By Joe Gibson
In case you missed it,
this is the follow-up to a previous blog post giving some brief (eh, I tried)
thoughts on the first nine episodes of the latest Ultraman show (https://planninecrunch.blogspot.com/2025/08/some-truncated-thoughts-on-ultraman.html). I have not watched many Ultraman shows in full, but I
still enjoyed those early episodes as well as any of the tokusatsu shows I have
seen and even more than many of them. Starting off very strong, dipping only a
little bit in quality and returning with very strong episodes, where we left
off, this show had a strong fighting chance of going down as one of my
favorites. But can it keep that trajectory going or will the persistent issues
with side characters and keeping Ayumu in the dark of Omega’s true nature turn
into systemic flaws in the story? Find out after a brief disclaimer.
Now, quite obviously, as
this is going up now of all times when the show is literally about to end on
the 16th, I have taken quite a large break in my coverage on this show.
Frankly, I fell behind due to schoolwork and then still had to balance other
projects in the off month. The finale of the show is about to debut, and it
seems there will be no movie this time. I will try to keep the content coming
pertaining to Ultraman Omega though I may need some time, and I hope you all
will bear with me.
Episode 10 - 715 words
In this episode, a
documentarian friend of Ayumu's films Sorato and Kosei, trying to understand
what their secret is. Despite the conflict inherent to this setup, she is not
an antagonist, and it is Sorato and Kosei who bicker over the course of the
episode. The documentarian, by her own account, hopes her footage will help
people because those not named Sorato or Kosei are unable to deal with the
kaiju when they show up. She also either already has or develops in this
episode an obsession with the Red Giant Omega and might not even be a documentarian
but still does demonstrate journalistic efforts that frame the entire
episode.
It just gets more
baffling how poorly the show portrayed Wolfy every time an episode cuts a new
angle on how the media influences public thought about the kaiju. Rather than
keep harping on Wolfy though, I think I should reframe how I have been thinking
about those subplots. This is a television show, not a series of movies, and
part of me realizes that because I'm not reviewing these episodes individually
(except that one time for episode 9: https://planninecrunch.blogspot.com/2025/09/a-marxist-analysis-of-ultraman-omega.html). Though it is still absolutely fair to expect an episode
to function on its own, the themes emerge not from individual episodes but how
they flow together.
The show is about
Sorato, Kosei, Ayumu, and the three or four Meteokaiju, but we met these
characters one by one. Similarly, the media's reporting on Omega and the kaiju
is clearly a notable motif building to a theme, but it seems they were starting
out vapid and overly simplified with Wolfy to build from there with the radio
hosts feeding Nariaki's obsession and then those same hosts indirectly
supporting Kanenari’s harebrained scheme to now this and beyond. (Here, the
character Mak makes strong rhetorical appeals justifying her documentary
uncovering Sorato’s secret, but it still ends silly so we have more of whatever
arc this is to go before it finishes. I will officially predict an Imitation
Ultraman episode at this point, but we will see if that comes to pass.) Though
I brought up soundtrack, suit construction and closed captions gaffes as the
systemic trends to watch, I think it is actually probably more productive to
take note of the progression of common tropes in these episodes. (There was a
memorable musical composition toward the end of the episode though.)
It seemed like the
conflict between Sorato and Kosei was going to be resolved in the space of a
single monologue from Mak, but, luckily, they held off on the resolution of
that until the climactic fight against Demaaga, in such a way that actually
kind of redeemed that childish plotline for me. As quick gag during the final
battle, we see that Rekiness and Trigaron are also bickering to mirror our two
leads (this could mean that, since Kosei is psychically linked to them, their
feud could actually be fueling his part of the fight, but more likely, it is
just a joke). This dispute ends with the long awaited return of Rekiness to the
battlefield and as armor because Rekiness can more effectively counter the
projectiles Demaaga can launch from his back. Also, to show off how well Kosei
and Sorato work together even during a fight, the Sorato armor uses Rekiness’
powers.
