Month: November 2024

Ultraman Tiga Ep. 1: Inheritance of Light

~ Ryan Harvey
Ultraman Tiga Inheritance Light Ultra Statues

Directed by Shingo Matsubara. Written by Masakazu Migita. Airdate Sep. 7, 1996.

The first episode of an Ultra show has a heavy burden. It must establish the global situation, introduce a new defense team, merge the human hero with the Ultra Warrior, and then have enough time left over to celebrate with the action goodies. “Inheritance of Light” is one the best premiere episodes thanks to its efficiency, action, and visual effects that get the job done. It’s an impressive start, especially considering how fast the show had to come together. For viewers who may not have tuned into an Ultra show since the 1970s, Ultrman Tiga’s first episode was a reminder of why they loved Ultraman in the first place.

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Ultraman Tiga: An Introduction

~ Ryan Harvey
Ultraman-Tiga-Title-Card

The Dark Age for Tsuburaya Productions finally ended in 1996. Fifteen years after the last episode of Ultraman 80 aired, Tsuburaya Pro returned to the airwaves with a domestically produced full Ultra program. Despite a rocky development period, Ultraman Tiga gave the series a rebirth for the Heisei era. It has remained one of the most popular Ultra shows and defined the franchise for a new generation. For many people my age and younger, Ultraman Tiga is likely the first Ultraman show they knew. 

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Ultra Q Ep. 11: Balloonga

~ Ryan Harvey
The giant form of Balloonga floats over Tokyo. Tokyo tower is visible, showing the creature's immense size.

Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Kunio Torami. Airdate March 13, 1966.

Another giant monster episode, but with a difference. Rather than a traditional rampaging kaiju tale, “Balloonga” takes an approach that borders on cosmic horror. It’s a dark turn for the show, with a fatalistic mood and gloomy aura. It’s highly effective for most of the running time, but the finale doesn’t match what the rest of the story promises. 

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Ultraseven Ep. 6: Dark Zone

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Bunzo Wakatsuki. Airdate Nov. 5, 1967.

For the first time, and certainly not the last, an episode of Ultraseven scrutinizes the ethics of the operations of the Terran Defense Force and the Ultra Guard. The featured alien race, Alien Pegassa, doesn’t want to conquer Earth. They only want survival, but that may require taking drastic steps against Earth. Earth faces a similar choice with Pegassa, creating an unwinnable situation for both sides that has echoes of the Cold War without making explicit reference to it. Neither the Earthings nor Alien Pegassa ultimately show their best sides in this showdown.

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Ultraman Zearth (1996)

~ Ryan Harvey
Ultraman Zearth

Directed by Shinya Nakajima. Written by Shukei Nagasaka.

Ultraman Zearth, Earth’s defender from the Land of Bright in Nebula Z95, must stop the schemes of the gold-stealing invader Alien Benzene and its kaiju attack dog, Cotton-Poppe. However, Zearth and his human form, Katsuto Asahi (Masaharu Sekiguchi), face a dreadful obstacle: mysophobia. Ultraman Zearth can’t stand getting dirty. A little grease on his hands and he’s paralyzed or hopping around howling. Oh no, what will the world do? And how can monster-fighting organization MYDO, which operates out of a gas station where the members also pull extra shifts, help in the battle against Alien Benzene while poor Zearth is cringing at having to cross a pool of mud?

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Ultraman Ep. 9: Lightning Operation

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Masahiro Yamada. Airdate Sep. 11, 1966.

A good Ultra fight finale can do a lot to salvage an otherwise mediocre episode. Ultraman’s wrestling match with monster-of-the-week Gabora (orGavora as the Mill Creek subtitles spell it) is tough and agile. A good deal of the credit for its success goes to performers Bin Furyua in the Ultraman costume and the legend himself, Hauro Nakajima, in the Gabora costume. Nakajima was the first person to put on the Godzilla suit, and he played the monster for almost 20 years. I believe he’s the best suitmation actor to ever rampage across a miniature stage. He brings something extra to every monster he plays, and Gabora is no exception. 

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Ultra Q Ep. 10: The Underground Super Express Goes West

~ Ryan Harvey
Ultra Q Underground Super Express Goes West Train Arrives

Directed by Toshihiro Iijima. Written by Hiroyasu Yamaura and Toshihiro Iijima. Airdate March 5, 1966.

There’s no “typical” episode of Ultra Q. There are typical episode types, such as the straightforward giant monster stories like “Terror of the Sweet Honey” and “Tokyo Ice Age”; horror episodes like “Devil Child” and “Baron Spider”; the fairy tales of “Grow Up! Little Turtle” and “Kanegon’s Cocoon”; and Twilight Zone and Outer Limits-influenced episodes like “Open Up!” and “The ⅛ Project.” But if I had to pick one episode to represent Ultra Q at its most typically atypical, the episode that manages to pack everything in the writers’ room junk drawer into a half hour, this is it. The last episode produced of the original 28, it reveals the creative team at full power, making one of the crowning achievements of the show.

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Ultraseven Ep. 5: Vanished Time

~ Ryan Harvey
Alien Vira in Ultraseven episode Vanished Time

Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Akihiko Sugano. Airdate Oct. 29, 1967.

In the most adult-oriented and serious episode yet, another alien race plots to infiltrate TDF’s Far East Base in human disguise and blow up something to make way for their invasion. We’ve seen this ploy already in “Secret of the Lake” and “Max, Respond.” But this time the invaders have a more insidious scheme, which is to sow suspicion in the Ultra Guard to trick them into believing Dan is an alien traitor in disguise. That way the real infiltrator can escape suspicion and remove Ultraseven as an obstacle. (All alien races seem to be able to immediately recognize that Dan isn’t an Earthling.) 

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Ultraman Ep. 8: The Monster Anarchy Zone

~ Ryan Harvey
Red King from Ultraman episode The Monster Anarchy Zone

Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo and Shozo Uehara. Airdate Sep. 4, 1966.

In the previous episode, the Science Patrol flew off for a fantasy adventure in the Middle East. This week, they’re taking the Jet VTOL to a volcanic jungle island stacked with monsters. It’s classic Lost World and Skull Island stuff, and I’m surprised Eiji Tsuburaya didn’t find a way to cram in a giant gorilla among all the other kaiju. The King Kong influence is all over this half-hour.

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