Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Masahiro Yamada. Airdate April 10, 1966.
After four giant monster episodes in a row, it’s time for something different. Really different. Something so out there it doesn’t even have room for any of the series leads. Spoilers ahead, but believe me, they don’t matter. In fact, go watch the episode right now and come back so we can share.
Continue reading “Ultra Q Ep. 15: Kanegon’s Cocoon”
Directed by Shigeo Tanaka. Written by Niisan Takahashi.
The second of the Showa Era Gamera films (Daikaiju Ketto: Gamera Tai Barugon, “Giant Monster Duel: Gamera vs. Barugon”) is a case of trying to change course but instead heading in a different wrong direction.
Continue reading “Toku Theater: Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)”
Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate Oct. 9, 1966.
Mitsuhiro Ide, the Science Patrol’s resident inventor, was intended as Ultraman’s comic character. Maybe in the beginning of the program’s development, the creators saw Ide as purely a comedy foil to add wacky zip to a monster show. However, something changed early on. My suspicion is that actor Masanari Nihei was responsible for Ide evolving into more than just comic relief. Ide never lost his humor, but he emerged as the show’s most complex character.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 13: Oil S.O.S.”
Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Masahiro Yamada. Airdate April 3, 1966.
The most terrifying monster of all has arrived: climate change! Yes, scientists already knew about this encroaching global threat in 1966 and were sounding the alarm bells. They didn’t, however, warn that melting Antarctic ice combined with nuclear power plant accidents would force the deep-freeze monster Peguila north to wreck wintry havoc! Would more people have paid attention if they did? I think so.
Continue reading “Ultra Q Ep. 14: Tokyo Ice Age”
Directed by Kyota Kawasaki. Written by Chiaki J. Konaka. Airdate Oct. 5, 1996.
Ultra warriors tend to blow up their monster opponents or fly them out to space to dispose of them. But what about the monsters they defeat that leave behind massive carcasses on land? “The Day When the Monster Appeared” takes a look at the disposal operation for one of these dead kaju — although this creature washed ashore rather than being a leftover after a fight with an Ultra.
Continue reading “Ultraman Tiga Ep. 5: The Day When the Monster Appeared”
Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Shozo Uehara. Airdate Nov. 36, 1967.
A small-scale episode, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t exciting. The devious alien of the week may not have a plan that will conquer the world — although he believes it will — but it’s a vile plan with disturbing relevance to the current day. All the action remains at human size with no giant monsters and no super-sized Ultraseven, but it’s superbly staged, paced, and shot. At times, it feels like a live-action version of a Batman: The Animated Series episode where Batman has to take down a villain who builds children’s toys that are actually lethal devices.
Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 9: Operation Android Zero”
Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Keisuke Fujikawa. Airdate Oct. 2, 1966.
Another winner of an episode, the third in a row. We have a new story archetype to explore: the archeological adventure. The mummy of the title isn’t a traditional Egyptian mummy, although it has tomb wrappings, but a mysterious, possibly supernatural creature from prehistoric Japan. As a nice surprise, the Mummy Man doesn’t end up enlarging into the episode’s giant monster. No, there’s a much more impressive kaiju waiting in the wings to fill that role.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 12: Cry of the Mummy”
Directed by Hirochika Muraishi. Written by Hidenori Miyazawa. Airdate Sep. 28, 1996.
It’s a familiar science-fiction tale: a crew of astronauts on a mission becomes mutated by an alien force and returns to Earth as a deadly, rampaging monster. This is the story of the classic Ultraman episode “My Home Is Earth,” which borrowed it from The Quatermass Xperiment. (Yes, I’m bringing up that movie again. Its DNA is everywhere in the Ultra series, there’s no helping it.) The immense popularity of “My Home Is Earth” has caused many later Ultra shows to attempt their own versions. Here’s Ultraman Tiga’s take.
Continue reading “Ultraman Tiga Ep. 4: Goodbye, Planet Earth”
Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate March 27, 1966.
Children in the countryside discover a strange rock that fell from the sky — not the only time this will happen in the Ultra Series. They dutifully turn it over to their teachers, who then turn it over to Professor Ichinotani to investigate. Ichinotani discovers this mystery meteorite (or garadama as the locals refer to such phenomena) is made from an alien material known as Tilsonite. It’s not a monster egg, however, but the control device for the monster arriving in a larger meteorite that splashes down in a lake near a hydroelectric dam. Monster Garamon, an artificial alien construction, breaks loose from its stone transport. It starts to wreak havoc, and then … oh, you’ll have to wait for Part 2 to learn the rest.
Continue reading “Ultra Q Ep. 13: Garadama”
The Ultra Project 