But uh I should probably
explain the MOTW. Demaaga is evidently one of the “Not Godzilla” monsters in
Ultraman, possessing jagged dorsal spines, an overall reptilian build and a
heat beam. Funnily enough, the Not Godzillas I am used to from this IP are
Gomess and Jirass, both of whom were made from a Godzilla suit. In this
episode, Demaaga seems to be burning hot pretty much the entire time and
constantly spewing projectiles in the final fight to where, even though he is
not necessarily stronger than previous monsters, the fight is harder.
If you’re still
wondering whether or not Sorato will tell his secret to Mak or Ayumu, he
reveals he certainly intends to, just when the moment is right so if you want
to guess how many more episodes it will take, I now know. Just keep your guess
in mind and keep reading, let us know in a comment if you got it right.
Episode 11 - 766 words
Episode 11 Graim Returns
has a lot to juggle. This episode is the first obligatory two-parter (an Ultra
show is liable to have up to five of these) that usually occurs because the
MOTW is just that strong or the internal stakes just that important or emblematic
of the whole show to have just one episode one. As the actual midpoint of the
show is nearing, this two-parter will help to ease us into that transition,
hinting at the developing attack team and a new series regular to lead it,
Ayumu’s mentor Sayuki Uta.
At the same time, Kosei
feeling left out of Sorato’s heroic antics that was important at least in
episodes 4 and 5 comes back to drive the interpersonal conflict here, and the
radio hosts’ input now confirms that Omega is not polling well among the
public. (Kosei starts getting upset about the former and then vents to Sorato
about the latter.) With 14 percent undecided and 37 percent of responses
against Omega, the remaining positive 49 percent is the textbook “plurality not
majority” that could lead us to an episode wherein the attack team hunts Omega
too. (I am holding out hope for an Alien Zarab Imit-Omega type scenario so that
it doesn’t come out of nowhere if they do.)
The main criticisms for
the episode I have seen have to do with Kosei and Sorato themselves. Kosei,
already feeling left out and doubly on edge for the public’s growing disdain
for his illegal alien friend, insists on tagging along with Sorato the fight
scene and even pulls out a meteokaiju prematurely despite Sorato’s objections. Sorato
saves Kosei twice, but the MOTW is too powerful, and a finisher evocative of
Galactron’s against Ultraman Orb plays out to close out the episode. The
criticisms are that Kosei is too reckless (to an out of character degree) and
that Sorato is far too weak as he takes more damage protecting Kosei than
usual. For that second point, ever since Ultraseven established that Ultras can
take on human forms, they have always been vulnerable in that human form, so
that is actually not an issue in the slightest. Kosei, well, for one thing, he
has always been very frenetic because his role in the trio is of a peacekeeper
trying to keep Sorato’s secret while including Ayumu no matter how weird that
makes him look.
In the past, Kosei stood
up for Omega publicly and then activated a meteokaiju in full view of a crowd,
so when the pressure reaches enough, he will certainly act irresponsibly for a
good cause. From Kosei’s perspective, Sorato going out fighting Leodo without
him and then losing public trust activates Kosei’s own insecurities while
actually removing the crucial layer of protection to Sorato that Kosei
represents. Now is the best time for Kosei to learn this lesson (so that he can
be smarter going into the second half), so I have no issue with him in this
episode, but I will ask you to draw your own conclusions.
While I predicted
Graim’s return, I did not expect it to be a second specimen of the species or
that it would not be the sole MOTW. Leodo, from Ultraman Arc returns here, and
the reason why Leodo and Graim II are even rampaging is because of yet another
kaiju, the actual one to beat in these episodes, is agitating them from deep
below the Earth. This means that after an Omega v Leodo fight with an excellent
finisher and a Graim II v Trigaron fight, the actual final battle is the
Mexican Standoff of Omega, Graim II, and the true threat Eldeghimera. I already
really liked Graim but this more amoral turn just increases his cool factor to
me. Unfortunately, Eldeghimera defeats him and assimilates him because his
gimmick is being a gluttonous chimera, evident through his drooping tongue
sticking out during most scenes.
