Tag: Showa

Ultraman Ep. 26 & 27: The Monster Highness

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo and Bunzo Wakatsuki. Airdate Jan. 8 & 15, 1967.

The unofficial promise Ultraman makes to viewers is that it will deliver the thrills of giant monster movies in a TV-sized package. No episodes achieve this better than the first two-parter1 in Ultra Series history. “The Monster Highness” is a VFX extravaganza that introduces the most famous kaiju in the franchise and smashes the thrill button as hard as it can with kinetic fights, heavy military action, and mass-scale urban destruction. Children all over Japan were on edge after the cliffhanger of Part 1 where Ultraman suffered a true defeat, ensuring that Part 2 would become one of the most viewed episodes of any Ultra show. 

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Ultraseven Ep. 23: Search for Tomorrow

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Shozo Uehara and Samaji Nonagase. Airdate March 10, 1968.

Captain Kiriyama takes center stage for an unusual episode that shows the Ultra Guard members acting as more than a stock hero team. Characterization in Ultraseven works differently than in Ultraman and other Ultra shows: scripts often downplay individuality in favor of larger science-fiction themes. It’s good to have a chance to settle in with a personal character drama like “Search for Tomorrow,” where Kiriyama reveals a side that puts him at odds with the rationalist approach of the Terran Defense Force and the Ultra Guard. It’s not a superlative action episode, but it has some crunchy ideas to chew on and a strong use of the ensemble.

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Ultraman Ep. 25: Mysterious Comet Tsuifon

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Toshihiro Iijima. Written by Bunzo Wakatsuki. Airdate Jan. 1, 1967.

In a scenario inspired by Ishiro Honda’s science-fiction epic Gorath (1962), a comet is hurtling toward Earth on a near-miss course. A near-miss is still too close: Comet Tsuifon’s cosmic rays may cause several missing older hydrogen bombs to detonate and annihilate life on the planet. After the comet makes its pass without causing an apocalypse, the Science Patrol determines there is still one missing bomb in danger of exploding. And that bomb was swallowed by a monster. And that monster is Red King. Oh dear gods, we’re all doomed…

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Ultraseven Ep. 22: The Human Farm

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Hiroyasu Yamaura. Airdate March 3, 1968.

Ultraseven shifts to science-horror with an episode mirroring the more sober stories of Ultra Q. The general mood is subdued foreboding laced with body horror. Several unusual visual choices enhance the quiet dread. It’s ambitious, and the episode almost works — but the climax veers in a different direction that emphasizes big action. The finale may not include a giant monster fight, but it still feels like a conventional wrap-up, and that doesn’t gel with a story about aliens using women’s bodies as cultures for growing their food. 

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Toku Theater: Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)

~ Ryan Harvey

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.

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My Favorite Ultra Q Episodes

~ Ryan Harvey

We’ve reached a major milestone at The Ultra Project: the first Ultra show reviewed from start to finish! I’ve examined all 28 episodes of the original Ultra Q, the 1966 show that started it all, so it’s time for a recap and a look back. The next post will be a full listing of all my Ultra Q reviews for easy reference. Right now, I’m pleased to present you a look at my personal favorite episodes.

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Ultra Q Ep. 28: Open Up!

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Mieko Osanai. Airdate Dec 14, 1967.

Ultra Q closes its original run with an ethereal episode, absent of monsters and high on postmodern angst. It’s hard to imagine an Ultra episode farther removed from the colorful heroics of Ultraman, so it isn’t surprising that TBS producer Takashi Kakoi decided that “Open Up!” was not a good lead-in for the new show. He removed the episode from the schedule and replaced it with the Ultraman preview special. “Open Up!” wouldn’t reach airwaves until the end of 1967, when Ultraman had finished its run and Ultraseven was already airing.

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Ultraman Ep. 24: Undersea Science Center

~ Ryan Harvey

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.

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Ultraseven Ep. 21: Pursue the Undersea Base!

~ Ryan Harvey

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.

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