Directed by Toshihiro Iijima. Written by Mamoru Sasaki. Airdate June 23, 1968.
Ultraseven has the fewest kid-centered episodes of the classic-era Ultra programs. This is one of the exceptions (along with “The Eye That Shines in the Darkness”). Dan promises a boy who’s terrified about his upcoming heart surgery that he’ll be with him at the hospital during the procedure. But wouldn’t you know it: a giant alien robot starts attacking traffic jams to consume cars. That will sure cut into Dan’s free time. Dan has to go hit a home run for the kid or something.
The premise is a trifle clichéd, but “The Courageous Battle” is full-throttle when it comes to action. After the reserved — and cheap-looking — previous episode, this is a major VFX spectacular. It features extensive urban destruction, numerous miniatures, complex optical shots, two Ultraseven transformations and fights, one of the show’s most awesome finishing moves, and the marvel of a giant robot named Crazygon. It’s a wild ride, and the “kid-needs-surgery” storyline enhances the episode’s impact even if it’s the weakest part.
Dan is drawn into the life of young Osamu (Tsuguaki Yoshida) through one of Anne’s friends, Osamu’s older sister. (Anne seems to collect girlfriends who are going through personal tragedies.) Osamu needs major heart surgery, and fortunately, a renowned Swiss specialist has a limited window to come to Japan and perform the operation. Osamu is terrified, however, as almost any child would be. After Dan gives the boy a pep talk about the power of science, Osamu feels better — but he insists that Dan be with him at the hospital during his surgery.
Then the Crazygon Crazyness starts, and poor Dan is in a pinch when he can’t make it to the hospital to keep his promise to the boy. Not only is Dan wracked by guilt, but Crazygon is closing in on the hospital’s location as it continues to eat the finest products of the Japanese automotive industry.
The storyline with Osamu doesn’t fully work because the boy becomes petulant when he thinks Dan won’t make it to the hospital in time. I understand his terror of undergoing major surgery, but Osamu’s obstinacy starts to turn unreasonable and strains the audience’s sympathy. Muttering “Dan is a liar, Dan is a liar” when he knows the man has to combat a national emergency doesn’t exactly endear me to the kid.
But what matters most here is how Dan feels, his sense of obligation not only to help a terrified child but to support something he told Osamu: “Believe that human science is there to make humanity happy.” Maybe an odd thing to say for an alien from a much more advanced civilization, but it’s a good encapsulation of the optimism that’s one of the defining aspects of the Ultra Series.
Dan’s obligation to Osamu works well enough to make the special effects scenes more effective — and those effects are fantastic on their own. “Terror on the Moon” has artful and beautiful effects, but “The Courageous Battle” goes all-in on spectacular action and destruction. Shots of the Ultra Hawk 1 flying low over a city, Seven getting hurled into buildings, explosions and rockets galore, and a gonzo-looking alien trash-compactor plucking up cars from Tokyo traffic jams … it’s quite a show.
Crazygon is a terrific robo-kaiju with some of that King Joe swagger, though it feels less like a personality and more like an alien appliance. Which it technically is: it’s on Earth to gather raw materials for a race of aliens running low on their own supply. The car-eating gimmick is both funny and tense. It’s also nice to have alien invaders who aren’t on Earth to conquer or destroy. They just need raw materials, and traffic jams in Tokyo are the ideal spot to harvest metal. The Ultra Guard hatches a clever plan to lure out Crazygon: create fake traffic congestion. I appreciate this sort of bizarre out-of-the-box thinking from defense teams.
I won’t spoil the climax, but it’s one of the cleverest tactics Seven has ever used against a kaiju. He doesn’t suddenly manifest a new power, but instead finds a creative way to use his size-changing ability. It’s not only a cool idea, but it’s also shot with top-flight opticals and effects animation.
On the topic of opticals: classic-era Ultra shows often have shaky-looking optical compositing. That’s not a problem here. When Crazygon hoists up a car with Anne inside, there are several shots where she’s matted into the car window of the miniature car, and it’s almost seamless. There was serious ambition put into these visual effects.
The episode had a real-life inspiration: the “traffic wars,” public concern about the alarming rise in traffic accident deaths in Japan. The traffic wars also inspired the Ultraman episode “Terror on Route 87,” though that was an explicitly tragic story. I’m not sure any clear message about traffic accidents emerges in “The Courageous Battle,” but no one will come away from it with a positive view of traffic jams. Huh, maybe Crazygon was attempting a public service.
Rating: Great
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