Graim’s showing here
genuinely raises his place in the kaiju ranking for me. He’s such a cool kaiju
mechanically to go up against an Ultra or another kaiju with his horn beam and
sharp claws in his stance somewhere between bipedal and quadrupedal. Tsuburaya,
please bring this guy back for a third episode if not here, then in the next
show. If you can give both Alien Baltan and Alien Barossa three episodes each
in a show, you can do it for Graim. (When asked incredulously that another
Graim exists, Sorato responds that multiple humans exist, so that implies there
are a lot of these guys.) I will save my thoughts on Eldeghimera for the next episode’s
review.
Episode 12 - 855 words
Following up on last
episode, Sorato, having functionally sacrificed himself for Kosei (and
incidentally survived) very calmly and contentedly eats Kosei’s yakisoba (the
first meal he ever got from Kosei), then, just as calmly, declares he is going
to leave Kosei. Kosei, lacking the emotional maturity to resolve this without
guidance from a wiser character like his boss or Ayumu (this is technically an
annoying trait, but if Kosei grows from it, that will make it cathartic
instead) storms off to leave the situation. This brings him into the orbit of
Sayuki Uta, Ayumu’s mentor, who bosses Kosei around and chides him but also
genuinely isolates his positive qualities and inspires him, a sort of motherly
influence.
What watching this
episode made me realize about this show is that the reason why I have such a
difficult time deciding Sorato to be the protagonist over Kosei is because even
Sorato is the one with the amnesia with the need to find himself in the world,
the forming group is a found family for Kosei and not Sorato. Kosei claims
Sorato as a cousin, even providing that identity but calls Ayumu a big sister
like influence for him (where Sorato and Ayumu interact more like equals),
Kosei’s boss is a father figure letting him stay in the warehouse while he
figures out what he wants to do with his life, Sayuki is a motherly figure and
a mentor to Ayumu, and their other friend Nariaki is Kosei’s neighbor not
Sorato’s.
Sorato often learns the
episode’s lesson through being an outsider looking in at Kosei’s life or, as
was the case in episode 5, through leaving Kosei’s environment entirely to
watch another family’s conflicts. Sorato probably does not have a family he can
call his own right now (hence why he feels like an intrusion that has forced
Kosei into the superheroics), and, so even though I know Kosei and Sorato need
to stay together for the runtime of the show at least, I do understand why
Sorato thinks he needs to leave. And the show built up to this point
organically (though it did require the circumstance of an especially strong
monster and especially frazzled Kosei).
Speaking of the monster,
Ayumu struggles to identify any base animal that can inspire it, settling on
the Chimera though since the name becomes Eldeghimera, it would probably be
spelled as something closer to Kimera (キメラ), because the K can become G in Japanese through adding Dakuon
marks (since the Vagsect incident last time, I have learned a little bit more
about Japanese writing and sounds). Anyway, Eldeghimera continues its rampage,
coming across another Dugrid and assimilating it. Kosei found a sample of the
so-called Ghimera cells at one of the rampage sites, and Ayumu is able to study
it, drafting a plan that involves shocking the cells with energy and
implementing the Graim tranquilizer they previously developed.
After the use of some
Mechagodzilla esque-shock anchors (that fail to do anything but charge up
Eldeghimera’s Graim beam), Omega rises again, to shield the researchers and
military presence. The battle includes wrestling, Grain’s beam and even
Dugrid’s poison gas. Ayumu witnesses Kosei running up to the battle
dramatically and activating Rekiness to help Omega by telekinetically hooking
up the shock anchors into Eldeghimera.
In these last few
episodes, it seems like Kosei generally prefers Trigaron, only pulling out
Rekiness when there is a tactical advantage, and, while the telekinesis was
crucial here, it also seemed like Rekiness himself wanted to be chosen here.
