| Ultra Q | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
| Genre | Tokusatsu Science fiction Fantasy Kaiju |
| Created by | Eiji Tsuburaya |
| Developed by | Toshihiro Iijima |
| Directed by | Hajime Tsuburaya |
| Starring | Kenji Sahara, Yasuhiko Saijou,Hiroko Sakurai |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| No. of episodes | 28 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production companies | Tsuburaya Productions TBS |
| Original release | |
| Network | JNN (TBS) |
| Release | January 2 (1966-01-02) – July 3, 1966 (1966-07-03) |
| Related | |
| Ultraman | |
Ultra Q (ウルトラQ,Urutora Kyū) is a 1966 Japanesetokusatsukaiju television series created byEiji Tsuburaya, first broadcast onTokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) on January 2, 1966 and having its twenty-eighth and final episode aired on December 14, 1967. This series was the first entry inTsuburaya Productions long-runningUltraman franchise, whose eponymous character would be introduced in the following and more popular series,Ultraman (1966).
Ultra Q can be described as a half-hourTohokaiju series. Executive producer Eiji Tsuburaya intended this series to be more like the American television seriesThe Twilight Zone andThe Outer Limits, featuring a variety of strange and unusual stories. After a survey, the TBS network convinced Tsuburaya Productions to add more giant monsters, as children were intensely interested in them, sinceGojira andGamera were sensational characters during the period. Some commentators have described a "Kaiju Boom" which began afterUltra Q's success.[1] Much likeThe X-Files, the series features continuing characters who investigate strangesupernatural phenomena, including giant monsters, aliens, ghosts, and various other threats.
The originally planned title of this project wasUnbalance, and was subsequently renamedUltra Q mostly due to the word "Ultra" gaining popularity due to the Japanese gymnast Gold Medal recipient in the1964 Summer Olympics using a technique named "Ultra C". The "Q" stands for "Question" and is also tied with another hit TBS series,Obake no Q-tarō, an animated series based on themanga byFujiko Fujio.[1] The series began production in 1964, with the premiere set for January 1966. At the time, this was the most expensive television series ever produced in Japan.
Because of his stature as a filmmaker, and with his close relationship withToho (they were investors in, and on the Board of Directors at, Tsuburaya Productions),[1]Eiji Tsuburaya was ordered by his crew to take what they needed from the prop warehouse, where the various props from his films were stored, for use on the series. The largeManda prop was used for the dragon Kairyu (while the head was used as the front portion of a Viking ship seen in episode 12), as well as the Oodako prop fromFrankenstein vs. Baragon became Sudar, while the Maguma suit fromGorath was repurposed as Todola. Other suits and props were refurbished to play some of the monsters, such asGodzilla forGomess,King Kong for Goro,Baragon for Pagos, and a small, mechanicalRodan prop was stripped down and rebuilt as the bird monsters Litra and Largeus, respectively.
| Nº | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Defeat Gomess!" Transliteration: "Gomesu o Taose!" (Japanese:ゴメスを倒せ!) | January 2, 1966 (1966-01-02) |
| 2 | "Goro and Goro" Transliteration: "Gorō to Gorō" (Japanese:五郎とゴロー) | January 9, 1966 (1966-01-09) |
| 3 | "The Gift from Space" Transliteration: "Uchū kara no Okurimono" (Japanese:宇宙からの贈りもの) | January 16, 1966 (1966-01-16) |
| 4 | "Mammoth Flower" Transliteration: "Manmosu Furawā" (Japanese:マンモスフラワー) | January 23, 1966 (1966-01-23) |
| 5 | "Peguila Is Here!" Transliteration: "Pegira ga Kita!" (Japanese:ペギラが来た!) | January 30, 1966 (1966-01-30) |
| 6 | "Grow Up! Little Turtle" Transliteration: "Sodateyo! Kame" (Japanese:育てよ! カメ) | February 6, 1966 (1966-02-06) |
| 7 | "S.O.S. Mount Fuji" Transliteration: "Esu Ō Esu Fujisan" (Japanese:SOS富士山) | February 13, 1966 (1966-02-13) |
| 8 | "Terror of the Sweet Honey" Transliteration: "Amai Mitsu no Kyōfu" (Japanese:甘い蜜の恐怖) | February 20, 1966 (1966-02-20) |
| 9 | "Baron Spider" Transliteration: "Kumo Danshaku" (Japanese:クモ男爵) | February 27, 1966 (1966-02-27) |
| 10 | "The Underground Super Express Goes West" Transliteration: "Chitei Chōtokkyū Nishi e" (Japanese:地底超特急西へ) | March 6, 1966 (1966-03-06) |
| 11 | "Balloonga" Transliteration: "Barunga" (Japanese:バルンガ) | March 13, 1966 (1966-03-13) |
| 12 | "I Saw a Bird" Transliteration: "Tori o Mita" (Japanese:鳥を見た) | March 20, 1966 (1966-03-20) |
| 13 | "Garadama" (Japanese:ガラダマ) | March 27, 1966 (1966-03-27) |
| 14 | "Tokyo Ice Age" Transliteration: "Tōkyō Hyōgaki" (Japanese:東京氷河期) | April 3, 1966 (1966-04-03) |
| 15 | "Kanegon's Cocoon" Transliteration: "Kanegon no Mayu" (Japanese:カネゴンの繭) | April 10, 1966 (1966-04-10) |
| 16 | "Garamon Strikes Back" Transliteration: "Garamon no Gyakushū" (Japanese:ガラモンの逆襲) | April 17, 1966 (1966-04-17) |
