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.
I think Nihei’s acting skills are what made the writers give his character opportunities to be the most serious member of the SSSP. Nihei was a comedy actor before Ultraman, but he ended up having unexpected range.
“Oil S.O.S.” is an important episode for Ide’s development. It sometimes gets passed over because it’s a conventional monster episode with disappointing kaiju action, even with an extra weird monster. But Ide and the SSSP get the chance to show a tragic side to their operations as they deal directly with failure.
The Science Patrol has to stop Pestar, an oil-consuming monster that has caused chaos in oil fields around the world. When the SSSP lures Pestar to the surface near an Japanese oil refinery, Ide panics and fires on the monster at the exact wrong time — and after Captain Muramatsu gave him strict orders to hold fire. The attack enrages Pestar and sends the monster ashore into the refinery, creating an uncontrolled inferno where the effects team goes nuts with fiery explosions. Muramatsu scolds Ide for losing his head, but in Japanese fashion says the failure of one member of the Science Patrol is failure of all, and they must regain honor by not only stopping Pestar but putting out the conflagration now raging through the refinery.
Ide is devastated at his failure and loses his composure in an attempt to save face. The entire Science Patrol feels the gravity of their mistake when the refinery chiefs explain what a full-on disaster they’ve created.
This is a fascinating turn for a conventional monster operation: the first time we’ve seen the SSSP in a position of failure. They didn’t just try a method on a kaiju that didn’t work; they made a hotheaded mistake with massive consequences. It’s the kind of tragic story pivot that I expect from writer Tetsuo Kinjo. The episode doesn’t have the time to go too deep into Ide’s anguish, but Nihei goes above and beyond to make audiences understand the responsibility his character feels.
Ide’s storyline aside, the episode is best remembered for the design of Pestar, the second monster costume to require two suitmation performers to bring it to life (following Dodongo from the last episode). It’s an ambitiously strange thing: an upright walking giant green starfish with a bat’s head in the center.
Pestar doesn’t quite work. The design is obviously two stunt performers walking side-by-side holding a bat puppet between them. Pestar’s limitations may explain why the monster action is lackluster. Pestar doesn’t engage in a real fight with Ultraman, only a quick exchange before Ultraman gets to his real job: spraying fire suppressant foam on the oil blaze. “Ultraman, Fire Extinguisher” is not a terrific thrill for a climax. The special effects are plentiful, but they’re mostly model work and pyrotechnics for oil refineries and an oil tanker going boom! If the name says “oil,” there are going to be explosions. Plenty of ‘em.
Ironically, oil would be the one force Ultraman couldn’t defeat during the Golden Age of tokusatsu. The oil crisis of the mid-1970s made the production of live-action special effects programs prohibitively expensive. The Ultra series went on hiatus after Ultraman Leo and many other shows vanished as anime started to take over. That’s the true “Oil S.O.S.”
Rating: Average
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