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Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars (ウルトラQ ザ・ムービー 星の伝説, Urutora Kyū Za Mūbī Hoshi no Densetsu) is a tokusatsu Kaiju movie based on the 1966 series Ultra Q and produced by Tsuburaya Eizo in 1990.

Production[]

Ultra Q Monster Concerto

Script draft for Ultra Q Monster Concerto.

During the 1980s, director Akio Jissoji attempted to create a new entry in the Ultraman Series. One notable concept was the 1982 proposal titled the Ultraman: Monster Bible. This film's premise revolved around exploring the "future" envisioned during the original Ultraman TV series' broadcast—essentially, contemporary Japan of 1982—through the lens of societal issues. However, the project was ultimately shelved due to budget constraints and its misalignment with the cultural climate of the time.[1]

In 1984, Tsuburaya Productions planned a theatrical film titled "Ultra Q: Monster Concerto" (ウルトラQ 怪獣協奏曲, Urutora Kyū Kaijū Kyōsōkyoku), written by Mamoru Sasaki and supervised by Shinichi Sekizawa. The movie was intended as a tribute to Eiji Tsuburaya. At the time, preparations for the film were nearly complete. A production office was set up at Daiei Film Studios, and location scouting had already begun. The production team was almost fully assembled, but the project was ultimately abandoned due to financial constraints. The following outlines the film's storyline:[1]

A series of mysterious events unfolded in Noto Peninsula, where two massive kaiju appeared separately at a nuclear power plant and a waste treatment facility. These creatures consumed industrial waste before vanishing without a trace. Through a public naming contest held by the media, the monsters were dubbed "Draga (ドラガ, Doraga)" and "Zur (ズル, Zuru)." Meanwhile, Hisashi Tanomura (田能 村久, Tanomura Hisashi), a young man practicing organic farming at the base of Mount Fuji, met Karya (カルヤー), an international student. She expressed fascination with Japanese folktales, such as the story of Princess Kaguya and the legend of the celestial robe, shared by Hisashi. His emphasis on living harmoniously with nature resonated deeply with her, and their mutual interests blossomed into a romantic relationship.

Around the same time, a television reporter, Kiriko Kazamatsuri (風祭 キリ子, Kazamatsuri Kiriko), nicknamed "Fuko (風子, Fūko)," was covering a story on nuclear power plants. During her investigation, she encountered Ramure (ラムレ), another international student. Kazeko voiced her concerns about modern Japan's relentless pursuit of cutting-edge technology, often at the expense of environmental destruction and pollution. Ramure, moved by her perspective, began to see things differently, and their shared ideals brought them closer together.

Karya and Ramure were aliens from the Mime tribe, whose home planet had been destroyed, leaving them dependent on artificial food. This change altered their physiology, putting their species at risk of extinction. To ensure their survival, they traveled to Earth to create hybrid offspring with humans. In reality, their true forms were the kaiju Draga and Zur, appearing across Japan to feed on industrial waste, their primary food source. They used special pills to disguise themselves as humans and blend into Earth’s society.[1]

After the cancellation of the Ultra Q: Monster Concerto project, production of Ultra Q films was put on hold for several years. However, six years later, a new Ultra Q movie was proposed. Initially envisioned as a project directed by Shusuke Kaneko with scripts written by Kazunori Ito and Hiroaki Jinno, the film aimed to take an episodic anthology format, similar in tone and ambition to the Heisei Godzilla series. Three story drafts were developed for the project, but despite initial efforts, the plan eventually fell through after a prolonged and complicated development process.[2][3][4]

The project was subsequently taken over by Tsuburaya Eizo, a company founded by Akira Tsuburaya. Under this new management, a collaboration between Jissoji and Sasaki began to take shape. The revised script incorporated ideas from two unproduced film concepts while drawing inspiration from Japanese folklore, including elements of the Urashima Tarō, the Hagoromo Legend, the Sea People, and the concept of Tokoyo-no-Kuni. The tone and narrative style were heavily influenced by Jissoji and Sasaki's earlier works, ranging from Operation: Mystery to Crescent Moon Love Story (三日月情話, Mikazuki Jōwa) (1976) and Sacred Mother Kannon (1977).[5]

When the film was finally released, Akio Jissoji joined Mamoru Sasaki and Noriaki Ikeda in a discussion about the project. Jissoji remarked: "While I respect the original Ultra Q series, I didn’t consciously reference it during the creative process this time." He went on to explain: "I’ve always wanted to make a kaiju film. It has been a long-standing dream of mine, and this project finally allowed me to realize it."[5]

Upon release, the film became Jissoji’s only work classified explicitly as a "kaiju film".

