Directed by Tsugumi Kitaura. Written by Keiichi Hasegawa. Airdate June 21, 1997.
The digital effects in Ultraman Tiga are one of its major flaws. They hit their nadir in this episode, where they account for around 90% of the visual effects, leaving only a fraction for old-fashioned suitmation action in the finale, where Tiga takes on the giant robot form of an artificial intelligence called, no kidding, “Karen.”
Continue reading “Ultraman Tiga Ep. 42: The City Where the Girl Disappeared”
Directed by Tsugumi Kitaura. Written by Ai Ota. Airdate June 14, 1997.
The fourth and final Ultraman Tiga script from Ai Ota. Her previous episodes show her talent for stories with fairy-tale and fantasy slants, similar to Ultraman Taro but without the Showa-era crackpot absurdity. “Deban’s Turn” is a delightful children’s story, while “The Battle of Zelda Point” takes a sombrous approach to what could have been a simple girl-and-her-pet fable. Good stuff, and Ota would continue to write other enjoyable scripts for future Heisei Ultra shows.
Continue reading “Ultraman Tiga Ep. 41: A Friend From Space”
Directed by Tatsumi Ando. Written by Shozo Uehara. Airdate August 25, 1968.
We’ve arrived at the last episode of Ultraseven before the epic two-part finale. What better way to pass the time than with a throwback to the beginning? “Who Are You?” feels like it could’ve been developed from an unused Ultra Q script, and it wouldn’t take much work to turn it back into one. This moody, low-key episode is a pleasant reminder of the franchise’s origins — to the point that I almost wish it were even more like Ultra Q.
Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 47: Who Are You?”
Directed by Yoshikazu Ishii. Written by Hisako Kurosawa. Airdate Nov. 4, 2013.
Ultraman Ginga S returns after a two-month break to start its second half, and it has plenty on its agenda. One of the leads from Ultraman Ginga, Misuzu Isurugi (Miyatake Mio), drops in as a guest star. Alien Chibull openly plots to animate and control the corpse of Dark Lugiel on the Moon. Most importantly, Android One Zero is now liberated from Alien Chibull’s control after her master rejected her as a “useless piece.”
Continue reading “Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 9: A Life to Regain”
Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Shozo Uehara, Shinichi Ichikawa. Airdate August 18, 1968.
Among Earthlings, Dan’s secret identity as Ultraseven is secure. Among every other alien species, however, it appears to be a matter of public record. That turns Dan into Target #1 when the next extraterrestrial invasion plot swings by our little planet. Once again, the invaders of the week kidnap Dan before they execute their scheme. These aliens, however, have a nifty twist on the standard plan: rather than using a super weapon or a guardian giant monster against Earth, they’ve got an imitation Ultraseven! An “Imit-Ultraseven.”
Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 46: Showdown of Dan vs Seven”
Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi. Written by Yuji Kobayashi. Airdate Sep. 2, 2013.
The mid-show finale is a tradition in the New Generation Heroes era. Since these shows are semi-serialized, with ongoing villains and subplots, it’s natural to build to a peak midway through the run to shift the status quo, retire some characters, introduce others, and deliver a major revelation or two. Ultraman Ginga established this with a two-parter that was only a modest increase in spectacle. Ultraman Ginga S goes bigger, resulting in one of the most enjoyable action installments in the New Gen era so far. Best of all, it opens up a new avenue for a character who, until now, has been a literal device.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 8: Desperate Battle in the Sunrise”
Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi. Written by Sotaro Hayashi. Airdate August 26, 2013.
Ultraman Ginga S ramps up toward its mid-season finale (followed by a two-month hiatus) with an action-filled episode that introduces a seemingly unbeatable kaiju and promises a reveal about the scheme driving Alien Chibull’s theft of Victorium Crystals.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 7: Activate! Operation Magnewave”
Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Shozo Uehara, Shinichi Ichikawa. Airdate August 4, 1968.
After the double-tap of “Ambassador of the Nonmalt” and “Nightmare of Planet No. 4” — two of the greatest, most intelligent episodes in the entire Ultra Series — Ultraseven needed something lighter. That’s exactly what “The Terrifying Super Ape-Man” delivers. Like “Nightmare of Planet No. 4,” it takes inspiration from the recent runaway popularity of Planet of the Apes, but in a more superficial way. Rather than explore the future horrors of a human race reduced to obsolescence, just put a super-ape in the episode. Add a dash of 1930s mad scientist horror for flavor. Stir and double strain over a final Ultra fight. It’s no classy craft cocktail, but it’s a decent highball.
Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 44: The Terrifying Super Ape-Man”
Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi. Written by Hisako Kurosawa. Airdate August 19, 2013.
Shepardon, the giant monster defender of the Victorians, gets its first major role in the show. Shephardon has already taken part in several battles, but now it displays real personality as a pivotal part of a story about the history of the Victorians. Since Shepardon is one of the best parts of Ultraman Ginga S — a fantastic kaiju design that combines the friendliness of a cute dog with genuine dinosaurian menace — I approve of it getting more attention. I’m also glad to have more backstory on the Victorians, though the episode doesn’t go deep enough into what may have been an extremely dark epoch in their history.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 6: The Forgotten Past”
Directed by Teruyoshi Ishii. Written by Masakazu Migit, Keiichi Hasegawa. Airdate May 10, 1997.
Yazumi finally gets an episode of his own. The “guy in the chair” of GUTS, the agent who didn’t even get to go into the field until episode 23, now takes the spotlight. Aside from “One Vanishing Moment,” where he flaunted a militaristic attitude, Yazumi has always come across as the quietest, most restrained member of GUTS. Perhaps that’s why Captain Iruma kept him in the operations chair most of the time rather than fighting monsters in the field.
Continue reading “Ultraman Tiga Ep. 36: Smile Across Space and Time”
The Ultra Project 