Hero inspires real bravery
Ultraman takes on a special mission to spread hope and deliver a message of love to disaster survivors and young hospital patients, Xu Haoyu reports.
There are three toy stores near The Children’s Hospital in Hangzhou. Perhaps not surprisingly, the stores get crowded.
Stacks of toys are piled up and cover the walls and the store owners sit on their small bench politely answering queries or concluding another sale.
Girls normally want Barbie, and most boys go for the toy car, or Ultraman, the sliver and red action figure.
Ultraman was created by Tokyo Broadcasting System and Tsuburaya Productions 55 years ago. The TV series premiered in Japan on July 10, 1966, and was introduced to China in 1993.
A superhero, who protects peace on Earth, Ultraman has become an inspiring icon beloved by children and fans in Japan and the world over.
Last December, Ultraman was recognized as a fashion icon by one of China’s biggest online shopping retailers. Elements of Ultraman’s look, including tights, metallic fabric, and a mixture of red and blue, were among the fashion trends of the past year.
The Ultraman Foundation was founded by Eiji Tsuburaya and other supporting companies in March 2011, straight after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The primary goal was to support people who lost their homes in the disaster by visiting the shelters they had to live in.
Kei Minamitani, head of Tsuburaya Productions’ overseas business department, claims that, at the beginning, some team members felt reluctant to present an Ultraman show at such a difficult time, when entertainment was not exactly the top priority.
“To spark viewer imagination, provide hope for the future, and cultivate kindness in young hearts” was the wish of the company’s founder, Eiji Tsuburaya.
Minamitani recalls that as the team started the show, they could see in people’s eyes that they had more pressing concerns, but, as the show went on, children started to gather around. At the climax of the show, children were cheering and shouting for Ultraman so loudly and were overcome with excitement when Ultraman defeated the enemy. It was even more touching to see that parents and adults began to smile together with their children, some with tears in their eyes.
“We believe that for many children, Ultraman is their first encounter of hope and happiness, and the experience will last forever,” Minamitani says.
Since then, the foundation has been sending Ultra Heroes to visit children in need at nursery schools, kindergartens, and orphanages in areas struck by disaster,
We believe that for many children, Ultraman is their first encounter of hope and happiness, and the experience will last forever.”
Kei Minamitani, head of Tsuburaya Productions’ overseas business department
as well as children’s hospitals.
It has carried out 13 major activities up to now. The latest project, Stay at Home With Ultraman, was conducted during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. The Ultraman Foundation released the best episodes from the series and created original videos, including content to help children during the stayat-home period and messages from their heroes.
On March 10, a missive was uploaded to the official website of the Ultraman Foundation, marking the 10th anniversary of its establishment.
The message says clearly: “We believe that these children’s smiles are not only our irreplaceable hope for the future, but the future itself’’.
Heroes belong to the world, not just a single country.
The Shanghai Character License Administrative Company, is the exclusive licensing agent of characters such as the Ultraman Series, Detective Conan, Hatsune Miku and Evangelion.
In 2010, SCLA started to carry out charity activities in the name of Ultraman. As its first move, it participated in a campaign, which was initiated by the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League, and donated a large number of genuine Ultraman Tiga-themed supplies, including backpacks, notebooks and pencils, to young people who were affected by the flash flood and mudslide in Zhouqu, Gannan Tibet autonomous prefecture in Gansu province.
From 2017 to February this year, SCLA organized 25 charity activities and sent actors to play Ultra heroes in seven cities in China.
Mu Yi, 5, has been suffering from neuroblastoma, a form of cancer. He made a long wish list and seeing Ultraman in real life was on it.
UItraman Zero flew to Jinan, Shandong province, to meet him on Jan 15.
Wearing a blue cloak, Zero got down on one knee to wrap the boy’s small hand in his own. These two brave comrades made a thumb seal and agreed that giving up is not an option when facing difficulties in life.
The actors jet around the country to bring hope to many children suffering from serious illness. Children like Hao (pseudonym as requested), from Shanghai.
“Ultraman looks smaller than on television,” Hao notes. “I’m so happy that he touched my head.”
“I like Ultra heroes because they are so cool and so powerful,” says 9-year-old Le from Hefei city, Anhui province. “I felt nervous but thrilled meeting Ultraman.”
“Ultra heroes are very handsome and very tall; they can protect me. With Ultraman by my side, I felt so secure. Also, I want to learn from the Ultraman spirit: To never give up. I will beat the monster in my body just like Ultraman,” says Jing, a 5-year-old from Zhejiang province, “I want to see him again.”
Sun Jian, the general manager of SCLA, says that the company wants to help children to realize their dreams, deliver care and love, inspire people with the Ultraman spirit, pass on a positive attitude toward life, and bring hope. He believes that, over the past decade, the company has achieved this goal.
SCLA is no longer satisfied with just providing birthday surprises or visits to sick kids in hospitals.
It recently partnered with a public hospital to set up an Ultraman-themed injection room.
“Ultraman is fighting for mankind out of love, and people’s dependence on Ultraman is also love. Love is an interaction effect,” Sun says. “In the future, we will work even harder to pass on the spirit of love and justice that Ultra heroes represent.”