The Vampire Flower is a Girl's Spirit is the eleventh episode of Ultraman Taro. This episode was released theatrically alongside Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and various cartoons at the 1974 Spring Toho Champion Matsuri.
Plot[]
ZAT is on the case of a series of vampiric murders. While investigating, Kotaro meets a mysterious orphan girl, Kanae, who is always holding a bunch of red flowers. While he is out, Saori and Moriyama are attacked by a mysterious plant.
It is not long before it is discovered that Kanae’s flowers are actually the blood-sucking vegetation. It also turns out that Kanae is not so innocent after all; she has been giving the flowers away to her neighbors, all the while knowing that they kill people.
Cast[]
- Kotaro Higashi : Saburo Shinoda
- Shuuhei Aragaki : Takahiko Tono
- Tadao Nanbara : Toyoyuki Kimura
- Izumi Moriyama : Kiyoko Matsuya
- Tetsuya Kitajima : Hidesuke Tsumura
- Takashi Ueno : Akihiko Nishijima
- Saori Shiratori : Mayumi Asaka
- Kenichi Shiratori : Shinya Saito
- Narrator : Tetsuro Sagawa
Guest Actors[]
- Kanae Iwatsubo : Terumi Shimono
- Mrs. Iwatsubo : Masayo Banri
Suit Actors[]
- Ultraman Taro : Hiroshi Nagasawa
- Basara : Toru Kawai
Appearances[]
Ultras[]
Kaiju[]
Home Media[]
- Ultraman Taro Volume 3 features episodes 10-13.
All 13 Volume Set cover
Trivia[]
- According to the episode's director, Eizo Yamagiwa, the story was inspired by the "coin-locker babies" incident. These were newborns abandoned in coin-operated lockers at train stations and other locations in post-war Japan. In the 1970s, when Ultraman Taro was airing, this was a widespread social issue in Japan.
- According to Yamagiwa's 2020 interview, the concept for this episode was discussed during a meeting at TBS. After Yamagiwa explained the content, they responded with, "Oh, Mr. Yamagiwa, if you made it, then I guess we have to show it." Yamagiwa noted that while directing Return of Ultraman, there were a few episodes he was particularly eager to create. For this episode of Ultraman Taro, he felt it was one he absolutely had to complete, no matter what.[1]
- In the episode, Basara rises from the ground of a mound known as the "Abandoned Children Mound ," a burial site for babies abandoned by their parents. The flowers growing there are called "grudge flowers." In this context, Basara is a monster born from the resentment of these abandoned children. Compared to other episodes in the series, this one stands out due to its focus on social issues.
References[]