Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Shozo Uehara and Samaji Nonagase. Airdate March 10, 1968.
Captain Kiriyama takes center stage for an unusual episode that shows the Ultra Guard members acting as more than a stock hero team. Characterization in Ultraseven works differently than in Ultraman and other Ultra shows: scripts often downplay individuality in favor of larger science-fiction themes. It’s good to have a chance to settle in with a personal character drama like “Search for Tomorrow,” where Kiriyama reveals a side that puts him at odds with the rationalist approach of the Terran Defense Force and the Ultra Guard. It’s not a superlative action episode, but it has some crunchy ideas to chew on and a strong use of the ensemble.
You might not guess that this is one of the more subtle Ultraseven episodes based on its opening shots: a desperate man shrieking for help as he flees from a jeep trying to pulverize him. The intended victim is Yotaro Yasui (Tadashi Okabe), a self-proclaimed psychic. After the Ultra Guard rescues him from the black-garbed jeep driver, Yasui tells them his crystal ball has predicted an imminent explosion at a warehouse that serves as the TDF’s Super Weapon Development base.
The Ultra Guard members are skeptical, except for their captain. “I believe what Yasui-san saw. No … I want to believe,” Kiriyama says before he orders the UG to do an extensive check of the warehouse for explosives. The search turns up nothing, as does a second search looking into Yasui’s claim about the landing of an alien vessel. After these dead ends, Staff Officer Manabe reprimands Kiriyama for an uncharacteristic lapse of logic running the UG.
Kiriyama’s gut instinct about Yasui’s predictions despite the skepticism of everyone around him is the dramatic center of “Search for Tomorrow.” Even Dan, who is himself an alien who’s encountered numerous bizarre phenomena, seems unsure of Kiriyama — although notably he’s away at the beginning of the episode, not returning until nearly the midway point after Kiriyama has briefly left TDF headquarters.
The episode treats its core conflict almost as a duel of “science vs. magic”; writer Shozo Uehara was attempting to broaden the idea of science past its current known limits. The concept is a bit shaky because ESP and psychic abilities are frequent parts of science fiction and aren’t at all uncommon in the Ultra Series. The clash still works here because the script and performances make it believable. It does seem unlike Captain Kiriyama to behave this way. Yet it also makes sense thanks to how actor Shoji Nakayama plays it, especially after he feels guilty for failing to protect Yasui when the psychic says aliens are trying to kill him. In an excellent short scene between Kiriyama and Manabe, the captain decides to go on temporary leave to “search for tomorrow,” i.e., prove his instincts are correct.
Tomorrow rapidly arrives, and, of course, Yasui’s predictions come true. There wouldn’t be much of an episode if they didn’t. The warehouse explodes and Alien Shadow abducts Yasui because of his interference with their plans. Kiriyama and the Ultra Guard come back together in time to work as a unit and face the alien threat.
Alien Shadow is an inspired creation and one of Ultraseven’s best Seijin adversaries. Their metallic faces are legitimately creepy, especially during the scene where a terrified Yasui continues to run into them in unexpected places as he tries to flee. Alien Shadow made a significant return in the Ultra Series in Ultraman Geed (2017–18) and Ultraman Geed The Movie: Connect the Wishes! (2018) as principal antagonists. They look more intimidating in their original appearance.
Alien Shadow has a bio-weapon in their back pocket: their pet monster and kaiju of the week Gabura, which resembles a lion mushed up with a caterpillar. This is another Ultraseven outing that doesn’t necessarily need a giant monster for the finale; Alien Shadow has a great menace level from the moment they try to run over an old man with a jeep. But Gabura certainly doesn’t hurt the episode. The kaiju’s strange design makes it an effectively alien-looking opponent for Seven. It packs a nasty trick move that closes out the action appealingly and without turning so ludicrous that it unbalances the eerier tone that Alien Shadow and Yasui’s predictions established earlier.
“Search for Tomorrow” arrives at the cusp of a string of some of the finest episodes of Ultraseven, and it loses a bit of its gloss by comparison. I still consider it an essential, albeit lesser, episode, as well as one of the stronger character pieces in a primarily idea-driven show.
Rating: Good
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