Backstory: a Thai businessman has claimed that Eiji Tsuburaya's son, Noboru, had given full rights to the Ultraman properties outside of Japan, including merchandising. This has been an ongoing legal battle for over 20 years, and a US court has handed down a ruling stating that the documents that Chaiyo Corp. claims to give these rights are forgeries and that full rights are returned to Tsuburaya productions. This is why some of the Ultra Series, such as Return of Ultraman, Ace, and Taro, have not been available in the States and why many Ultra goods cannot be sold directly to us in the USA either. I'm pretty excited about this because it will most likely lead to more Ultra goods and shows being available to us finally! Full press release here: https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/news/395
A ray of light in a dark world! Oh, I could be misremembering, but I think some of the mud in the situation is gone over in the podcast from this link: http://kaijucast.com/2015/05/09/05-09-2 ... ad-warner/ Mandatory listening for the toku-obsessed, either way.
Best news I have heard in a long time. I am sure it will take some additional waiting to sort things out, before the eventual access begins (and [non] floodgates of merchandise opens), but so be it. We, as true fans, have been patient for decades, a little more wait is nothing at this point. Truly a deserving judgement, and a ray of optimism in accessing what we love, in a hobby particularly where so much is focused on restriction and limitations. Huzzah!
Now they just need the guts to release the Ultraseven S'pell Alien episode instead of trying to keep it hidden from the public for another few decades.
I wouldn't count on that happening [officially] anytime soon. As much as the stigma against it still stands, and in further light of the first two series getting previously released versions in R1. A new Blu-ray edition of them though, now that would be spectacular news, which I could see happening - eventually (and ideally for a fraction of the Japanese imported versions). I would also like to see how this affects non-US markets in particular, as we have been starving for anything, even more than the trickle available stateside.
