The One Who Sleeps Below (Ultraman Great Related)

[Enshohma]

Despite its heavily choreography fights, not always perfect production values, and a lack of an epic feel after episode six, Ultraman Towards the Future (AKA Ultraman Great) was my first introduction to the Ultraman franchise, and still remains a big favorite to this day. Especially the monsters, who despite some crummy execution (Burrangas works better as a puppet), are still quite unique in their various back-stories and bizarre, but somehow fresh character concepts.

Gudis is a high-concept science fiction terror, very much in the Lovecraft tone; Gigasaurus is one of the few true sauropods in Ultra Monster history; Bogun is just grotesque, despite the fact that he's a cousin of the otherwise cute Twin Tail (design wise that is); Deganja is way more Australian in everything that he was than Japanese, and very much welcomed in doing so; Plant Bios remains the only cyborg plant monster done somewhat seriously; the married shape-shifters Ryugulo and Veronica are among the only comical aliens in the Ultraman franchise that isn't coy or overtly silly in their one appearance; and Majaba is a wonderfully sick mutation and remains the most memorable of all locust-based monsters.

Which brings me to the last two episodes of the series, featuring the double act of the heavy-set 'turtle thing' Kudara, and the space dragon with laser-fingers named Shilagi - both of which were vengeful guardians of the Earth, seeking the destruction of mankind after all the post-Gudis crap that went down.

However, the ancient prophecy that speaks of the two monsters also mentioned a third being dubbed The One Who Sleeps Below, which turns out to be the Earth itself(!), summoning the two monsters to save it from the cancer of mankind. This is made all the more clearer when a steatite attempt to repair the Earth's ozone layer results in the Earth briefly flashing various colors, like a humboldt squid in distress.

Clearly the Earth, at least within the Ultraman Great continuity, is somewhat sentient entity; a concept that appears throughout science fiction and fantasy fiction, though the only other example I can think of right off the bat is the anime series Blue Gender, where the Earth purposely advance insect life into bigger, more monstrous forms in order to exterminate mankind.

But with that said, is it really safe to label the The One Who Sleeps Below (AKA Earth) an Ultra Monster, however minor a sub-character and story detail it may be? And will Wikipedia's list of Ultra Monsters need more updating in this regard?

If so, its one of the stranger 'big baddies' an Ultraman television series has ever presented to us; sure, Gudis was a far stronger villain, story wise, but we'd still have to give the third planet from the sun its due.

Again, you're opinions on this strange matter?

[Flame of Udin]

[Timz]