Hideaki Anno’s Ultraman Fan Film Is Now Officially Streaming

Shin Ultraman is the realization of a dream generations within the making for Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Hideaki Anno—working with Shinji Higuchi to craft his personal spin on the legendary franchise that impressed legions of his personal work. And now, it’s getting even simpler to see simply how lengthy Anno has been influenced by Ultraman.

At least, in Japan that’s. Amazon Japan’s Prime Video service has stealth-dropped an HD remaster of Daicon Film’s Return of Ultraman, the 1983 quick movie Anno produced for the Osaka-based Japan SF Convention. The quick, marking Anno’s directorial debut, additionally stars the budding director as Ultraman Jack—or actually, Anno as himself, rendered large sized and carrying an Ultraman Jack jacket—as he battles Kaiju in an homage to the ‘70s classic, Return of Ultraman.

Although the short has been available in varying qualities over the year, its release on Prime Video in Japan marks the arrival of Shin Ultraman on the streaming service as well—and marks something of a poetic pairing, given that Anno first met his Shin collaborator Higuchi at a Tokyo screening of Daicon Film’s Return of Ultraman, beginning a relationship that might culminate with them making Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman collectively. As Anno appears to be like to proceed his fandom streak helming Shin Kamen Rider subsequent 12 months, it’s a pleasant little look again at the place he began.

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