Tag: Showa

Return of Ultraman Ep. 2: Takkong’s Great Counterattack

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Ishiro Honda. Written by Shozo Uehara. Airdate April 9, 1971.

This is excellent follow-up to the premiere episode does exactly what’s necessary to deepen the show’s dramatic approach: it gives its new hero the space to completely fail. As a neophyte member of MAT and a man with no high-tech monster-fighting combat experience, Hideki Go ought to take time to ease into his new duties and learn from his captain and comrades. Instead, Go’s enhanced Ultra abilities (even when in human form) drive him to hubris and foolhardiness that endanger others and temporarily get him fired. Fired from MAT by Captain Kato and fired by Ultraman, who refuses to let Go transform. 

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Return of Ultraman Ep. 1: All Monsters Attack

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Ishiro Honda. Written by Shozo Uehara. Airdate April 2, 1971.

Return of Ultraman explodes onto the scene with one of the best premiere episodes of the Showa era — and possibly of the entire franchise. The episode covers all the necessary setup for a debut: it establishes the defense team, introduces the hero, merges the hero with an Ultra, stages a big kaiju fight, has the hero join the defense team, and generally defines its world. The episode accomplishes all this with a natural flow that never seems rushed or overstuffed. It also features terrific action and a complete emotional journey for its new hero, Hideki Go, race car driver and soon-to-be member of the defense team, establishing the show’s slant toward human drama. 

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Return of Ultraman: An Introduction

~ Ryan Harvey

Eiji Tsuburaya intended to conclude the Ultra Series with Ultraseven. Tsuburaya Productions moved on to new science fiction and fantasy programs, such as Mighty Jack and Operation Mystery. These shows were popular with critics but drew smaller audiences than the Ultra trilogy. Eiji Tsuburaya began developing a concept for a new Ultraman show, sketching an outline for a program titled Return of Ultraman. 

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My Favorite Ultraseven Episodes

~ Ryan Harvey

It’s strange and a bit bewildering to think this site hasn’t even reached its second-year anniversary, and I’m already writing the closing post for Ultraseven. Although I’m not tackling the Ultra franchise in strictly chronological order (I’m currently reviewing shows from the 1990s and 2010s), I always intended from the inception of this project to start with the “original trilogy”: Ultra Q, Ultraman, and Ultraseven. I closed out Ultra Q just under a year ago with a post about my favorite episodes, and followed with the post about my favorite episodes of Ultraman in the first month of this year.1

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Ultraseven Ep. 48 & 49: The Biggest Invasion in History

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate Sep. 1 & 8, 1968.

For the 50th anniversary of the Ultra Series in 2016, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) polled fans on their favorite episodes. The winner: “The Biggest Invasion in History, Part 2.” No surprise. Few fans would say this is anything less than the best finale of any Ultra show. 

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Ultraseven Ep. 47: Who Are You?

~ Ryan Harvey

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. 

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Ultraseven Ep. 46: Showdown of Dan vs Seven

~ Ryan Harvey

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.”

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Ultraseven Ep. 45: The Saucers Have Come

~ Ryan Harvey

Written and Directed by Akio Jissoji.1 Airdate August 11, 1968.

Our favorite lunatic artist, Akio Jissoji, is back for one last blast in the Showa era. After this, Jissoji won’t direct another Ultra television episode until 1997: “Flower” for Ultraman Tiga. For his temporary farewell, he’s brought along his usual stylistic hits that make his episodes visually rich and strange. He’s got some classical music, too. That’s become another Jissoji trademark. 

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Ultraseven Ep. 44: The Terrifying Super Ape-Man

~ Ryan Harvey

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.

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