Planet of Music Ultraman Blazar.
is the ninth episode ofSynopsis[]

Reported by Choryu News
Anri receives a letter. It contained a concert ticket for a band led by Hoichi Tsukushi, someone that Anri had gotten to know through music.
That's when the robot kaiju Garamon appears from a meteorite that came from outer space.
Anri realizes that Garamon's behavior is controlled by a mysterious sound wave, and she has a hunch...
Cast[]
- Gento Hiruma : Tomoya Warabino
- Emi Aobe : Himena Tsukimiya
- Yasunobu Bando : Hayate Kajihara
- Anri Minami : Konomi Naito
- Teruaki Nagura : Yuki Ito
Guest Actors[]
- Hoichi Tsukushi Hideki Togi :
- Cicci Kuroiwa Norichika Togi :
- Michi Niize Kon Shirosu (Shikinami) :
- Kanade Higurashi Hiroaki Tsutsumi (Shikinami) :
English Dub[]
- Gento Hiruma : Johnny Yong Bosch
- Emi Aobe : Madeline Dorroh
- Yasunobu Bando : Ricco Fajardo
- Anri Minami : Madeleine Morris
- Teruaki Nagura : Nicholas Andrew Louie
- Hoichi Tsukushi : Mike McFarland
- Cicci Kuroiwa : Kevin Thelwell
- Michi Niize : Alex Mai
- Kanade Higurashi Ben Balmaceda :
Suit Actors[]
- Ultraman Blazar : Hideyoshi Iwata
- Earth Garon : Shinnosuke Ishikawa
- Garamon : Miu Sekiya
- Yoshiki Kuwabara
- Shota Yakura
Appearances[]
Ultras[]
Kaiju[]
Trivia[]
- This episode is a tribute to Ultra Q, especially episode 16 "Garamon Strikes Back".
- According to the episode director, Tomonobu Koshi, the team had significant creative freedom for this episode, as there was no need to introduce a new monster. He seized this opportunity to specifically request the use of Garamon, fulfilling his long-standing desire to create a story centered around a musical theme. Hideki Togi confirmed his participation after the script was completed.[1]
- According to Tsukushi, the group came to Earth 60 years prior, a couple of years before Ultra Q premiered. Additionally, their group name, Ensemble Q, references the title of the series.
- As a tribute, this episode's ending credits replace BLACK STAR with a cover of the Ultra Q theme.
- The broadcast date of this episode was September 9, coinciding with it being the ninth episode of the series. Koshi mentioned that this alignment was purely coincidental.

- The music pieces played during Ensemble Q's final concert are a cover of the Ultra Q opening theme and "Tilsonite Genesis" , an original piece composed entirely for the episode. In Anri's recollection, the piece performed by Ensemble Q was titled "Meeting of the Wind" .
- According to the episode's director, Tomonobu Koshi, the initial plan was for Ensemble Q to perform classical music. However, during a meeting with Hideki Togi he suggested three original songs, leading to the final decision to use original music.[2]
- Since Earth Garon Mod.2 made its official debut in the previous episode, Koshi wanted it to have a strong presence in this episode, without making Garamon seem weak. He was especially careful to balance the two. During filming, the team used two cameras to precisely capture the musical beats, illustrating the battle between Earth Garon and Garamon. This approach also posed editing challenges for editor Yosuke Yafune.[1]

