Directed by Yasushi Okada. Written by Masakazu Migita. Airdate Oct. 26, 1996.
The perfect Ultra episode for Halloween is Ultra Q’s “Baron Spider.” I timed that review for the holiday last year. This actual Halloween-themed episode — one of the few in the Ultra series — is arriving in time for, uhm, the Ides of March. As much as I’d also like to land this review on Halloween for some synergy, it’s not a huge loss. As holiday flings go, this one’s minor. It’s mostly interesting for showing how Japan celebrated Halloween before the explosion of mass cosplay parties in the 2010s.
It’s a night in the lonesome October, and a strange magnetic field is occurring in Sector KM 209. Since there’s a Halloween celebration going on there, Cap. Iruma tells the members of GUTS to leave behind their uniforms and instead investigate the situation wearing Halloween costumes. Iruma is like the world’s coolest elementary school teacher, isn’t she?
All the GUTS members have costume ideas ready, because moments later we have Horii dressed as Dracula, Munakata as the Frankenstein Monster, and Shinjoh as an extremely lazy Wolf Man (or perhaps a Shih-Tzu). Rena, forgetting about her tomboy characterization from the last episode, slides into a sexy cat costume. Halloween means fanservice, I guess.
The fun part of the episode is the first half with the GUTS team goofing off and talking about Halloween. Munkata and Horii enjoy the growth of the holiday (“Halloween may soon be celebrated all over Japan like Christmas.”) while Shinjo isn’t so sanguine, although that may be due to his lazy costume. The surrounding Halloween festivities are purely kiddie, with children trick-or-treating from house to house. This was the type of localized Halloween celebration that occurred in Japan in the 1990s, and not all neighborhoods held these sorts of parties. The holiday was just starting to grow in the country. We’re still a ways from the intoxicated madness of the bacchanals in Shibuya of the 2010s.
It’s cozy and cute, and the story that starts brewing has the feel of a classic Halloween special. An evil witch is handing out candy to children so she can lure them into her hideout and steal their dreams. Rena almost gets snared after licking one of the witch’s enchanted lollipops (again, this feels like fanservice and not like the Rena we’re getting to know) and Daigo then pursues the witch into a creepy old house.
The witch turns out to be an interdimensional entity, Gilbano — and this is where the spooky fun of the episode lifts like fog from the moors. Rather than go for an actual horror story, “On the Night of Halloween” sticks with a routine giant monster tale that abandons most Halloween trappings. Gilbano in its giant form is yet another alien-kaiju with the angular design seen so often on Tiga. There’s nothing Halloweeny about it at all. Why didn’t Gilbano retain elements of its wicked witch disguise? Or maybe take on a giant bat or wolf shape? Anything more scary, or at least more seasonal, than this.
The only actual horror elements of the episode are some visions of white-faced children that Daigo has when Gilbano captures him. Even Gilbano’s transdimensional HQ is disappointing: I think it’s converted from a small nightclub. Ultraman Tiga has several excellent horror episodes coming up, like “Vampire City,” filled with creepy atmosphere, and it’s too bad the actual Halloween episode chose to leave behind the horror early on.
Taken as just another Ultraman Tiga episode, “On the Night of Halloween” has the giant monster goods you expect. But I have high expectations for Halloween specials. There was a promise of seasonal shenanigans and character comedy at the start that didn’t pan out. I wanted buffoonery between Dracula Horii, Frankenstein Mukata, and Shih-Tzu Shinjoh. Iruma didn’t get to go to the party! I want to know what she’d dress up as. I’ll bet she’d go as the Bride of Frankenstein. Now I feel cheated of seeing Iruma with that hairdo.
Happy Ides of March!
Rating: Mediocre
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