It’s finally happened folks. That time of year where the people who have been going on and on about this year’s shows suddenly start to realize that maybe their new Numer One Hero is anything but.

Sadly, I’m no exception to this phenomenon…but not for the reasons you’d think.

You remember awhile back when I talked about Ultraseven X? I’ve been saying that Tsuburaya managed to pull out the stops to manage a return to their hardcore sci-fi glory days with Seven X, I even say this in my next column for Otaku USA but that was after viewing the first 5 or so episodes.

…Then it started to slip.

Find out why after the jump.

So how is it possible that such an apparently awesome show such as Utraseven X could slip up and get me swept up in New Show Fever? Numerous reasons.

While the stories were solid, the main problem was the so-called “.3 Second Fight” phenomenon. At first, it seemed like only a fanboy minority complaining about it but it slowly revealed itself to be a gaping wound where the show shot itself in the foot. Sure there were a few exceptions to this that worked such as the episode “Blood Message” but otherwise, each final confrontation at the end of each episode turned into a MASSIVE anti-climax.

Biggest example of this is in the episode “Your Song”. We’re expecting a throwdown against the rather intimidating and awesomely designed Monster of the Week who seemingly deserves a dramatic thrashing by our here. What do we get for all our trouble? One Eye Slugger to the head. That’s it.

Compare that to the first episode when Seven takes out the first monster and the alien ship. That shot where he just looks at the ship before taking it out, you can really feel a sense of “Holy crap, this guy is badass”. After awhile, the lack of action takes a drastic toll and renders the series something of a better written version of Godzilla: Final Wars. (Sorry, Mr. Kitamura…)

But that’s not to say that it’s all bad. The plots are a lot more solid than say Nexus (which started a ton of mysteries and only managed to resolve half of them) but to me, the self-contained stories had more weight to them than those pertaining to the overall plotline.

Sure we can blame the producer and all those in charge but the real culprit for the most part here? Time. A friend of mine watched a few episodes and she agreed that the show could really shine if they weren’t restricted to 23 minutes a show. Two to one if the show were allowed to go maybe 45 minutes, they’d be able to shine and it’d be worthy of being made for Seven’s 40th.

I do like Ultraseven X in spite of its flaws. It’s a nice change of pace in the same way Den-O was after enduring Kabuto and the many years of Serious Business but it isn’t THE GREATEST SERIES EVAR! like some people are making it out be. It was a fun ride while it lasted but it wasn’t the best one in the park. Regardless, I’m indebted to it for one thing: Not being a sequel to Ultraseven Evolution.