Ultra Q
Encyclopedia
is a tokusatsu
SF
/kaiju
series made in the tradition of Toho
's many tokusatsu
sci-fi/horror films.
Produced in black and white by Tokyo Broadcasting System
/Tsuburaya Productions
, this is actually the first of the long-running Ultra Series
, and was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System
from January 2 to July 3, 1966 (the final episode was preempted until December 14, 1967), with a total of 28 episodes. This series was followed a week later by the more popular Ultraman
(Urutoraman, 1966), the second Ultra Series
.
Ultra Q can be described as a half-hour Toho
kaiju
film. Although series creator Eiji Tsuburaya
intended this series to be more like The Twilight Zone
and focus less on the monsters, TBS convinced Eiji to add more monsters onto the show, as Godzilla
(Gojira) and Gamera
were very popular at the time (the first "Kaiju Boom" was already born). This series predates The X-Files
, with continuing characters who investigate strange supernatural
phenomena, be it giant monsters, aliens, ghosts, and other assorted calamities. The single best comparison to any American TV show is to The Outer Limits
, which in its original form generally featured a monster-of-the-week story.
Regarding the monsters, some of them were modified versions of Toho movie monsters (since Eiji owned the costumes). They include Godzilla
(as "Gomess" in Episode 1, "Defeat Gomess!"), King Kong
(as "Goro" in Episode 2, "Goro and Goro"), Manda (as "Mystic Dragon" in Episode 6, "Fly, Turtle!"), Baragon
(as "Pagos" in Episode 18, "The Rainbow Egg"), Maguma (as Todola in Episode 27, "Flight 206 Vanishes"), and the Giant Octopus from King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) (as "Sudar
" in Episode 23, "Rage in the South Seas").
The original planned title of this project was UNBALANCE, and was subsequently renamed Ultra Q (inspired by "Oba-Q", the nickname of the title character of the then-popular anime
series Obake no Q-Taro
, and "Ultra C", a popular term used for women's gymnastics during the 1964 Summer Olympics
, where a Russian gymnast created an extremely difficult maneuver called the "Ultra C"). The series was produced beforehand all through 1965 (it went in production as far back as 1964) and was broadcast at the beginning of the next year. At the time, this was the most expensive TV series in Japan
.
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
SF
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
series made in the tradition of Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
's many tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
sci-fi/horror films.
Produced in black and white by Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
/Tsuburaya Productions
Tsuburaya Productions
is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is best known for producing the original Ultraman TV series, as well as the Ultra...
, this is actually the first of the long-running Ultra Series
Ultra Series
The is the collective name for all the shows produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad Ultra Monsters. The Ultra Series is one of the prominent tokusatsu superhero genre productions from Japan, along with Toei produced series Kamen Rider, Super...
, and was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
from January 2 to July 3, 1966 (the final episode was preempted until December 14, 1967), with a total of 28 episodes. This series was followed a week later by the more popular Ultraman
Ultraman
is Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...
(Urutoraman, 1966), the second Ultra Series
Ultra Series
The is the collective name for all the shows produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad Ultra Monsters. The Ultra Series is one of the prominent tokusatsu superhero genre productions from Japan, along with Toei produced series Kamen Rider, Super...
.
Ultra Q can be described as a half-hour Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
film. Although series creator Eiji Tsuburaya
Eiji Tsuburaya
was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...
intended this series to be more like The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
and focus less on the monsters, TBS convinced Eiji to add more monsters onto the show, as Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
(Gojira) and Gamera
Gamera
is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of kaiju films produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the daikaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own...
were very popular at the time (the first "Kaiju Boom" was already born). This series predates The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, with continuing characters who investigate strange supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
phenomena, be it giant monsters, aliens, ghosts, and other assorted calamities. The single best comparison to any American TV show is to The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
, which in its original form generally featured a monster-of-the-week story.
Regarding the monsters, some of them were modified versions of Toho movie monsters (since Eiji owned the costumes). They include Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
(as "Gomess" in Episode 1, "Defeat Gomess!"), King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
(as "Goro" in Episode 2, "Goro and Goro"), Manda (as "Mystic Dragon" in Episode 6, "Fly, Turtle!"), Baragon
Baragon
is a fictional Kaiju that was first featured in the 1965 Toho-produced film, Frankenstein Conquers the World. Baragon is a four-legged dinosaur with a horn on his head and large ears. His main weapon is a heat ray that he can fire from his mouth...
(as "Pagos" in Episode 18, "The Rainbow Egg"), Maguma (as Todola in Episode 27, "Flight 206 Vanishes"), and the Giant Octopus from King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) (as "Sudar
Sudar
Sudar is a 2008 album by Serbian pop singer Ana Stanić. It was released on March 10, 2008.The album contains 13 songs and one bonus. One of the producers was popular Serbian hip hop singer and producer Sky Wikluh...
" in Episode 23, "Rage in the South Seas").
The original planned title of this project was UNBALANCE, and was subsequently renamed Ultra Q (inspired by "Oba-Q", the nickname of the title character of the then-popular anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Obake no Q-Taro
Obake no Q-taro
, by Fujiko Fujio, is a Japanese manga about an obake, Qtarō who lives with the Ōhara family. Qtarō, also known as Q-chan or Oba-Q, is a mischief-maker who likes to fly around scaring people and stealing food, though he is deathly afraid of dogs.The story is formulaic, usually focussed on the...
, and "Ultra C", a popular term used for women's gymnastics during the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
, where a Russian gymnast created an extremely difficult maneuver called the "Ultra C"). The series was produced beforehand all through 1965 (it went in production as far back as 1964) and was broadcast at the beginning of the next year. At the time, this was the most expensive TV series in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Characters
- Jun Manjoume (Manjōme Jun) (played by Kenji SaharaKenji SaharaKenji Sahara is a Japanese actor. He was born in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. His real name is Masayoshi Kato...
): Aviator at Hosokawa Air Service and amateur SF writer. - Yuriko Edogawa (Edogawa Yuriko) (played by Hiroko SakuraiHiroko Sakuraiis a Japanese actress and producer at Tsuburaya Productions.-Movie:-TV:-Books by Sakurai: ISBN 4093871280 ISBN 4093874646. ISBN 404853853....
): Reporter for the Daily News. - Ippei Togawa (Togawa Ippei) (played by Yasuhiko Saijou): Jun's aviation partner at Hosokawa.
- Professor Ichinotani (Ichinotani-hakase) (played by Ureo Egawa): World renowned scientist, and occasional assistance to Jun, Yuriko and Ippei in times of crisis.
- News Desk Editor, Seki (played by Yoshifumi TajimaYoshifumi TajimaYoshifumi Tajima was an actor in Japanese Kaijū films, best known for his role as Kumayama in Mothra vs. Godzilla. He was born in Kobe, Japan.- Filmography :...
): Yuriko's boss and editor at the Daily News.