Hi, everybody! Sailor Q here again!! Today’s episode review is of one of the most important Ultraman episodes ever done!!! The episode that was actually shot first in production order and the introduction of the Ultra’s greatest foe, Ultraman Episode 2: Shoot the Invader, first shown on July 24^th, 1966.

                After the title sequence, we are brought right into Science Patrol headquarters and..wow..is Ide ever sporting a shiner! After a talk on a telephone with someone who doesn’t have anything to do with the plot and won’t appear in the episode, the cast suddenly decides to break the fourth wall on us as our comic relief member decides to tell us all about how he got his magnificence black eye.  SHIMMER SHIMMER SHIMMER! We get our first look at the science patrol sleeping quarters here and apparently everyone likes to sleep in their uniforms! After being saved from the hell that is Arashi’s snoring, we find out that straaaaange things are going on. An unknown object has appeared and apparently has landed somewhere near the science center, a building which somehow appears in almost every other episode. After a bit of comedy involving Arashi’s footware, our strong man heads out to investigate and oh god no….Hoshino has followed him. Time for some annoying kid comedy! Hang in their folks! Entering, arashi finds to his horror that someone has been messing around with the green paint! Actually they’ve been paralyzed by unknown means. It’s soon after this that we get our first look at the alien villain, appearing and disappearing behind Arashi and then paralyzing him. Creepy alien is creepy!

Introducing Baltan-Seijin!

COMMERCIAL! Hayata shows up with troops who are very good at being picked off one by one by the alien. Hayata encounters the alien himself but finds his weapons are no good. After another commercial break, we return to a defense meeting where Captain Murasashi suggests we talk to the aliens, offer them a beer and show them the best clubs. The defense force of course says no but since the rest of them are just extras and don’t have any actual extra lines, they go with the captain. After some more comedic moments with Ide and language barriers, Ide and Hayata go to the science center again to face the alien. After a lot of awesome special effects moments, the two science patrol members finally face the creature who is using Arashi as its personal voice actor. They reveal themselves Baltan-Seijins (seijin = star man = alien)and have come to earth to..what else..TAKE OVER THE WORLD! When Hayata offers them to move to Mars, they simply say they don’t like it and let go of Arashi. Growing to giant size, the Baltan knocks out Hayata, who convently drops his beta capsule over the side of the building.

 Hail our new cicada overlords!

When the army fails to take down giant cicada man, Hayata decides to get back his beta capsule the only way he can: by throwing himself off the side of the science center. MANLY! Transforming, Ultraman chases after the flying Baltan, mangrabbing him. Meanwhile, the captain figures that the uber rare element specium is what the Baltans are so afraid which…surprise surprise…is the main power source of Ultraman’s Specium Ray (wow plot point convence at it’s max!). Smoting the Baltan really good and destroying the Baltan’s ship with the rest of the baltan population on it, we return to the headquarters of the Science Patrol, where Ide still hasn’t told us how the hell he got his black eye. Lo and behold, he fell off the bed while sleeping! Hahahahahahahahah…HA! My sides are splitting. However, I’m sure we’ll NEEEVER have to worry about these aliens again! Right?....right?......

“Seriously kid, why do you hang out with us?”

Sailor Q’s Thoughts

                As an episode, Shoot the Invader is probably one of the most important in the Ultraman mythos, introducing to use the eternal foes of the Ultras, Baltan-Seijin. These space ninjas would be seen on and off through the course of almost every show, always returning with that same spooky laugh of FWO FWO FWO FWO (see below).  The laugh itself came from an eailer Japanese film called Matango, also known in the states as Attack of the Mushroom People. The costume was also recycled from the previous show ULTRA Q, originally taking the form of The Cicada Man. It is also worth noting that this episode was the first actually made in the series, preceding Ultra Operation 1 in production. This can be seen in the large amount of special effects work that went into the Baltan’s disappearing and multiplication powers. The episode is also great for giving Masanari Nihei a chance to shine with the comedic character of ide. The scene of between him and Hayata as he desperately asking him to come into building with him is priceless. Overall it ranks as an above average episode and a must see for any person wishing to explore the world of Ultraman.

What you learn from Ultraman

·         It’s always best to sleep in your uniform

·         Space cicadas are creepy

·         It’s super easy to speak SPACE LANGUAGE!

·         Space cicadas are REALLLLLY creepy

Stay tuned for next week when we encounter invisible monsters and Hoshino tries to be a hero…we’re doomed.