Ultraman: The Official Novel of the Series by Pat Cadigan lets us inside the internal world of Shin Hayata and our silver hero. Whether you are meeting Ultraman for the first time, or revisiting an old friend, Cadigan serves as the perfect guide- The kind that can make new things feel familiar and well-traversed paths feel novel.
This will be a discussion of ONLY the first chapter of the novel, and we’ll be going through each chapter as we head towards the release of Ultraseven: The Official Novel of the Series, which comes out in June.
The story picks up in hot pursuit, as Ultraman chases Bemular through the galaxy. When the criminal Kaiju lands his ship on a certain blue planet, Ultraman follows and the two encounter humanity. Throughout this chase, Ultraman’s internal monologue is insinuated by narration. We don’t break through his mystique entirely, but we get to see this classic story from his perspective.
We see Ultraman using tools like planetary analysis scans to navigate space. We learn of Earth and humanity, not by name, but by our species’ incompatibility with light energy. I’d never really thought about the effects of a Spacium Beam on a human, but the answer would apparently be highly toxic radiation till death. Yikes! Information like this really puts the resilience and adaptability of Kaiju in perspective!
We learn facts about Ultraman that wouldn’t be accessible without an omniscient voice to tell them. For instance, Earth’s environmental conditions are so hard on our atmosphere that the pollution interferes with Ultraman’s available light energy or that Ultraman is less powerful at night, because there is less light to channel.
Conversely, Shin Hayata witnesses the intergalactic arrival alongside his team, the Science Special Search Party (SSSP). Unidentified lights streak the sky above the Ryugamori Forest. Hayata and his team fly towards the situation to neutralize it, when Bemular’s ship crashes into him, killing him only fifteen pages into the story. The death is palpable.
We’ve seen many hosts in peril, and even on the brink of death, but in Ultraman: The Official Novelization it is confirmed that, for all intents and purposes, Hayata dies in that moment. With many forest-dwellers as witness, Hayata’s limp body ascends to an astral plane. His soul follows, guided by the voice of his mother who reminds him to “Always seek out those things that elevate the human spirit.”
Moments in which we get to see the pillars of Hayata’s belief system are scattered throughout in the form of wisdoms imparted by his mentors. Now, though, in the liminal space, he is introduced to a new guardian and ally. Ultraman awaits him.
As Ultraman explains his circumstance, we get to vicariously experience the exhilaration of being called to action. Hayata receives the beta capsule, and we learn how it feels. The two beings merge and we start to understand it from the inside. Hayata looks up at the stoic giant and thinks one word: Ultra.
When Hayata is delivered back into the real world, his new powers are tested. The SSSP torpedoes Bemular out of the water and Ultraman is the only force that could handle his wrath.
Immediately, we become privy to both the physical and emotional aspects of harnessing power. There is a rhythm of ebbs and flows one must gauge in order to steer the energy of something much more powerful than oneself. This skill takes a level of intuition and trust that we’ve seen Hayata exhibit already. Now he must put it to use to save everyone.
When reading Ultraman, versus watching, we are given more time to ask ourselves what we would do in the same position as Shin Hayata. We are given many words to understand the feelings of becoming Ultraman, and there is comfort in that those words aren’t completely foreign to us. We’ve felt the feelings of overcoming and gaining control of ourselves, and it’s a good feeling to remember. Humans gain control of our faculties in dire situations, fueled by adrenaline. This might even be something Ultraman admires about us small, funny, creatures.
Already in the first chapter, we get a look at the dynamics of the SSSP. The communication facilitator and emotionally intelligent Akiko Fuji, the anxious but diligent Mitsuhiro Ide, the laid back and straight-forward Arashi, the stone-cold captain Muramatsu who secretly holds the same reservations as the others. There’s almost a procedural-style back-and-forth between the crew that serves as a Greek chorus to the action.
The crew doesn’t know what to make of Ultraman yet, but they deem him an honorable hero to some extent, for facing off against Bemular and the series of explosions, collisions that trail him.
Cadigan’s narration is clear and matter of fact, fitting for Ultraman’s calm, straightforward composure. The language focuses on action and world-building, maintaining a serious tone as it leans into the science fiction of it all. She impressively translates action to the written medium, packing tension into every altercation.
With his new secret burning a beta-capsule sized hole in his palm, Hayata recoups from his first day sharing a body with an alien warrior. Captain Muramatsu reminds Hayata of his luck in surviving the crash, dismissing the eyewitness reports of levitation. Shin leaves off on both a grateful and hubristic note; “Oh, I’m more than lucky Cap’…I’m invincible.”
After a day as Ultraman, who wouldn’t be at least a little cocky? Although, unfortunately, I have a feeling Shin Hayata must be humbled, as must any hero. Make sure to grab a copy of ULTRAMAN: The Official Novel of the Series and catch up with us, and stay tuned for more chapter reviews here on Ultraman Connection.
