Ultraseven Ep. 23: Search for Tomorrow

~ Ryan Harvey

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.

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Ultraman Ep. 25: Mysterious Comet Tsuifon

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Toshihiro Iijima. Written by Bunzo Wakatsuki. Airdate Jan. 1, 1967.

In a scenario inspired by Ishiro Honda’s science-fiction epic Gorath (1962), a comet is hurtling toward Earth on a near-miss course. A near-miss is still too close: Comet Tsuifon’s cosmic rays may cause several missing older hydrogen bombs to detonate and annihilate life on the planet. After the comet makes its pass without causing an apocalypse, the Science Patrol determines there is still one missing bomb in danger of exploding. And that bomb was swallowed by a monster. And that monster is Red King. Oh dear gods, we’re all doomed…

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Ultraseven Ep. 22: The Human Farm

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Hiroyasu Yamaura. Airdate March 3, 1968.

Ultraseven shifts to science-horror with an episode mirroring the more sober stories of Ultra Q. The general mood is subdued foreboding laced with body horror. Several unusual visual choices enhance the quiet dread. It’s ambitious, and the episode almost works — but the climax veers in a different direction that emphasizes big action. The finale may not include a giant monster fight, but it still feels like a conventional wrap-up, and that doesn’t gel with a story about aliens using women’s bodies as cultures for growing their food. 

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 16: The Revived Demon

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kyota Kawasaki. Written by Hideyuki Kawakami. Airdate Dec. 21, 1996.

After a hint of the supernatural in the previous episode, Ultraman Tiga goes into a full-fledged fantasy drawn from Japanese legends and the country’s feudal era. The Showa era Ultra shows rarely visited this time period, mostly because the networks didn’t want to limit international sales by making the shows “too Japanese.” Thankfully, the Heisei era loosened up on this so that the more fantastical world of samurais, shoguns, ogres, and demons could burst through to Ultraman’s world. “The Revived Demon” is among the best of these types of episodes, and it’s one of director Kawasaki’s most impressive outings on Tiga. 

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Toku Theater: Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Noriaki Yuasa. Written by Niisan Takahashi.

This is the Gamera movie with the alien women who shave a kid’s head so they can eat his brains, Gamera performing a men’s gymnastics routine, and a monster that looks like a letter opener. It’s also the Gamera movie that decides plot is optional when all it needs is kids wandering around science-fiction sets watching monsters have outlandish battles. Gamera vs. Viras did something similar, and Gamera vs. Guiron takes the next step of stretching out the “kids wandering around spaceship” section to fill most of the movie.

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My Favorite Ultra Q Episodes

~ Ryan Harvey

We’ve reached a major milestone at The Ultra Project: the first Ultra show reviewed from start to finish! Now that I’ve examined all 28 episodes of the original Ultra Q, the 1966 show that started it all, it’s time for a recap. The next post will be a full listing of all the reviews for easy reference, but for now I present to you a short recap of my personal favorite episodes.

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Ultra Q Ep. 28: Open Up!

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Mieko Osanai. Airdate Dec 14, 1967.

Ultra Q closes its original run with an ethereal episode, absent of monsters and high on postmodern angst. It’s hard to imagine an Ultra episode farther removed from the colorful heroics of Ultraman, so it isn’t surprising that TBS producer Takashi Kakoi decided that “Open Up!” was not a good lead-in for the new show. He removed the episode from the schedule and replaced it with the Ultraman preview special. “Open Up!” wouldn’t reach airwaves until the end of 1967, when Ultraman had finished its run and Ultraseven was already airing.

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Ultraman Ep. 24: Undersea Science Center

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Toshihiro Iijima. Written by Keisuke Fujikawa. Airdate Dec. 25, 1966.

The Science Patrol is assigned to escort the president of the Science Public Corporation to the official activation of the new Undersea Science Center. Also along on the trip to the center is a special guest, young girl Jenny Childers. What should be a problem-free ceremony goes sideways when an ocean floor disruption cuts off the undersea center’s lifeline and floods its docking bay. Captain Muramatsu, President Yoshimura, Hoshino, and Jenny are now trapped in an underwater tomb. The rest of the SSSP races to rescue them before their oxygen supply runs out.

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 15: Phantom Dash

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kyota Kawasaki. Written by Kazuo Tsuburaya and Junki Takegami. Airdate Dec. 14, 1996.

Gazort and the Clitters are back, everyone! Gazort still looks fantastic, arguably Ultraman Tiga’s most memorable kaiju. However, like the first episode with Gazort, the monster is less the star and more the catalyst for a character study. Horri was at the center of “Second Contact.” Now Shinjoh takes over as the pivotal figure, sharing the spotlight with his sister Mayumi (Kei Ishibashi). The mix of a great monster encore, an emotional character-driven story, and a touch of the weird makes for one of the best Ultraman Tiga episodes so far.

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