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Revision as of 10:59, 30 January 2022

Ulala
Space Channel 5 character
File:Ulala Sega All-Stars.webp
First appearanceSpace Channel 5 (1999)
Created byTakashi Yuda
Portrayed byNazu Nahoko[a]
Apollo Smile (on-stage, 2000)
Voiced byApollo Smile (1999–2014)
Cherami Leigh (2020–present)
Motion captureNazu Nahoko (1999–present)
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
OccupationChannel 5 reporter
WeaponChu-beam
Hey-beam
OriginEarth
BirthdayMay 30, 2477

Ulala[b] is the main protagonist of Sega's Space Channel 5 series, and the titular character of its several spin-offs. Her character was conceived by Takashi Yuda in the late 1990s and debuted in December 1999 with the release of Space Channel 5. Although the games were originally conceived for appeal to female gamers, the developers of Space Channel 5 also wanted Ulala to have a unique sexual appeal for male audiences.[1][2][3] Due to her popularity during the 2000s, Ulala was featured in several other Sega-published video games and used as promotional material in other media. Ulala and Pudding would have appeared in a Space Channel 5 movie but was cancelled due to Sega and Space Channel 5 developers having a low-budget.[4][5]

Within the fictional universe of Space Channel 5, Ulala is a reporter for Channel 5 and a recurring savior of the Galaxy who defeats alien forces with her savvy and funky moves, alongside fellow reporters Pudding and Jaguar. She is assisted by her boss Fuse during live broadcasts and is credited as the most well-known reporter in the Milky Way by her fans and crew members. Ten years prior to the Morolian Invasion of 2499, Ulala was the sole survivor of a deadly spaceship accident that resulted in the death of everyone aboard, including her parents. She was rescued by former Channel 5 reporter Jaguar and later influences her to become a journalist. Ten years later, Ulala is the star of Ulala's Swingin' Report Show and is determined to solve the mystery of the abrupt alien invasion while taking part in dance battles against rival reporters, including the likes of Channel 42's Pudding.

Like the other two protagonists of the game, Ulala's reception was overly positive among video game journalists and critics and received several nominations. She was nominated in 2000 for "Original Game Character of the Year" by the International Game Developers Association.[6] In the Japanese versions of the games, Ulala's voice actress was a popular mystery for years. In 2020, it was confirmed by the developers of Space Channel 5 that she is voiced by Mineko Okamura, who was originally credited as "Ulala."[1][7] In a 2016 poll, Ulala was ranked 10th as the best Sega character of all time.[8]

Concept and creation

Ulala was conceived by Takashi Yuda, who also created her name.[9] Ulala was not designed alongside the original 1997 concept video for her game, Space Channel 5.[10] The designers aimed for her sex appeal to be "subtle," and aimed to try and reflect how clothes would be in 500 years, explaining that Ulala's underwear showing at some times was not as big a deal in this future. Ulala's model has a low polygon count, which lead to her sex appeal being defined through her movement according to Mizuguchi.[11] When picking the colors of Ulala's outfit, Sega used orange and blue, to represent the colors of the Dreamcast logo and corporate color of Sega Japan respectively.[12] Sega had high expectations for Ulala as a character due to a combination of their belief in her designer, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, as well as Space Channel 5's unique visuals. Peter Moore noted Sega's interest to make Ulala a "star" who could feature in different games after Space Channel 5, despite American audiences' relative lukewarm reception to her.[13]

Casting and portrayal

Mizuguchi found casting an English voice actress difficult due to him struggling to find someone with "good voice talent" and dancing ability. As such, they went through a number of auditions.[14] Ulala was originally voiced by Apollo Smile in the English version of Space Channel 5, and her dancer and choreographer was Nazu Nahoko.[15][16] To find her to feature her in a new game, the developers of Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! put out a "public appeal requesting information" about her, stating that she is what made Ulala "special from the very beginning."[15] They were able to find Smile but were unable to secure her for this role, choosing instead to feature a sound-alike.[17]

