EJ
Hello, and welcome back to Ultraman Connection Watch Club, folks! I’m EJ Couloucoundis, editor-in-chief of Ultraman Connection, and before anything else, you should know that this week’s episode is a sequel to last week’s — so if you want to understand what’s going on, you should go back to that article (here) and read it first!
SL
Maybe just go back and watch it again anyways, because it’s just that good of an episode. And the second part picks up with no delay, apart from a quick ten-second recap, bringing us right back to where we ended last time -- with Seven getting absolutely bodied by an indestructible golden robot.
The obvious fear on the faces of the Ultra Guard as they watch King Joe slowly stand up from where Seven is still laying on the ground, and then turn back towards the base to continue its relentless assault, immediately sets the tone for this episode.
EJ
This sort of defeat, the crushing of an Ultra, is tremendously rare. The last time it happened, it was Zetton crushing the original Ultraman into the dirt, killing him.
This doesn’t seem much better.
Thankfully, this time, Seven gets up, and manages to pull off a move from the school of Miyagi, sweeping King Joe’s legs and knocking it onto its back, where it keeps trying to walk forward. It would be a silly moment for the robot if it hadn’t just finished beating the tar out of Seven.
SL
It’s a desperate last-ditch effort, but catches the robot by surprise enough to knock it off-balance, and that seems to be enough to stop its attack against the base. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when it splits back into its four individual UFO parts, but the larger threat is still far from over.
We’ve been talking a lot about how awesome King Joe is, but to be honest, my favorite part of this two-parter is actually Dan’s character. In this scene, he is immediately worried about another attack from the Pedan aliens, while other members of his team are confused, since there’s no way the counter-intelligence conference against the Pedan aliens would still be held after this incident! But Dan reminds them that the Pedan still think that humanity is about to launch an invasion attempt against their planet, and won’t stop until they’ve annihilated the Earth’s military forces to prevent that.
Dan’s perspective as an alien brings a lot of unique bits of dialogue throughout this episode, ones which define not just his character, but the role of Ultraman in general in the franchise. I really feel like his interactions with both the Pedan alien spy, and the other aliens he works with -- humanity itself -- are key points which follow from the original series. In the 1966 Ultraman series, Ultraman fighting with Shin Hayata acted oftentimes as a mediator between humanity and the rest of the universe. Usually that meant fighting kaiju on our behalf, but that unique position, representing both human and alien lives, also allowed them to negotiate in other situations. For example, when confronting the alien Mefilas in episode 33, “The Forbidden Words”.
Here in Ultraseven, Dan also finds himself in a similar role of responsibility, and takes the initiative to try and negotiate for peace when he tracks down the Pedan spy posing as “Dorothy Anderson” once again.
EJ
But before that, can we talk about the amazing disguises the Ultra Guard is using while they look for Dorothy? I’ll never not love Amagi’s cool hiker getup. I swear Bin Furuya brought that from home, the guy has impeccable dress sense.
SL
I’ve never met him in person, but every picture I’ve seen of him at conventions and other public appearances just reinforces that point. I think Soga and Anne wanted an excuse to look as insanely stylish as possible too, they’re taking to this whole “secret agent spy” business pretty eagerly.
But while they throw themselves into that business with the appropriate amount of serious professionalism -- and professional disguises -- Dan seems to be the one member of the team who wants to prevent this conflict from escalating further.
EJ
The conversation with “Dorothy” goes really interestingly to me, because Dorothy is utterly cordial with Dan. More concerningly, she makes some really good points.
The human observation rocket is a violation of privacy. Even if it’s in response to the Pedan strikeback, the TDF is building weapons to wipe out the Pedan armada. And frankly, Dan is naive. He really doesn’t always get the depths of human nature, and has continuously throughout the show been exposed to humans making choices that hurt others, even if they don’t have a better option. My mind always returns to Pegasus City…
SL
That episode came to my mind too while watching this. I think I said back in the Watch Club article for “The Dark Zone” that it really makes the overall setting of the universe, outside of the Earth, seem like a dangerous place where these kinds of conflicts are all too common. If the Pedans reacted so strongly to just an observational mission, I can only imagine that other similar incidents have occurred on other planets in the past, which led to this kind of all-out war. The Pedans here see themselves as being pragmatic realists, not “evil” invaders.
EJ
The way I see it, Dan sees what humans can be, and the rest of the universe sees what they could be. The fact is, we don’t even know if humanity knew there was life on Pedan. They’re children, in a universe of adults who expect them to already be grown and hardened by life. Nevertheless, it’s because Dan is so willing to intercede on humanity’s behalf, promising the Pedan that the TDF will end its anti-Pedan weapon research in exchange for a ceasing of hostilities, that the possibility of peace comes to exist.
SL
At first, to me, the Pedan aliens almost seem… a little hypocritical in their intentions? They want humanity to leave them alone, and want a presumption of goodwill from Dan himself, but aren’t willing to give that goodwill to humanity in exchange. At least, not until Dan argues on their behalf. His willingness to see both sides and provide the first overture of trust towards the Pedan manages to convince “Dorothy” at least.