This is probably meant to be as redemption for Rekiness being unable to come
out last episode due to Kosei’s exhaustion, but I think the show is rather
vague about where Kosei begins and the Meteokaiju end (his eyes light up when
they do something special, when he is bickering with Sorato they bicker with
each other, and he literally tells them what to do). So we shall see if the
show develops more into these themes. (One of the biggest fan theories for this
show is that Ayumu will end up in control of Trigaron because she always wears
yellow and Kosei wears blue, and that is a distinct possibility now that she
has seen Kosei activate Rekiness.)
After the shock anchors
cleanse Eldeghimera of Graim and Dugrid and the Rekiness sword chops up the
monster, Ayumu confronts Kosei about what she just saw, and he runs off. Sorato
and Kosei reconcile, with Kosei confirming that his arc has been more about fitting
in and seeking approval than Sorato’s has been. Still, they bond over their
shared desire to help people, and Sorato comments that he needs Kosei.
Ultimately, this is an Ultraman two parter at its best, using the two episodes
to effectively set up and pay off character arcs that make sense in the context
of a truly beastly monster. This two parter does a great job fleshing out Kosei
and Sorato while finally letting Ayumu find out at least part of their secret
and serving as an effective introduction for Sayuki and reminding us how cool
Graim and Dugrid were. Eldeghimera himself seems to be a new suit.
Episode 13 - 615 words
Alright, this is another
recap episode, but this one actually is a canon mainline numbered episode and
actually justifies its existence pretty well. As YouTube user JR201049 pointed
out in the comment section, “It’s a compilation, but it’s a drama that’s mostly
just about two or three people,” and, yes, this episode is about the fallout of
Ayumu witnessing Sorato doing three impossible things in the time she has known
him and Kosei blatantly controlling a Meteokaiju in front of her. It is
genuinely an important episode to progress these characters in the story as we
head into the second half of the show with a different status quo.
The basic setup here is
that Kosei has invited Ayumu over to explain what she saw, and Kosei and Sorato
put their heads together in retrospect to make a “cheat sheet” to explain in
detail the events surrounding the Meteokaiju and maybe Omega in general as
well. Just as has been established, Kosei tries to keep them on track when
Sorato starts remembering just the meals they have had and the kaijus’ names.
However, a Pigmon is lurking in the warehouse as the MOTW on a technicality.
When Ayumu gets there,
they start to explain but Pigmon comes out, and the gentle way they deal with
the human sized kaiju prompts her to have memories of the two of them being
sweet goofballs. She drops a nugget of information that could wildly change the
worldbuilding of the show or be a throwaway line: kaiju are starting to awaken
all over the world just not with any incidents worse than what they have dealt
with in Japan. In any case, Sorato goes to fly Pigmon home, and Ayumu and Kosei
talk one on one.
Within the NDF that has
been stepping up in these last few episodes to defend the public, Mr. Taira is
the lead officer, and Ayumu reflects on how, in the last episode, Taira seemed
to understand that Omega was trying to help them, even adding that positive opinion
on Omega in the NDF is increasing. This is also another example of a minor
moment spent on Omega’s reputation that should pay off eventually (episode 12
was a better exploration of Kosei and Sorato than I expected, so I have high
hopes for the payoff of other motifs and themes throughout the end).
Ayumu adds that she
believes Omega is fighting for humanity and that, on her way over to learn the
truth, she was wondering if she really should. Her memories convinced her that
she wants to remain friends with the pair keeping things the same they have
always been. The conversation is coded as if Ayumu realizes Sorato is likely
Omega but does not want to think about it. This is not really relevant to the
recap, but on the dining room table, you can see that they still have bananas
but also have Pringles right next to them (so Kosei’s money troubles are
seemingly resolved).