Synopsis[]

Jun Manjome, an employee at the TTV, investigates a series of mysterious deaths, leading him and his colleagues on a search for Hamano, another employee who went missing while researching for an ancient history program.

Appearances[]

Kaiju[]

Cast[]

  • Jun Manjome (万城目 淳, Manjōme Jun): Toshio Shiba (柴 俊夫, Shiba Toshio)
  • Yuriko Edogawa (江戸川 由利子, Edogawa Yuriko): Keiko Oginome (荻野目 慶子, Oginome Keiko)
  • Ippei Togawa (戸川 一平, Togawa Ippei): Shingo Kazami (風見 しんご, Kazami Shingo)
  • Mayumi Hoshino (星野 真弓, Hoshino Mayumi): Mio Takaki (高樹 澪, Takaki Mio)
  • Tetsushi Hamano (浜野 哲史, Hamano Tetsushi): Masami Horiuchi (堀内 正美, Horiuchi Masami)
  • Takeshi Sasamoto (笹本 毅, Sasamoto Takeshi): Toshio Yamauchi (山内 としお, Yamauchi Toshio)
  • Ichinotani (一の谷): Jin Nakayama (中山 仁, Nakayama Jin)
  • Yamane (山根): Minori Terada (寺田 農, Terada Minori)
  • Morita (森田): Shiro Sano (佐野 史郎, Sano Shirō)
  • Cameraman: Hiroshi Tsuburaya (円谷 浩, Tsuburaya Hiroshi)
  • News Staff:
    • Hiroyuki Takano (高野 浩幸, Takano Hiroyuki)
    • Yumiko Tsutsui (筒井 由美子, Tsutsui Yumiko)
  • Detectives:
  • Yamane's Colleague: Yasuhiko Saijo (西條 康彦, Saijō Yasuhiko)
  • Fisherman: Masao Fukazawa (深沢 政雄, Fukazawa Masao)
  • Apartment Resident: Miho Nikaido (二階堂 美穂, Nikaidō Miho)
  • Izu Historian: Haruhiko Okamura (岡村 春彦, Okamura Haruhiko)
  • Taxi Driver: Shingo Uchiide (打出 親五, Uchi'ide Shingo)
  • Farmer: Shigeo Kato (加藤 茂雄, Katō Shigeo)
  • Businessman: Mikio Ozawa (小沢 幹雄, Ozawa Mikio)
  • Yoshinogari Clerk: Isao Iwamoto (岩本 勲, Iwamoto Isao)
  • Construction Site Supervisor: Yutaka Ikejima (池島 ゆたか, Ikejima Yutaka)
  • Police Officers:
    • Kunihiko Kojima (小島 邦彦, Kojima Kunihiko)
    • Toshiki Hidaka (日高 俊樹, Hidaka Toshiki)
    • Masayuki Mitsuya (三ツ矢 真之, Mitsuya Masayuki)
    • Ryuji Yamamoto (山本 竜二, Yamamoto Ryūji)
    • Yasunori Yumiya (弓家 保則, Yumiya Yasunori)
  • Tourism Businessmen:
    • Atsushi Taniguchi (谷口 敦, Taniguchi Atsushi)
    • Hiroto Masaki (まさき 博人, Masaki Hiroto)
    • Masasuke Hirose (広瀬昌助, Hirose Masasuke)
  • Innkeeper: Keiko Kaga (加賀 恵子, Kaga Keiko)
  • Narrator: Koji Ishizaka (石坂 浩二, Ishizaka Kōji)
  • Butoh Dancer and Choreographer: Min Tanaka (田中 泯, Tanaka Min)

Staff[]

