Ultraman Episode #10 - The Mysterious Dinosaur Base

Director: Kazuho Mitsuta
Year: 1966
Country: Japan
Alternate Titles: (Alternate DVD Title: Mysterious Monster Base) (謎の恐竜基地 Nazo no Kyōryū Kichi?)
Genre: Tokusatsu TV

Plot:
After receiving word of weird activity, the Science Patrol heads to the remote Lake Kitayama to investigate where they discover a strange monster living in the area under the control of a mad scientist looking to gain revenge on the world with his creations and forces the Science Patrol to stop it.

Story:

There's some great stuff on display here. The first half is played as a nice mystery detailing the kooky doctor living in the shack and featuring the strange creature that's shown to be in the lake before due to the quick scenes of him feeding and playfully encouraging the creature to stay hidden. These elements quickly get us into what's going on here so that the Science Patrol's investigation at the lake serves up a slight bit of suspense as to whether they'll catch the creature which is then further complicated by the arrival of the reporters doing their story on the doctor. This triple-set of storylines is weaved through some fun scenes with the later condensed storylines that bring the team and the creatures together when Jirass finally comes out of the water and it turns into a traditional episode with the last half.

This also manages to impart some enjoyable work here in expanding the mad scientist angle in the second half of the episode. While initially appearing as the typical humanity-hating whack-job that populated these efforts for the most part, we later find out a great sense of empathy for him as he's far more a pathetic loner. Content to spend his days by his lonesome feeding the pet creatures in the lab and keeping Jirass from being discovered, there's not much threatening activity actually given off of he were to be simply left alone out in the wilderness with his pets. It's a fine testament here, especially with the revelation that comes leading into the third act as well as the sentimentality on display at the very last frames that further this aspect of the story along.

Special Effects:

This is where the episode really works wonders as there's so much to like about the special effects. Starting with the monster Jirass, the legend of the creature's creation is already well-known but in practice looks somewhat silly and appropriate for the format, being a Godzilla-like being with bright yellow coloring and a distinctive frill sprouting up around its neck. This is a fine design for a children's TV show and manages to keep the character reasonably familiar while still maintaining a somewhat unique and memorable look, with the yellow stripe running down it's chest, frill and back-plates in a distinctly unique fashion. Moreover, because it's a Godzilla costume, there's a nice sense of flexibility afforded to the fight that's rather enjoyable and makes this far more enjoyable with these elements all tied together.

Also important here is the rather engaging special effects found in the undersea sequences. With the Science Patrol cruising around investigating the lake which requires the usual style of miniature effects work with the affair being done on a soundstage and accomplished with filters, the finished work is exceptionally impressive where the shots of the S-21 submarine patrolling through the series of underground outcrops and rocky crevices that appear on the ocean floor. This isn't as impressive as the other big action scene underwater from the pilot but it's an enjoyable sequence that shows them actually doing their job monitoring and observing rather than attacking and going on the offensive. With the submarine and the VTOL dropping it into the water looking really convincing in the sequence, this has a lot to like about it.

The last impressive part of the episode is the set-work on the two big locations here. The underground cave setup, which is filled with absolutely crazy and demented collection of dinosaur pictures along the walls and an assortment of nick-knacks that literally clutter the room, make for a rather silly villains' lair while the rest of the house turns into a fine battleground for Ultraman and Jirass for their fight. Thankfully with the house surviving the incident and it taking place in the forest surrounding the house, this is a fun battle arena with the trees and rocks coming into play at several points. Also worth noting is the effects work on the dismembered frill, looking rather lifelike and fleshy when it's being draped on the creature after the fight.

As well, there's some fun and impressive composite work featured here. Having not one but two shots of Jirass rising from the water with people on the shore watching it come out offers some wholly enjoyable composite shots, especially the action shot of it coming out in the middle of the lake while the Science Patrol car pulls up on the corresponding road. The later shot, showing the creature advancing on the doctor and the Science Patrol with him looks somewhat blurry in a brief spot where he's being trampled underfoot due to needing to shrink him compared to the creature but the action holds it up in the flurry of activity. Overall, there's very little about the special effects work here that disappoints.

