Human Farms

Human Farms
Ultraseven, episode 22
Information
Airdate	March 3, 1968
Directed by	Toshitsugu Suzuki
Written by	Hiroyasu Yamaura
Special Effects Directed by	Jun Oki
Continuity
Previous	Pursue the Undersea Base!
Next	Revenge of 300 Years (unproduced episode)

Human Farms is the twenty-second episode of Ultraseven.

Synopsis

An alien emerges from the sea and kidnaps a young woman named Ruriko during her birthday party. She is eventually returned with several strange, fungus-like parasites growing on her arm. When Anne is similarly attacked, the Ultra Guard discover that these spores are alien food that only grow in the bodies of women, effectively turning them into human farms.

The only cure is Radiation Alpha 73, a special element found on Saturn. With but hours to save Ruriko and Anne, Ultraseven and the Ultra Guard must face an assault from dozens of alien ships before Seven can race to the ringed planet to retrieve the element required to save the two women.

Plot

Anne Yuri is attending the birthday party of her friend, a young woman named Ruriko. An alien suddenly emerges from the nearby shoreline, alerting her pet dog. When the dog's incessant barking suddenly stops, Ruriko and Anne investigate. They split up, and Ruriko is kidnapped by the alien.

Anne alerts the rest of the Ultra Guard, who rush to the scene and discover strange inhuman footprints embedded in the sand. They search the surface of the water in the Pointer but find nothing, just narrowly missing an alien ship. At HQ, the UG analyze similar footprints found around the world and learn that different species of animal have been taken in each incident.

The team is informed that Ruriko has been found on the shoreline, alive but in a weakened state. They discover several strange, fungus-like spores attached to her arm and bring her in for analysis. The doctor makes a culture of the spores and notes that Ruriko is rapidly losing chromosomes. Meanwhile, several spaceships surface from the ocean and convene in the sky.

Ruriko begins to mumble, and Anne rushes to tend to her, discovering that her body is now a bright green. Anne is suddenly attacked by an Alien Braco and screams for help. Dan rushes to save her but is nearly overpowered until Kiriyama shoots the alien dead. Anne's unconscious body similarly begins to glow green, and the Alien Braco's corpse is autopsied for more information. The doctor informs Kiriyama and Dan that the same type of red spore was found in the alien's stomach, indicating that it is food for the alien's species; and more troubling, that the spores only seem to grow and multiply in the presence of female hormones. They conclude that the aliens are kidnapping human women to turn into spore farms.

Ruriko and Anne are quarantined, and the doctor sadly informs Dan that the only possible cure is an element found on Saturn, Radiation Alpha 73, and that the two women have only 15 hours left before the spores kill them. Soga, Furuhashi, and Amagi encounter the mass of ships in the sky and engage, destroying several before being overwhelmed. They call Dan for backup, and he flies in on the Hawk-3 to provide support. Intending to fly to Saturn as Ultraseven, Dan intentionally pilots his ship directly at the mass of ships and is knocked out of the sky.

Using the cover of clouds to transform, Ultraseven attempts to head to Saturn but is suddenly surrounded by the alien ships, who capture him with their tractor beams. Kiriyama informs the Hawk-1 of Ultraseven's intentions and the trio provide support by disrupting the ships' formation, freeing him. The Hawk-1 destroys several more ships as Ultraseven retrieves ore containing Radiation Alpha 73.

The ore is immediately used to irradiate Anne and Ruriko's bodies, reversing their green coloration and curing them of the spores' infection. Soga, Furhashi, and Amagi arrive in time to see the two women wake up, but report to Kiriyama that Dan is still missing. He tells the team not to worry as Dan usually turns up alive eventually.

Dan is shown painting an image of Saturn as the narrator remarks that though the plans of the Alien Braco have been foiled, there are many more potential invaders among the stars.

