Tempers flare as UGM scare off cause the monster Gikogilar during an attack. Meanwhile, back at school, a student goes missing with Takeshi investigating.
Plot[]
The episode starts off with Gikogilar attacking the city then the narrator announces this is the first monster attack in 5 years and also shows what Minus Energy is. Then we see Takeshi grading papers until he gets a call from UGM. Takeshi is then late so Harada scolds him then Ooyama orders the team to attack Gikogilar as we are also given the introduction to UGM and its members, Officer Harada, Taijima, Juno and Captain Ooyama. As they try to take the monster down Ooyama orders Takeshi to shot the monster's back but this results in the monster flying away leaving Takeshi angry. The the next day while Takeshi is giving role call, he notices a student is gone then several students pointed out he was skipping school. So Takeshi Yamato vists the boy's house and talks with his mother.
This episode revolves around the common elements of Japanese school dramas at the time and the social issue of Fushūgaku. The story follows Takeshi Hojo's efforts to help Yukio Tsukamoto, a student who refuses to attend school, return to his studies.
The episode opens with an introduction of the UGM members, displaying on-screen captions for "Captain Oyama / Member Emi Jono" and "Member Harada / Member Tajima."
In the story, Tsukamoto fails the entrance exam for a private junior high school and instead enrolls at Sakuragaoka Junior High School, indicating that the school is a public (municipal) institution.
Tsukamoto's future as an adult later becomes a secondary theme in Ultraman Mebius episode 41, "Teacher's Memories."
According to Shinichi Ooka, the special effects photographer for the series:[3]
At the time, Ooka was working as a freelance cinematographer. He was personally invited to join the production by a magazine editor who strongly recommended him for the role. It was an offer he found difficult to refuse. After careful consideration, he decided to take on the project, delegating his other commitments to focus entirely on Ultraman 80. This, however, led to a significant personal cost—he spent an entire year dedicated to the series and had to turn down offers from five other productions.
As for the battle sequences between Ultraman 80 and the kaiju, the process began with the storyboard artist sketching out detailed scene compositions. During the planning stage, Koichi Takano would sometimes indulge in a bit of alcohol while working, which often resulted in him getting carried away—leading to an ever-increasing number of storyboard panels.
Once the storyboards were completed, the assistant director and Ooka would break them down into individual shots, arranging left and right camera angles while structuring the shooting schedule. The production team meticulously fine-tuned action choreography, often adjusting the battle sequences. For instance, they would debate, “Should this fight involve one or two exchanges of attacks? No, let's make it three.” This careful planning ensured the fights had a dynamic rhythm. However, Ohoka admitted that repeating this structured process over time could sometimes feel monotonous.
A typical fight scene followed a familiar formula: Ultraman 80 would make his entrance and launch an initial offensive, then find himself in a crisis, before summoning his last reserves of strength to turn the battle in his favor. This pattern became a standard approach. common occurrence.
Explosive scenes involving aircraft miniatures and model cityscapes were typically completed within regular working hours. To maintain efficiency, Ooka personally oversaw these shoots, ensuring that the team worked in sync to minimize downtime. Additionally, he encouraged strong collaboration among the various departments to prevent unnecessary conflicts. He noted that once a tokusatsu team got into full production mode, their relentless drive often led to heated disputes. As a result, he emphasized flexible coordination based on the specific needs of each scene, ensuring an optimal shooting process.
This episode aired in the United States on TOKU on March 27, 2017.