I liked this episode a
lot even though the only kaiju in it was Pigmon (and he didn’t even die), and I
respect the behind the scenes efficiency to have this episode be the recap
episode and thus draw from all of the previous episodes to tie together this
plot line. That said, outside of meta reasons, this was pretty late for Ayumu
to learn the identities (especially when Wolfy and a crowd of people saw Kosei
activating Trigaron in episode 7). Also, the Pigmon randomly leaving its island
to come to this apartment in particular is a contrivance, so I am hoping a
later episode clarifies how it got there.
Episode 14 - 801 words
This episode functions
as our introduction to Sayuki Uta, as she has not had the opportunity for as
much development as the main trio. She makes a house call to Sorato very
spontaneously and abruptly, almost too much so for Ayumu to show up and smooth
things out. Sayuki closely examines the boys and their living quarters as they
recite some Googleable diegetic exposition about her. Interestingly, she shares
her assessments of the place and boys only after she has contrived a reason to
leave with Ayumu.
Now, up until this
point, Sayuki has been a positive character, a sort of motherly influence for
Kosei and Ayumu, but here we see hints of what could amount to further
conflict. She is very sly and careful with her questions, buttering Sorato up
so that she can get the answers she wants from him. More importantly, she has
created the K-Monitor, a device that can locate kaiju. Sorato's nose and
general senses are supposed to fill this role narratively, so we will have to
see if or when this K-Monitor fails and if that ties into Sayuki's arc. Most
importantly, she does not even necessarily trust or believe in Omega and voices
a more cavalier attitude for her work against the kaiju than we have seen from
any of our other three leads.
All that said, the
titular “Omega Elimination Order” is not her edict to the emerging attack and
research teams but the directive of the new enemy Zovaras, a mysterious seijin.
Its giant form somewhat resembles a cross between Zetton and Greeza (with how
many fusions there are in this franchise, that probably already exists
actually), but there are a lot more unique sci-fi considerations to its
motivation and personality. As we learn over this two parter, it is a created
being that serves the Geness seijin, and his directive is to eliminate Omega as
it seems Omega has done to them.
In a similar manner to
Gamera vs Barugon, the most impressive fight scene in this episode is human
hand to hand between Sorato and a human form of Zovaras. Though Zovaras only
repeats stock dialogue, the manner in which its human form seeks out Sorato and
then facilitates the return of his memories reminds me of Shin Ultraman’s take
on Alien Mefilas, and thus, for multiple reasons, I am more captivated by the
human scenes than their inevitable giant showdown. The only other reference I
could think of for Zovaras in his human guise was the Terminator, and I feel
vindicated for that comparison because a Japanese commenter on the YouTube
upload also made that comparison.
In looking around online
for people’s thoughts on the episode’s reveals, I found that many were unsure
at the time what all this meant. Since this is a two parter, the reveals of the
context all kind of flow together, and I watched these straight into the next,
so what I say in these next two entries may be paced arbitrarily.
We now have some context
surrounding Omega's destruction of the planet of the Vagsects as Omega
remembers that episode one opener. It seems the show is implying these are the
Geness, but in any case, Zovaras is responsible for Omega losing his memories
and falling to Earth, and he used the third meteokaiju Valgeness to do
this.
In the both fights,
Omega and Zovaras are relatively evenly matched, and Valgeness is the deciding
factor that puts the scales in Zovaras’ favor. Even when Kosei brings out
Trigaron, Zovaras seems able to affect their connection in some way, and it
takes a sudden weakness to bird sounds for Zovaras to short circuit, meaning
this fight will need further resolution in another episode.
There is usually at
least a vestigial trace of a Christ allegory in Ultraman (though most
crucifixions in Japanese media are more likely to be references to Ultraman
than the Son of Man), but Omega has not struck me as especially Christ inspired
up until this point. That said, Zovaras borrowing the imagery of Omega, an
angel of light, falling from heaven and commanding the meterokaiju beasts,
could put him in the running for a Satan figure in the show (or a Legion if
there is more than one Zovaras trying to restore a hive mind of lordly flies).
Even so, I suspect this episode is borrowing more from popular Japanese science
fiction and fantasy tropes than anything too Western.
