ULTRAMAN ART!

Alien Baltan

After watching Christopher Nolan’s stunning Batman trilogy, it would be fascinating to imagine what that film-maker would do with the quintessential Japanese superhero Ultraman.

Unfortunately that’s just never going to happen, so Ultraman remains stuck in the same kind of cheesy retro land that Batman once occupied. But cheesy or not, there is no denying Ultraman’s enormous influence as a prototypical figure in Japanese manga, anime, and TV, as well as his endearing appeal for children. This is exactly why this show at the Museum of Modern Art Saitama and a similar one at the Museum of Contemporary Art have been held during the school holidays.

The show has more or less what you would expect, with models and artwork used in the making of the TV series. This means lots of scale models like the diorama of the secret base of the “Ultra Police” and human sized suits of giant monsters made from latex. Some of these, like the mask used to depict Gomora, a monstrous opponent 40-meters onscreen, are clearly a lot worse for wear, testifying to the action-packed nature of the Ultraman TV series. Others like the costume for the fiendishly clawed Alien Baltan are in remarkably good condition and ready to pose for photographs with visitors.

Ultraman flies

One of the most fascinating items at the exhibition is a relatively simple rotating machine with clouds painted on it that is used, along with a tiny model of Ultraman and a few pieces of cotton wool, to create scenes of Ultraman flying. In a world where CGI now makes too much possible, items like this point to a magical era where the imagination drew strength from the technical limitations it had to constantly overcome. Perhaps this, rather than Ultraman’s many battles against his monstrous foes, is the really fascinating struggle enshrined in this exhibition.

Colin Liddell

Metropolis

16th August, 2012