Jissoji's Banned Ultraseven Episode #12

[Mac]

After last night, I've probably watched this four times within the last year. How crappy is it that this is the ONE banned episode?

Narrative-ly speaking, there's nothing separating this from any other episode of the series, but the direction is really night and day. I think it starts improving around the 30s, but the early episodes of Ultra-Seven come off as really stodgy, it must have something to do with camera placement, or overall pacing. However, this episode is just so beautifully composed from a photography and lighting stand-point. I just can't watch any other Ultraman episodes after I see his.

Really, as much as I like Honda and Kaneko, Jissoji was probably the most visually artistic director to work on the genre, and its a shame that this isn't available, (or more of Jissoji's work for that matter).

[Reaper G]

I've said for a while that Jissoji's Ultra-episodes stand out like Chuck Jones' Looney Tunes.

[The Shadow]

Why is Episode 12 "banned"? And looking it up, it's disappointing that episode 12 isn't a part of Shout Factory's Ultraseven set (still need to buy it too).

[sentaison]

It was "banned" because of the plotline. Survivors of the A-bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki objected to victims of radiation being portrayed as "vampires" consuming womens and childrens blood to survive. In deference to them, Tsuburaya pulled the episode from any rebroadcasts in Japan and have never included it in video collections.

[Specium Ray]

The comparison between the show's vampires and the real world radiation victims was made in a magazine several years after Ultraseven originally aired. But Tsubaraya banned the episode anyway to appease the public.

[Dr Kain]

Wait, so it isn't on Shout's Ultra Seven set?

[klen7]

Nope. There were some questions in the Ultraseven DVD thread before it was released as to whether or not the episode would be included.. but most of that got buried in the Chaiyo debate.

[Xenorama]

it was aired on TNT, dubbed by Cinar. They did a decent job on this episode.

[Gigantis_99]

Sorry to ask but is there a 'good' copy of this episode floating around anywhere? Or is this the only version available?




Apologies if linking this video is prohibited.

[Dr Kain]

Wasn't it on the Region 2 DVD?

God I still need to pick up that set.

I think banning episodes is just stupid. Tomino won't allow one Gundam episode to be releaed in the US because he's an idiot. It is far better than some of the other episodes that he will allow. Then we have an episode of Garo that is now apparentely banned in Japan just because the actor playing the Horror of the Week was arrested for drug usage. Like really. WTF? If drug usage from an adult TV show causes such an uproar, I wonder how they feel about movie stars that commit more heinous crimes. Plus, it's not like the dude is a main character or anything. And again, it's a show FOR ADULTS!

[O.Supreme]

[Gigantis_99]

Dr. Kain, I hear you about banning episodes. Tsuburaya doesn't include episode 24 of Operation Mystery on any of their releases either. Apparently because it covers mental illness in an offensive manner. Not to mention Toho's banning of Abominable Snowman and Prophecies of Nostradamus. But yeah I used to have bootlegs of the R2 DVDs and episode 12 was not on it.

O.Supreme would you say that your copy of episode 12 is comparable to the video I posted or would you say its better?

[Dr Kain]

Oh god, the lack of Half-Human bothers me. How the hell am I supposed to own every Toho Kaiju movie if they aren't going to release them all?

[Dr Kain]

So I just found that Mega Beast Empire has the episode up for download subbed. The video quality is crap though.