Ultra Q

Ultra Q
Ultra Q is the 1st entry in the Ultraman Series and the Ultra Q Series
Series
Episodes
Information
Format/Genre	Horror Science fiction Supernatural
Created by	Tsuburaya Productions
Starring	Kenji Sahara Yasuhiko Saijo Hiroko Sakurai
Original Air Date	January 2 - July 3, 1966
Number of Episodes	28
Running Time	24 minutes
Original Channel	Tokyo Broadcasting System
Streaming	Shout TV Pluto TV Tubi Prime Video
Continuity
Previous	N/A
Next	Ultraman Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy
Production/Release
Previous	N/A
Next	Ultraman

Ultra Q is a tokusatsu sci-fi/kaiju series made in the tradition of Toho's many tokusatsu sci-fi/horror films.

Produced in black and white by Tokyo Broadcasting System/Tsuburaya Productions, this is actually the first of the long-running Ultraman Series, and was broadcast at every weekend at 19:00-19:30 (JST) on Tokyo Broadcasting System from January 2 to July 3, 1966 (the final episode was preempted until December 14, 1967), with a total of 28 episodes. This series was followed a week later by the more popular Ultraman, the second entry in the Ultraman Series.

This show can be watched on Shout TV, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Prime Video.

Production

The proposal document for UNBALANCE includes 13 sample stories collaborated on by the SFWJ. Ultimately, only three of these episodes were broadcast as part of Ultra Q.

Tsuburaya Productions was founded by Eiji Tsuburaya and officially established on April 12, 1963. However, as early as 1962, the company had already begun planning the production of the sci-fi TV series WoO at the request of Fuji Television. In April 1963, the first script for WoO was submitted to Fuji Television. In June of the same year, TBS Television also proposed a plan to produce a series using special effects technology. Both Fuji Television and TBS hoped to gain an advantage in the rapidly developing television field through the use of special effects.

The main person in charge of these two projects at Tsuburaya Productions was the Director of Planning and Literature, screenwriter Tetsuo Kinjo. He actively promoted both projects. Collaborating with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan, WoO depicted the adventures of cosmic creatures, with each episode being a standalone story. The TBS-planned UNBALANCE, on the other hand, was a serialized project full of suspense, emphasizing unique screenwriting styles and drawing inspiration from American TV series such as The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. Its premise was based on the idea of "what if the balance of nature were disrupted," portraying how people would deal with mysterious phenomena and strange events beyond human comprehension. This was portrayed using the special effects expertise of Tsuburaya Productions. These initial stages of planning required more time as they were pioneering projects in Japan. WoO was originally scheduled to air in the fall of 1964, and UNBALANCE was planned to start filming in June of the same year.

At that time, WoO had progressed to the planning stage for its second quarter. In August, a sports newspaper introduced the content of the show and its starring actress. Despite some delays, the final scripts for episodes 1 and 2 were completed in September. However, issues arose during contract signing, and an agreement could not be reached, leading to the cancellation of the WoO project. On the other hand, the UNBALANCE project progressed smoothly. In August 1964, TBS signed a contract for one season (13 episodes) for 13 million yen. In September, drafts for "Metamorphosis," "Mammoth Flower," and "The Devil Child" were completed, with the final drafts of "Mammoth Flower" and "Transformation" finished by mid-September. The location shooting for "Mammoth Flower" officially started on September 27, marking the official start of the production of UNBALANCE.

To meet the production demands of their programs, Tsuburaya Productions purchased an Oxberry Optical printer from the United States. This printer was subsequently used long-term at the TBS Laboratory within TBS Television.

TBS actively supported the production of UNBALANCE, even purchasing an optical printer machine from the American company Oxberry to ensure the quality of the work. Initially, Eiji Tsuburaya planned to pay for this expensive equipment using the fees from both projects, but with the cancellation of WoO, Tsuburaya Productions canceled the order through an agent. However, the machine was already on its way to Japan, and the cost at that time was 40 million yen, which Tsuburaya Productions could not afford. Fortunately, Hajime Tsuburaya, working in TBS's Film Department, used his connections to persuade TBS Programming Director Naomichi Omori to decide to purchase the machine on behalf of Tsuburaya. The printer was subsequently installed within TBS and used during the production of Ultra Q. However, at that time in Japan, purchasing an optical printer for television production capable of overlaying three images was absolutely unthinkable. Therefore, the use of such an optical printer marked the first time in the television industry. Instructions were used to operate the printer, detailing composite cutting scenes, usage lengths, composite operation dates, and other information.

