Ulala (Space Channel 5)

Ulala (born May 30, 2477) is the main protagonist[1] of the Space Channel 5 series. She is a reporter for Channel 5 and is the lead reporter, as well as the star of Ulala’s Swinging Report Show. Originally a recruit, Ulala is assisted by her boss, Fuse, during most of her reports, and is always ready to save the Galaxy from evil and destruction while using her funky dancing moves. Ulala is also the arch-rival of Pudding, the lead reporter of Channel 42, who seems to always get in her way. Confident, Ulala is always ready to save the day and come to terms with others, including enemies. Ulala was voiced by Apollo Smile in the English version of the games, later to be replaced by Cherami Leigh for Kinda Funky News Flash!. In the Japanese version, she is voiced by Mineko Okamura.

Ulala
Space Channel 5 character
First gameSpace Channel 5 (1999)
Created byTakashi Yuda
Voiced byApollo Smile (1999–2012)
Cherami Leigh (2020)
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman

Concept and creation

Ulala was conceived by Takashi Yuda, who also created her name.[2] Ulala was not designed alongside the original 1997 concept video for her game, Space Channel 5.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7] Ulala is voiced by Apollo Smile in the English version of Space Channel 5, and her dancer and choreographer was Nazu Nahoko.[8][9] In order to find her in order 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."[8] They were unable to secure Smile for this role, choosing instead to feature a sound-alike.[10]

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.[10] She appears as a playable character in Sega Superstars Tennis, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed.

She appears as a skin in the Dota 2-like video game Chaos Heroes Online for the character Silk.[11]

Promotional material

Dancers depicting Ulala were featured at the E3 2000 event to promote Space Channel 5.[12] Ulala has appeared in a CG form at the 2000 and 2006 MTV Music Awards to present the award for Best Dance Video.[13][6] Ulala has been featured on a variety of merchandise. including a dress-up magnet.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] Sega received a request from PG&E to use Ulala on a sanitary napkin advertisement.[17]

Reception

Ulala has received generally positive reception, referred to as an icon by Liam Martin of Digital Spy and IGN staff.[18][7] 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.[19][20][21] 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.[14][22] 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."[23] 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."[24] 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.[25][26] Allegra Frank of Polygon praised her animations, particularly her defeated animation, as "super realistic." She also found her "sore loser" personality relatable.[27]

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.[28][29] Retro Gamer staff praised her as "the sexiest videogame character" at the time of her debut for her clothing, voice, and hair.[30] 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.[31] 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."[32]

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.[33] 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[34]) and Lady Miss Kier's appearance were different enough to be "transformative."[35] 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.[34] The court found that the "public interest in free artistic expression" outweighed the risk of public confusion between Kier and Ulala's designs.[36]

Despite the result, CJ Andriessen of Destructoid regarded her as a "blatant Lady Kier rip-off."[37]

References
  1. Ulala is the main playable character and the game’s mascot, as well as the leading character in all the games of the series.
  2. 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.
  3. "Tetsuya Mizuguchi Speaks About the Soul of Space Channel 5". IGN. March 24, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  4. "Tetsuya Mizuguchi Interview". Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US. January 2000.
  5. Sparrow, Andrew (March 3, 2016). The Law of Virtual Worlds and Internet Social Networks. CRC Press. p. 111. ISBN 131702611X.
  6. "An Interview with SEGA of America President, Peter Moore". IGN. December 22, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  7. "IGNDC Interviews Space Channel 5's Tetsuya Mizuguchi". IGN. May 19, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  8. Barker, Sammy (March 28, 2019). "Space Channel 5 VR Developer Searching for Ulala's Voice Actor". Push Square. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  9. "The Voice of Ulala Revealed". IGN. June 2, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  10. Orland, Kyle (March 28, 2019). "Space Channel 5 VR hands-on: Ulala's back, and I met her". Arstechnica. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  11. 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.
  12. Buchanan, Levi (May 19, 2009). "Remembering E3 1996". IGN. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  13. "Ulala Becomes a Presenter". GameSpot. May 17, 2006. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  14. "IGN Toy Test: Space Channel 5 Goodies". IGN. July 11, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  15. Sounders, Mike (May 31, 2017). "Ulala from Space Channel 5 gets two groovy figmas". Destructoid. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  16. "Congrats to Forest Philbrick (far right) who snagged first place in Sega's Ulala-a-like contest". Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US.
  17. "Virtual Superstars?". Gamers Republic. No. 27.
  18. Martin, Liam (May 31, 2009). "Feature: Top Ten Rhythm Action Games". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  19. "Game Developers Choice Awards 2000". gamechoiceawards.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  20. Walker, Trey (April 24, 2003). "GDC Award nominees announced". GameSpot. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  21. "Sega Survey Results Are In And Sakura Wars Is The Most Wanted Revival". My Nintendo News. November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  22. "IGNDC Grooves with Tetsuya Mizuguchi". IGN. March 16, 2000. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  23. Kumar, Mathew. "Rock It to the Stars". Plan B Magazine. No. 21.
  24. "Space Channel 5". Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US.
  25. Radakovic, Neboisa (June 1, 2000). "Space Channel 5 Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  26. 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.
  27. "The humiliating heartbreak of failing Space Channel 5 Part 2". Polygon. August 18, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  28. Fahs, Travis (September 9, 2010). "IGN Presents the History of Dreamcast". IGN. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  29. "Moroliens touch down in Japan, and ODCM is at ground zero". Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine US.
  30. "Space Channel 5". Retro Gamer. No. 70.
  31. "Games TM The 25 Greatest SEGA Games". GamesTM.
  32. Boggs, Elona A. "Sexism is not a game". Current Sauce.
  33. Pratchett, Rhianna (May 3, 2003). "Less than Dee-lited". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  34. Barfield, Woodrow; Blitz, Marc Jonathan (2018). Research Handbook on the Law of Virtual and Augmented Reality. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 536. ISBN 1786438593.
  35. Edelman, Marc (July 10, 2014). "Lindsay Lohan's New Lawsuit Could Impact NFL Players And College Sports Video Games". Forbes. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  36. 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.
  37. Andriessen, CJ (September 5, 2016). "Ulala and her swingin' report show return in VR". Destructoid. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
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