Ultimate Girls
My god! A monster is attacking! Who will sav- BOOBIES!!
Review by: Craig "Inupchuk!" Norris
Length: 12 12-minute episodes
Genre: Ecchi, parody
Watched: 1-12, subbed
I always get excited when I learn of a parody series that is being released. I actually enjoy seeing sacred characters and conventions being systematically ripped apart all for the sake of a few cheap laughs. So when I learned that Ultimate Girls was all about carving up one of the mightiest of superheroes, Ultraman, I knew I had to watch it. Unfortunately, what little parody there was became buried underneath mass quantities of fanservice and crude humor. And even those kind of laughs can be a little too cheap for my taste.
Plot synopsis: Every Monday, a giant monster invariably attacks the city of Tokyo. The people do not fear, however, as the giant hero UFO Man is always there to save them. One day, as UFO Man fights another monster, schoolgirls Shiruku, Vivian, and Tsubomi attempt to get a close view of the action. Unfortunately they get too close, and UFO Man accidentally steps on them. Feeling very guilty, he gives them each a part of his body in order to save their lives. However, now that UFO Man's body is a part of each of the girls, they become the new protectors of the city. Now it's up to Shiruku, Vivian, and Tsubomi to become the Ultimate Girls and vanquish the giant monsters. But they better do it in just a few minutes, or they'll end up naked!
Artwork: The animation is pretty standard, and not something to get very excited over. Expect standard-type character designs and backgrounds. Although one thing I will say about the series is that the designs for the monsters are very off-beat. If you thought that the monsters from Sailor Moon that Tomoe pulled out of the microwave were weird, you don't know jack! They range from outlandish to blatantly phallic, which really emphasizes the fact that this show is not supposed to be taken seriously.
Music: Again, not something to get very excited over. Although, with the kind of subject matter in this anime, I highly doubt that applying a blockbuster soundtrack to it would be a wise idea. After all, it's a good bet that no one would be paying attention to the soundtrack with 20-story cheesecake parading around on the screen. So, another fanservice-y anime yields yet another unimpressive, cookie-cutter soundtrack. Raise your hand if you're surprised. If your hand is currently raised, you haven't been paying attention. Please re-read every review on this site until you get a clue.
Characters: There wasn't a whole lot of emphasis placed on character development. The best this series could do was elaborate on a few traits of each of the characters and play off them constantly. Shiruku is the main focus, owing to the fact that she is involved in a romantic sub-plot. She is the typically shy and modest schoolgirl that no anime seems to be complete without. Of the three Ulitmate Girls, she is the most reluctant to fight. She has a crush on Tsubomi's brother Makoto, who works for the school newspaper as a photographer, and devotes much of his time to finding out the true identities of the Ultimate Girls. Needless to say, this creates some very awkward tension for Shiruku. Vivian is the "big sister"of the group, often taking charge in emotional matters, as well as matters concerning giant monsters. She is very jealous of Makoto, because she is romantically interested in Shiruku. I always enjoy love triangles where two or more of the sides are female. Tsubomi is the most accepting of her role as an Ultimate Girl, and is actually quite the exhibitionist when all the cameras at her feet start clicking away. Her photogenic attitude stems from her love of cosplay, as well as other things otaku. When a monster attacks, always on the scene is Shiruku's older sister Mayu, a television reporter, and Okamura, a self-proclaimed expert on the Ultimate Girls. Okamura is the one responsible for naming the Ultimate Girls: Ultimate Girl Big Boobs (Vivian), Ultimate Girl Little Boobs (Shiruku), and Ultimate Girl Loli (Tsubomi). Okamura is also, apparently, a filthy old man. For the purposes of the show the characters are developed sufficiently, but don't expect to learn what makes them tick.
Plot: The series tries to balance the Ultraman parody with a budding high school romance. The two don't really mesh all that well until the last two episodes, where the two elements intertwine. The Ultimate Girl shtick is driven by a monster-of-the-week (literally) setup, with each monster presenting a different sexually suggestive situation. And, of course, as UFO Man's power is limited, the Ultimate Girl costumes start to dissolve after a few minutes of fighting, much to the delight of onlookers. In fact, the general public seems to be far more interested in getting a glimpse of giantess skin as opposed to whether or not the monsters will be defeated. The monster fights were severely tainted by needless and sometimes tasteless fanservice, to the point where I found the romantic sub-plot more interesting. And when the parody is upstaged by a by-the-book schoolgirl crush, there is a major problem.
CHICKS!: It's not often that chicks regularly grow to 200 feet tall, and I must admit that I find the idea somewhat intriguing. However, I am rather put off by the idea of a romantic evening with one being similar to attempting to scale the north face of Mount Everest (although a successful expedition really *would* put me at the top of the world). At their regular sizes, the girls aren't too bad. Shiruku is for those who like shy schoolgirls with petite figures (and I haven't met one sexually frustrated young adult yet that doesn't). Vivian is a real prize, not only because she is more physically and mentally mature than the others, but because she is clearly interested in girls. She doesn't seem to be one of those men-hating lesbians, either, so if you're a smooth-talking kind of guy, you could be looking a menage-a-trois right in the face. Despite being an avid cosplayer, Tsubomi's figure is just as undeveloped as her Ultimate Girl alias leads one to believe. On the plus side she does stop often to pose for pictures, so have your digital camera ready. Just don't let your boss see the pictures on your hard drive at work, or you are so fired!
Overall: Parody series have been done better, romance series have been done better, and ecchi series have been done better. Fans of gratuitous and tasteless sexual innuendo would have a field day with this series. However, the target audience stops there, as this show would undoubtedly disappoint anyone who is looking for a clever satire of one of the most celebrated superheroes of Japanese culture. It's a good thing the episodes are only 12 minutes apiece, or the show would have been an even bigger waste of time. Get it? Bigger? Because the girls get big, and... Ah, nevermind.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ The last two episodes
- The first ten episodes
- Too much sexual innuendo
- Ultraman must be pissed now!
Rating: 4/10
Return to Index