I also want to note that
both Sorato and Kosei got letters, the former’s from the family he helped in
episode 5 and Kosei from his mother, which is especially interesting because
the show seems to be giving him a found family in spite of the supportive
mother he evidently has. Also, the ending song changed.
Episode 15 - 445 words
Again, this and the other
episode meld together a fair bit, and it is difficult to pace what information
I reveal at what point because a recap review is fundamentally a different storytelling
medium from television. I also just have a lot less to say about this one
because it is coming off a previous two parter that was also slightly better,
and there will also be more two parters later. If I were doing this for
Ultraman Orb, you would see that I would not maintain the same word count going
from Maga Orochi two parter to Galactron two parter to Zeppandon two parter.
Opening with a dream
wherein Sorato sees himself examining him, it transitions into the fight scene
that serves as prologue for all of this. (If this turns out to be of any more
importance than just a segue to his missing memories, I will be surprised.) On
some celestial body that may be Geness or the moon, the meteokaiju arrived to
help Omega, but their most powerful member, Valgeness, fell under Zovaras’
sway. That is what almost happened to Trigaron last episode.
On the Earthling side of
things, noticing the abrupt end to the previous fight, they form a plan to use
speakers against Zovaras, and, though it ultimately does not stop him, it
facilitates the end of the battle. At this point, the show is playing very coy
about who the Geness seijin are, so even though the implication exists that
they are the Vagsects, I will still point out that Valgeness literally contains
the word and thus might be more representative of them.
In any case, Valgeness
joins the heroic team after Kosei uses a double meteokaiju maneuver to fly up
and tame him. Valgeness is very very very strong and will facilitate the
finishing move of every episode for the foreseeable future. With power over all
the elements, he makes the other meteokaiju redundant even though he is much
harder for Kosei to wield. With the new Valgeness armor involving a flaming
Halberd axe, Zovaras stands no chance. It is interesting though that two
episodes in a row, Zovaras’ downfall was related to birds
At one point, Sorato reveals
that what he wants to do is watch all of the other characters, that he feels
most at home being a kind of within yet without. And this explains why the
“found family” motif applies really only to Kosei thus far even though Sorato
is the protagonist. Sorato, for whatever reason, feels most comfortable just
watching the other characters, and that makes his role in Episode 9 all the
more interesting if you view it through a Marxist lens.
Episode 16 - 366 words
In this episode, the
newly formed Kaiju Special Countermeasure Team (KSCT) faces off with semi new
kaiju King Alligatortoise (they modified the King Guesura costume into this,
but apparently the first King Guesuera was a modified tiny Alligatortoise suit,
so this is a full circle moment for the series). Again, the KSCT is the
research team that has been forming, with the NDF being the attack team (often
these are the same, but sometimes they are separate), and our main trio and
Sayuki comprise a specific unit in this KSCT.
I think this episode is
brilliant. It manages to balance the personalities of our main cast with an
engaging first official mission wherein they investigate the smaller of two
Alligatortoise, fish looking monsters terrorizing the city. It is also really
funny.
There is a lot that I
could say about the specifics of the comedy in this episode (I contemplated
selecting this episode for its own review and still might), but the way that I
want to pitch it to you today is as almost as a live action Scooby Doo
scenario. Ayumu is obviously the Velma of this group, and Kosei is Shaggy,
running into the smaller Alligatortoise, and engaging in a goofy chase. Surprisingly
or perhaps unsurprisingly given his history with the kaiju, Sorato winds up as
the leader in some moments, Fred in this comparison. Scooby Doo is, of course,
Kosei’s favorite meteokaiju Trigaron, and this episode places a lot of emphasis
on Trigaron’s reactions and clumsiness that enhance the comedy. (Does this make
Valgeness Scrappy Doo or Daphne?)
Like any good Scooby Doo
episode, there is a twist, and it turns out that King Alligatortoise can change
his size, so both the large and small versions of this character were the same.