And it also proves to be persuasive enough for his own team to end their research into weapons against the Pedan aliens, in exchange for the real Dorothy Anderson’s return. I love the line that Dan makes here, saying that if humanity isn’t willing to make the first move, to take a risk by trusting the Pedan aliens, then they will never find peace. Every time they encounter another alien civilization after this point, they would be treated with the same suspicion which drove the Pedan aliens to send King Joe to Earth in the first place!
EJ
In a lot of ways, that’s the thesis of Ultraseven as a whole, isn’t it? You can’t let your fear and pain take away your kindness. We see Pedans and King Joe several times in the next 55 years, and their characterization holds true. They are among the strongest races in the universe, their technology practically beyond compare; but they can never find peace. Their paranoia always, always drives them to attack entities that have no quarrel with them, and it always ends in their defeat. What a sad existence.
SL
I would like to think that the Pedan spy posing as Dorothy realized that fact to some degree, since she agreed to Dan’s terms and seemed to really believe his words.
It’s just too bad her superiors have no intention of actually following through on that promise.
EJ
This moment broke my heart in a way this show rarely does. I knew the episode was half-over. I knew that King Joe would have to be defeated. And yet, Kohji Moritsugu’s Dan, his earnestness, made me want to believe this could have a better ending.
But I’ve seen this episode before. Several times. I know how it goes. Doesn’t make me feel better.
SL
The look on his face, when he realizes the Pedan double-crossed them and are sending an invasion force anyways, hurts more than seeing him get punched by King Joe.
Just like the Pedans promised, they returned Dorothy Anderson… with no memories. That seems suspicious at first, but then the Ultra Guard picks up an entire fleet of Pedan ships on radar, in addition to King Joe reappearing in Kobe’s harbor!
Time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for -- Round Two!
EJ
Unfortunately, this time the stakes are far more dire, as there are civilians trapped in the path of the robot’s rampage. The fight this time is brutal, with ships exploding violently, the harbor in ruins, and through it all, King Joe, implacable and indestructible.
The imagery of this fight is so famous that it’s been depicted several times, including a piece by famous comic artist Alex Ross for the Ultraseven box sets I. Japan. It’s hard not to call this the most iconic moment of the series.
SL
It’s definitely in the top five, but there’s so many iconic moments from this two-parter in general. It’s not hard to see why it’s remained so memorable and influential both within the Ultraman franchise, and beyond.
While Dan transforms to go out and fight against King Joe once again, the rest of the TDF is desperately searching for a way to stop the seemingly-unstoppable giant robot. Luckily, Anne figures out a way to undo the Pedan aliens’ hypnosis, and Dorothy gets back to work developing a plan. Soon they have a weapon -- one that they promised not to develop, but I think circumstances necessitate its use this time.
I should also note, while all this is going on, probably hours pass as they develop and build the new explosive shells, and then drive them back to the site of the battle. All while Seven is still getting his face punched in by King Joe!
EJ
It would be funny in a different context. I’m just imagining Seven channeling Rocky Balboa to King Joe’s Ivan Drago. He didn’t hear no bell!
Pedanium, the golden alloy that King Joe is composed of, is famous for being among the toughest materials in the entire Ultraman Series. Even in the future, where assumedly Raiton R30 is a known weakness, King Joe is still among the toughest foes an Ultra can fight. Pedanium is even used in the far future of the Classic Era, in Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle, where the Space Pendragon spacecraft’s most powerful weapon is the mighty Pedanium Launcher.
SL
And then when I watched the Ultraman Decker movie earlier this year, I have to say it was a bold choice to make Dinas’ first appearance on screen a throwdown against King Joe! Talk about making a splash with your debut!
Anyways, we could go on and on about King Joe’s many other appearances in the franchise, but the big golden mecha is always treated as a serious threat whenever it shows up for a rumble.
EJ
Thankfully, the new R30 bomb is more than capable of putting it down. Seven just has to hold it long enough for the Ultra Guard to fire, and when it connects, that’s the end. Robot falls over, robot explodes with enough force to knock the roof off the intact parts of the harbor.
This fight really reminds me of the Zetton fight from the end of Ultraman. Unstoppable foe that the Ultra can’t beat alone, defeated by human ingenuity. Always a great story.
SL
It is a really heart-warming way to bookend the themes of this episode. Dan himself might be an alien, but he also admires the strength and kindness of humanity, virtues that even human beings themselves might take for granted. Here, his trust in humanity pays off, and that same strength he believed in literally saves his life! It won’t be the last time the Ultra Guard comes to his rescue in this show either.
Dan’s concerns about the escalation of war are such a great summary for the show as a whole, and I love seeing how it plays out in individual episodes like this throughout its run. Of course, it also makes some later episodes, where humanity starts making the same mistakes as the Pedan aliens, sting all the more bitterly…
But here at least, we get a happy ending.
EJ
Next week, we learn why you should always keep an eye on your kids’ “imaginary friends,” folks, in episode 15, “Eyes that Shine in the Darkness.” See you then!