  • Director: Akio Jissoji
  • Screenwriter: Mamoru Sasaki
  • Special effects director: Junkichi Oki
  • Executive producer: Akira Tsuburaya
  • Producers: Noriko Shishikura, Yoshiki Nomura
  • Kaiju designer: Noriyoshi Ikeya
  • Music: Maki Ishii
    • Performance: New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
    • Soloist (ciderois Hos): Sumire Yoshihara
  • Cinematography: Masao Nakabori
  • Lighting: Kenji Ushiba
  • Art: Shinichi Mizuno
  • Editor: Osamu Inoue
  • Sound recording: Eiji Kimura
  • Special equipment: Toyo Oshima
  • Assistant director: Tsugumi Kitaura
  • Records: Teruko Kumano
  • Music selection: Masumi Ishii
  • Sound effects: Masatoshi Saito (Toyo Onkyo Kamome)
  • Sound advisor: Yoshihiro Nakayama
  • Storyboard: Shinji Higuchi
  • Special effects makeup: Tomoo Haraguchi
  • Action choreographer: Tatsumi Nikamoto
  • Visual Effects
    • Visual effects supervisor: Minoru Nakano
    • Technical editor: Michihisa Miyashige
    • Effects animation: Takashi Kawabata
    • Composite painting: Takeshi Tsukada
    • Scanimates: IMAGICA
    • Alien CG modeling: buildup Co.,Ltd.
  • Special Techniques
    • Cinematography: Shinichi Ooka
    • Lighting: Motoichi Ichikawa
    • Art: Yasuo Fujita
    • Assistant director: Mitsunori Hattori
    • Records: Ikuko Shimanuki
    • Editor: Ryūichi Takano
    • Stunt coordination: Kamekōsen (Izumi Negishi)
    • Pyrotechnics effects: Ohime Special Effects (Osame Kume)
    • Kaiju modeling: Bess
    • Spaceship modeling: Up Art, Seed
    • Special modeling: Marbling Fine Arts, Special Art GAM, Locust
  • Filming cooperation: Yoshinogari Site Preservation Association, Hizen Town Tourism Association, Shimoda City Tourism Association, Nishi-Izu Tourism Association, Yosa-gun Ine Town Chamber of Commerce, Mineyama Town, Yae Town
  • Recording studio: Nikkatsu Studio Center
  • Development: Tokyo Laboratory
  • Video technology cooperation: Pavic
  • Studios: International Television, Midoriyama Studio City
  • Original work: Tsuburaya Productions
  • Planning cooperation: TBS
  • Production cooperation: Kodai
  • Co-producing producer: Hiroshi Abe
  • Production: Tsuburaya Eizo
  • Distributed by: Shochiku, Sega Enterprises, Tohoku Shinsha, Tsuburaya Eizo, Collaborative Work

Home Media[]

The movie was released on VHS on October 24, 1990, and on DVD on August 25, 2001, both by Bandai Visual.

Gallery[]

Images[]

Stills[]

Trivia[]

  • This is the last movie to use Tsuburaya's style of opening credits.
  • The film's director, Akio Jissoji, previously directed many Ultraman Series episodes, as well as a 1979 film compiling his episodes of Ultraman.
Ultraman Monster Bible 2
  • In 2011, an unreleased script of the film Ultra Q: Monster Concerto was discovered in the Mamoru Sasaki Memorial Room in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture. It was exhibited for the first time at the Nomi City Museum during the Mamoru Sasaki Special Exhibition in July.[6]
  • The detectives are played by some of the main cast of Ultraman.
  • Yasuhiko Saijo, who played Ippei Togawa in Ultra Q, makes a cameo.
  • In Ichinotani's laboratory, photos of the original Ichinotani from Ultra Q and writer Tetsuo Kinjo are on the wall.
  • Akio Jissoji's stuffed raccoon Chinabo (ちな坊, Chinabō) appears as the TTV's mascot.
  • Masami Horiuchi would later play portray a minor character with the same name as his character from this film in episode 4 of Ultraman Decker.
  • Regarding Shusuke Kaneko's Ultra Q project, a 2019 interview revealed that the series was conceived as a trilogy of short films, written by Kazunori Ito, Hiroaki Jinno, and Mitsuru Shimada. The format was designed as a "monster anthology," with each installment featuring a unique story. Kaneko and Ito would later go on to collaborate on the Heisei Gamera trilogy. The three films included the following:
    • Mammoth Flower: Written by Hiroaki Jinno, this story was adapted from the episode 4 of the original series and was intended to serve as the film's opening. In the story, wind blows flower pollen into a drain, and when combined with rainwater, it creates a vortex. This sequence was to be the opening of the Ultra Q.
    • Garamon: Written by Kazunori Ito, this story was adapted from the episode 13 of the original series.
    • Additionally, Mitsuru Shimada contributed a fantasy-oriented story that did not feature any monsters.
    • The project ultimately came to an abrupt halt. The main issue arose from the exclusive merchandising rights to the Ultraman monsters being owned by Bandai, which prevented the movie's sponsor, Sega, from selling toys of the monsters featured in the film. Given this limitation, Sega felt it was not worthwhile to incorporate past monsters into the project, leading to the script being discarded. Despite this, the movie's release schedule had already been set, and the project was eventually continued based on Akio Jissoji's earlier concepts.[7]
  • To date, the movie has not been made available on TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION.