King Alligatortoise is also just a really cool and fun monster the way the
fight realizes him. If you watch any episode of this show, watch this one. And
maybe stay tuned for a review of this episode. I am still undecided if I will
be able to get to that soon. Alright, on to the Nariaki Akaji recap episode.
There is a lot to regroup with this man on.
Episode 16.5 - 546 words
It will never cease to
entertain me that this special episode is called “An Unusual Day In The Life Of
Nariaki Akaji,” and yet nothing unusual happens to him. He is actually
strangely detached from the kaiju action compared to last time, but the episode
has a smart way of getting around to that. Even though Nariaki is still
basically a child in personality, the show has matured a lot in the second
half, and that extends to how he exists in this status quo.
After hearing a little
bit from Nariaki on his thoughts about the KSCT moving in downstairs, we see
him wonder aloud how Kosei was possibly allowed to join. I thought from the
previous special episode that Kosei was the closest thing to a best friend
Nariaki had, but that doesn't stop him from emphasizing how strange it is that
someone like Kosei was allowed to join.
However, Nariaki knows
the answer even as he seems hesitant to acknowledge it. During the numbered
recap episode 13, when Kosei was explaining his mastery over the meteokaiju to
Ayumu, Nariaki was also there, wanting to impress Ayumu but secretly bearing
witness to the day's confession. Keeping this secret seems to weigh on Nariaki
a little bit, but he gets back to his normal antics after a moment.
In a fun little meta
gag, right after Nariaki finishes explaining/roleplaying Rekiness and Trigaron,
the upload cuts to commercial advertising the Valgeness transforming toy. He
still gets around to speculating on Valgeness, but I enjoy the sense of humor
in the ad space. As might be clear, Nariaki is asking a lot of questions this
time but is also less enthusiastic than last time. He still jumps excitedly
listening to the radio, but it gets him thinking about the meteokaiju, and he
glances at the floor nervously, rinse, repeat, and recap.
The reason for this is
that Nariaki, despite his respect for Omega and friendship with Kosei, both
feels alienated from the downstairs crew and is very worried about having three
kaiju beneath him at any given moment. The newscasters again discuss Omega’s
approval rating, and, though Nariaki in flashback shouted very passionately
that he believed in the giant, he hesitates in the modern day. Ultimately, he
resolves this conflict by remembering his trust in Kosei and Omega, and Kosei
phones, telling Nariaki that Sorato invited him to a hotpot Ayumu is making,
and that gets Nariaki excited enough for a costume change. We will learn in approximately
8 episodes (if pattern holds) whether or not he can impress her.
Koshi Tomonobu (I guess
they were involved with the return of Pagos), to drum up hype for Episode 17,
released a social media post priming us for a mystery involving some substance
attached to Pagos with two Soratos running around, promising that Omega’s
mystery starts to become clear with Episode 17. So leave your thoughts and
predictions below for where the show is going from here. I’ll cover episode 17
in this blog entry. I personally have suspected that the ghost child from
episode 8 might have something to do with Omega’s past heroics or memory, and
the conflict with Zovaras explained Omega’s helpers and amnesia, so hopefully
all becomes clear soon.
Episode 17 - 687 words
This episode opens with
the NDF taking down a kaiju by themselves for once. The kaiju in question is
Pagos, a series mainstay that debuted as early as Ultra Q, the very first Ultra
show, and was originally modified from Baragon, a suit from the Godzilla
series. As passionate as this show is about modifying old suits into new kaiju,
one member of the Baragon lineage (that includes Pagos and then Neronga,
Magular and Gabora) had to show up eventually (Shin Ultraman basically designed
its kaiju lineup around that cost cutting gag).
The cooperation within
the KSCT and between them and the NDF is on full display here; all of our main
and supporting characters are working hard to honestly aid each other in the
effort to save the world. Specifically, if episode 16 showed us the Scooby Doo
team of Sorato, Kosei, Ayumu and Trigaron in the field, then this episode shows
how Sayuki plays off of her underlings and how Mr. Taira serves as a middleman
with the NDF. Even though she secretly knows Sorato is Omega, and that Kosei
controls the meteokaiju, she is a wise, fair and knowledgeable captain that
knows how to get the best work out of her team. Taira is a very cooperative and
penitent man who feels great responsibility for the general public and actions
taken to protect them.
