Ultra Q

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I was a big fan of Ultraman when I was a kid. In the early ‘90s I discovered there was a new “Ultraman” show, but unfortunately I was more interested in acquiring episodes of the old show on VHS than I was episodes of the new one. Somewhat later I discovered that there have been many, many “Ultraman” series over the years, rivaling Doctor Who in its longevity. A brief search of the internet yields the following results (but I’ve probably missed a few).

Ultra Q  
Ultraman 1966-67
UltraSeven 1967-68 
Return of…(Jack) 1971-72 
Ultraman Ace 1972-73 
Ultraman Taro 1973-74 
Ultraman Leo 1974-75 
Ultraman 80 1980-81 
Ultraman USA (The Adventure Begins) 1987
Ultraman Great (Towards the Future) 1990-91 
Ultraman Powered (The Ultimate Hero) 1993 
Ultraman Hero 1995
Ultraman Zearth (parody) 1996-97 
Ultraman Tiga 1996-97 
Ultraman Dyna 1997-98 
Ultraman Gaia 1998-99 
Ultraman Nice 1999-00
Ultraman Neos 2000-2001
Ultraman Cosmos 2001-02 
Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy 2004 
Ultraman: Next 2004 - p.82
Ultraman Nexus 2004-05 - p.82
Ultraman Max 2005-06 - p.86
Ultraman Mebius 2006-07 - p.91
Ultraman UltraSeven X 2007 - p.99
UltraGalaxy: Mega Monster Battle 2007-2009 - p.100
Ultraman Retsuden 2011-13
Neo Ultra Q 2013
Ultraman Ginga 2013 
Ultraman Ginga S 2014 
Ultraman X 2015-16 
Ultraman Orb 2016 
Ultraman Geed 2017 
Ultraman R/B 2018
Ultraman Taiga 2019
Ultraman Z 2020
Ultraman Trigger 2021
Ultraman Decker 2022
Ultraman Blazar 2023
Ultraman Arc 2024
Ultraman Omega 2025
Ultraman Theo 2026

We’ve been discussing other tokusatsu series in this forum lately, and because those series were produced later than Ultraman, I expected them to be technically better, but I ended up being somewhat disappointed in Super Robot Red Baron and Iron King. I enjoyed them, but I didn’t like them as much as I hoped to. Now I’ve started watching Ultraseven, and it’s everything I hoped it would be.

As the liner noteson the DVD set point out, “the difference in the overall quality in production between Ultraman and Ultraseven was marked, and made the show memorable 45 years later. According to Wikipedia, “Such is his popularity that Ultra Seven (or simply 'Seven') has appeared or at least made cameos in nearly every Ultra Series following his own and has had far more exposure than even the original Ultraman (though the original Ultraman is without a doubt the face of the Ultras).”

My wife and I disagree about the relative merits of Ultraseven in comparison to SRRB/IK. I would like to start the discussion with a look at the opening title sequence and music, then open the floor for rebutal.

The title sequence of Ultraman, as you will recall, looks as if it had been spelled out in a can of paint, slowly stirred, then run backwards. Ultraseven looks more like it had been spelled out in brightly colored confetti, placed atop one of those old electric football games, shaken apart, then run backwards. Whereas the soundtrack of Ultraman is jazzy, that of Ultraseven shows more of a classical influence.

Here is the English translation of the lyrics…

Seven… Seven… Seven… Seven…

Seven! Seven! Seven!
Seven! Seven! Seven!

A distant star was once his home
Ultra Seven! Fighter Seven!
Ultra Seven! Seven! Seven!

Onward to the edge of the galaxy
Use your Ultra-Eye and… STRIKE!
Seven! Seven! Seven!
Seven! Seven! Seven!

Dan Moroboshi is his borrowed name
Ultra Seven! Hero Seven!
Ultra Seven! Seven! Seven!

Defeat the great fire-breathing monster
Use yout Ultra-Beam and STRIKE!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

This one seemed kind of pointless to me. It just went from one scene to the next until it was over. I didn't really give much thought to Takeru until you brought it up, but there's obviously some unexplored backstory there. 

[The Baron]

Episode 8: "Terror of Sweet Honey"

1. It's a dark and stormy night. Someone does something shifty and damages something.
2. Ten days later, Jun and Ippei are flying above a train. Something underground damages the tracks and the train derails.
3. It turns out that a bee-ologist named Kimura's bee place was damaged by the shifty guy.  His  fiancée consoles him. Kimura has invented something called "Honey Zellin", which causes giantism.
4. The Trio and Professor Mustache visit Kimura's lab, where they see a bee of unusual size. Uppei goes to eat some uncut Honey Zellion. Silver Age Jimmy Olsen would be proud.
5. A guy named Itami, who is a night watchma, congratulates Kimura on his success. He obviously doesn't mean it.
6. A minion sees an underground disturbance and summons everybody. a giant mole (hereafter "Mongula") appears. They work out that it atye larvae that ate Honey Zellion.
7. Mongula wrecks a town, and the townsfolk blame Kimura.
8. The Trio uncovers the sabotage to Kimura's bee place. Itami is spying on them.Kimura is guilt-wracked,but the Trio arrive and accuse Itami of sabotage.  The minion supports the accusation and Itami flees.
9. They find Mongula's hole and decide to explore it. Itami is already in there and delivers more adolescent jealousy and bitterness.  He then goes and tries to blow Mongula up. Itami escapes from the hole, but dies  in Kimura's arms, proclaiming his love for Kimura's  fiancée, thus ensuring that his last moments are as awkward and embarassing as possible.
10. Mongula survives, and the army guys shoot at it.  When he is asked if he believes that Mongula survived this, Professor Mustache replies, "He may be alive, but he  isn't coming back." I'm not sure of the logic of that statement. Anyway, there's a volcanic episode and the episode ends.