Cast

• Dan Moroboshi/Ultraseven : Kohji Moritsugu
• Anne Yuri : Yuriko Hishimi
• Shigeru Furuhashi : Sandayu Dokumamushi
• Kaoru Kiriyama : Shoji Nakayama
• Soga : Shinsuke Achiha
• Amagi : Bin Furuya
• Takenaka : Kenji Sahara
• Ueno : Yoshio Katsube

Guest Actors

• Ruriko Ishiyama : Tsukasa Shima
• Medical Center Physician : Iwao Kojima

Voice Actors

• Narrator : Hikaru Urano

Suit Actors

• Ultraseven : Koji Uenishi

Appearances

Ultras

• Ultraseven

Kaiju

• Alien Braco

Home Media

• Ultraseven Volume 6 features episodes 22-25.

1999 release

2009 release

Trivia

• This episode, which was completed during the preparatory stage of the series still referred to as Redman, has notable differences between the early draft and the final version:
  • In the early draft, Alien Cobra (later known as Alien Braco) appeared. In the story, to rescue Anne and Ruriko, Dan deliberately refrains from piloting the Hawk and instead transforms into Redman. He then flies toward Saturn carrying two special capsules containing Anne and Ruriko, aiming to save their lives.
  • Ultimately, the episode ended with the following exchange: Dan: "I had a bit of a stomach ache, so I rested in the medical room...", "Really, you're hopeless with your messy habits!" "Ah, Anne..." This ending differs from the more serious tone in the final draft, incorporating a touch of light humor and playfulness.
  • The final version introduced several scenes that were not present in the script, such as Dan staring at an image of Saturn, and Kiriyama sensing Dan's inner emotions. Additionally, the ending was expanded to include a scene of Dan drawing the Saturn diagram.
• In this episode, Captain Kiriyama mentions that Ultraseven is heading to Saturn to save Anne and Ruriko, seemingly showing little concern for Dan's safety. This suggests that he may have already suspected that Dan is Ultraseven. Originally, the script included a scene where Ultraseven returns to the base and takes the mineral storage device before heading to Saturn, but this part was ultimately cut from the final version.
• According to an interview with producer Ken Kumagai by Yoichi Iwasa:
  • Kumagai mentioned that this episode was filmed simultaneously with the previous one, "Pursue the Undersea Base!," and revealed that the scenes were shot in collaboration with the old "Hama no Hotel" in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, as well as TBS's employee lodging. He recalled that the ocean set was used in both episodes and speculated that Jun Oki's involvement in the shooting was likely based on the filming schedule at the time. If he participated, it would have been to assist in adjusting the shooting plan. The ocean scenes needed adjustments based on the real-life location of Iritahama in Shimoda, which might have been why Oki's help was required.
  • In this episode, the focus of the story shifted, delving deeper into the relationship between Dan and Anne. After episodes that primarily depicted male-centered narratives, the production team wanted to present their relationship in a more profound way. Although Ultraseven did not feature intense battle scenes, TBS made no comments or requests regarding this direction at the time.
• Yoichi Iwasa revealed the intent behind Dan drawing the Saturn diagram. Kumagai, when explaining the scene to him, mentioned that it was meant to showcase Dan's childishness and innocence. By drawing in such an untainted way, it highlighted the character's youthful traits. Kumagai believed that compared to Hayata's more mature image, Dan had a more approachable, endearing quality, and they wanted to reflect this youthful innocence in the story.
  • Additionally, Iwasa discussed Dan's pen-licking gesture while drawing. He explained that this habit came from early artists who, lacking easy access to water, would lick the tip of their brushes to keep them moist for smoother painting.
• For this episode, the team that usually only films the special effects scenes also filmed all of the main story scenes, as they had wanted to for a while.
• This episode is known as "The Human Ranch" in the Hawaiian English dub, and "The Chromosome Eaters" in the TNT English dub.
• The Ultraman Orb episode "Hard-Boiled River" is a tribute to this episode.