After the NDF kill Pagos
with an experimental new weapon derived from ancient kaiju teeth, it suddenly
sprouts a yellow slime and reanimates. The enemy this week is not Pagos but
this infection that puppets around his body seeking to spread: Edomaphila.
Think the Cordyceps from The Last Of Us. I am glossing past the scenes where
Sayuki guides discussion to figure this all out, but those are great scenes. As
the episode unveils its stakes, Edomaphila becomes a singularly frightening
concept of a monster.
The Graim corpse from
episode one comes back as the target of the Edomaphila-infected Pagos, and,
truly with how efficiently the slime is able to control Pagos, an
Edomaphila-Graim would be very difficult to beat. An army of these things would
be the greatest stakes this series could muster. And actually, the episode
insinuates that Edomaphila once conquered much of the world, only stopped by
the Ice Age. But as the North Pole is melting and humans mess with kaiju bones
they do not understand, Edomaphila may return. This is a very fresh way to tell
an environmentalist story in the kaiju genre, and any future versions of
Hedorah could take note of how this episode positions Edomaphila (albeit on a
TV budget).
Now, some creatives
promised some answers with this episode and uh we now know that Omega’s
knowledge of the kaiju goes back an absurdly long amount of time, over ten
million. That is assuming that it is solely a database and not that he himself
is that old. Tthat much still is not clear…
While this did not
definitively answer anything, I feel rather confident that the show is trying
to insinuate that the propagation of the Edomaphila is what decreased the
activity of the monsters and basically removed them from recorded human
history. Before, it was unclear why humanity was not familiar with the
naturally occurring kaiju and why Omega was sometimes sympathetic to Graim’s
species despite the individual Graim being an enemy. The idea that Edomaphila
dominated the Earth with its parasitic control over dead kaiju starts painting
a picture of the backstory Omega witnessed but forgot. Mons Ahgar’s pocket
universe trap may also have saved him from a far worse fate.
That other Sorato is
also very interesting. It brings to mind Ultraseven’s visits from his Chief
toward the end of that series. In that case, we saw why Ultraseven chose his
human form’s design, but we still know so little about why Omega chose that
human form and what it means for there to be another of him watching. I still
wonder about that child spirit from Mons Ahgar’s episode, because he seems to
function similarly to this other Sorato. Is this an abrupt stopping point? Ye–
Conclusion
This batch of episodes
definitely deepened my investment in the show. Introducing a new status quo, it
took on some features of more traditional Ultra shows including a dedicated
research/attack team and more returning monsters/suits while also continuing
the aspects that makes this show unique in the Ultra series: a close knit group
of characters that understand the Ultra’s secret. So far, the good outweighs
the bad by a lot. I like seeing the development of the team over the course of
the show. It is a nice little spin on the formula while allowing for good
character work early on. At the same time, the monsters became a little more
hit or miss for me, with some cementing themselves as favorites for me and
others not necessarily justifying their existence.
I will do one more blog
post covering the final episodes of this show, and, given how much I have
enjoyed these first two thirds, the stakes are very high as to if this show
will stick the landing: will we get satisfactory answers and payoffs to
everything these episodes have revealed or further hinted toward?
It is also worth
mentioning that the stage shows are really having a blast with Omega’s unique
idiosyncrasies and personality. Apparently, a major developing plot point on
that side of the franchise is that Omega can understand Ultraman Blazar, a very
intelligent and polite Ultra that nonetheless can only really act and speak in
the manner of a caveman. This is really funny because it creates the scenario
where Omega can translate for Blazar but has no idea why, when he learned how
to do that or what that means about his home culture.
Here are some
screengrabs I found entertaining and wanted to share:
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