Ultra Seven

Ultra Seven

Title card for the original Japanese version
Created by Tsuburaya Productions
Starring
Composer(s) Tōru Fuyuki
Country of origin Japan
No. of episodes 49[1][2]
Production
Running time 24 minutes (per episode)
Release
Original network
Original release October 1, 1967 – September 8, 1968
Chronology
Preceded by Ultraman
Followed by The Return of Ultraman (Ultraman Jack)

Ultra Seven (ウルトラセブン Urutora Sebun) is a tokusatsu science fiction TV series that aired on Japanese TV in 1967. Created by Eiji Tsuburaya, this follow up to Ultraman went on to become one of Japan's greatest fantasy TV series. 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).

Ultra Seven is sometimes incorrectly called "Ultraman Seven" by many sources outside Japan (or in the case of KHON/Honolulu, Hawaii, Ultra 7, as listed in TV Guide when it ran in 1975). Both the series and its hero can also be called Ultraseven (without a space), which is generally the form used when romanized and also when in use by Tsuburaya in merchandise.

The 1967 TV series

Ultra Seven, produced by Tsuburaya Productions, aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from October 1, 1967 to September 8, 1968. In the not-too-distant future, the Earth finds itself constantly under attack from extraterrestrial threats. To combat them, the Terrestrial Defense Force establishes the Ultra Guard (ウルトラ警備隊 Urutora keibi-tai), a team of six elite members who utilize high-tech vehicles and weaponry. Joining their fight is the mysterious Dan Moroboshi who is secretly an alien from the Land of Light in Nebula M-78, Ultraseven.

Characters — The Ultra Garrison (ウルトラ警備隊)

Powers

Ultraseven fighting the robot/spaceship Narse in the episode Fly to the Mountain of Evil

Unlike most other Ultramen, Ultra Seven does not demonstrate any of the time constraints that plague most of the other heroes of the Ultra Series. On one occasion however, the green Beam Lamp on his forehead would begin blinking in a similar fashion to the Color Timer that the other Ultra-Crusaders had.

However, this tended to occur when Ultra Seven was in mortal danger, suggesting it warned him how badly weakened he was rather than how much time he had left to fight. This is similar to some of the more recent Ultra-Crusaders, whose warning lights acted as indicators of battle injury and damage levels of their Ultra-Armor suits rather than time limit.

Differences from the original Ultraman

Ultra Seven was not only visually different from the first Ultraman (being mostly red with a removable crest/weapon and more 'boxy'-looking eyes), but often faced numerous moral and ethical dilemmas. On one occasion, he was forced to break a promise Dan had made to a young boy who was undergoing an operation in order to protect the hospital from a monster. On another occasion, he was forced to battle the sole survivor of a small planet that was destroyed by a careless weapons test, making him wonder if he was fighting for a worthy cause. On yet another occasion, as Dan, he desperately tried to contact the inhabitants of a space faring city before it was destroyed by the Ultra Garrison, to keep it from crashing into Earth.

Also, Ultraseven did not possess a mortally injured human to use as his host but instead used his powers to scan a brave human that he had saved from being fatally injured and used that human as a template to create a human form for him to shift into. Thus, Dan Moroboshi literally IS Ultraseven while the original Ultraman would instead merge into the body of Shin Hayata to make two beings into one. However the consequence of Ultraseven transforming into a human form is that catastrophic injuries he receives as Ultraseven can and will pass on to his human form of Dan Moroboshi. This was shown best in the opening episode of Ultraman Leo when Ultraseven was badly beaten by a tag team of two monsters and their alien master, with one of the monsters breaking his right leg. After he reverted to his human form, the injuries were still there and as a result of the injuries as well as the severe energy drain he suffered, Dan was unable to transform back into Ultraseven and his Ultra Eye was damaged in the process. Ultraman Leo, Ultraman 80 and Ultraman Mebius also used their powers to create a human form to transform into and thus they also would share this same weakness as Ultraseven.

