Being Ultraman Is Hard

August 29th, 2009 | 0 Comments | Children |

My daughter is very fond of Ultraman, especially the eight brothers (Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Jack, Gaia, Mebius, Ace, Dyna, Tiga). She has taught me that, despite their powers, it is not easy to be an Ultraman.

When we play with her Ultra Brothers dolls, there is a specific routine. There appear some monsters hell-bent on destroying Tokyo and anything else that might be or get on their way. The Ultras fight, get pummeled and stricken by some unknown, yet powerful, ray discharge. Even though they are almost always on the brink of getting clobbered, in the end they manage to pull through and rely on the strength of their joint effort to defeat the monsters of the day.

One would think that once the battle is over the Ultra Brothers would get a chance to rest, perhaps catching a well-deserved siesta. Unfortunately for them, that is not to be. Once the fighting is done, they have to attend kinder, where they read and paint. When class is over, they go to the park to play for a while before returning home for supper. At dinner time they talk about anything “their” imagination will concoct, but not without first reminding each other of the importance of eating fish, vegetables and drinking soup if they are to remain strong and valiant.

A little playtime follows the evening meal. This, however, does not last long for the Ultra Brothers have to make sure they put all their toys away and clean up the room before they all head for the bathtub, where somehow all of them fit together. During their bath, the Ultra Brothers discuss the day’s work, especially how difficult their fights against monsters were. I find it amusing that as part of this conversation they usually thank and compliment one another for their mutual help in battle, which undoubtedly would have been impossible to win without working as a team.

When they finish bathing, together they prepare their bed and discuss the importance of turning in early and getting enough rest because the next day will bring new battles, more study and perhaps some unforeseen situation. Then they decide the order in which they will lay down and go to sleep holding hands.

Clearly, it is hard to be an Ultraman.