External Links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Eiga Hiho Special Edition: Akio Jissoji Research Reader, pg 160-162
  2. https://eiga.com/news/20191101/11/
  3. https://2019.tiff-jp.net/news/ja/?p=53403
  4. https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/210812/
  5. 5.0 5.1 Eiga Hiho Special Edition: Akio Jissoji Research Reader, pg 216
  6. https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0033739
  7. Shusuke Kaneko ガメラ監督日記, pg 60-61

Productions
Showa Series Ultra Q | Ultraman | Ultraseven | Return of Ultraman | Ultraman Ace | Ultraman Taro | Ultraman Leo | Ultraman 80
Heisei Series Ultraman Tiga | Ultraman Dyna | Ultraman Gaia | Ultraman Cosmos | Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy | Ultraman Nexus | Ultraman Max | Ultraman Mebius | Ultraseven X | Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle | Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey | Neo Ultra Q | Ultraman Ginga | Ultraman Ginga S | Ultraman X | Ultraman Orb | Ultraman Geed | Ultraman R/B
Reiwa Series Ultraman Taiga | Ultraman Z | Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga | Ultraman Decker | Ultraman Blazar | Ultraman Arc | Ultraman Omega
Outside of Japan Ultraman: The Adventure Begins | Ultraman: Towards the Future | Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero | Ultraman: Rising
Original Video and TV Special Ultra Fight | Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider | Ultra Super Fight | Ultraman Nice | Heisei Ultraseven | Ultraman Neos | Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend | Ultra Idemitsujin | Ultra Zone
Showa Movies Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature | Return of Ultraman | The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. The Monster Army | Ultraman (1979) | Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle | Ultraman ZOFFY: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army | Ultraman Story
Heisei Movies Ultra Q The Movie | Revive! Ultraman | Ultraman Zearth | Ultraman Zearth 2 | Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna | Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, & Ultraman Gaia | Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey | Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact | Ultraman Cosmos 2 | New Century Ultraman Legend | Ultraman Cosmos vs. Ultraman Justice | New Century 2003 Ultraman Legend | ULTRAMAN (2004) | Ultraman Mebius & the Ultra Brothers | Superior 8 Ultra Brothers | Mega Monster Battle Ultra Galaxy: The Movie | Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial | Ultraman Saga | Ultraman Ginga Theater Special | Ultraman Ginga Theater Special: Battle Royale | Ultraman Ginga S The Movie | Ultraman X The Movie | Ultraman Orb The Movie | Ultraman Geed The Movie | Ultraman R/B The Movie
Reiwa Movies Ultraman Taiga The Movie | Ultraman Trigger: Episode Z | Shin Ultraman | Ultraman Decker Finale | Ultraman Blazar The Movie | Ultraman Arc The Movie
Short Films Ultraman, Ultraseven: Great Violent Monster Fight | Mirrorman Pilot Film | Ultra Q No.29: Darkness is Coming! | Return of Ultraman: MAT Arrow 1 Takeoff Order | Ultraman Neos Pilot | Ultraman Tiga 〜To the Children of Light〜 | Fierce Battle! Ultraman Takamiy | ULTRAMAN_n/a | Ultraseven IF Story
