Title
 Ultraman USA
International Title
 Ultraman: The Adventure Begins
Music By: Shinsuke Kazado
Record Label: Columbia
  Order
Running Time: 48:13 Discs: 1
Release: September 2004 CD Number: COCC-72075
Comments
Anthony Romero
Columbia's soundtrack for the animated joint venture between Tsuburaya, Kodansha, and Hanna-Barbera. Like other releases from the record label, this is a limited release to around 5,000 units. Despite the limited nature, though, its a budget release that is generally far cheaper than other Japanese soundtracks. On the plus side, while an uneven soundtrack, its a pretty enjoyable release for its price.

The composer of the score is Shinsuke Kazado, known primarily for his themes on Urusei Yatsura and Ultraman: Towards the Future, who delivers an interesting body of work here. I was pretty indifferent about the score the first time I heard it, but Kazado's cues definitely seem to grow on you overtime. Tracks 5 and 7 tend to be the stand out ones here, although they are also far and away the longest with each being over ten minutes and could have easily stood to be broken up for easier listening. In fact, all of the tracks are suites with small segments of silence in between themes.

In terms of the soundtrack's downfall, the two songs on the CD, track 1 and 9, are kind of hit and miss, with the first being decent although the last track is, to put it kindly, definitely not for everyone.

Overall, I find myself enjoying this score more and more each time I hear it. I wouldn't call it great, but it certainly measures as enjoyable in a deliciously dated sort of way. Just a shame the vocal songs weren't better.
Rating: Star Rating
Tracks
  1. Time to Rush in
    By: Shinichi Ishihara
  2. Prologue
  3. Omen
  4. Ultra Force - The Chosen Three
  5. Grinshocks & Galbarade - Advent of the Two Giant Monsters
  6. Zoon - The Funny Child Monster Zoon
  7. King Maera - The Hyper Transformation of Monster King Maera
  8. Epilogue
  9. Sky High Hero
    By: Shinichi Ishihara