Ultraman Neos

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Ultra Stats
Height: 58 meters
Weight: 59,000 tons
Flight Speed: Mach 30
Running Speed: unknown
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: Genki Kagura
Transformation Item: Estraller
Team: HEART (Hi-tech Earth Alert and Rescue Team... also spelled HRT) - Captain Minato, Genki Kagura, Uematsu, Hino, Nana, Ayumi, Secretary Fujiwara
Episodes: 12
Video Release Date: November 22, 2000
Weapons

* Neo Magnium Ray
* Ultra Multi Beam
* Ultra Eddy Beam

 

A young, brave warrior of the elite YUHSHI SHIREI BU (Warrior Command Group). Neos was originally designed to appear in a new series with Ultraseven21 in the mid-90's, but this did not materialize.  Instead, a two-Ultraman series concept was used later in 'Ultraman Gaia'.

Despite the original rejection and no hope of their own series, Neos and Seven21 seemed to have been accepted into the Ultra canon immediately, and had been used in group photos and live-action shows beginning in 1995.

Fortunately, after the success of several Ultra projects that ensued, the Neos/Seven21 concept was dusted off and repackaged as a direct-to-video series... Tsuburaya Production's Millennium project. Much of the staff are being rolled over from working on the recently-completed 'Ultraseven' videos. Filming was slated to commence 6/14/2000, and the first four episodes are to be released on DVD and VHS on November 22, 2000. Twelve 30-minute episodes were made.  Zoffy (and only Zoffy) made appearances, thus establishing that these are the first new Ultra heroes in a long while to be a part of the original Ultra universe. However, in episode 1, HEART doesn't seem to recognize Neos or the Ultraman concept, and the captain orders them to attack "the giant."

Set in the year 200X, strange phenomena (usually in the form of monsters and aliens) start showing up again as Earth passes through the dark matter of an "Unbalance Zone."  At the heart of the series is "love, courage, and 'ROMAN'". 'Roman' is a Japanese false cognate that defies translation. Several have suggested that it is translated as "romance," but this is not the case. It refers more to "otoko no roman," or the 'roman' of a man. It kind of has to do with the dreams and aspirations and trials and tribulations of what it is to being a man, or being human. But it has nothing to do with the mushy stuff that happens between couples.

Moreover, like the name of the support team, the theme of the show was all about "HEART." HEART is formed to deal with the Unbalance Zone phenomena.  HEART's uniforms are low-budget and their headquarter looks like a stripped down cafeteria, but what do you expect from a direct-to-video. But don't worry, HEART puns abound. Their fighters are called HEART Winners and the aerial carrier is the HEART Warmer. Their SUV is called the HEART Beater SX, and some conscientious HEART members rush in to move some road blocks out of the way so as not to mar the paint as it crashes into a haunted mine shaft. It can convert into a hovercraft, with a shielded defense mode.

Genki Kagura, like his first name in Japanese, is full of energy. His name is "Miracle Man," like some old Ultramen we know.
 

Trivia

Though a pilot was produced and songs recorded, the show was at first rejected by TV stations because there was little real substance to differentiate Neos or Seven21 from past Ultramen (the heroes are clearly quite retro). This may have been a blessing, because Tsuburaya Productions went back to the drawing boards and came back with was a radical departure, Ultraman Tiga, who reignited the franchise's fire. Interestingly, Tiga had the first female captain to helm a squadron in an Ultra series... this was a salvaged concept that was originally envisioned for Neos. Another thing stolen by Ultraman Gaia from Neos is the name of a transformation item... Neos was originally going to transform with something called the Esplender.

After being shunned from the TV screen for seven years, Neos finally got his days in broadcast glory when the 12 episodes were chosen as filler for the timeslot vacated by Ultraman Cosmos, which was abruptly canceled in June 2002 due to a scandal that erupted when allegations of battery and extortion were made against the main actor of that series. Neos was aired on 7/6/2002 and 7/13/2002, but was taken off the air when the station decided to reinstate Cosmos after the allegations against the actor were determined to be largely false.

'Dude, Where's My Car?': The movie is rated PG-13 and was released by 20th Century Fox in 2000. You can find a poster of Neos on the wall right next to the main entrance of Jesse and Chester's apartment.

Cameos
Episode 2: Zoffy