Directed by Yoshikazu Ishii. Written by Keiichi Hasegawa. Airdate Nov. 27, 2013.
Picking up where the previous episode left off, Misuzu’s father, Seiichiro Isurugi (Hironobu Nomura), shows up on the school grounds, accompanied by two people from Ichinotani Construction. Isurugi-San has plans to demolish the elementary school and build a resort complex.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ginga Ep. 8: The Stolen Ginga Spark”
Directed by Tomoo Haraguchi. Written by Keiichi Hasegawa. Airdate Nov. 20, 2013.
After several months on hiatus, Ultraman Ginga returns to the air, ready to reignite interest for its remaining episodes and kick off the arc that will carry it to its conclusion. It does this by having its hero, Hikaru Raido, bravely … sit down in a chair and recount the events of the previous episodes with video clips.
In other words, this is that most feared entity in episodic television: a clip show.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ginga Ep. 7: The Closed World”
Directed by Hirochika Muraishi. Written by Masakazu Migita. Airdate March 1, 1997.
When it comes to giant monster media, I am a forgiving soul. You don’t have to do much to make me happy. Most Ultra show episodes manage to reach the minimum for the entertainment I crave. An episode like “The Rainbow Monsterland,” which is unremarkable in almost every way, tempts me to give it a passing rating of “Average” because it meets the minimum. There are giant monsters — two of them, one a welcome returnee — and they fight. Ultraman Tiga shows up to challenge the winner, while the GUTS members have their own adventure on the ground. This is what I’m looking for in an episode of this show, so I should be happy.
Continue reading “Ultraman Tiga Ep. 26: The Rainbow Monsterland”
Directed by Junji Kurata. Written by Masaru Igami, Isao Matsumoto, and Ichiro Otsu.
Let’s close out 2025 with a big heap of trash, shall we? Feels like cleaning out the house for a new year.
Continue reading “Toku Theater: Legend of Dinosaurs & Monster Birds (1977)”
Directed by Noriaki Yuasa. Written by Niisan Takahashi.
If you ever wanted to know what it looks like when a major studio perches on the verge of going under, allow me to present Exhibit A: Gamera vs. Zigra. You can feel the Japanese film industry of the early 1970s collapsing all around you as you watch.
Continue reading “Toku Theater: Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)”
Directed by Yuichi Abe. Written by Keiichi Hasegawa. Airdate July 10, 2013.
The New Generations Heroes era boldly begins … with a girl stuck in a runaway baby carriage. It looks like a low-budget 2000s Nickelodeon show. It feels like one too. This is a bad omen for what’s ahead.
Continue reading “Ultraman Ginga Ep. 1: Town of Falling Stars”
Directed by Shigeo Tanaka. Written by Niisan Takahashi.
The second of the Showa Era Gamera films (Daikaiju Ketto: Gamera Tai Barugon, “Giant Monster Duel: Gamera vs. Barugon”) is a case of trying to change course but instead heading in a different wrong direction.
Continue reading “Toku Theater: Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)”
Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate Nov. 12, 1967.
Another hostile alien has come to Earth. Not to conquer, just to kill. An alien murderer from an otherwise peaceful race has escaped from a prison on its homeworld. Now it’s landed on Earth to guzzle gasoline, strangle a few innocent people, and find another escape route before it’s caught.
Continue reading “Ultraseven Ep. 7: Space Prisoner 303”
Directed by Shinya Nakajima. Written by Shukei Nagasaka.
Ultraman Zearth, Earth’s defender from the Land of Bright in Nebula Z95, must stop the schemes of the gold-stealing invader Alien Benzene and its kaiju attack dog, Cotton-Poppe. However, Zearth and his human form, Katsuto Asahi (Masaharu Sekiguchi), face a dreadful obstacle: mysophobia. Ultraman Zearth can’t stand getting dirty. A little grease on his hands and he’s paralyzed or hopping around howling. Oh no, what will the world do? And how can monster-fighting organization MYDO, which operates out of a gas station where the members also pull extra shifts, help in the battle against Alien Benzene while poor Zearth is cringing at having to cross a pool of mud?
Continue reading “Ultraman Zearth (1996)”
Directed by Noriaki Yuasa. Written by Niisan Takahashi.
Now for another movie break, this time for a “classic” of Japanese kaiju cinema. It’s a short hop from Ultra Q’s “Grow Up! Little Turtle,” a tale about a boy and his affection for a giant turtle who takes him to see a princess underwater, to Gamera the Giant Monster, a tale about a boy and his affection for a giant turtle who is causing mass destruction and death.
Continue reading “Toku Theater: Gamera the Giant Monster (1965)”
The Ultra Project 