Ultraman Cosmos is the hero of strength and kindness, and now for the first time, his entire series is available on DVD with the Mill Creek 8-disc box set! That’s right, 8 disks — this box set includes more content than any of its predecessors. There’s so much included, we have to split this review into two articles! (Tune in next week for our coverage of the specials.)
The cover showcases Cosmos in Luna Mode, Corona Mode, and Eclipse Mode, striking his respective poses. Included, as always, is a comprehensive episode guide with details on the JADF (Joint All Defense Force) and EYES (Elite Young Expert Squadron), as well as all their tech and weaponry.
With sixty-five total episodes, the sixteenth iteration of the Ultraman TV series is the longest, making this set a bang for your buck.
Not only is the series long, butUltraman Cosmos is distinct in the context of those who came before him. His approach to fighting is elegant and subdued, stemming from his compassion for Kaiju.
Cosmos’s consideration for Kaiju lives generates captivating battles filled with tension. Cosmos fights mostly with purification moves and goes out of his way to make peace, mitigating threats instead of simply eliminating them. He must fight even harder and with more strategy in order to uphold his philosophy.
Cosmos’s insistence to protect and defend Kaiju as well as humans is largely informed by his host, EYES member Musashi Haruno. In episode 1, “Reunion with Light,” Musashi, an astronaut candidate, is caught in the crossfire between EYES and Lidorias, the Friendly Giant Bird Kaiju who has been possessed by series adversary Chaos Header. Cosmos, the giant of light, swoops in and saves Musashi — and it’s not the first time such a thing has happened to them! Cosmos had visited Musashi once before in childhood, establishing their bond. Now merged, Musashi’s empathy for confused, scared, and manipulated Kaiju matches Cosmos’s own moral compass.
At times, Musashi’s principles can put him in frustrating situations, potentially prolonging danger by taking approaches that are less-immediately effective. His insistence that Kaiju lives are worth preserving as much as humanity forces the defense team allied with him, EYES, into altercations with the more militant JADF. In episode 12, “The Sparkle of Life,” Cosmos and the JADF are at odds with what to do about giant baby kaiju Ephemera. While EYES and Cosmos see the child within the beast, the JADF wants to take as little risk as possible and neutralize the threat immediately. Cosmos is caught between protecting Ephemera from the world, and protecting the world from Ephemera.
Musashi always tries to make the decision that saves the most lives. He strengthens Cosmos with his compassion, but he also harnesses Cosmos’s power in the name of pacifism. When we see creatures like Lidorias, Bolgis, Spittle, Mogrudon, Toubles, and Baby Zaranga it becomes easy to understand why Cosmos is set on conservation. The Kaiju for this series are just so cute!
Of course, as befitting the tone of the show, the scariest enemies can’t simply be fought. Chaos Header is a faceless entity who transforms Kaiju simply trying to survive into dangerous creatures thirsty to take lives, corrupting their innocence and generating an armada of monsters to use at its disposal. In episode 29 “The Courage to Dream” and episode 30, “Eclipse,” Cosmos faces off with Eligal, which turns out to be Chaos Header-Mebut. Cosmos fights it off valiantly but is bested to the point of splitting from Musashi. The Ultra’s spirit is left weak and stranded in the woods.
Even still, Musashi insists that Chaos Header isn’t to be blamed, but salvaged. He is determined to make Chaos Header understand his heart, and to lead with love even if it feels like he should do the opposite. This, however, does not stop Cosmos from fighting Chaos-Header Mebut with an insanely opulent combination of attack moves. He can exert a little brute force if necessary — it’s totally awesome looking.
When released in 2001, Ultraman Cosmos served as a reminder that the 21st century should be approached with compassion. Now, twenty-four years later, that reminder is just as poignant. With motifs of the impact of artificial intelligence, unstable global systems, and the struggle to determine what’s right, Ultraman Cosmos holds up in a big way.
Ultraman Cosmos possesses an acclaimed soundtrack, a particularly joyous, familial, and upbeat defense force, and highly impressive CGI effects for its time. It is an electric package for a universal message: Every being deserves empathy.
Make sure that you get your hands on Mill Creek’s Ultraman Cosmos 8-disc box set today and stay tuned on Ultraman Connection for our upcoming review of the three included Ultraman Cosmos films!