Hoichi Tsukushi, performed by Hideki Togi.
- In an interview with Hideki Togi, he shared additional behind-the-scenes insights about this episode.[3][4]
- Tsuburaya Productions initially intended to use existing classical music for the score. However, Togi, drawing on his experience from live performances where he pretended to play an instrument, approached Tsuburaya Productions with a suggestion. Knowing that director Koshi was a fan of his work, Togi asked, "Have you considered an original composition?" The production team seemed hesitant, but Togi confidently reassured them, saying, "This will be easy for me." Upon hearing this, the staff's eyes lit up, and they eagerly responded, "Can we really do that?!"
- Given that Tsukushi's character was a Cicada Human carrying a cello case, he decided to create a piece that mimicked the sound of playing a cello. Within two or three days after his initial meeting with Tsuburaya Productions, Togi submitted a demo track he recorded at his studio. While Kunio Miyauchi’s "Ultra Q Theme" was well-crafted, Togi didn’t simply replicate it; instead, he contemplated how to enjoy and adapt the piece. He aimed to reinterpret it in a style reminiscent of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla.
- During the filming of this episode, Togi enjoyed significant creative freedom in his performance direction, leading to a smooth shooting process with no notable mistakes or need for additional guidance. He felt reassured by the trust that director Koshi placed in him and worked diligently to portray the character of Tsukushi.
- In the scene where Ensemble Q attempts to stop Anri and interrupts the performance, Tsukushi specifically notes that if the character were not a professional musician, the Cicada Human might casually discard the instrument. Therefore, by carefully positioning the instrument before the interruption, the character's true essence is naturally conveyed. As a result, casting individuals who are actively involved in music for these roles proved to be an excellent choice.
- In the flashback scenes set ten years ago, the filming locations included a park with a pond and the final concert venue, both situated near the "Parthenon Tama" at Tama-Center Station.
- The music performance scenes featuring Ensemble Q in seasons were inspired by the seasons sequence in the 1999 film Notting Hill.[5]
- During the filming of this segment, the depiction of the changing seasons was achieved through composite shots, sequentially showcasing cherry blossoms, summer sunshine, fallen leaves, and snow. To illustrate the winter scenery, the pond was artificially frozen.
- The prop of the Cicada Human spaceship is normally on display at Kaiju Sakaba, and was used for its appearance in the series.[6]
- When Anri first meets Hoichi Tsukushi, the line "Well, we're more like semi-pros" was improvised by his actor, Hideki Togi, and is a pun on the Japanese reading for Cicada Human, Semi Ningen, after his son Norichika Togi, who plays Cicci Kuroiwa, joked that "Only Semi Ningen can be semi-pros".[7]

- In the original script, the ending included a scene in which Tsukushi is shot in the arm by Anri. However, during production discussions, Konomi Naito, the actress portraying Anri, expressed her reluctance to "pull the trigger." This prompted Tomonobu Koshi to explore alternative ways to depict the scene, such as having Anri walk over to Tsukushi to hold his arm or take his cello bow. After careful consideration, Naito ultimately chose to proceed with the shooting, making it a choice she personally embraced for that pivotal moment.[1]
- In interpreting the ending of this episode, the production team considered several options, such as having Anri follow Tsukushi offstage only to discover that he had already vanished, or, similar to Ultra Q, arranging for Tsukushi to perish in a beam from the mothership. However, Koshi desired a more elegant way to conclude this scene. While scouting the location, the team noticed a stage curtain, which inspired them to use the "fall of the curtain" as the ending, adding a visually and symbolically graceful touch to the conclusion. Koshi hopes that fans will later interpret and reflect on this ending in their own ways.[1]
- The commercials that usually play across the episode's runtime in the YouTube episode releases were in this case pushed forward to the first half of the episode to ensure that the performance later in the episode went uninterrupted.[8]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'Ultraman Blazar Blu-ray BOX I Brochure
- ↑ https://twitter.com/juliet3comet/status/1700489903560417467
- ↑ https://www.monomagazine.com/70310
- ↑ https://www.monomagazine.com/70334
- ↑ https://twitter.com/juliet3comet/status/1700492380766699663
- ↑ https://twitter.com/kaijusakaba/status/1701152185936171412
- ↑ https://twitter.com/htogi999/status/1701378521283829813
- ↑ https://twitter.com/ginership/status/1700318016800727150
- ↑ https://lifetunes-mall.jp/shop/pages/seminingen_televikun.aspx
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/post-7353
Ultraman Blazar Episodes | |
---|---|
1. First Wave | 2. The Man who Created SKaRD | 3. The Name is Earth Garon | 4. Thus Fought Emi | 5. The Mountain Roars | SP1. Uncover the True Identity of the Giant Creatures | 6. The Invading Aurora | 7. Rainbow Appears: Part 1 | 8. Rainbow Appears: Part 2 | 9. Planet of Music | 10. Parent and Child | 11. Escape | 12. Let's Go, Blazar! | 13. SKaRD Nocturne | 14. Moonlit Memories | 15. Betwixt Morn and Dusk | 16. Terror from the Underground | SP2. Blazar Digital Picture Scroll | 17. The Wandering Zangill | 18. The Towering Terror | 19. Light and Flame | 20. Night of Insects Chirping | 21. Battle in the Sky | 22. Insurance Hero | 23. Visitor 99 | EX. Earth Invasion Plan | EX. Kaiju Capture Operation | SP3. Pag's Ultra Lecture | 24. The Approaching Third Wave | 25. The Ones Who Embrace the Earth |