Museum of the Slightly Curious

My comments and observations from watching through this classic Japanese TV series.

One type of story Ultra Q featured was the children’s adventure — by which I mean rambunctious children having an adventure of some sort. Ultraman continues that tradition. This episode is the classic trope of youngsters uncovering a gang of criminals up to no good. They are left to investigate on their own, since the grown-ups won’t believe or listen.

It begins with Hoshino and his pals playing and watching ships unload at the bay. The youngest, Chiro, claims he’s spotted a monster, but Hoshino is distracted when he spots a couple of wanted criminals. As a responsible kid, he calls his friends in the SSSP to report it — but smugglers are not their jurisdiction. And Hoshino is able to pick up on the fact that Arashi didn’t take him seriously anyway.

While the kids are wondering what to do, the monster of the week does shows up. Guesra is another suit that probably looked better on paper than it does on screen. While it has some nice details, with all its fins and spines and bulbous protrusions, it’s also a little… familiar looking, being constructed out of bits of other monsters, including Ragon from just a couple episodes ago. The monster vanishes after sinking a ship, but the kids are excited about this new adventure and run off to investigate where cacao beans are stored — those being Guesra’s food source. It’s pretty common theme that the kaiju of Ultraman are not malicious, just animals after their next meal.

In a wacky twist, the criminals spotted earlier have been hiding their smuggled diamonds in the cacao shipments, so the kids end up running afoul of them after all. Kidnappings, escapes, chases, and other hijinks ensue. If Guesra was actually some sort of hoax, a boat fixed up with fake monster parts to act as a distraction from the smuggling, this would be an episode of Scooby-Doo.

But it’s a real monster out there. The SSSP arrive. They’ve requested information on Guesra from the Brazilian branch of the Science Police — a reminder that there is a large, international organization out there dealing with Unbalance. Guesras are known animals that feed on cacao, but this one has been mutated by… “stuff.” Miscellaneous pollution in Tokyo Bay is enough explanation for giant monsters in these times. Even your normal everyday Guesra is dangerous, and able to take on a Jaguar, according to, not the Brazilian Science Police, but the pipe-smoking sailor who has been hanging around. They will die though if they loose what the subtitles calls their “antennae” but is actually the big fin on their neck. Why this is such a weakness is not explained, or why the translation calls them antennae — unless somebody is sneaking in a reference to the giant ant movie THEM, where those mutant insects also had that weakness. “Shoot the antennae!” is a catch phrase most atomic monster movie fans would recognize.

Is it too much of a coincidence that the smugglers have their hideout just where Guesra smells the largest collection of cacao beans? I don’t know. Hiding diamonds in beanbags was their main scheme, so it isn’t too unreasonable that they be operating out of that warehouse. The situation brings monster, beans, kids, the smugglers, and the SSSP all to one place. The crooks make the unwise decision of shooting the monster, which enrages it into attacking and destroying the building. The SSSP get the kids out in time, but Hayata, once again has the bad luck of being caught in the middle of the destruction — though of course it’s good luck for Ultraman’s secret. Unfortunately, Ultraman has a second weakness besides his limited power supply: Hayata must hold the Beta Capsule to trigger the transformation. Frequently the very misadventure which separates him from his comrades, so he can become Ultraman in secret, knocks the Beta Capsule out of his hands — as happens here. The others, typically thinking Hayata has been killed, turn their weapons on Guesra (they don’t lower their blast visors this time I note).

This distraction gives time for the struggling Hayata to grab the capsule, become Ultraman, and in the nick of time save the team from being stepped on. There’s a nice shot of Ultraman holding the car, with the switches between miniature and live vehicle being very effectively. The only drawback of the sequence is seeing Ultraman very close up and noticing that the Ultraman suit, particularly the helmet, is roughly made, uneven, wrinkled, and with very prominent eye holes for the actor. It looks cheap, which it was, since this show did not have Ultra Q’s big budget.

When Ultraman grapples with Guesra the Color Timer, as usual, is used as an device to increase tension — but it also once again seems extraneous. Guesra is a powerful foe and Ultraman has trouble with its poisonous spines. He eventually gets the better of it and rips off its fin/antenna (the continuing the trend of Ultraman maiming his opponents). Guesra dies in apparent agony — another characteristic of many battles. Despite the ever increasing blink of his timer, Ultraman strikes a pose for his cheering fans and then flies off.

