Toku Theater: Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)

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.

Continue reading “Toku Theater: Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)”

Ultraman Ep. 24: Undersea Science Center

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.

Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 24: Undersea Science Center”

Ultraseven Ep. 21: Pursue the Undersea Base!

Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Onisuke Akai. Airdate Feb. 25, 1968.

We begin as many giant monster stories have: a ship afloat at night on a calm ocean, the crew relaxed and chatting. Suddenly, a strange light flashes in the water, a frightening sound tears through the air … and the ship explodes and sinks into the sea, the victim of a cryptic leviathan.

Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 21: Pursue the Undersea Base!”

Ultraseven Ep. 20: Destroy Earthquake Epicenter X

Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Bunzo Wakatsuki. Airdate Feb. 18, 1968.

There are several Ultraseven episodes that feel as if they were reworked from unused Ultraman scripts (something that did happen with “The Strolling Planet”). “Destroy Earthquake Epicenter X,” from what I can tell, was originally written for Ultraseven, but the Ultraman vibes are strong: an episode focused on a giant monster and high-tech equipment rather than alien schemes or a strange science-fiction twist. Ultraseven’s stories are usually alien-themed, but this episode feels as if the alien invader could easily have been cut and the script left as a terrestrial kaiju story.

Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 20: Destroy Earthquake Epicenter X”

Ultraseven Ep. 19: Project Blue

Written and Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Airdate Feb. 11, 1968.

Professor Miyabe (Akiji Nomura) has invented a magnetic defense barrier, Project Blue, that will shield both Earth and the Moon from the barrage of alien invasions happening on a weekly basis. (At this point, the Ultra Guard is so familiar with these invasions that they know the preferred routes aliens take when launching attacks.) But Alien Bado, self-proclaimed “Emperor of the Universe,” is not going to have some Terrestrial Defense Barrier hinder their plot to explode Earth and eradicate the potentially deadly human race. The aliens covertly park their spaceship under Professor Miyabe’s home and kidnap him, threatening to murder his wife Grace (Linda Mabrey) if he doesn’t surrender the plans for Project Blue.

Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 19: Project Blue”

Ultraseven Ep. 18: Escape Dimension X

Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Testuo Kinjo. Airdate Feb. 4, 1968.

“Escape Dimension X” is Ultraseven’s version of Ultraman’s influential episode “The Monster Anarchy Zone”: a fast-paced monster-packed adventure taking place in a weird wilderness of exotic dangers. Many Ultra shows have their own take on this pulpy Lost World concept. Now we see the darker SF sensibility of Ultraseven at work on the premise. Where “The Monster Anarchy Zone” is a wild, fun rollercoaster with plenty of giant monsters, “Escape Dimension X” is horror-tinged and eerie, with monsters of the more creepy-crawly variety. This “lost world” is also presented as a science-fiction mystery, an artificially created alternate dimension, although the story leaves most of it unexplained.

Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 18: Escape Dimension X”

Ultraman Ep. 20: Terror on Route 87

Directed by Yuzo Higuchi. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate Nov. 27, 1966.

Screenwriter Tetsuo Kinjo had a knack for taking topical subjects and finding ways to transform them into workable Ultra scripts. “Monster-as-metaphor” is one of the most viable and enduring forms of social commentary in science fiction and horror, and Kinjo was adept at not making the commentary in his monster scripts too heavy-handed, even with a subject as grim as the alarming number of deaths of children in auto accidents. And yes, that’s the subject of “Terror on Route 87.” 

Continue reading “Ultraman Ep. 20: Terror on Route 87”

Ultraseven Ep. 17: Underground Go! Go! Go!

Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Shozo Uehara. Airdate Jan. 28, 1968.

The standard procedure for Ultra warriors who come to Earth is to merge with a human host, a precedent set in Ultraman and followed throughout most of the shows. Ultraseven is one of the exceptions (Ultraman Leo is another), where the Ultra warrior chooses to adopt a human form and remain 100% alien. But how does an Ultra who takes this route decide on their human “costume”? This episode addresses that question, making it an essential watch for the lore of the show.

Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 17: Underground Go! Go! Go!”

Ultraman Tiga Ep. 11: Requiem to the Darkness

Directed by Shinichi Kamizawa. Written by Junki Takegami. Airdate Nov. 15, 1996.

“You’re a highly creative inventor with a contagiously cheerful personality.” This is how one of Horii’s friends describes him in this episode. That’s an accurate, precise portrait. It explains why Horii works so well when he gets the role of the main character in an episode of Ultraman Tiga. He’s fun to be around, even when dealing with dark events. 

Continue reading “Ultraman Tiga Ep. 11: Requiem to the Darkness”

Ultraseven Ep. 16: The Eye That Shines in the Darkness

Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Keisuke Fujikawa. Airdate Jan. 21, 1968.

  • An alien race mistakenly interprets an exploratory probe from Earth as a hostile attack and plans to launch a counterstrike.
  • A lost space vessel returns to Earth with a mysterious surprise aboard. 

We’ve seen these story concepts in the Ultra shows before — several times — but “The Eye That Shines in the Darkness” not only uses both, it adds something new to the mix. Not new for the broader franchise, but for Ultraseven specifically: a child character as the lead. 

Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 16: The Eye That Shines in the Darkness”