Ultraman Max remastered in HD for the first time to celebrate its 20th anniversary

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the broadcast of the special effects drama "Ultraman Max," which aired from 2005 to 2006, it has been announced that it will be remastered in HD for the first time. The Blu-ray Disc box set, "Ultraman Max Complete Blu-ray Box," will be released on December 24th.

The film is themed around returning to the roots of the "Ultraman" series' appeal, and stars Sota Aoyama, Hitomi Hasebe, Hikari Mitsushima, and Kai Shishido as main cast members. Yagi Takeshi served as director and producer, with participation from Shusuke Kaneko and Takashi Miike. Akio Jissoji and Toshihiro Iijima also directed episodes in which monsters such as Alien Metron and Alien Baltan make a reappearance, which also attracted attention.

The one-off episode "Special Finale: To the Ultra Future" will also be included as a bonus feature. "Climax Stories," a compilation of the memories of "a certain character in the series," will also be released in HD. The DVD will also include a wealth of content, including making-of footage and an "alternate ending version" of episode 15, "The Miracle of the Third Planet."

The included bonuses include a "Special Booklet" that explains the work, and an "Ultraman Max Design Book" that is a catalog of design drawings. The cover was designed by Hiroshi Maruyama, who was in charge of character design for "Ultraman Max" and other works. The price is 36,300 yen.