Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Masahiro Yamada and Samaji Nonagase. Airdate Nov. 20, 1966.
I don’t have any deep analysis of this episode. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. Quite the opposite. But what works about it is its spectacular simplicity.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 19: Demons Rise Again”
Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo and Samaji Nonagase. Airdate Nov. 13, 1966.
Ultraman has three classic sentient alien villains. We’ve already met Alien Baltan. Twice. Later we’ll meet Alien Mefilas, maker of dark deals. Today we meet Alien Zarab, who wants humanity to believe he’s their pal, the brother from another mother planet who’s looking out for Earth’s best interests — just like the aliens from the classic Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man.” And look how well that turned out.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 18: Brother From Another Planet”
Directed by Toshihiro Iijima. Written by Keisuke Fujikawa. Airdate Nov. 6, 1966.
The most surreal Ultraman episode yet. That still places it below the strangest episodes of Ultra Q or an average episode of Ultraman Taro. Those shows set a high bar for weirdness, but “Passport to Infinity” makes a game effort at trippy and abstract excitement. Best of all, we get one of the Ultra series’ most memorable kaiju, Fourth Dimensional Monster Bullton, which resembles a heart valve as designed by Joan Miró.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 17: Passport to Infinity”
Directed by Toshihiro Iijima. Written by Kitao Senzoku. Airdate Oct. 30, 1966.
Alien Baltan is back after Ultraman attempted to genocide their entire race in “Shoot the Invader!” They want another crack at Planet Earth. Lucky for them, the Tsuburaya Pro team apparently wanted another crack at a big VFX finale with their signature alien villains. The special effects climax of “Shoot the Invader!” was its weakest part, likely a result of it being the first episode put into production. “Science Patrol Into Space” is a small upgrade over what was a pretty solid early episode: it loses some of the mystery and mood but goes full-force as a science-fiction actioner with ambitious special effects.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 16: Science Patrol Into Space”
Directed by Akio Jissoji. Written by Mamoru Sasaki. Airdate Oct. 23, 1966.
Akio Jissoji returns with a fantastic episode that goes to a stranger place than his first, “The Pearl Defense Directive.” It’s another humorous outing, with similarities to “The Rascal From Outer Space.” Both feature enigmatic alien forces that cause comical monsters to materialize. But “Two-Dimensional Kaiju Gavadon” is a different type of comedy kaiju than the bratty Gango. Gavadon a lazy monster. Or maybe it’s just too peaceful.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 15: Terrifying Cosmic Rays”
Directed by Akio Jissoji. Written by Mamoru Sasaki. Airdate Oct. 16, 1966.
And now, the first regular Ultra show episode directed by Akio Jissoji. I’ve already looked at Jissoji’s style in one of his best episodes, Ultraseven’s “The Marked Town,” but I didn’t spend much time on the man himself. Time to fix that.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 14: The Pearl Defense Directive”
Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate Oct. 9, 1966.
Mitsuhiro Ide, the Science Patrol’s resident inventor, was intended as Ultraman’s comic character. Maybe in the beginning of the program’s development, the creators saw Ide as purely a comedy foil to add wacky zip to a monster show. However, something changed early on. My suspicion is that actor Masanari Nihei was responsible for Ide evolving into more than just comic relief. Ide never lost his humor, but he emerged as the show’s most complex character.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 13: Oil S.O.S.”
Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Keisuke Fujikawa. Airdate Oct. 2, 1966.
Another winner of an episode, the third in a row. We have a new story archetype to explore: the archeological adventure. The mummy of the title isn’t a traditional Egyptian mummy, although it has tomb wrappings, but a mysterious, possibly supernatural creature from prehistoric Japan. As a nice surprise, the Mummy Man doesn’t end up enlarging into the episode’s giant monster. No, there’s a much more impressive kaiju waiting in the wings to fill that role.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 12: Cry of the Mummy”
Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Tatsuo Miyata. Airdate Sep. 25, 1966.
The first time I watched Ultraman all the way through, “The Rascal From Outer Space” rewired my brain. The episode was so bonkers, so bizarre, so absurdly comic, I couldn’t believe what I was watching. Since I hadn’t seen any other Ultra shows — they were unavailable in North America at the time — I didn’t know this comic nuttiness was a series tradition. I hadn’t yet watched Ultra Q episodes like “Grow Up! Little Turtle” and “Kanegon’s Cocoon,” nor was I aware of the lunatic world of Ultraman Taro. Still, I was certain I was discovering a key part of the franchise, something essential about it, with “The Rascal From Outer Space.”
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 11: The Rascal From Outer Space”
Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate Sep. 18, 1966.
Ultraman vs. Godzilla! That’s it, that’s the review. Or as much a review as most people will need.
Technically, Ultraman’s kaiju foe isn’t Godzilla. It’s a new monster named Jirahs (sometimes spelled Jirass). But … come on, it’s just a Toho Godzilla costume with a smattering of green paint and a neck frill. The frill eventually gets ripped off, making it even clearer you’re watching Ultraman vs. Godzilla. Using the Godzilla costume was a cost-saving maneuver, but nobody is going to complain about watching these titans of tokusatsu cross IP boundaries for a deathmatch.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 10: The Mysterious Dinosaur Base”
The Ultra Project 