The 1/8 Project

The 1/8 Project
Ultra Q, episode 17
Information
Airdate	April 24, 1966
Directed by	Hajime Tsuburaya
Written by	Tetsuo Kinjo
Special Effects Directed by	Sadamasa Arikawa
Continuity
Previous	Garamon Strikes Back
Next	The Rainbow's Egg

The 1/8 Project is the seventeenth episode of Ultra Q.

Plot

After being trampled beneath the maddening rush of a crowded Tokyo train station, Yuriko discovers crowds of people volunteering to participate in a new experiment called the 1/8 Project. When Yuriko enquires into the nature of the project, she is accidentally reduced to 1/8 her normal size.

The project, she learns, is being tested by the Japanese government as a possible solution to urban overcrowding; by miniaturizing the citizens, cities can allow for the continued proliferation of life on a much smaller scale. Following her miniaturization, Yuriko is accused of having trespassed into Area S13 without a passport and is delivered to jail for incarceration. Hearing her plight, her normal-sized cellmate helps her to escape.

She is discovered by two nuns, who deliver her to Jun's office at Hoshikawa Airport. Upon finding a memorial photo of herself in the empty office, Yuriko's hopes of returning normal size begin to fade and she leaves for Area S13. In their search for Yuriko, Jun and Ippei discover the miniature metropolis, but their enormous size frightens the Lilliputian citizens.

When they locate Yuriko, she flees from thern, resigned to remain in Area S13 Yuriko eventually awakens in a hospital bed, elated to find that she has been restored to normal size. It turns out that her whole adventure was a dream, following her nearly being trampled to death in the train station.

Cast

• Jun Manjome : Kenji Sahara
• Yuriko Edogawa : Hiroko Sakurai
• Ippei Togawa : Yasuhiko Saijo
• Deskworker Seki : Yoshibumi Tajima （only voice）
• Narrator : Koji Ishizaka

Guest Actors

• S13 district Mayor : Fuyuki Murakami
• 1/8 project Personnel A : Masaaki Tachibana
• 1/8 project Personnel B : Sachio Sakai
• 1/8 project Personnel C : Hiroshi Sekita
• 1/8 project applicant : Somesho Matsumoto
• Fat man : Junichi Tanaka
• 1/8 project applicant B : Toku Ihara
• 1/8 project applicant C : Hiroshi Akitsu
• S13 district's cop : Junpei Natsuki
• S13 district's welfare officer : Teruko Mita
• Man running up the stairs : Tetsuo Kinjo

Appearances

Kaiju

• The 1/8 Humans

Home Media

• Ultra Q Volume 5 features episodes 17-20, and Total Natural Color DVD Volume 5 features episodes 15-17.

2001 release

2009 release

Total Natural Color Blu-ray