TBS's plan was to use the reputation of "Tsuburaya of the World" for overseas sales. At that time, the contract was for 13 episodes per season, with TBS paying Tsuburaya Productions an estimated production cost of 70 million yen. At that time, the average production cost for a 30-minute TV film was 1.5 million yen, but the UNBALANCE project had already determined a production cost of 5 million yen per episode from the beginning, making it the highest production cost for a TV series in Japan at the time.

Filming

"The production team of Ultra Q on the set filming the episode "Defeat Gomess!"

During the production of UNBALANCE, the first episode was directed by Koji Kajita, who served as Ishiro Honda's chief assistant director at Toho, with Keiji Kawakami as the special effects director. Initially, to reduce the production budget, a separate special effects team was not established. However, due to the demands of the filming schedule, a dedicated special effects team was eventually formed. To ensure the quality of the special effects, Eiji Tsuburaya insisted on using 35mm film for the entire production, which was the same film format used for theatrical movies, despite TV movies typically using 16mm film. This also included the intention to improve the precision of composites using an optical printer. Subsequently, Eiji Tsuburaya and Keiji Kawakami collaborated on the production of "Phantom Car" and "Open Up!." However, the planned fourth episode, "Phantom Car," was postponed in October due to concerns about its content within TBS. "Open Up!" and "The Gift From Space" were filmed between late October and early December 1964.

During this period, Kaichi Iwasaki from the TBS programming department suggested changing the title of "UNBALANCE." At that time, "Ultra C, a high-level gymnastics technique popular during the 1964 Summer Olympics, inspired the new title "Ultra Q." This title not only reflected the direction of the work and piqued the audience's curiosity with the question, "What is this?" but also emphasized the advanced special effects used in the show. The renaming to Ultra Q was officially announced in early January 1965.

In December 1964, after TBS producer Takashi Kakoi, who replaced Hitoshi Shibusawa, watched the completed first three episodes and the samples of "Open Up!" and "The Gift From Space," he advocated for a shift towards a "kaiju-oriented" direction since Eiji Tsuburaya was supervising the production. Tsuburaya Productions accepted this suggestion, halted "Phantom Car," and adjusted the scripts for "I Saw a Bird" and "The 1/8 Project" in UNBALANCE to better fit the style of Ultra Q. They also incorporated a monster appearance scene into the sci-fi drama "The Disappearance of Flight 206," completing the final script for Ultra Q. From then on, the focus of the scripts shifted primarily towards monsters.

Because Eiji Tsuburaya had a high standing with Toho, he was able to use various suits and props from Toho's kaiju films for this series. The Manda prop was used for the Dragon, with the head also serving as the front portion of a Viking ship seen in episode 12. The giant octopus prop from "King Kong vs. Godzilla" was used to portray Sudar, while the Maguma suit from "Gorath" was used to portray Todora. Additionally, various other suits and props were refurbished to play some of the monsters, such as Godzilla for Gomess, King Kong for Goroh, Baragon for Pagos, and a small Rodan prop for the giant birds Larugeus and Litra.

In January 1965, the number of episodes for the first quarter increased from the originally planned 13 to 15, and the scheduled broadcast in April of the same year was postponed. TBS decided more preparation time was needed, and in February, it was decided to produce an additional 13 episodes for the second quarter. At this time, there was a consensus within TBS that Sunday evenings at 7 PM was the most suitable time slot for airing "Ultra Q," and the network viewed it as their strongest program content. During this period, an English version intended for export was also started to supplement production funds, and promotional activities targeting the main audience—youth—were launched. The first promotional activity was an illustrated story of "Mammoth Flower" published in the April issue of the Kodansha monthly magazine Bokura, followed by serializations in both Ultra Q and Weekly Shonen Magazine.

As production gradually got on track, the second quarter's episodes began production in March, with Toho's Samaji Nonagase and TBS's Toshihiro Iijima participating as directors. From the episode 14 onward, creators such as Tohl Narita, Ryosaku Takayama, Samaji Nonagase, and Toru Matoba also joined the production team.

Ultra Q promotional cover in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, published on December 26, 1965.