Actors:

Unquestionably the highlight of the episode is Dr. Nakamura, the mad scientist on the lake. While he initially appears to be every bit the crazed humanity-hating mad scientist always on the loose in these types of efforts. His behavior is mostly based around being genuine enough to live in the eccentric lair but his ranting and continued profession about showing off the monster's prowess signal his utterly bizarre mindset. That he blends this kind of strong maniacal craziness with a truly touching and emotional payoff really makes his storyline quite thrilling, but it's easily the ranting and insane notion of keeping a dinosaur living in the nearby lake that makes him memorable.

Beyond him, though, no one else really stands out. The female reporter could've been a fine potential girl for Ito who share a nice and romantic moment in the middle of the episode and gets to drive one of the coolest cars in the history of film, but she does disappear into the background once she gets captured by Dr. Nakamura. The photographer is even more useless and unmemorable as he doesn't even register at all. However, it's also fun to note a special moment from the Science Patrol members in the hotel after their scanning mission, as we see Ito, Hayata and Arashi acting like complete forks after completing their mission. Laughing like idiots, wildly shaking their hands and then to see them back relaxing by reading or tackling the buffet makes them seem far more humanized than most other factors.

Other Factors:

One of the biggest aspects of the episode is the main fight at the end, which is rightfully one of the most remembered part of the show. Yes, it's Jirass but the fact that the frill is removed makes this essentially Godzilla vs Ultraman, which in that sense makes this one incredibly disappointing. There's very little in the way of brawling or hand-to-hand fighting that takes place here, with a useless rock-blasting sequence thrown in to waste time and plenty of just standing-off against each other that just leaves the fight feeling like they're just stalling for time, a crime considering that essentially it's Nakajima in a Godzilla costume doing what he does best.

As well, the few physical interactions we get between them is somewhat confusing. The violence of the frill removal is just absolutely unnecessary considering the fact that it's a cheap ploy to hide Godzilla's appearance all along so to see him them viciously pull it off and leave it with a huge red spot along the spot it would've been seems cruel. This is compounded by the absolutely sociopathic tendency to wave it like a bull in front of Jirass to get him to charge at it. On top of that, the forced sentimentality present at the end of their bought when Ultraman lays the frill on it just goes completely against what we just saw where he violently attacked and mocks Jirass.

The sociopathic tendencies also manage to crop up earlier in the fight where we see Ultraman do some rather uncharacteristic actions. The legendary scene of him forcing Jirass to charge at him using the frill as a reason is set up by some rather unusual manners earlier where he signals with his hands as if Jirass has bad breath, something that we've never seen from him before. Likewise, the idea of laughing at an opponent after taking a tumble is somewhat unusual, especially given that he doesn't press the advantage in the fight that he would've found himself in at that point as several other fights have shown that Ultraman will jump on an enemy and try to hold the upper hand rather than just simply laughing and letting the enemy get back into the fight.

Still, there is some good things to like about the episode. For all the on-screen quibbles, seeing Godzilla and Ultraman go against each other has a special amount of sentimentality present, especially driven by Nakajima's stellar acting in Jirass. The shock and utter panic he demonstrates when the frill is removed is a top-notch performance and really sells the creatures' pain and confusion in the moment, rightfully making him seem more than just a silly monster that helps us to empathize with the creature especially in the finale. Speaking of acting, special mention must be made of one of Hayata's most memorable moments, ducking back just before seeing Arashi and Fuji enter the mansion to rescue Ito and then looking for a chance to use the Beta Capsule in a way that would make Superman proud, amping up the camp factor considerably in here and helping the turn of the series into a full superhero style.

Overview: ****1/2/5
A true-blue dyed-in-the-wool classic episode, not just for the absolutely engaging and enjoyable storyline here but the behind-the-scenes antics that make this a real standout in the show. Undoubtedly one of the first efforts of the show most will want to look for and show to others to show what the series is about while also giving this plenty to like just on its own.