The others are saddened by the death of Hayata — of course not only is Hayata not dead, he has somehow had time to subdue the two smugglers and drag them to justice.

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My comments and observations from watching through this classic Japanese TV series.

Much of this episode could have been a story from Ultra Q. I can easily see the gang from that series rushing around digging up clues about the mysterious murders that make up most of the plot. Instead it is the SSSP on the job, investigating the killings. Such detective work appears part of their duties, with the team being called in to handle “abnormal” cases.

The police procedural story plays against some authentically scary scenes that go beyond what you’d seen in an American kid’s show. There is a montage of quick cuts of an out of control car, an agonizing death shown only in shadows, and green slime that wipes across the screen from one scene to another. The horror movie feel of the killings is another element that seems like Ultra Q, which could shift between nightmare and child’s playtime from episode to episode. You get both here. It’s hard to reconcile the gruesome monster murders with Ide’s slapstick and silly faces.

There is a real mystery to be pieced together from the information the SSSP collect. Five men just returned from an expedition are being killed off one by one. The first being a scientist using radiation to genetically alter plants. A rare plant from the expedition is missing. Strange plant-like slime is found at the crimes scenes. It’s not exactly Sherlock Holmes difficulty (Arashi actually accuses Ide of playing at being Holmes as he tries to figure it all out), especially in a world where monsters and mutations are far from unknown. But you have to gather your facts though before you can act.

Optical compositing continues to be the star special effect here. At one point the investigation takes Ide and Arashi to a futuristic greenhouse. I believe the spherical building and surrounding complex are a real location, but the aerial camera work, along with adding the VTOL into the live action shots blends everything together.

They reach the reasonable conclusion that the surviving fifth member of the exhibition that brought back the flower will be the next target. It’s a little unclear if the monster is motivated to kill out of revenge for being taken from its natural environment and being subjected to weird science, or if it is just is seeking the rare nutrients it needs that the victims also unknowing brought back in their bodies. When the plant monster does show up, Arashi has a rough time, but the team manage to zap it with their weapons. We also see another function of those uncomfortable helmets: they have visors to project their vision from the bright light of the Super Guns. Each takes a safety first moment to lower the eye shield before firing — not that they did that in previous episodes. I’ll try to remember to watch for them ever doing it again.

The episode also introduces a new secondary character, science advisor Dr. Iwamoto, played by Akihiko Hirata, a veteran of Toho’s giant monster films, with his most notable role being Dr. Serizawa in the original 1954 Godzilla. Is this episode, besides advising about science, his main function is to provide the exposition that, far from being killed by the team’s Super Guns, the monster plant has likely to mutated further. And the plant monster (named Greenmons, literally “Green Monster”) has indeed grown to enormous size, conveniently for this to fully become an Ultraman episode for the last 6 minutes or so.

As a kaiju I find Greenmons works well, though that seems to be a minority opinion. Being a plant, it isn’t intended to have animal, let alone humanoid, proportions. It surges and flails around convincingly, and only when actually grappling with an opponent do we get glimpses of the human actor inside the suit. Plant monsters are rare in the genre. Biollante being one of the most memorable. It is also reminiscent of Hedorah, the Smog Monster, in its leafy floppiness.

Arashi tries to fight it single handedly to make up for his earlier defeat. He dials his Spider Shot to flame mode (our first glimpse that the weapon has multiple capabilities) but it has little effect. He’s injured again by Greenmons’ poison spray, which gives Hayata the opportunity he needs to, after taking his friend to safety, to transform into Ultraman.

There is a very atmospheric scene of the two giants squaring off in a city plaza, chimes ringing out the late night hour. I’m sure this is probably a well-known location in Tokyo, but I haven’t been able to identify it.

Greenmons’ gas attack is strong enough to even effect Ultraman, poisoning and weakening him — and making the flashing Color Timer seem extraneous. Our hero is able to gather his resources enough for a Specium Beam, which ignites the poor creature, not only setting it aflame, but reducing it to ash, which blows across the watching crowds. Another night’s work for the SSSP — though once again it is Ide who notices that Hayata had mysteriously vanished during the fight.

My comments and observations from watching through this classic Japanese TV series.

A pretty straightforward episode for the show. A monster shows up, the SSSP investigates, does its best, then Ultraman arrives to finish things up.