Characteristics

Ulala is a slim light-skinned woman depicted as a heroine within her fictional universe. Valala Petrie and Brent Suzuki, two of her coworkers, think highly of Ulala, while other reporters see her as a threat to their ratings.[18] She is kind, empathetic, courageous, loyal, optimistic, and a go-getter that likes to show off her favorite dance moves which causes jealousy of Pudding, her arch-rival reporter for Channel 42. Ulala is currently 25 years-old, her favorite food is cherry ice cream, enjoys shopping, and her blood-type is B.[1][19][18] According to Brent Suzuki, Ulala has herpetophobia.[20]

Ulala uses her career as a reporter to defend the Galaxy from evil and alien invasions by using her chu-beam, for wounding enemies, and her hey-beam, to save hostages. Unlike other reporters across the Milky Way, Ulala avoids getting caught up in fame and is determined to find the truth and solve the mysteries lurking from the corners of her home-world. To combat against the evil enmities lurking near the common folk, she grooves and dances her way through live reports by showing off her funky moves and savvy skills. Ulala can sometimes be a soar loser when failing against rival reporters during dance battles, especially when she loses to her arch-rival, Pudding.

Ulala has one of the largest wardrobes in video game history.[21] She has an outfit count over forty that spans over three different games. She has three dominant outfits: Channel 5 Retro Gear, Normal Gear, and Go-Go Gear. Her Retro Gear, the white outfit, is the most dominant in any of her appearances. She carries different microphones each depicting either a classic reporter microphone or some type of accessory. Ulala's in-game costume designer has created several outfits depicting other characters in the games that gives her the ability to go undercover.[21][22][19][18]

Appearances

Ulala appears as the protagonist of the Dreamcast video game Space Channel 5. She later appears as the protagonist of its sequel, Space Channel 5: Part 2. She also appears in the virtual reality game Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash!, where players play a reporter shadowing Ulala on the job.[17]

Ulala has also appeared in games outside of the Space Channel 5 series. She appears as a playable character in Beach Spikers, Sonic Riders, and the Wii version of Samba de Amigo. and Ulala has been playable in every entry of the Sega All-Stars series, appearing in Sega Superstars, Sega Superstars Tennis, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed. Ulala also appears as a solo unit in Project X Zone and Project X Zone 2. She appears as a skin in Chaos Heroes Online for the character Silk.[23]

Ulala makes a handful of appearances in the animated series Hi-sCoool! SeHa Girls. During a lesson set in Space Channel 5, Ulala appears help the Sega Hard Girls defeat the Morolians and rescue their friends.[24][25] She later appears in the final episode to wish the girls farewell at their graduation.[26]

Promotional material

Dancers depicting Ulala were featured at the E3 2000 event to promote Space Channel 5.[27] Ulala has appeared in a CG form at the 2000 and 2006 MTV Music Awards to present the award for Best Dance Video.[28][13] Ulala has been featured on a variety of merchandise. including a dress-up magnet.[22] She has also received multiple figurines, including two Figmas from the Good Smile Company, each one having a different outfit based on the first and second games.[2] Sega organized a Ulala look-alike contest, where people were given the opportunity to win $500 and a Dreamcast if their Ulala cosplay was deemed the best. Ulala was portrayed in this contest by Kelly Preston.[29] Sega received a request from PG&E to use Ulala on a sanitary napkin advertisement.[30]

Ulala made a brief cameo appearance at The Game Show Awards in 2021.[31]

Canceled projects

Ulala was to appear in a Space Channel 5 television show for MTV, however, the show was canceled and only a promotional commercial was released. Colombia Pictures also had plans to create a Space Channel 5 movie, but, much like the television show, it did not go far.[4]

Reception

A cosplayer as Ulala, from 2011.

Ulala has received a generally positive reception, referred to as an icon by Liam Martin of Digital Spy and IGN staff.[32][14] Ulala was nominated in 2000 for "Original Game Character of the Year" by the International Game Developers Association, while she was voted as one of the top 10 favorite Sega characters in a fan poll.[6][33][8] IGN staff anticipated that Ulala would be a character who stands out among American players, while later declaring that she is such a "strong character" that her design would be "instantly recognizable" on any kind of product.[22][34] Despite this, she did not hit it off as much. Plan B Magazine staff speculated that the Dreamcast's commercial failure was what prevented Ulala from becoming an "international star."[35] Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US staff also regarded her as having taken video games "to the very forefront of modern culture" due to her "up-to-the-minute, club-inspired moves and gear."[36] Neboisa Radakovic of Game Revolution and Charles Herold of The New York Times both praised her for her fashion sense, with the latter stating that she is "enough by herself" to garner someone's interest in Space Channel 5.[37][38] Allegra Frank of Polygon praised her animations, particularly her defeated animation, as "super realistic." She also found her "sore loser" personality relatable.[39]

