Cool Ass Cinema: From Beyond Television: Ultraseven Episode #21

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

From Beyond Television: Ultraseven Episode #21

Episode 21: PURSUE THE UNDERSEA BASE (aka SOMEWHERE UNDER THE WATER [KAITEI KICHI O OE]) **1/2

Dubbed title: NISSAN'S RETURN ENGAGEMENT

A cargo ship has gone missing at sea and the Ultra Guard are sent to investigate this newest disappearance. They report to General Yamaoka (Kenji Sahara) that witnesses saw what looked like the famous WW2 Battleship Yamato rising from the sea. Furuhashi and Amagi set off underwater in the Hydrangers and find some sort of flying saucer shaped like a starfish. Meanwhile, the weapons-laden Yamato-like warship surfaces once more and engages the Ultra Guard in a massive fire fight. Learning that the alien Yamato clone will self-destruct, Ultraseven flies into action.

This is possibly the single most plotless episode yet. There's mostly action and little else -- which will be fine for most viewers. The plot point that the cause of the attacks at sea are from a metallic weapon in the shape of the Battleship Yamato is an intriguing one. Once this ships origin is revealed, it's just one explosion after another. It's still a good deal of fun, though.

The monster Iron Rocks is possibly the most bizarre creature thus far. Essentially an alien robot that built itself out of spare parts of scrap metal from sunken vessels, the battle sequence in a harbor between Iron Rocks and the big guns of the Ultra Garrison is exciting and filled with lots of explosions and those unmistakable Japanese sound effects.

There's some new Ultra Guard weapons seen here, too. The Hydranger's are the scientific organizations own submarines. They don't seem to function much differently than regular subs, but they have a sleeker, more futuristic look to them. They're also painted a much darker shade than the silver colored subs of ULTRAMAN (1966-1967). The Pointer is also shown to have rockets hidden within that are fired against Iron Rocks during the finale.

The starfish shaped UFO that resides beneath the waves is never explained, nor much at all about the aliens themselves, save for Iron Rocks. Presumably the Mimy Seijin has a beef with Earthlings much like every other Japanese Seijin from other galaxies. The UFO itself emits some sort of sleep-inducing bubbles followed by a seemingly impenetrable force field. This alien spacecraft is just there, serving only as a means to cram as many mecha and miniatures as possible in the 25 minutes allotted.

Seven even shows off some new abilities. He does this windmill maneuver where he leaps into the air and spins around rapidly. He then unleashes a sort of cyclonic energy beam followed by the Emerium Beam -- a stream of lasers fired from the center of his helmet.

It doesn't make a lick of sense, but it's the sort of action oriented episode you hoped to see when you were a kid. Some might be disappointed Seven doesn't fight a bonafide monster, but the slew of explosions, flying sparks, and the sight of Seven in chains before unloading a light show on Iron Rocks is delightful compensation. The next episode goes back into darker territory with a storyline about alien spores impregnating women as hosts for an alien race!