Monster of the Day #821

Updated on December 12, 2013 By Ken Begg 24 Comments

OK, now THIS is the stuff. That’s a marvelous monster, and it looks fantastic on the show. I never liked monsters that were over-designed (one problem with a lot of CGI monsters), and this one is basic and just incredible. Top notch stuff.

For a TV show, the effects are really top notch. Check out the compositing on the last still. They really did their best on this program.

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  • Gamera977

    Wow, that is an awesome monster! Cool idea and I love how they did the little touches like the mottling, mouth tendrils, and the slick slimy look.

  • Flangepart

    Nice work on old ‘search light eyes.’
    When you want slick and slimy monsters, call Nippon. They do it right.

  • Ken_Begg

    Yeah, it’s gorgeous.

  • The Rev.

    We’re going right down the line here; this is Namegon, from episode 3. Not only is it an awesome snail monster, it’s an awesome MARTIAN snail monster WITH a death ray. This episode is just one of several movies/TV shows to posit that Martians don’t want humanity anywhere near their home. And who can blame them?

    I really can’t understand how it’s never been brought back since it’s so great. Supposedly it makes up part of the arm of a super-monster in one of the Ultra Galaxy Legend movies, but isn’t actually seen, which makes me wonder how anyone knows this, and why they bothered. It also got a name drop in an episode of “Ultraman Mebius,” which just makes its lack of a return even more depressing.

  • Eric Hinkle

    Martian snail monster with death ray — Now why can’t we get more awesome stuff like this in the movies?

  • Gamera977

    Death ray? Even more awesome!

  • bgbear_rnh

    we’re going to need a bigger salt shaker

  • Flangepart

    Watch that Escar-go!

  • bgbear_rnh

    you deserve to be slugged for that one.

  • Gamera977

    In the end we’re all just a slime trail on the pavement…

  • Rock Baker

    This was the only episode ever dubbed into English, as a test pilot for American TV. I saw the episode, and loved it. A shame the series wasn’t picked up for US distribution. Weird though, is that I hear the dubbed episode isn’t included in the official DVD release as an extra feature?!?!?!??!! Why would you not include that wonderful bonus?!!

  • There were at least three other episodes that were dubbed in English. The deal to show Ultra Q on US television was scuttled after color shows became the norm (which led to Ultraman getting picked up). Sadly, an American private collector owns the only known copies and refuses to let Tsuburaya have access to them in order to make copies out of fear they’ll take them away from him (despite Tsuburaya bending over backwards to show that wouldn’t happen). But even if they had their own copies, they wouldn’t have shown up on the US DVD release.

    Why? Because the Shout!Factory release in question isn’t licensed from Tsuburaya. Instead, it’s through a company called Chaiyo Productions and Tsuburaya (rightfully, IMO) refuses to supply them with any masters. That’s why the Ultraman DVD release from several years back used incomplete versions of the English dub. You can learn more by searching for the article “Legal Victories for Tsuburaya Productions” on the website Sci-Fi Japan.

  • Rock Baker

    Thanks for the info. Yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense now that I factor in the period. Still a shame, though.

    I hope something can be arranged regarding the other dubbed shows (they’d make a fine release on their own), but to be honest, I can sort of sympathise with the guy. There’s a well-publicised history of studios across the world screwing over private collectors. Roddy McDowall one of the most illustrious examples.

  • Eric Hinkle

    Why, what happened to Mister McDowall?

  • The Rev.

    I didn’t realize they were released through Chaiyo. It turns out they licensed the Ultraman and Ultra 7 DVD sets here as well, the former of which I own. Now I’m a bit torn on getting the other sets. I wish I was fluent in Japanese so I could just get the releases Tsubaraya does in Japan and be done with it.

  • Flangepart

    I’d go with the original language,as the plots can’t be that hard to figger out.
    Alien menace, hero’s fight and loose, Ultra shows up and kicks ass. That’s about it, really.

  • Rock Baker

    Roddy McDowall was a very serious film collector, and one of the leading proponents of film preservation (he was very closely connected with American Movie Classics way back when that was actually the best channel on the dial). He had collected scores of 35mm film prints, many of them quite rare I understand. Upon his death, he willed the films away, but the studios made a fuss over them, claiming true ownership because they were 35mm and therefore studio prints. A long legal battle ensued. Even though the films were a private collection, the powers that be in Hollywood did everything they could to keep them from being privately owned once they discovered their existence.

  • A major part of the issue was over how McDowall was copying the films onto video tape (without permission) as part of the archival process. Since he wasn’t selling them, the studios eventually backed off.

    Oddly enough, the collector with those Ultra Q dubs attempted to arrange public screenings of them without permission AFTER he had turned down Tsuburaya’s offers over fear of them taking his prints. Said screenings were always cancelled at the least minute over fear of Tsuburaya coming after him!

  • If the release doesn’t have the official Tsubaraya Productions logo on it, it’s from Chaiyo. Don’t let any mentions of being licensed from “Tsubaraya-Chaiyo” or “UM Corporation” fool you.

    If you want to get used to watching Ultra shows without understanding the plot, head over to the Youtube channel for dearbabyland and try watch their upload of the Malaysian English dub of Ultraman Taro. Emphasis on “try.” Trust me, you’ll run screaming to the “Mute” option within minutes…

  • Rock Baker

    I can understand his position well. Since they’re private prints that Tsuburaya doesn’t technically own, he should be free to do with them as he pleases. But the lawyers for that certain Japanese conglomeration are rather legendary for their insanity.

    I know of a man who got ahold of a print of GODZILLA VS THE BIONIC MONSTER he was going to screen for a kiddie matinee (as he would be free to do with any film print his theater had attained). On the first day, Toho swooped in and made him put a stop to it. Any other studio’s older film, he wouldn’t have had a problem.

  • Rock Baker

    That’s also true regarding the mastering of the films for archival reasons. I had forgotten that part of it, thanks for reminding me!

  • Eric Hinkle

    Ah, thanks for explaining that. That does make the studios sound rather petty about the whole thing.

  • Wait, a theater owner didn’t realize you need public performance rights for a movie? Yikes! Okay, now I’m a little more sympathetic to the Ultra Q collector’s behavior. I had erroneously assumed a film collector would know that.

    People tend to forget that owning a print of a film is like owning a home video version: You can play it in private but unless you obtain permission (or the film is 100% in the public domain), the rightsholder is free to go after you if you arrange a public screening.

  • The Rev.

    I’ve watched a couple of episodes of “Aizenborg” that someone put up on YouTube after that series was released earlier this year. Admittedly, I don’t really need to know what they’re saying to enjoy the hell out of that show. However, I get the feeling the Ultra series have better plots, “Ultra Q” in particular, that I’d want to be able to catch.