with high-tech equipment, leaving Daniel impressed.
The opening differed significantly from the original Ultraman Gaia series Ren had seen in his previous life.
The old version had a makeshift "lab" that looked more like a shabby warehouse, with just a few chairs and some electronics haphazardly placed around.
"Seriously? If you're going to trick kids, at least make it look convincing."
Ren had been baffled by this. While he didn't expect cutting-edge facilities, couldn't they have rented a halfway decent lab?
Determined to improve on this, Ren shot the scenes at a local university. The campus served as the model for the university in the series, and with its state-of-the-art facilities, the difference was night and day.
Unsurprisingly, the university happily agreed.
In modern times, what do cities and universities value most? Talent.
Universities often compete fiercely for students, with stories of institutions vying for top scholars making the news. For the school Ren approached, being featured in Ultraman Gaia was a fantastic PR opportunity.
The exposure on prime-time television—and later reruns and home video releases—offered immense promotional value. The university even waived the rental fee for the lab and provided meals for the crew at the campus cafeteria.
To top it off, student council members served as extras, playing bystanders in various scenes.
Naturally, Ren ensured the student actors were paid fairly for their work, following the standard rates for extras.
"Oh? An airborne fortress!"
As the monster of the episode emerged, the Strike Team launched fighter jets to engage it.
Daniel noticed something peculiar: the jets were launched from a massive fortress floating in the sky.
"This adds such a high-tech vibe!" Daniel mused.
The design of the strike team's jets also caught his attention.
"Wait, these jets can fold into container shapes? That's pretty clever! Though... would they actually fly?"
Despite the questionable physics, Daniel didn't dwell on it. Instead, he mentally tallied his savings. "These are definitely going to be turned into toys. I'm buying one for sure!"
Of course, the real highlight of any Ultraman series isn't the jets or the side monsters.
What fans truly want is to see Ultraman battling kaiju.
When Gamu, unwilling to let Earth be destroyed, reunited with the giant of light—Gaia—he passed the test to become Gaia Ultraman himself.
Gaia's entrance was nothing short of spectacular.
In most Ultraman series, the titular hero lands gracefully. Not Gaia.
Gaia's arrival was an earth-shaking event, literally. As he touched down, clouds of dust billowed up, creating a visually striking scene.
The production team used a combination of wide-angle and close-up shots, switching between perspectives to fully showcase Gaia's impactful landing.
The result was jaw-dropping.
"Perfect. Absolutely perfect," Daniel thought.
Gaia's debut gave off a sense of immense power, leaving viewers confident in his strength.
If his landing alone could send shockwaves across the ground, Daniel figured, "One punch could probably obliterate a monster on the spot!"
While the scene thrilled audiences, filming it had been anything but easy.
The production team had opted for practical effects over CGI.
To create the dust explosion, small explosive charges were buried in the ground where the actor in the Ultraman suit would land. The charges were detonated just as the actor released his grip on a horizontal bar and touched down.
Though the charges were low-yield and non-lethal, they still posed a risk.
The stunt performer had been understandably nervous during filming.
Even experienced pyrotechnicians couldn't guarantee complete safety. After all, explosions are inherently dangerous.
Ren couldn't help but think of a certain character from his past life's Naruto series—Deidara. The art-obsessed explosives expert might have handled the setup with flair, but even he would've ducked for cover when it came time for detonation.
Onscreen, Gaia faced off against the cosmic battle beast Gobu, showcasing his signature finishing move, the Gaia Photon Edge.
By channeling energy into his hands, Gaia generated a radiant beam atop his head, resembling a glowing antenna. With a flick of this "photon horn," he obliterated the enemy kaiju in a single strike.
The move was so visually stunning that Daniel couldn't help but admire it.
However, as he watched the second episode featuring the magma monster, Kiryu, Daniel noticed something strange.
Once again, Gaia's entrance involved a massive dust explosion. But this time, it occurred in the middle of a bustling city.
"Wait… isn't he causing as much damage as the kaiju?"
Following the broadcast of the first two episodes, online discussions about Ultraman Gaia erupted.
The reception was overwhelmingly positive.
On Douzhu, the country's largest review platform, Ultraman Gaia earned an average rating of over nine points from 54,000 viewers.
Many praised its action sequences and visuals, but there was also speculation about the mysterious second Ultraman.
"It's a shame we didn't get to see the second Ultraman. Do you think it's really just Gaia's alternate form?"
"No way. I still think it's a separate Ultraman!"
"Either way, I can't wait to see them both fight together."
"By the way, has anyone noticed? Every time Gaia lands, he cracks the ground. He's practically causing earthquakes!"
Some fans brought up an intriguing theory:
"In Greek mythology, Gaia is the goddess of the Earth, right? If Gaia represents the Earth, maybe there'll be another Ultraman representing the Sky?"
The speculation only fueled the excitement for what lay ahead.
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