If you’re just coming up to speed on Ultraman – and Mill Creek Entertainment’s distribution of the shows/films – then welcome aboard! We’re still toward the beginning of the library, which includes more than 1,100 episodes and 20 films spanning 50 years of the Japanese franchise.

Check out our reviews of all previous releases here.

Mill Creek is releasing the classic shows in order from the beginning (with a few of the modern incarnations sprinkled in), and today we’re looking at the fifth fourth installment in the franchise – Ultraman Ace – which aired 52 episodes on Japanese television in 1972 and 1973.

Development on Ultraman Ace was a bit different than on previous installments… because Kamen Rider was now on the scene in Japan. That show debuted in 1971 and, in many respects, “one-upped” Ultraman and became a huge hit.

Therefore, to compete in a pop culture landscape that included the superheroics of Kamen Rider, Ultraman Ace became the first Ultra show to fully embrace the superhero tropes that were always lurking just beneath its sci-fi surface.

Ultraman Ace would see Ultraman become a full-fledged superhero, there would be a legit villain behind the kaiju, and all previous Ultramen would show up for some sweet Justice League-style team-up fighting.

Say hello, then, to the first Ultra series villain that lasts the entire run of the show. Yapool is a nasty alien intent on invading Earth with the help of his “terrible monsters.” Why are they terrible? Because they’re more powerful than regular monsters. Natch.

Now say hi to our heroes. Yep, that’s right. Heroes plural. Ultraman Ace broke ground by not only having two human hosts for Ultraman… but one of them was a woman! Seiji Hokuto and Yuko Minami – members of the awesomely named Terrible Monsters Attacking Crew – are each given an Ultra ring that allows them to transform into Ultraman.

A blending of genders to become a superhero? What a novel concept! Alas, it proved to be too much for 1972 Japan, and around the middle of the series, Yuko is given a mission on the moon and disappears. Seiji thus gets both rings… and complete power over Ultraman.

Sigh. Figures.

As you should for the entire Ultraman franchise, temper your expectations when it comes to special effects and storytelling. It doesn’t hold up if you’re comparing it to a modern blockbuster, but it absolutely holds up in context. If you’re a fan of the franchise or of the kaiju genre, Ultraman Ace is a worthy addition to the lineup.

Like all previous Mill Creek releases, Ultraman Ace comes in two different versions. You’ve got your standard Blu-ray box set and a SteelBook edition. Inside, both are the same, so the only real difference is in the packaging. However, if you don’t really care, I’d highly recommend the standard packaging since Mill Creek is designing the entire Ultraman line to have a mosaic image on the spines when lined up together. Here are the first five releases together.

The set includes all 52 episodes of the show in their original, complete Japanese broadcast edits (in HD and with lossless DTS-HD audio). They look and sound great.

Also included is a 24-page booklet that gives a bit of background on the series and a brief synopses of each episode, key monster, major character, and important technology.

Finally, the set includes a digital redemption code for movieSPREE, where you can access and download all episodes for digital streaming.