Category: Ultraman Tiga

Ultraman Tiga Ep. 27: I Saw Obiko!

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kyota Kawasaki. Written by Ai Ota. Airdate March 8, 1997.

“I Saw Obiko!” starts like another horror outing for Ultraman Tiga, this time with a traditional Japanese folklore approach. The demon Obiko — an actual demon, not an alien pretending to be one — has been frightening people in the area of Hikono City for several months with his sudden appearances. When Obiko actually attacks a young man and leaves physical evidence behind (the man’s hair goes white), GUTS comes to investigate. They soon discover Obiko’s disguise as a noodle vendor who haunts the streets of the town at night.

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 26: The Rainbow Monsterland

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Hirochika Muraishi. Written by Masakazu Migita. Airdate March 1, 1997.

When it comes to giant monster media, I am a forgiving soul. You don’t have to do much to make me happy. Most Ultra show episodes manage to reach the minimum for the entertainment I crave. An episode like “The Rainbow Monsterland,” which is unremarkable in almost every way, tempts me to give it a passing rating of “Average” because it meets the minimum. There are giant monsters — two of them, one a welcome returnee — and they fight. Ultraman Tiga shows up to challenge the winner, while the GUTS members have their own adventure on the ground. This is what I’m looking for in an episode of this show, so I should be happy.

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 25: The Devil’s Judgment

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Hirochika Muraishi. Written by Chiaki J. Konaka. Airdate Feb. 22, 1997.

This sequel to “The Devil’s Prophecy” expands and improves on the original in every way. This is the episode Chiaki J. Konaka was destined to write: a religious-themed horror epic. We’ve had horror on Ultraman Tiga before, such as “The Fog Is Coming,” but this apocalyptic tale exists on a higher plane. It’s a powerful character study for Iruma, shows GUTS operating at their best as a team, delivers a hopeful message about human unity in the midst of terrifying times, peaks in a thrilling battle scene, and even nudges Rena and Daigo’s romantic relationship to the next stage. The best episode of Ultraman Tiga yet.

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 24: Go! Monster Expedition Squad

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Yasushi Okada. Written by Yasushi Hirano. Airdate Feb. 15, 1997.

Children have appeared in several key roles in Ultraman Tiga so far, but this is the first episode to give kids the starring roles. In a return to the style of the Showa era — those wild days when mobs of unsupervised children roamed freely among the monster-haunted cities — we have a child gang at the center of the story. These monster-hunting kids don’t capture the anarchic spirit of the Golden Age child mobs, but they add touches of interest and humor to what’s otherwise a tame, routine monster-of-the-week affair. 

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 21: Deban’s Turn

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Tsugumi Kitaura. Written by Ai Ota. Airdate Jan. 25, 1997.

Are you ready for a “cute mascot monster” episode? The same way that many Ultra shows seek their own version of Ultraman’s “My Home Is Earth,” they also try to come up with their own “Kanegon’s Cocoon” or “A Little Hero.” How well does “Deban’s Turn” meet the goals of the cute monster tale? Extremely well. Deban doesn’t reach the heights of Kanegon or Pigmon, or even Hanejiro from Ultraman Dyna. But this story of a monster who finds acceptance among a troupe of clowns and can defeat the rage powers of a demon beast is charming and heartwarming. 

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 19 & 20: GUTS Into Space

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Hirochika Muraishi. Written by Chiaki J. Konaka. Airdate Jan. 11 & 18, 1997.

Ultraman Tiga and its sequel series Ultraman Dyna take place in the “World of Neo Frontier Space” timeline. Space travel and planetary colonization are key themes in these shows, although they usually occur in the background or serve as catalysts for episodes that are otherwise Earthbound. “GUTS Into Space,” Tiga’s first two-parter, finally sends the GUTS team into the Neo Frontier using a new piece of space-travel technology.

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 18: Golza Strikes Back!

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Shinichi Kamizawa. Written by Masakazu Migita. Airdate Jan. 4, 1997.

Ultra shows generally treat the impact of kaiju activity on the civilian population with a light hand. That’s appropriate, since the episodes would otherwise make for extremely dour entertainment, and many child viewers would have nightmares until they graduated high school. Doing something with the heaviness of the original Godzilla or Godzilla Minus One isn’t what Tsuburaya Productions was looking to achieve. 

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 17: The Battle Between Red and Blue

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Shinichi Kamizawa. Written by Hidenori Miyazawa and Shinichi Kamizawa. Airdate Dec. 28, 1996.

I have affection for the offbeat Ultra episodes: the ones that take unexpected trips to different genres or spotlight a quirky new character as protagonist of the week. Some of these episodes are among the best in the history of the franchise, such as “Kanegon’s Cocoon” and “The Monster Tamer and the Boy.” Others, like “The Battle Between Red and Blue,” are merely charming and put a smile on my face for a half hour. You can’t spend every episode beating up monsters and alien invaders to save the world. Sometimes you need to just sit down with a nice old lady and eat popcorn and watch some TV. 

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