We do see more of another character whom I haven’t mentioned yet: Isamu Hoshino, the team’s kid sidekick/mascot. I don’t know if a reason is ever given for why this young boy is allowed to hang around this super-advanced, international monster-hunting organization. In the old English dub he was, at least, Akiko’s younger brother, though even that questionable justification is lacking here. Hoshimo and Akiko find the monster, Neronga, while checking out the legends surrounding an old well. This isn’t the first time, if you include Ultra Q, that a creature from folktales manifests as an active monster. The Unbalanced Zone seems to bring inner fears and demons to life.

Neronga is an invisible creature, until it appears to feed on power stations. It makes me think of the Id Monster from Forbidden Planet. We get some nice rampaging, though one notices the fact that Ultraman was put into production faster, and with a lower budget than Ultra Q. The monsters tend to be more rubbery and more garishly painted (some of that may be due to getting used to shooting in color). Also the buildings are just hollow shells, with no interior structure. The explosions and flames still look cool though. The episode also has some decent compositing shots, putting the live actors in front of and even in the middle of the miniature sets of burning ruins.

Another SSSP member starts to get some definition here: Daisuke Arashi. He’s the tough guy, the soldier, the one who always wants to rush into the fight, brandishing his signature weapon: the Spider Shot, a two-handed beam weapon that can emit a variety of energy attacks.

Since Hayata has decided to adopt the Western Superhero troupe of having a secret identify, each episode has to give him some reason to separate from his teammates in order to become Ultraman. Last episode he was conveniently knocked aside by Baltan. This time he… well, just runs off by himself towards the monster, moments before Ultraman just happens to appear. Hayata’s going to have to try a bit harder to keep this up. Another superhero thing is that Ultraman has his weakness: that he only has energy to fight for a few minutes. The Color Timer on his chest flashes faster in warning and the narrator warns of the dire consequences of it going out. So far though, there haven’t been any consequence, nor does it affect Ultraman’s actions.

The conflict between Ultraman and Neronga is another brutal one. Neronga has already had an eye blasted by the Spider Shot, and then Ultraman snaps his horn off. He next gets lifted up above Ultraman’s head and hurled to the ground. If that alone didn’t kill him, Ultraman unleashes a beam attack that blasts the creature into tiny, smoking, rubbery bits. Ultraman continues to take his job seriously.

Everyone cheers, though Ide seems just a little bit curious about the whole Hayata leaves/Ultraman appears, Ultraman leaves/Hayata comes back situation.

My comments and observations from watching through this classic Japanese TV series.

This episode introduces one of Ultraman’s most iconic foes, Baltan (or rather the Baltan species.) These lobster-like space aliens are nearly the equivalent of Dr. Who’s Daleks in their popularity. To me they seem inspired by Ultra Q’s Kemur Man, in their unnerving weirdness and proclivity to laugh in your face as you oppose them. They also appear to have some unusual relationship to Spacetime. They can be microscopic or huge, as if moving nearer or farther along a 4^th dimensional axis. They seem able to exist in more than one place at the same time, and are can suspend other beings, freezing them in an unending split second — something the show’s special effects depicts efficiently and cheaply by clever use of lights.

We also get complete 4^th Wall breaking by Ide (unless he too is operating in some higher dimensional system) as he directly addresses the audience. Effectively the narrator for this episode, he doesn’t portray himself in a flattering light. He’s Jerry Lewis, mugging and pratfalling and playing the scaredy-cat. Ide gets established as the clown of the team now — though that plays against his other main trait, revealed over upcoming episodes: he’s the team chief technician and the genius inventor of a lot of their equipment.

The Baltans are here on Earth as refugees from the destruction of their own planet. Captain Muramatsu, in a very Jean-Luc Picard move, actually offers them sanctuary here, if they will learn Earth’s laws and customs. Two problems: first, there are 2.3 Billion Baltan in microform on their ship; second, they are a bunch of big jerks.

Negotiations go downhill and Baltan turns giant and attacks the city. When Ultraman shows up we get another new type of battle for this genre: an aerial dogfight with both combatants zooming through the sky. After defeating Kaijū Baltan, Ultraman spots the concealed spacecraft, flies off with it and, presumably, destroys it. As in, blows up the space ark with 2.3 billion sentients on it. Yikes!