Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

This marks the the first (and possibly last, depending on responses) Ultra Q Talkback! Let's not waste anytime, and get to the first episode, Defeat Gomess!

Plot Summery: While mining a train tunnel between Tokyo & Osaka, a construction crew unearths a strange object from within a huge underground cavern. Unable to identify the object, Jun and Yuriko venture into the tunnel to further investigate. In the meantime, Ippei and a reporter, with the help of a young boy named liro, discover that the object is the egg of the monster bird Litra. According to ancient legend, when Litra's egg is found, the giant monster Gomess will appear to destroy the Earth and consequently, Litra will rise up to defend against it. Unfortunately, Jun and Yuriko have already encountered Gomess while exploring in the caverns and are pursue, to the surface by the ferocious monster. Jiri and Ippei help to warm the egg, thereby accelerating the hatching process and soon Litra is born. Gomess emerges from the tunnel and the two monsters clash in battle. After a vicious struggle, Litra uses its citronella acid ray to defeat Gomess and then expires itself, having fulfilled its destiny.

My Thoughts: To start, the special effects are really brilliant. A true work of art, especially considering this is a Television show were talking about. Defeat Gomess! gets to the point and fast, tersely developing its mystery before devolving into wholesale monster mayhem. The acting is well done, although not earth shattering. Kenji Sahara turns in a great performance, as the classic good guy. Overall, this episode set the tone for the rest of the Ultra Q Kaiju episode, and does a great job at it.

Appropriately, this was the first episode of Ultra Q I had ever seen thanks to the new DVD release.

When i first saw it i was blown away.. we saw our first ever Ultra monster and got a monster battle, but we got a decent story before it "devolved' into a fight.. plus Godzilla was sort of in it. After a few other episodes I found that the series just gets better (or worse at points) but this definitely was a good way to kick off the series.

I loved the pacing and the scope of the episode, it seemed like a lot happened over such a short span and the story was fresh in a way that Ultra shows haven't been for me.

i think i found the meme on the kaijucast tumblr, but it made me chuckle so i saved it... for now apparently

I'm always struck by the cinematography as it is very stark. Full of rich black, white and grey tones that set a mood just as easily or intensely as any Film Noir would hope to do. I think that helps on the whole in making the series feel like a bunch of mini-movies rather than just a TV show.

Decent episode, but not the best in the series. The fact that this was a take on Twilight Zone is very apparent...right down to the narration. Gomess looks pretty good, but Litra leaves a bit to be desired. in many shots, the prop is just too stiff. Cool ending though.