| 17 | "The 1/8 Project" Transliteration: "Hachibun-no-Ichi Keikaku" (Japanese:1/8計画) | April 24, 1966 (1966-04-24) |
| 18 | "The Rainbow's Egg" Transliteration: "Niji no Tamago" (Japanese:虹の卵) | May 1, 1966 (1966-05-01) |
| 19 | "Challenge from the Year 2020" Transliteration: "Nisen-nijū-nen no Chōsen" (Japanese:2020年の挑戦) | May 8, 1966 (1966-05-08) |
| 20 | "The Primordial Amphibian Ragon" Transliteration: "Kaitei Genjin Ragon" (Japanese:海底原人ラゴン) | May 15, 1966 (1966-05-15) |
| 21 | "Space Directive M774" Transliteration: "Uchū Shirei Emu Nana Nana Yon" (Japanese:宇宙指令M774) | May 22, 1966 (1966-05-22) |
| 22 | "Metamorphosis" Transliteration: "Henshin" (Japanese:変身) | May 29, 1966 (1966-05-29) |
| 23 | "Fury of the South Sea" Transliteration: "Nankai no Ikari" (Japanese:南海の怒り) | June 5, 1966 (1966-06-05) |
| 24 | "The Statue of Goga" Transliteration: "Gōga no Zō" (Japanese:ゴーガの像) | June 12, 1966 (1966-06-12) |
| 25 | "The Devil Child" Transliteration: "Akumakko" (Japanese:悪魔ッ子) | June 19, 1966 (1966-06-19) |
| 26 | "Blazing Glory" Transliteration: "Moero Eikō" (Japanese:燃えろ栄光) | June 26, 1966 (1966-06-26) |
| 27 | "The Disappearance of Flight 206" Transliteration: "Ni Maru Roku Bin Shōmetsu-su" (Japanese:206便消滅す) | July 3, 1966 (1966-07-03) |
| 28 | "Open Up!" Transliteration: "Aketekure!" (Japanese:あけてくれ!) | December 17, 1967 (1967-12-17) |
In 1967,Ultra Q was licensed fromTsuburaya and TBS byCBS Films, producers ofThe Twilight Zone. For the task of dubbing, CBS hired Film House in Toronto, Canada, what is now DeLuxe Toronto. Tsuburaya provided translated scripts, plus English language opening and closing credits, and a custom, swirling title-card. The series itself was dubbed in its 28-episode entirety. At some point, CBS Films backed out of licensing the series, and it was picked up, along withUltraman, byUnited Artists Television, producers ofThe Outer Limits. Subsequently, United Artists Television hiredTitra Studios to dubUltraman.Ultraman was syndicated, however,Ultra Q was not, due to being inblack-and-white at a time when most television was switching to color. AfterUltraman finished its run in syndication, audio and film masters, and other materials, for both series went into storage, eventually finding their way into the MGM vaults, after MGM acquired United Artists in 1980.[1]
Initially it was commonly believed, even by Tsuburaya Productions, that only one episode, Episode 3 ("Gift From Outer Space"), was dubbed into English as a pilot.[1] Over the last decade, other episodes have been discovered in the hands of U.S. private collectors on the 16mm film format.
In 2003, a weekly radio drama series was produced calledThe Ultra Q Club. It featured voice acting from the originalUltra Q cast.[2]
In the years following the show's original run, a live action film calledUltra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars was released in 1990. In 2004, a new series calledUltra Q: Dark Fantasy was produced, while another series calledNeo Ultra Q began airing in early 2013.
The original concept of the show (when it was going to be calledUnbalance) was ultimately used for a 13-episode horror anthology series entitledHorror Theater Unbalance that was produced by Tsuburaya Productions in 1973.[1]
VariousUltra Q monsters were reused or redressed for various monsters inUltraman. Kemur and Ragon (both of them now giant-sized) returned, while the Garamon suit was reused and repaired to serve as Pigmon. Other suits were altered to play other monsters, such as Pegulia being altered into Chandlar, Kemur being altered into Alien Zetton, Pagos being altered into Neronga (and later Magular andGabora), while the head of the Cicada Human was modified to become the head of Alien Baltan. Finally, Peter's suit was modified to become that of Guesra.[citation needed]
In 2013, Tsuburaya Productions andBandai Visual released the series on Blu-ray, in monochrome and colorized editions.[3] In 2018, Tsuburaya released four episodes in individual Blu-ray and DVD sets with newly produced special features, as part of their Ultraman Archives project.[4] In November 2019, Tsuburaya released a4K restoration of the series onUltra HD Blu-ray.[5]
In August 2013,Shout! Factory released the series on DVD.[6] In July 2019, Mill Creek Entertainment announced that it had acquired most of theUltra series library from Tsuburaya Productions through Indigo Entertainment, including 1,100 TV episodes and 20 films.[7] Mill Creek released the series on Blu-ray and digital on October 15, 2019, in standard and steelbook sets.[8]
In July 2020,Shout! Factory announced to have struck a multi-year deal with Alliance Entertainment and Mill Creek, with the blessings of Tsuburaya and Indigo, that granted them the exclusive SVOD and AVOD digital rights to theUltra series and films (1,100 TV episodes and 20 films) acquired by Mill Creek the previous year.Ultra Q, amongst other titles, will stream in the United States and Canada through Shout! Factory TV and Tokushoutsu.[9]