Spin-Offs Andro Melos | Ultraman Zearth: Parody Chapter | Revival of the Ancient Giant | The Return of Hanejiro | Gaia Again | The Ultra Q Club | Ultraman Kaiju Legend | Hikari Saga | Armored Darkness | Ghost Rebirth | Ultraman Zero VS Darklops Zero | Q -Door to Another Dimension- | Killer the Beatstar | Ultra Zero Fight | Ultra Fight Victory | Ultraman Orb THE ORIGIN SAGA | Ultra Fight Orb | New Generation Heroes | The Absolute Conspiracy | Sevenger Fight | Struggle of Special Section 3 | The Destined Crossroad | Continued Ultra Fight | Shin Ultra Fight | Return of Special Section 3 | Ultraman Regulos | Ultraman Regulos: First Mission | SKaRD Break Room | Ultraman 4K Discovery
Dramas and Docudramas Fly in the Sea Breeze!! Ultraman | The Men Who Made Ultraman | Superhuman Detective Shuwatch | My Beloved Ultraseven | The Man Who Wanted to Be Ultraman | The Kaiju Club | The Two Ultramen
Rebroadcast Shows Ultraman Retsuden | New Ultraman Retsuden | Ultraman Zero: The Chronicle | Ultraman Orb: The Chronicle | Ultraman New Generation Chronicle | Ultraman Chronicle: ZERO & GEED | Ultraman Chronicle Z: Heroes' Odyssey | Ultraman Chronicle D | Ultraman New Generation Stars
Other Series and Movies Kaiju Booska | Captain Ultra | Mighty Jack | Fight! Mighty Jack | Operation: Mystery | Scat of Single | Chibira-kun | Mirrorman | Redman | Triple Fighter | Emergency Directive 10-4·10-10 | Iron King | Horror Theater Unbalance | Fireman | Jumborg Ace | Mirror Fight | Jumborg Ace & Giant | Mars Men | Army of the Apes | Pro-Wrestling Star Aztecaser | The Last Dinosaur | Dinosaur Expedition Born Free | Dinosaur Great War Izenborg | Star Wolf | Dinosaur Squadron Koseidon | Our Baseball Detective Team | Anime-chan | Gridman the Hyper Agent | Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad | Moon Spiral | Cyber Beauties Telomere | Booska! Booska!! | Otasuke Girl | Mysterious Incident Special Investigation Team SRI | Mirrorman REFLEX | Bio Planet WoO | Operation: Mystery - Second File | Mirror Fight 2012 | Operation: Mystery - Mystery File | Gridknight Fight
Anime The☆Ultraman | Ultraman Kids (Pleasant Friends of Planet M7.8, Proverb Stories, 30 Million Light-Years) | Ultraman Graffiti: Wild! Ultra Country | Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend | Ultra Nyan | Ultra Nyan 2 | Ultraman M78 Theater Love & Peace | Gridman the Hyper Agent: boys invent great hero | The・Ultraman: Jackal vs. Ultraman | Kaiju Sakaba Kanpai! | Kaiju Girls | SSSS.GRIDMAN | ULTRAMAN (2019) | Kaiju Step Wandabada | SSSS.DYNAZENON | KAIJU DECODE | GRIDMAN UNIVERSE
Documentaries and Informational Series The Father of Ultra Q | Ultra Information Station | Ultra's Cradle | Ultra Heroine Legend (From Anne to Seven, Contest of Goddesses) | Ultra Q Kaiju Legend | Ultraman The Prime | Return of Izenborg | ULTRAMAN ARCHIVES | Takaya's Room | Ultra Science Fantasy Hour | Ultra Fight Club | UlSummer Information Station | Tomokazu Seki's ULTRA CLUB | Ultra Construction Tour | Ultra Information Center | Ultraseven Legend | Professor Teruaki's "Blazar Kaiju Academy" | Super Power! Ultra Encyclopedia! | Ul-Katsu Life | THE ORIGIN OF ULTRAMAN
Outlaw Content Space Warriors 2000 | Project Ultraman | Ultraman The Animation | Ultraman: A Little Journey on Earth | Fun... English with Ultraman | Young Ultraman | Ultraman Big Transformation | Sinic Q | Red Jade | Dragon Force: So Long Ultraman | Dragon Force: Rise of Ultraman