Tag: Ultraseven

Ultraseven Ep. 34: The Vanishing City

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate May 26, 1968.

Several Ultraseven episodes have a tricky time balancing the mysterious science-fiction stories of its original premise with the spectacle of kaiju fights and space duels that viewers expect from something titled “Ultra.” Some episodes split the difference and go for mood in the first half, big action in the second. “The Vanishing City” executes one of the better mergers of Ultra Q eerie SF mystery and Ultraman supersized action. The tone of weirdness is consistent, even when the climax is Seven pursuing a roly-poly hedgehog monster through the labyrinthine streets of an empty city stolen by aliens who need real estate.

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Ultraseven Ep. 33: The Invading Dead

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Hajime Tsuburaya. Written by Shozo Uehara. Airdate May 19, 1968.

Ultraseven returns to horror with a spectral-themed story that hints at the supernatural. However, like the previous horror outing, “The Human Farm,” this episode has an odd split between its parts: low-key foreboding, claustrophobic staging, and general eeriness upfront — and then a big ol’ space shoot-‘em-up for the ending. Both parts are good at what they do, especially the ghostly first two-thirds. However, I like the promise of a fully weird horror episode about shadow creatures arising from dead bodies far too much to feel satisfied when the action switches to another battle with alien vessels. Perhaps I just miss Ultra Q too much.

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Ultraseven Ep. 32: The Strolling Planet

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Samaji Nonagase. Written by Masahiro Yamada and Shozo Uehara. Airdate May 12, 1968.

A mysterious object is heading toward Earth. When Dan, Furuhashi, and Amagi investigate in the Ultra Hawk 1, they discover an asteroid one kilometer in diameter that’s sending out disruptive electromagnetic waves. An energy blast from the asteroid causes the Ultra Hawk to crash, trapping the three UG members on the surface of what they discover is a time bomb targeting Terran Defense Force HQ. Unfortunately, those electromagnetic waves prevent the trio from communicating with the rest of the Ultra Guard and make it impossible for Dan to change into Ultraseven — which might come in handy since there’s also a giant monster wandering around the deadly asteroid.

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Ultraseven Ep. 31: Flower Where the Devil Dwells

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Shozo Uehara. Airdate May 5, 1968.

Ultraseven takes another big swing at exploring new science fiction territory. Drawing inspiration from the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, our hero Ultraseven reverses his usual tactics and shrinks to face a microscopic but deadly enemy within the strange battlefield of the human body. 

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Ultraseven Ep. 29: The Earthling All Alone

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Shinichi Ichikawa. Airdate April 21, 1968.

Similar to “Return to the North!”, this episode looks at the life of an Ultra Guard member outside of the day-to-day work of defending Earth from invaders. We learn that Soga is engaged; his fiancée, Saeko Nambu (Sanae Kitabayashi), is a sophomore at Kyonan University. The other UG members tease Soga by calling him Soga-kun, the familiar form of address that Saeko uses with him. This is a welcome touch of humor and lightness among the Ultra Guard, who rarely have the easy camaraderie of the Science Patrol in Ultraman. 

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Ultraseven Ep. 28: The 700 Kilometer Run

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Shozo Uehara. Airdate April 14, 1968.

We have something special for you today, Ultra fans! My distinguished regular readers and guests, children of all ages, please direct your attention to the starting line of Day One of a 700 kilometer race. (That’s 435 miles for all my US-based readers.) I present to you … Dino Tank!

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Ultraseven Ep. 27: Operation Cyborg

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Keisuke Fujikawa. Airdate April 7, 1968.

While doing this website, I’ve discovered that writing about the best Ultra episodes is more difficult than writing about good or mediocre episodes. With a classic episode, there’s more to consider and explore and numerous ways to approach the writing. Discovering the ideal way to concisely discuss a complex, multilayered episode in an entertaining and clear way can be rough. It’s rewarding to get to that final version, but it takes serious effort. 

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Ultraseven Ep. 26: Super Weapon R1

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Toshitsugu Suzuki. Written by Bunzo Wakatsuki. Airdate March 31, 1968.

The Cold War and fears of nuclear war lurk behind much of tokusatsu, especially in the Showa era. The movie that ignited the tokusatsu genre, Godzilla, is the quintessential cinematic nuclear metaphor, and Japan is the nation most acutely aware of the horrors of nuclear weapons as “deterrents.” The specter of the Cold War haunts many of Ultraseven’s tales of alien invaders. In “Super Weapon R1,” the subtext of the madness of the arms race becomes the text, the explicitly stated theme. This could’ve turned out heavy-handed. Here, it all works, resulting in one of the great and enduring Ultra episodes.

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Ultraseven Ep. 25: Showdown at 140 Degrees Below Zero

~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kazuho Mitsuta. Written by Tetsuo Kinjo. Airdate March 24, 1968.

An intense cold snap and snow storm descend on the HQ of the Terran Defense Force. Temperatures plunge below –100°F and keep dropping. Ultra Guard member Soga isn’t concerned at first, talking dismissively as he pours a cup of coffee: “A cold wave zone 114 degrees below zero is nothing to get nervous about. The atomic reactor in the power house 18 floors under is burning red. Praise human technology.” 

The moment Soga says this, viewers know everything is about to go wrong in the worst way. The episode does not disappoint. 

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