Mammoth Flower

Mammoth Flower
Ultra Q, episode 4
Information
Airdate	January 23, 1966
Directed by	Koji Kajita
Written by	Tetsuo Kinjo Koji Kajita
Special Effects Directed by	Keiji Kawakami
Continuity
Previous	The Gift From Space
Next	Peguila is Here!

Mammoth Flower is the fourth episode of Ultra Q.

Plot

A strange disturbance in Tokyo upturns the ground and shakes the buildings as if something huge is moving beneath the foundations of the city. In the canal of the Imperial Palace, a large tentacle-like vine called Juran appears, frightening passersby. Following this incident, Jun, Ippei and Yuriko witness an underground attack on humans, as the vines try to suck blood from their victims. Dr. Ichinotani suspects that a giant plant has taken root beneath Tokyo. Soon afterward, the monster-plant's bulb crashes upward through a building and the mammoth flower blooms over the city. While Ippei tries to rescue a friend from the devastated building, Jun flies Dr. Genda high above the mammoth flower in his Cessna. The scientist drops a special device that showers carbonic acid gas upon the giant plant and it is destroyed.

Cast

• Jun Manjome : Kenji Sahara
• Yuriko Edogawa : Hiroko Sakurai
• Ippei Togawa : Yasuhiko Saijo （Credited as "西条康彦"）
• Professor Ichinotani : Ureo Egawa
• Narrator : Koji Ishizaka

Guest Actors

• Professor Genda : Minoru Takada
• Manager of Tokyo Advertising Company : Sachio Sakai
• Employee of Tokyo Advertising Company : Yutaka Nakayama
• Michiko Miki : Sadako Amamiya
• Police executive : Junichiro Mukai
• Measures headquarters's leader : Mitsuo Tsuda
• Woman in the underground mall : Terumi Oka
• Self-defense official : Yutaka Oka
• Cop A : Haruya Sakamoto
• Cop B : Daisuke Inoue
• Rubbernecker : Bin Furuya ,Hideo Otsuka
• Squad Leader : Kuniyoshi Kashima （Noncredit）
• Self-Defense Forces Rescue Team Captain : Hakuyouji Watanabe （Noncredit）
• Reporter A : Yoshio Katsube （Noncredit）
• Reporter B : Masaaki Tachibana （Noncredit）

Appearances

Kaiju

• Juran

Home Media

• Ultra Q Volume 1 features episodes 1-4, while the Total Natural Color Blu-ray features episodes 4-7.

2001 release

2008 release

Total Natural Color Blu-ray

Trivia

• According to the production order, this episode was the first to be filmed for Ultra Q, starting from September 27, 1964, with scenes filmed at the Tokyo Imperial Palace moat.
• Originally, it was supposed to be directed by Teruyoshi Nakano, who was assistant director in the Tsuburaya Productions team. However, Nakano was needed for other Tsuburaya Productions shoots, so Koji Kajita took over as director.