Directed by Kengo Kanji. Written by Masanao Akahoshi. Airdate August 7 & 14, 2013.
We’re at the halfway point of Ultraman Ginga — the ideal time for an epic two-parter that will rewrite the status quo. Except “epic” isn’t something really within the reach of Ginga’s budget.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ginga Ep. 5 & 6: The Hater of Dreams / The Battle for Dreams”
Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Shinichi Ichikawa. Airdate April 21, 1968.
Similar to “Return to the North!”, this episode looks at the life of an Ultra Guard member outside of the day-to-day work of defending Earth from invaders. We learn that Soga is engaged; his fiancée, Saeko Nambu (Sanae Kitabayashi), is a sophomore at Kyonan University. The other UG members tease Soga by calling him Soga-kun, the familiar form of address that Saeko uses with him. This is a welcome touch of humor and lightness among the Ultra Guard, who rarely have the easy camaraderie of the Science Patrol in Ultraman.
Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 29: The Earthling All Alone”
Directed by Tomoo Haraguchi. Written by Akira Tanizaki. Airdate July 24, 2013.
This is the first episode of Ultraman Ginga that manages to tell an effective story despite the show’s severe production limitations. The creative team appears to have figured out, at least for the moment, how to maneuver around corporate restrictions and demands to create something that works as both a YA drama and an Ultra adventure. The scope is still cramped, there’s a distractingly wrongheaded scene, and the monster suits are all reused, but “The Twin-Headed Flame Beast” offers a blueprint for a creative path forward for the show.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ginga Ep. 3: The Twin-Headed Flame Beast”
Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Keisuke Fujikawa. Airdate Feb. 19, 1967.
In what feels like a flashback to the earliest episodes, “Endless Counterattack” is a formulaic rampaging monster story with a structure similar to middle-of-the-road episodes like “Science Patrol, Move Out” and “Lightning Operation.” Giant monster Zumbolar appears in the wilds and causes massive destruction with its fiery powers. The Science Parol must find a way to stop it as it trundles toward Tokyo. Ide comes up with an invention, Hayata changes into Ultraman, and the problem is solved after a whole bunch of stuff goes kablooie.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 32: Endless Counterattack”
Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Keisuke Fujikawa. Airdate April 7, 1968.
While doing this website, I’ve discovered that writing about the best Ultra episodes is more difficult than writing about good or mediocre episodes. With a classic episode, there’s more to consider and explore and numerous ways to approach the writing. Discovering the ideal way to concisely discuss a complex, multilayered episode in an entertaining and clear way can be rough. It’s rewarding to get to that final version, but it takes serious effort.
Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 27: Operation Cyborg”
Directed by Fred F. Sears. Written by Paul Gangelin and Sam Newman. Starring Jeff Morrow, Mara Corday, Morris Ankrum.
In these movie breaks, I’ve so far looked at monster films from Japan and the UK. It’s time to pay a visit to the B-movie factories of 1950s Hollywood, the original laboratories where the giant monster craze was spawned and mutated. I grew up on these movies on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, seeing many of them before I saw my first Godzilla movie. I still have immense love for them, their often corny earnestness, and their peculiar cultural zeitgeist of the anxiety-ridden 1950s.
Continue reading “Monster Theater: The Giant Claw (1957)”
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.
Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 22: The Human Farm”
Directed by Yuzo Higuchi. Written by Taro Kaido. Airdate Dec. 4, 1966.
This is the Isamu Hoshino episode, the big starring role for the show’s 12-year-old mascot turned actual SSSP member. Hoshino already had a “save the day” moment in “Brother From Another Planet,” but this goes to the next level where he becomes the main character. Hoshino lands in the thick of the action, takes control of piloting the Sub VTOL, and figures out how to defeat the kaiju of the week. Your opinion of Hoshino and little kid heroics will strongly affect how you react to this episode.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 21: Breach the Wall of Smoke”
Directed by Noriaki Yuasa. Written by Niisan Takahashi.
The fourth Gamera film adds the finishing touches, the final trio of elements that director Noriaki Yuasa and producer Hidemasa Nagata needed to complete the Gamera style: a Caucasian second child actor, Gamera’s catchy kiddie chant theme, and stock footage. The last of these isn’t a benefit.
Continue reading “Toku Theater: Gamera vs. Viras (1968)”
Directed by Koji Kajita. Written by Kyoko Kitazawa. Story by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate May 29, 1966.
As we enter the last quarter mile of Ultra Q‘s run, we stumble across one of the first produced episodes. “Metamorphosis” was only the second episode shot, following “Mammoth Flower.” Even though it features a giant monster, a sure-thing for ratings, TBS decided to wait this late into the show’s run to put it on the air.
Continue reading “Ultra Q Ep. 22: Metamorphosis”
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