Episodes

  1. The Invisible Challenger (姿なき挑戦者 Sugata naki Chōsensha)
  2. The Green Terror (緑の恐怖 Midori no Kyōfu)
  3. The Secret of the Lake (湖のひみつ Mizumi no himitsu)
  4. Max, Acknowledge (マックス号応答せよ Makkusu-gō Ōtō seyo)
  5. The Negated Hours (消された時間 Kesareta Jikan)
  6. The Dark Zone (ダーク・ゾーン Dāku Zōn)
  7. Space Prisoner 303 (宇宙囚人303 Uchū Shūjin San-Maru-San)
  8. The Targeted Town (狙われた街 Nerawareta Machi)
  9. Android Zero Directive (アンドロイド0指令 Andoroido Zero Shirei)
  10. The Suspicious Neighbor (怪しい隣人 Ayashii Rinjin)
  11. Fly to Devil's Mountain (魔の山へ飛べ Ma no Yama e Tobe)
  12. From Another Planet with Love (遊星より愛をこめて Yūsei yori Ai o Komete)
  13. The Man from V3 (V3から来た男 Bui Surī kara Kita Otoko)
  14. Westward, Ultra Garrison (Beginning) (ウルトラ警備隊西へ(前編) Urutora Keibitai Nishi e (Zenpen))
  15. Westward, Ultra Garrison (Conclusion) (ウルトラ警備隊西へ(後編) Urutora Keibitai Nishi e (Kōhen))
  16. Shining Eyes in the Darkness (闇に光る目 Yami ni Hikaru Me)
  17. Underground: Go! Go! Go! (地底GO! GO! GO! Chitei Gō! Gō! Gō!)
  18. Escape from Area X (空間X脱出 Kūkan Ekkusu Dasshutsu)
  19. Project Blue (プロジェクト・ブルー Purojekuto Burū)
  20. Smash Epicenter X (地震源Xを倒せ Jishingen Ekkusu o Taose)
  21. Pursue the Undersea Base (海底基地を追え Kaitei Kichi o Oe)
  22. The Human Ranch (人間牧場 Ningen Bokujō)
  23. Find Tomorrow (明日を捜せ Asu o Sagase)
  24. Return to the North! (北へ還れ! Kita e Kaere!)
  25. Showdown at 140 Degrees Below Zero (零下140度の対決 Reika Hyakuyonjū-do no Taiketsu)
  26. Super Weapon R-1 (超兵器R1号 Chōheiki Āru Ichi-gō)
  27. Operation: Cyborg (サイボーグ作戦 Saibōgu Sakusen)
  28. The 700 Kilometer Run! (700キロを突っ走れ! Nanahyaku Kiro o Tsuppashire!)
  29. The Forsaken Earthman (ひとりぼっちの地球人 Hitoribotchi no Chikyūjin)
  30. For Whom Takes the Glory (栄光は誰れのために Eikō wa Dare no Tame ni)
  31. The Devil Who Dwells in a Flower (悪魔の住む花 Akuma no Sumu Hana)
  32. The Wandering Planet (散歩する惑星 Sannpo suru Wakusei)
  33. The Dead Invaders (侵略する死者たち Shinryaku suru Shishatachi)
  34. The Vanishing City (蒸発都市 Jōhatsu Toshi)
  35. Horror on the Moon (月世界の戦慄 Gessekai no Senritsu)
  36. The 0.1 Second Kill (必殺の0.1秒 Hissatsu no Rei-ten-ichi Byō)
  37. The Stolen Ultra Eye (盗まれたウルトラ・アイ Nusumareta Urutora Ai)
  38. The Courageous Battle (勇気ある戦い Yūki aru Tatakai)
  39. The Seven Assassination Plan (Beginning) (セブン暗殺計画(前篇) Sebun Ansatsu Keikaku (Zenpen))
  40. The Seven Assassination Plan (Conclusion) (セブン暗殺計画(後編) Sebun Ansatsu Keikaku (Kōhen))
  41. The Challenge from the Water (水中からの挑戦 Suichū kara no Chōsen)
  42. Ambassador of The Nonmalt (ノンマルトの使者 Nonmaruto no Shisha)
  43. Nightmare on Planet 4 (第四惑星の悪夢 Daiyon Wakusei no Akumu)
  44. The Terrifying Super-Simian (恐怖の超猿人 Kyōfu no Chōenjin)
  45. The Boy Who Cried Flying Saucer (円盤が来た Enban ga Kita)
  46. The Duel: Dan vs. Seven (ダン対セブンの決闘 Dan tai Sebun no Kettō)
  47. Who are You? (あなたはだぁれ? Anata wa dare?)
  48. The Greatest Invasion in History (Beginning) (史上最大の侵略(前編) Shijō Saidai no Shinryaku (Zenpen))
  49. The Greatest Invasion in History (Conclusion) (史上最大の侵略(後編) Shijō Saidai no Shinryaku (Kōhen))

TPS/Cinar English dub

Title card for the TPS/Cinar-produced English dub.

In 1985, Turner Program Services licensed the series in a 15-year contract from Tsuburaya Productions, who provided the English dubbed versions produced in Honolulu by Tsuburaya-Hawaii, Inc. in the mid-1970s. Finding this English version to be lacking, Turner commissioned the Canadian children's programming production house, Cinar, to dub all 49 episodes for run in syndication.[3] The TPS/Cinar produced episodes featured new opening and closing credits, eyecatches, new episode names, and even a change of name for the character of Anne Yuri, who was dubbed as "Donna". Cinar edited the episode for violence and commercial time, and featured new music cues. The tone of the English Dubbing scripts were decidedly tongue-in-cheek.[4]

Unsatisfied with Cinar's resultant work, Turner put the series into their vaults until 1994, when they were alerted that the episodes were never broadcast. Ultra Seven was dusted off for the Toons 'Till Noon and MonsterVision blocks on TNT. The Toons 'Till Noon broadcasts received substantially heavy editing to make them suitable for the time slot, while the MonsterVision broadcasts were the full-length Cinar adaptations. Episodes 5-7 were missing or mislabeled, and were never broadcast. When the contract expired in 2001, Turner returned all the materials (film, tapes, masters) to Tsuburaya Productions.[5]

