UuultraC Review – A Convoluted Hero Drama BL

UUUltraC is a BL visual novel with a unique setting inspired by tokusatsu and other classic Japanese anime/manga stories. In a world where heroes and the monsters known as kaiju exist, three couples face various difficulties to live their love together.

The story has three chapters, each of which follows one of the couples. Though there are flashbacks and some moments in the past, the main events take place in 1970. Japan is undergoing modernization while facing a unique social situation.

Some people transform into kaiju when their emotions go out of control. To protect the common people, heroes fight these beings whose powers can be very troublesome. But not all of them are evil: some kaiju want to live without prejudice as members of society.

This social rift is a fertile context for struggles, as the common populace fears the kaiju, and these so-called monsters face ostracism. TV shows perpetuate the depiction of kaiju as villains while they praise superheroes. These justice warriors exist in real life, and, for them, killing criminals is often considered morally correct.

UuultraC‘s reality is messed up, showing how easy it is to warp concepts such as justice and morality. The plot gets considerably darker as it progresses, and the protagonists’ order also exemplifies it, going from good-natured to a very harsh cynical tone.

Shoutarou is a young man who lives with his boyfriend, a mangaka who looks like a yakuza. Shou’s biggest dream is to become one of the Icarus heroes he saw on TV. Instead of becoming one in real life, he wants to get an acting job. Shoutarou is an honest, hardworking man who’s always doing his best, but life isn’t fair.

Chapter 2’s protagonist is the photographer Shirou, who’s a tougher nut to crack. Unlike Shoutarou, he is usually insincere, trying to get the most out of any opportunity. Worst of all, Shirou often lies to himself, so his prejudice and actions often hurt him. His biggest dream is to find a girl he loved as a kid, a Belle he’s still obsessed with to this date.

Lastly, we have Juurou, the famous actor behind Icarus, who’s also a superhero behind the scenes. Because he has been acting since he was a kid, his everyday behavior became an enactment. Juurou is just alternating masks and roles to fit in. Despite that, his relationship with the mysterious Hibarino, a childhood friend of his, seems genuine.

There are multiple other relevant characters, men and women, which are part of their lives. The perspective change also affects which sides of them get the spotlight. By playing all three chapters, it’ll be possible to understand better how they’re all connected.

However, it’s necessary to keep in mind the story is very convoluted. From a certain point in the first chapter onward, there’s a feeling that scene jumps are too abrupt. A lot of relevant pieces are too abstract and hard to understand, while the general story itself doesn’t feel enhanced by the confusing narrative style most of the time.

Even so, the game offers an impressive display of ADELTA’s Kurosawa Rinko visual style. The game has many CGs, depicting multiple scenes through complete illustrations rather than the traditional “character portraits on top of a background.” The designs here feel varied, with special attention to facial features.

It’s also constantly using warm colors such as orange and red to form very vibrant pieces and characters that pop from the vintage background. The erotic scenes also take special attention to body depiction, with constant use of camerawork. Instead of a focus on genitals or keeping a more ample area visible, these takes make it feel more artistic and centered on their feelings.

UuultraC is another unique BL title from ADELTA and it’s easy to see improvements to the Kurosawa Rinko artstyle. However, the messy delivery of its plot keeps it from living up to its potential with a confusing narrative style that hinders the experience more than it does improve it. Even so, fans of the genre are likely to enjoy this wild ride and should give this experimental work a try.