Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Bunzo Wakatsuki. Airdate July 14, 1968.
As “Challenge From Underwater” begins, it feels like it could be an episode of Ultra Q shot in color. We meet a team of amateur paranormal investigators who have come to Lake Ishu to follow rumors of sightings of water creatures called kappa. It’s hard not to see this “Japan Kappa Club” as an analog to the Ultra Q cast. Their leader, Sumitani (Masami Taura), is a science-fiction author like Jun; the one woman in the group, Fujishima (Kazuko Miyakawa), is a photographer like Yuriko. The difference is that these people treat probing into the unknown as a lark, nothing to be taken seriously. Sumitani even says they’d like to date kappa — a damn weird thing to admit.
The first eight minutes follow the Japan Kappa Club as they tromp around the lake. They encounter a terrified fisherman (wonderful character actor and Tsuburaya Pro regular Senkichi Omura, last seen in “The Green Terror”) who thinks a kappa chased him. This plays like filler, and it doesn’t have the atmosphere of an actual Ultra Q episode, such as its aquatic horror tale “The Primordial Amphibian Ragon.” When the Ultra Guard finally appears, they make an interesting entrance. They’re already on the scene investigating the lake because of a reported sighting of a falling UFO.
The kappa are not an Ultraseven invention; they’re creatures from Japanese folklore said to dwell in lakes, ponds, and rivers. Their nature can range from vicious to mischievous, and they’re said to enjoy sumo wrestling and cucumbers. Like, who doesn’t?
These kappa, however, are actually aliens — because this is Ultraseven and aliens are how we do business ‘round these parts. They’re really known as Alien Tepeto, and they’ve arrived on Earth to do … something. It’s never made clear. They did bring a guardian kaiju with them, which hatches from an egg in the middle of the lake while the Ultra Guard launches an assault on Alien Tepeto’s underwater hiding place.
Until the action finale begins, the episode doesn’t have much going on. Not a lot of “incident.” People wander around the lake, UG members repeatedly shouting “Dan!” and “Anne!”, a single death occurs off-screen, and Captain Kiriyama smokes heavily back at TDF headquarters. The Kappa Club has little impact on the story. They mainly handle exposition, and that’s about it. No major twists or surprises pop up, and we never discover what Alien Tepeto are up to. For all we know, they might have crashed into Lake Ishu by accident and just want to go home.
This is the reverse of an issue I’ve had with several earlier episodes that start with sinister and intriguing beginnings and strong middles, then bungle into an incongruous science-fiction battle and kaiju fight for the finale. With “Challenge From Underwater,” the beginning and middle are what fail to grab me, while the final duel with the aliens and Seven vs. Giant Tepeto come close to saving the episode. It doesn’t fully work, but I enjoy what the effects team pulls off. The fight between Seven and Tepeto is often funny, feeling closer to one of the personality-filled Ultraman fights.
We don’t see much of Alien Tepeto, but they have a striking, simple design based on traditional images depicting kappa. The angular avian features are much different from what audiences might expect from aquatic creatures. Giant Tepeto is also interesting. It’s based on a fan design submitted to Tsuburaya Pro as part of a contest, and the starfish-like top of its head reminds me of an unholy mixture of an Elder Thing from H. P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness and the Statue of Liberty.
The romance between Dan and Anne continues to make small strides. The image of the two of them driving a speedboat across a lake — Dan relaxed in a T-shirt, delighted smiles on both their faces — is a cute way to close out a story that spent most of its time dog paddling.
Hmm, maybe director Kazuho Mitsuta would like to take another stab at an underwater creature story. Perhaps with a script by Tetsuo Kinjo, something with some social commentary and a bit of a sting. Why not try it next week? That might be good…
Rating: Mediocre
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