Cinar Version Episode Titles

  1. Enter Dan Moroboshe
  2. Shrubs From Space
  3. Secret of the Lake
  4. Double Trouble At Sea
  5. N/A
  6. N/A
  7. N/A
  8. Smokers On The Rampage
  9. Toys In Crisis
  10. The Man Next Door
  11. Captured In Living Color
  12. Crystallized Corpusels ( Banned Episode 12 )
  13. Space Ace Reunion
  14. Planets In Conflict Part 1
  15. Planets In Conflict Part 2
  16. The Eyes Have Had It
  17. Cave-In
  18. The Bells Are Ringing
  19. Wayne, Lord Of The Universe
  20. The Quakemaker
  21. Nissans Return Engagement
  22. Chromosone Eaters
  23. Fugitive Fortune Teller
  24. Mother Knows Best
  25. Ultra-7 Exposed
  26. The 8,000 Megaton Mistake
  27. Temporary Traitor
  28. Death On Wheels
  29. The Apprentice Alien
  30. Trial By War
  31. Blood-Thirst
  32. Island In The Sky
  33. The Dead Invaders
  34. Urban Removal
  35. Moon-Stuck
  36. Sharp Shooter Showdown
  37. Devil's Angel
  38. Brave One
  39. Ultra-7 - Tastes Defeat Part 1
  40. Ultra-7 - Tastes Defeat Part 2
  41. Killer Lake
  42. The Boy By The Lake
  43. Design By Tyranny
  44. Stargazer
  45. Simian Says Surrender
  46. Dan And The Ultra-7 Challenge
  47. Home Sweet Home
  48. Exit Ultra-7 Part 1
  49. Exit Ultra-7 Part 2

Home media

In 2012, Shout! Factory obtained the North American license to subtitle Ultra Seven in English,[6] and released it for sale on their website with a special Ultra Seven poster (illustrated by Jolyon B. Yates), only available for shipping within the US and Canada. The original Episode 12, however, was not available (so it could not be included), therefore the total number of episodes in this release was 48. On December 11, 2012 Shout! Factory made the set available through regular retailers.

Bandai Visual issued the series on Blu-ray in Japan as two separate sets with the first released on November 21, 2014 and the second on January 28, 2015.[7]

Theme song

Appearances in other Ultra series

Besides the Heisei Ultra Seven series, Ultraseven's huge popularity enabled him to make either guest or regular appearances in the following Ultra Series after the end of the original 1967 TV series. Ultraseven appeared in 2 episodes of The Return of Ultraman (Kaettekita Urutoraman, 1971), as well as in numerous episodes in Ultraman Ace (Urutoraman Eesu, 1972) and Ultraman Taro (Urutoraman Tarou, 1973). Seven loses his ability to transform and his human form, Dan Moroboshi acts as the captain for the defense team MAC in Ultraman Leo (Urutoraman Reo, 1974). A doll of Ultraseven brought to life by a boy, known as Delusion Ultraseven, appears in Ultraman 80 (Urutoraman Eiti, 1980) Episode 44 as the main Villain of the episode. It is heavily implied that Ultraseven is on Earth in his human form in Ultraman Zearth 2. Another Ultra similar to Ultra Seven, known as Ultra Seven 21, appeared in Ultraman Neos. Ultra Seven's most recent appearances include movies Ultraman Mebius & Ultraman Brothers and Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers, as well as TV series Ultraman Mebius (Urutoraman Mebiusu, 2006). Ultraseven X is actually a spin-off featuring the hero in another dimension. To date, Ultra Seven's also appeared in Ultra Galaxy:NEO and its movie, Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy, alongside his son Ultraman Zero. This also makes him the first known Ultra being other than the Mother and Father of Ultra to have an offspring. Seven returned yet again in 2010's Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial as a supporting character. He also appeared alongside Ultraman in Ultraman Ginga as Ultraseven Dark, where he had become corrupted by an evil human after his spark doll fell into the wrong hands.

See also

References

  1. Episode 12 was later banned from broadcast in Japan due to concerns that the episode's featured aliens, portrayed as disfigured creatures afflicted with radiation sickness and burns, would be offensive to survivors of the atomic bomb drops in Japan during World War II. Officially, Tsuburaya Productions refuses to acknowledge this episode's existence. However, the episode has been aired and/or dubbed in overseas adaptations of the series.
  2. Ragone, August (September 1, 2008). "Monster of the Month - Keloid Alien: S'pell". The Good, The Bad, and Godzilla.
  3. Miyake, Marc (December 25, 1995). "'Ultra Seven' (Original Series) Version 1.0". Tokusatsu File 5.
  4. Ragone, August (December 11, 2012). "Ultra Seven: The Complete Series". The Making of "Ultra Seven" booklet. Shout! Factory.
  5. Ragone, August (December 11, 2012). "Ultra Seven: The Complete Series". The Making of "Ultra Seven" booklet. Shout! Factory.
  6. "Ultra Seven: The Complete Series". Shout! Factory.
  7. "Ultraseven Blu-Ray Box Sets Announced". Tokusatsu Network. July 1, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

Bibliography

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