[GrandComplete]

Episode 5 "Another Giant"

Episode 5, and we're back with Konaka but we also have a new director, the late Masaki Harada, who died on February 28. From what I can tell, he actually got his start on Ultraman, debuting with four episodes of Tiga and continuing with the TDG trilogy, directing ten episodes for Dyna and Gaia, and remaining for Cosmos and Ultra Q Dark Fantasy, as well as Ryukendo along the way.


His work frequently incorporated realism into the Ultra Series through the use of real-world elements or allegories to real-world elements. such as Yakuza members or those who act like Yakuza and claim there is no distinction between enemies in the franchise, only "the distinction between monsters and human enemies." He also had a penchant for wanting peace with enemies, so a good chunk of his work often featured kaiju being able to settle down rather than being outright destroyed. giving his work a sense of variety as he?s not afraid to blow up a Kaiju here or there but rather creates a more complex world reflective of reality.
And you can see the first sign of Harada injecting realism. A toku protagonist with actual parents?That?s unheard of because parents are either dead, never mentioned, or evil. And in this episode, everything is just mundane; there is no massive plan orchestrated by some big bad or anything. It?s just Gamu not telling his parents that he is now part of a government organization and is given time off to just go back home for a bit to break the news. It?s all just so normal. And, despite the fact that this episode is all about Gamu, as discussed further below, the episode made the most of the little screen time the other characters in XIG had, from Georgie playfully trading with Gamu for an ice cream bar to how she does a really bad job of keeping her end of the bargain when pressed by Atsuko to even the reveal that Commander Ishimuro is a father himself and ordering Gamu to properly break the news to his parents.

Gamu's home is so rustic and rural, and you can see how he grew up to be a little awkward here. Bringing forth another form of realism, this episode explores how his homelife can be illuminating for his character. how he felt ostracized for his intelligence by childhood bullies. This episode isn?t about the bullies themselves; after all, it would be immature for the story to focus on such an aspect. So instead of doing the cliche thing and having Gamu meet his former bullies as adults and having to prove he?s changed, the story is about ultimately acknowledging the hurt of the past but also moving on with his conversation with his mother, admitting that he didn?t like where he lived but was glad to come back to tell his parents or at least his mom what he?s doing now. And, once again, we are living like normal parents. Sure, we didn?t get to see the dad in this episode, but we rarely focus on moms in Toku when we do get parents. But their banter and interactions are great: Gamu presents from the big city; her comment on how he should?ve called earlier to prepare dinner; and Gamu responding back with "just make the usual." really sell the casual love of mother and son.

The monster of the episode is Bokurag, the "Ocean Demon." Its design is a nasty mix of amphibian and fish, mixed with a bipedal creature. Bokrug shows Konaka's obvious affection for H.P. Lovecraft by drawing inspiration from him. His roars are modified Golza roars, and I like Golza, so that adds to the kaiju. Its design and power of regeneration prove it to be a tough foe.



And now what you?ve all been really waiting for is Hiroya Fujimiya, AKA Ultraman Agul. Look at this jockey nerd with his weight room filled with newspaper clippings of his rival hanging everywhere. Despite being the main event of the episode, he hilariously takes a back seat until the last quarter of this episode. But boy did the episode take a swerve with the proper debut of Agul, both for the series and the franchise as a whole. Agul is the first real secondary Ultra of the franchise; sure, Zoffy showed up in a couple of Showa episodes, but nowhere near Agul's level of importance. And the suit?we've seen some blue Ultras before, but this is the first proper blue Ultra, contrasting the franchise's and Gaia's heroic red and silver with a cool blue and black.

The helmet has a fish-like feel, and it keeps all of the design elements of Ultraman. The grunts and color timer sounds all give it a suave sound that has an edge, which I love. 10/10, perfect suit, perfect grunts?everything is just right.

The music of the episode has to be "Agul Advent," the main theme of Agul. Their sense of mystery with the theme was enhanced by the choir contrasting the low-key instrumentals as if you were exploring an underwater cave. The second half of the track is an aggressive battle track showcasing Sahashi's masterful use of leitmotifs, taking the notes of the first half and amping them up with heavier instruments and strings that show off the character's strength.