[ljacone]

Watched Ultraman Leo episode 1. Great stuff, even raw. The battle between the Gillas brothers and Ultraseven is excellent, and then the battle keeps on escalating with Magma-seijin showing up and then Leo. Battling on the shoreline is just fantastic from a visual standpoint.

When the Gillas show up again and cause the flood in the city, the effects rival any theatrically released flood effects of the time. I am not exagerrating, they are that good. It looks like something out of a blockbuster American disaster film. The desperate fight with Leo and the Gillas is excellent as well, and amazingly enough it ends on a cliffhanger.

The character bits which can be gleaned are nice. Leo's planet was ravaged and eventually destroyed by the Magma-seijin, so it's a personal battle for him. The interaction between Dan Moroboshi and Gen is interesting too, as Dan does not want Gen to die battling the Gillas. But an Ultra has to do what an Ultra has to do.

Really dug this episode and looking forward to seeing the conclusion of the battle against the Gillas and Magma-seijin!