With the emergence of monsters, a diverse array of works continued to flourish. Ultra Q officially decided to start broadcasting at the end of September 1965, as reported first by the "Naigai Times" on September 30, 1965. After the marketing director of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company evaluated the pilot screening, they decided to cancel the then-unpopular The New Samurai and scheduled Ultra Q to follow in the "Takeda Time" lineup starting January 2, 1966. Subsequently, TBS established the "Super Liaison Committee" (abbreviated as ULC), jointly launching a large-scale promotional campaign since October involving TBS, its affiliated stations, Tsuburaya Productions, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and the advertising agency Senkosha. Additionally, on October 22 of the same year, in response to sponsorship-related measures, "Goro and Goroh" underwent reshoots.

Following a preview screening for broadcasting personnel held in Osaka, an introductory program titled The Mystery of Ultra Q: The World of Monsters was aired on December 25, 1965. Subsequently, on the 26th, regular preview screenings of "The Gift From Space" and "Goro and Goroh" were held at the TBS Hall. By the end of the year, program production had concluded, with mixing work continuing until mid-January.

Impact

The main actors of Ultra Q participated in the production press conference.

After airing in 1966, Ultra Q became immensely popular for featuring kaiju that had previously only been seen in movies, paving the way for the first Monster Boom. Most episodes achieved over 30% viewership ratings, making it a widely beloved program. Records were set as the first batch of records released by multiple companies sold out within a short period of 30,000 copies, eventually becoming a million-selling hit. Related merchandise also sold well, and the favorable terms for commercializing these products extended into the contract for the next series, Ultraman, where soft vinyl monster figures became iconic best-sellers. The revenue from these merchandise sales helped offset production costs.

Initially targeted at children and families, its popularity expanded the audience to include upper elementary to middle school students. Moreover, serialized manga appeared in Shogaku Gonensei, and special features were covered in magazines for middle school students, further broadening its popularity.

TBS invited Tsuburaya to develop the next program, adding a new focus on combating monsters and introducing giant heroes, which eventually led to the even more popular series Ultraman, forming a long-running franchise. The initial concept of the program, UNBALANCE, was revisited by Tsuburaya in 1973, resulting in the production of a 13-episode horror anthology series titled Horror Theater Unbalance.

Synopsis

As supernatural events and monster attacks rock Japan, the military and government look to be overwhelmed. Three intrepid young investigators—two pilots and a reporter—take it upon themselves to study these unexplained phenomena in order to inform and protect the public.

With allies and science aiding them on their journey, the trio must separate myth from history as they explore the greater mysteries of these occurrences: are they unrelated, or is this barrage somehow a portent of even worse things to come?

Characters

Protagonists

• Jun Manjome
• Yuriko Edogawa
• Ippei Togawa
• Ichinotani
• Seki

Kaiju

• Gomess
• Litra
• Goro
• Namegon
• Juran
• Peguila
• Gameron
• Dragon
• Otohime
• Gorgos
• Mongula
• Tarantula
• M1
• Balloonga
• Larugeus
• Garamon
• Kanegon
• Cicada Man
• 1/8 Humans
• Pagos
• Kemur
• Ragon
• Clapton (Unaired)
• Bostang
• Alien Ruperts
• Alien Keel
• The Giant
• Butterfly Morpho
• Sudar
• Goga
• Lily
• Peter
• Todola
• The Train in the Vary Dimension

English Dub

Page from United Artists Television's press kit

In 1967, Ultra Q was licensed from Tsuburaya Productions and TBS by CBS Films, producers of The Twilight Zone. It was a package deal that not only included Ultra Q, but also Ultraman. For the task of dubbing, CBS hired Film House in Toronto, Canada, which is now DeLuxe Toronto. Tsuburaya provided translated scripts, plus English-language opening and closing credits, and a custom swirling title card. The series itself was dubbed in its 28-episode entirety. At some point, CBS Films backed out of licencing the series, and it was picked up, along with Ultraman, by United Artists Television, producers of The Outer Limits. With dubbing of Ultra Q complete, United Artists hired Titra Studios to dub Ultraman. Ultraman was syndicated; however, Ultra Q was not, due to being in black-and-white at a time when most television series were switching to color. After Ultraman finished its run in syndication, audio and film masters and other materials of both series were stored in the MGM vaults. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, all materials reverted back to, and were collected by, Tsuburaya.

It is commonly believed that only one episode, specifically episode 3, was dubbed as a pilot. This has proven not to be true, as other episodes have been found either in audio prints, like episode 3, or film or video prints. From here it can be concluded that this was not the only episode produced.