Her sex appeal has received generally positive reception. Travis Fahs of IGN felt she was one of the most "appealing" female characters since Lara Croft, while Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US staff felt that her sex appeal made Lara seem less appealing.[21][40] Retro Gamer staff praised her as "the sexiest videogame character" at the time of her debut for her clothing, voice, and hair.[3] GamesTM staff praised her as "irresistible" and well-loved by "everyone," praising her motion-capture movements for giving the game its appeal and bemoaning how she has fallen into obscurity.[41] However, Elona A. Boggs of Current Sauce criticized her as "offensive to women," and claimed that the character's emphasis on her appearance over her powers does "reflect[s] very little about female empowerment."[42]

Recognition and awards

Year Award Category Result Note(s) Ref.
2000 Game Developers Choice Awards Original Game Character of the Year Nominated For the character [6][33]

Lawsuit

Sega was the defendant in the lawsuit Kirby v. Sega of America, Inc. in 2003 by Kierin Kirby (also known as Lady Miss Kier, lead singer of pop/dance group Deee-Lite). Kier alleged that the number of similarities was too great, citing dress, hair, and makeup. She further alleged that "viewers, listeners, and consumers" were and are likely to confuse the two. She claimed that Sega had offered her $15,000 between May and July 2000 for her "likeness, image, and name" to be used in a video game. She sought $750,000 in damages.[43] In 2006, the lawsuit was dismissed, with the court determining that Ulala's design (such as her "anime" art style, height difference, and different style of dance[44]) and Lady Miss Kier's appearance were different enough to be "transformative."[45] The court applied Comedy III Productions, Inc. v. Gary Saderup, Inc. in its ruling, noting that Lady Kier was "at best the raw material" for Ulala.[44] The court found that the "public interest in free artistic expression" outweighed the risk of public confusion between Kier and Ulala's designs.[46]

Despite the result, CJ Andriessen of Destructoid regarded her as a "blatant Lady Kier rip-off."[47]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Nazu Nahoko portrays Ulala on-stage and during live-events, such as concerts and Sega-events.
  2. ^ Urara (Japanese: うらら)

