Ultraman Blazar episode 22, “Insurance Hero”, gave us one of the most nuanced non-serialized stories in all of the New Generation Series entries we’ve seen thus far. We follow an unsatisfied Kaiju damage-insurance agent on his quest to get a single contract signed to preserve his job, as he forges an unexpected bond with a lonely elderly woman, the two of them prevailing in the face of this week’s adversaries, Guigass and Red King II.
One of the most common concerns of the more tender-hearted ultra-fans throughout history (including myself) is for the collateral damage caused by every Kaiju battle. We see buildings and cars destroyed time and time again, and despite the implication of evacuations, we’re still left wondering, ‘how do civilians manage the constant threat of losing everything they own?’ Well, in this episode, we learn of Kaiju insurance, and the pieces fall right together.
Surprised by how much I enjoyed Blazar episode 22 I love getting a down-to-earth, personal perspective on what it's like for civilians just trying to get by in a world filled with kaiju Really shows how important the little things are in life pic.twitter.com/j3TkGFnVaL
— ウルトラマコ🔆 (@MakoMattari) December 16, 2023
Time and time again, Blazar has made an effort to spotlight the experiences of all different perspectives. This week, we honed in on a character whose slice of life feels very familiar.
In a world where we always see the best sides of everyone’s lives in fragments, it can be easy to lose track of all the little ways our lives are moving for the better.
For some characters, those little moments of improvement are characterized by learning how to draw boundaries, a skill that often goes overlooked but is just as indicative of growth as winning an achievement.
We got to see both our insurance hero and our heroic defense team handle the Kaiju attack from their respective angles, in fact we even got to see a nuanced perspective in Michiko, the granny who, while rich in wisdom, was willing to give up her life when faced with the threat of Red King II and Guigass.
However, our hero refused to let her forget her own words. In the tear-jerking moment of their last resort for life, everyone is reminded of one of Ultraman’s universal themes: Anyone can be a hero.
And of course, we can’t have a Blazar episode without a truly awesome fight scene. This time featuring a temporary truce between two familiar beasts whose chemistry had everyone’s eyes glued!
Blazar's Guigass is easily my favorite verison of the character, he had so much great personality and I love his dynamic with Red King II alot, It reminded me heavily of the Kelbeam & Earthtron dynamic. I also just really like Guigass modern suit, its got alot of great character! pic.twitter.com/JuoqoeQEoK
— MoonShark #TeamDaitetsujin17 #TedSweep #Guigass (@MoonShark4) December 16, 2023
Old Kaiju can be made to feel brand-new in the right context.
Ultraman Blazar Ep 22: Insurance Hero Tonights episode of Blazar was phenomenal!! Ive always wanted a Reiwa take of the Red King II & Guigass episode and this delivered the perfectly! Both had such amazing personality and the fights were amazing, in my top 5 episodes of Blazar!! pic.twitter.com/mWUuyhFsCc
— MoonShark #TeamDaitetsujin17 #TedSweep #Guigass (@MoonShark4) December 16, 2023
With the help of Blazar, SKaRD, and Earth Garon, the city was saved once again, but this week we got to see that in a way we all save each other’s lives every day just by being there for one another in little ways. There’s nothing quite like human connection and in a world where everything is becoming automated and streamlined, sometimes all we need is a home cooked meal and a conversation that makes us feel seen to remember why we’re here.
Be sure to join us every Friday at 8:30pm EST on the Ultraman Official YouTube channel for the premiere of new episodes and be sure to become a member of Ultraman Connection so you join us in the Discord and stay updated for all the latest Ultraman news!
