The Marked Town

The Marked Town
Ultraseven, episode 8
Information
Airdate	November 19, 1967
Directed by	Akio Jissoji
Written by	Tetsuo Kinjo
Special Effects Directed by	Jun Oki
Continuity
Previous	Space Prisoner 303
Next	Operation Android Zero

The Marked Town is the eighth episode of Ultraseven.

Plot

In the town of Kitagawa, a string of perplexingly fatal accidents have claimed the lives of hundreds of people. Furuhashi and Soga attempt to find answers regarding this seemingly cursed town. While patrolling the town, a crazed man with a rifle runs through the street shooting at people. Not long after, Dan is intercepted by a gravel truck. Discovering the truck has no driver, he is suddenly confronted by a disembodied voice telling him to leave the town. Later, both Furuhashi and Soga go on a rampage and have to be detained. It's finally learned that space seeds hidden within cigarettes by the evil Alien Metron drive smokers insane, turning them into violent, potentially deadly killers.

Cast

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

Guest Actors

• Kaneda : Hisaya Ito
• Young Man (Rifle Wizard) : Shiro Okamoto
• Detective Yoshimura : Takanobu Hozumi
• Detective of Division 4 : Haruo Suzuki
• Aiko Yuri : Miyuki Asakawa
• Hiroshi Yuri : Masaki Tomita

Voice Actors

• Alien Metron : Shinji Nakae
• Narrator : Hikaru Urano

Suit Actors

• Ultraseven : Koji Uenishi
• Alien Metron : Teruo Aragaki

Appearances

Ultras

• Ultraseven

Kaiju

• Alien Metron

Home Media

• Ultraseven Volume 2 features episodes 5-8.

1999 release

2009 release

Trivia

• This episode has a sequel episode in the series Ultraman Max, called "The Untargeted Town".
• In the final version of the episode, some of the script content was cut. The initial plot included Anne's uncle's funeral at a church after a plane crash, reportedly removed due to concerns about several plane crashes occurring around Japan at the time. Additionally, in the second draft, the plot changed from a plane crash to an attempted assault by a taxi driver on a woman.
• In the first draft, both the "young man" and Furuhashi more clearly demonstrate their delusions of persecution and launch attacks on those around them. Additionally, the scene where Anne disputes the report of the captain's abnormal behavior was also removed.
• In the second draft of the script, there was originally a scene where Anne murmurs, "With this, Kitagawa Town can finally breathe a sigh of relief," while witnessing the wreckage of the UFO burning and synchronizing with the sunset. However, this part ultimately did not make it into the final cut of the episode.
• In this episode, the filming location for Anne's uncle's house is actually the residence of the novelist Eiji Yoshikawa located in Ome City, Tokyo, Japan.
• The cynical narration played at the end of the episode was not part of the original script written by the screenwriter Tetsuo Kinjo, but was added by the director Akio Jissoji. Some accounts suggest that it was written by Mamoru Sasaki at the request of Jissoji.
• The classical music featured in the series was all composed by Toru Fuyuki. The music played during the scene with the small table is titled "SEVEN'S CHAMBER MUSIC".
• At the time, TBS was considering exporting Ultraseven overseas and had set a policy of avoiding Japanese elements as much as possible. Therefore, it was emphasized to the staff at the beginning of production to strictly adhere to this policy. However, the director of this episode, Akio Jissoji, deliberately ignored this, leading to attention from the producers due to the scene where the Dan and the Alien Metron sit on opposite ends of the small table on tatami mats in an old apartment. After the episode aired, Jissoji faced criticism from the producers. This led to Jissoji temporarily stepping away from directing Ultraseven and instead taking on directing duties for period dramas in Kyoto.
• Jissoji later used this story as the basis for writing the novel "Ultraseven: The Targeted Star".
• In 2023, in commemoration of the 55th anniversary of the Ultraseven series and to attract a broader audience to appreciate the charm of this classic series, TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION selected this episode and created a trailer named the "55th Anniversary Edition." The narration for this trailer was provided by Hiroki Tochi.