Tag: Kyota Kawasaki

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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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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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 6: Second Contact

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kyota Kawasaki. Written by Chiaki J. Konaka. Airdate Oct. 12, 1996.

The first episode centered on Horii, GUTS’s resident scientist and comedy character. Like Ide from Ultraman, Horii is much more than just “the funny guy” in the ensemble. He shines in this episode as he tries to solve a monster problem that he has a deep personal connection to. Add in a cool kaiju, Gazort — one of the most memorable creatures to debut in the show — and you have the best episode of Ultraman Tiga so far. 

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Ultraman Tiga Ep. 5: The Day When the Monster Appeared

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kyota Kawasaki. Written by Chiaki J. Konaka. Airdate Oct. 5, 1996.

Ultra warriors tend to blow up their monster opponents or fly them out to space to dispose of them. But what about the monsters they defeat that leave behind massive carcasses on land? “The Day When the Monster Appeared” takes a look at the disposal operation for one of these dead kaju — although this creature washed ashore rather than being a leftover after a fight with an Ultra.

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