References

  1. ^ a b c Inc, Aetas. "20周年を迎えた「スペースチャンネル5」開発陣が集結。"パート1誕生秘話"，VRで復活を遂げる"最新作に懸ける思い"を聞いた". www.4gamer.net (in Japanese). Retrieved October 30, 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ a b Sounders, Mike (May 31, 2017). "Ulala from Space Channel 5 gets two groovy figmas". Destructoid. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Space Channel 5". Retro Gamer. No. 70.
  4. ^ a b Moosavi, Amir (March 24, 2016). "In the Realm of the Senses: Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Synthesis of Synaesthesia & Video Gaming — Part III". Medium. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  5. ^ am, IGN StaffUpdated: 21 May 2012 3:38 amPosted: 29 October 1999 12:00, Space Channel 5: The Movie – IGN, retrieved October 30, 2021{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b c "Game Developers Choice Awards 2000". gamechoiceawards.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  7. ^ am, IGN StaffUpdated: 21 May 2012 12:27 amPosted: 20 May 2000 12:00, IGNDC Interviews Space Channel 5's Tetsuya Mizuguchi – IGN, retrieved October 30, 2021{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b "Sega Survey Results Are In And Sakura Wars Is The Most Wanted Revival". My Nintendo News. November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  9. ^ Rogers, Dan (February 1, 2013). "Countdown: The 5 Most Influential Video Game Lawsuits of 2012, 4 of 5: Keller v. Electronic Arts". Gamasutra. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  10. ^ "Tetsuya Mizuguchi Speaks About the Soul of Space Channel 5". IGN. March 24, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  11. ^ "Tetsuya Mizuguchi Interview". Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US. January 2000.
  12. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (March 3, 2016). The Law of Virtual Worlds and Internet Social Networks. CRC Press. p. 111. ISBN 131702611X.
  13. ^ a b "An Interview with SEGA of America President, Peter Moore". IGN. December 22, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "IGNDC Interviews Space Channel 5's Tetsuya Mizuguchi". IGN. May 19, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Barker, Sammy (March 28, 2019). "Space Channel 5 VR Developer Searching for Ulala's Voice Actor". Push Square. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  16. ^ "The Voice of Ulala Revealed". IGN. June 2, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Orland, Kyle (March 28, 2019). "Space Channel 5 VR hands-on: Ulala's back, and I met her". Arstechnica. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  18. ^ a b c "Space Channel 5 Part #3 – Space Channel 5 Part 2 Profiles:". lparchive.org. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Space Channel5 VR Kinda★Funky News Flash!". Space Channel5 VR Kinda★Funky News Flash!. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  20. ^ "Space Channel 5 Part #2 – Space Channel 5 Profiles – Courtesy of Evila!". lparchive.org. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c Fahs, Travis (September 9, 2010). "IGN Presents the History of Dreamcast". IGN. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  22. ^ a b c "IGN Toy Test: Space Channel 5 Goodies". IGN. July 11, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  23. ^ Eugene (October 2, 2013). "Hey There Space Cats, Ulala Is A Guest In Sega's DOTA-Like Game". Siliconera. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  24. ^ "Up, Down, Left, Right, and Occasionally, Up Diagonal". Hi-sCoool! SeHa Girls. Episode 3. October 22, 2014. Animax.
  25. ^ "We Tried to Dance Space Channel 5". Hi-sCoool! SeHa Girls. Episode 4. October 22, 2014. Animax.
  26. ^ "We'll Always Be Connected!". Hi-sCoool! SeHa Girls. Episode 13. December 24, 2014. Animax.
  27. ^ Buchanan, Levi (May 19, 2009). "Remembering E3 1996". IGN. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  28. ^ "Ulala Becomes a Presenter". GameSpot. May 17, 2006. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  29. ^ "Congrats to Forest Philbrick (far right) who snagged first place in Sega's Ulala-a-like contest". Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US.
  30. ^ "Virtual Superstars?". Gamers Republic. No. 27.
  31. ^ THE GAME AWARDS 2021 Livestream, retrieved December 10, 2021
  32. ^ Martin, Liam (May 31, 2009). "Feature: Top Ten Rhythm Action Games". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  33. ^ a b Walker, Trey (April 24, 2003). "GDC Award nominees announced". GameSpot. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  34. ^ "IGNDC Grooves with Tetsuya Mizuguchi". IGN. March 16, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  35. ^ Kumar, Mathew. "Rock It to the Stars". Plan B Magazine. No. 21.
  36. ^ "Space Channel 5". Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US.
  37. ^ Radakovic, Neboisa (June 1, 2000). "Space Channel 5 Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  38. ^ Herold, Charles (August 17, 2000). "GAME THEORY; Dance With Aliens and Save the World". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2019. WITH her pink pigtails, orange gloves and platform go-go boots and a green ray gun worn like a garter, Ulala the space reporter is enough by herself to make anyone want to play Sega's Space Channel 5.
  39. ^ "The humiliating heartbreak of failing Space Channel 5 Part 2". Polygon. August 18, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  40. ^ "Moroliens touch down in Japan, and ODCM is at ground zero". Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US.
  41. ^ "The 25 Greatest SEGA Games". GamesTM.
  42. ^ Boggs, Elona A. "Sexism is not a game". Current Sauce.
  43. ^ Pratchett, Rhianna (May 3, 2003). "Less than Dee-lited". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  44. ^ a b Barfield, Woodrow; Blitz, Marc Jonathan (2018). Research Handbook on the Law of Virtual and Augmented Reality. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 536. ISBN 1786438593.
  45. ^ Edelman, Marc (July 10, 2014). "Lindsay Lohan's New Lawsuit Could Impact NFL Players And College Sports Video Games". Forbes. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  46. ^ Lee, Nari; Westkamp, Guido; Kur, Annette; Ohly, Ansgar (April 25, 2014). Intellectual Property, Unfair Competition and Publicity: Convergences and Development. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 141. ISBN 0857932624.
  47. ^ Andriessen, CJ (September 5, 2016). "Ulala and her swingin' report show return in VR". Destructoid. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
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