Cast

• Jun Manjome : Kenji Sahara
• Ippei Togawa : Yasuhiko Saijo
• Yuriko Edogawa : Hiroko Sakurai
• Dr. Ichinotani : Ureo Egawa
• Deskworker Seki : Yoshifumi Tajima
• Assistant Honda : Tadashi Okabe
• Reporter Soma : Haruya Kato
• Photographer Sugimoto : Koji Uno
• Narration : Koji Ishizaka

Suit Actors

• Gomess, Pagos: Haruo Nakajima
• Goro, Gameron, Mongula, Todola: Yukio Fukutome
• Peguila: Yukihiro Seino
• Gorgos, M1, Kanegon, Peter: Haruyoshi Nakamura
• Garamon: Minoru Takahashi
• Kemur, Ragon: Bin Furuya

Staff

• Directors: Hajime Tsuburaya, Koji Kajita, Samaji Nonagase, Harunosuke Nakagawa, Toshihiro Iijima, Kazuho Mitsuta
• Screenwriters: Toshihiro Iijima, Tetsuo Kinjo, Koji Kajita, Hiroyasu Yamaura, Masashi Otomo, Masahiro Yamada, Mieko Osanai, Kyoko Kitazawa
• Supervision: Eiji Tsuburaya
• Producers: Eiji Tsuburaya, Takashi Kakoi, Hitoshi Shibusawa
• Photography: Masaharu Utsumi, Kiyoshi Hasegawa, Fumio Tajima
• Lighting: Kazuo Kobayashi, Tadao Goto
• Art: Kiyoshi Shimizu
• Music: Kunio Miyauchi
• Editing: Reiko Kaneko, Chozo Obata, Masahisa Himi
• Special technology photography: Koichi Takano
• Special effects art: Tohl Narita, Yasuyuki Inoue, Seishiro Ishii, Akira Watanabe
• Production: Tokyo Broadcasting System, Tsuburaya Productions

Legacy

In the years following the show's original run, a live action film called Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars was released in 1990. A radio program featuring the voices of the three original stars of the show (playing their classic characters) called The Ultra Q Club aired on Japanese radio from 2003-2004. Also in 2004, a new TV series called Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy was produced, while another TV series called Neo Ultra Q began airing in early 2013.

The original concept of the show (when it was going to be called Unbalance) was ultimately used for a 13-episode horror anthology series entitled Horror Theater Unbalance that was produced by Tsuburaya Productions in 1973.

Various Ultra Q monsters were reused or redressed for various monsters in Ultraman. Kemur and Ragon (both now giant-sized) returned, while the Garamon suit was reused and the monster was reduced in size and renamed Pigmon. Other suits were altered into other monsters, such as Peguila being altered into Chandlar, Kemur being altered into Alien Zetton, Pagos being altered into Neronga, Magular, and Gabora, the Cicada Human being altered into Alien Baltan, and Peter being altered into Guesra.

Home Media

Shout! Factory released the complete series of Ultra Q on DVD on August 13, 2013.

Total Natural Color Ultra Q Box I features episodes 1-14, and Box II features episodes 15-28. Both of these box sets were released during the 45th anniversary of the show. Ultra Q Deluxe Edition features all 28 episodes. In 2019, Mill Creek Entertainment released Ultra Q as standard and SteelBook Blu-ray releases in the United States.

Total Natural Color Ultra Q Box I

Total Natural Color Ultra Q Box II

Ultra Q Deluxe Edition

Shout! Factory DVD release of Ultra Q: The Complete Series

Mill Creek standard Blu-ray release of Ultra Q

Mill Creek Steelbook Blu-ray release of Ultra Q

Gallery

Colored title version

The colored title used in Ultraman

English title version

External Links

• Ultra Q at Tsuburaya Productions' official website
• Ultra Q at Wikipedia
• Ultra Q at Japanese Wikipedia

References

• The Q-Files: Complete Ultra Q Episode Guide by Jim Cirronella and Kevin Grays. Originally published in KAIJU-FAN #4 (November 1996).
• Ultraman Monster Ultra Large Collection　(orig.: ウルトラ怪獣大全集). Domdom (1995). ISBN 978-4-09-101411-5.
• So Crazy Japanese Toys! by Jimbo Matison. Chronicle Books (2003). ISBN 978-0-8118-3529-9.