Overall: An OK episode, although Mongula is the least convincing monster yet, most obviously a puppet.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Silver Age Jimmy Olsen would be proud.

If you hadn't pointed it out I would have.

When he is asked if he believes that Mongula survived this, Professor Mustache replies, "He may be alive, but he  isn't coming back."

I can't help but notice that all of the monsters so far have been dispatched without the aid of a "Giant Being of Light."

Isn't Kimura played by the same guy who played Hayata on Ultraman?

"Unbalanced zone" (from the opening and closing narration) is evokative of The Twilight Zone.

[The Baron]

Isn't Kimura played by the same guy who played Hayata on Ultraman?

I didn't pick up on that, but you're right.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Susumu Kurobe.

 

[The Baron]

Episode 9: "Baron Spider"

1. A giant spider attacks a lighthouse keeper. I bet Tracy loved this episode.
2. The Trio and their friends Hayama, Takehara and Kyoko are lost in the fog while coming home late from a party..  Kyoko is played by Akiko Wakabayashi, who was in You Only Live Twice, Dogora the Space Monster and Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster.
3. Ippei and Hayama fall into a swamp, so they all break into a nearby spooky old mansion. Obviously, none of them have ever seen or read a ghost story.
4. Takehara pulls a knife on Jun as a gag. Gotta say, I wouldn't take too kindly to "humor" like that.
5. They realte the story of a Baron whose daughter was bitten by a tarantula and died and became a spider.  Apparently, the Baron became a spider, as well.
6. Jun sees a giant spider, while Takehara is stalked by another one. Takehara finds and  pockets what looks like the Ocarina of Time. Ippei gets ahold of it and starts playing it.
7. Takehara is attacked by a spider and is found by the Trio.
8. One spider goes after Hayama and the other one goes after Kyoko. Jun manages to stab one spider to death. They all flee the house with the other spider in pursuit.
9. Jun's car does the old "the car won't start as the monster approaches" bit. Jun runs the remaining spider over. The mansion falls over, burns down and sinks into the swamp.

Overall: An interesting episode, more a ghost story than a kaiju story. they do seem to be trying to avoid having every episode follow the same formula.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I bet Tracy loved this episode.

Tracy would have "loved" this episode, but she was taking a nap when I watched it.

Kyoko is played by Akiko Wakabayashi, who was in You Only Live Twice, Dogora the Space Monster and Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster.

Once again, good research!

Obviously, none of them have ever seen or read a ghost story.

Or any other genre of popular fiction that involves old houses. These episodes are slow burns, more moody and suspensful than action-packed.

Apparently, the Baron became a spider, as well.

Yeah, there's some contradiction there, as if they're conflating two stories.

Jun sees a giant spider, while Takehara is stalked by another one.

I was wondering just how many spiders are in this house. Two for sure, but is the whole house infested with giant spiders?

The mansion falls over, burns down and sinks into the swamp.

"But the forth one stayed up! And that's what you're going to get, lad... the strongest castle in these islands!"

This was really quite impressive minature work, especially in comparison to Ultraman Powered.

An interesting episode, more a ghost story than a kaiju story.

I wonder how they'd play to today's jaded younger set...?

[The Baron]

This was really quite impressive minature work, especially in comparison to Ultraman Powered.

Especially considering that it was 27 years earlier. Well, Tsuburaya was still alive, and at the height of his powers back then.

[The Baron]

Episode 10: "The Underground Super Express Goes West"

1. We open with a shoeshine boy (who is neither humble nor lovable) with poor personal hygiene and an obnoxious personality.  Oh, God,  this is going to be one of those "comedy" episodes where it's all spectacularly unfunny, isn't it?
2. The story revolves around a new underground bullet train. Yuriko will be on the inaugural voyage. The shoeshine boy is determined to sneak aboard, as is Ippei.
3. Meanwwhile, a guy is telling Jun about the unstable artificial life form he calls "M1" and which he keeps compressed in a case. They soon discover that the case they have contains Ippei's camera. They realize that Ippei has taken the case with M1 in it onto the train.  This show isn't The Twilight Zone, it's The X-Files with Mulder, Scully and Gilligan!
4. Ippei meets up with Yuriko on the train. The authorities confiscate the case with M1 in it and store it in a safe, but it mutates into a fish-lipped gorilla that's been in a fire.
5. M1 breaks into the control room and starts messing with things. The authorities separate the engime from the rest of the train, with M1 and Shoeshime  Boy on board.
6. We end with the engine car shooting off imnto to space with M1 and Shoeshine Boy on board, presumably to  die horrible deaths when their air runs out.
7. M12 speaks at the end, saying "I am Kamome-san, I am Kamome-san!" "Kamome" means "seagull", and is apparently a reference to something Valentina Tereshkova once said.

Overall: This is my least favorite episode so far. Maybe comedy just doesn't translate well.