Hello and welcome, Ultraman Connection readers! This week’s episode of Ultraman Omega
reminded me of a quote from C.S. Lewis, stating “You cannot see things till you know roughly what they are.” There are no lions, witches or wardrobes in this episode though, only a very hungry Ultraman and his frustrated roommate in the opening scene.
And although the audience witnessed Omega fighting off a dangerous kaiju last week, the rest of the “ordinary” world in the show’s setting still doesn’t know this mysterious giant alien well enough to judge his intentions. Is he a hero, or a threat just like the kaiju he fought? Nobody knows for certain, and Omega doesn’t seem to have any other answers either. He finally remembered his name, and enough of his fighting skills to transform and take on the kaiju Graim previously, but hasn’t recalled anything else in the week since then.
I do find it funny that Kosei has let him – literally – crash on his couch in the meantime, but I suppose he owes it to Omega after the Ultraman saved his life during that kaiju attack! Even if the rest of the world is still unsure about Omega’s nature, Kosei has seen his heroic spirit firsthand and isn’t scared or shocked by him. Frustrated by his culinary demands, yes, but the two of them seem like familiar roommates and friends by the time this week’s episode picks up.
When news of another Kaiju appearance breaks, Kosei even tags along with Omega to check it out! Just like in the first episode, he could’ve washed his hands of this nonsense and told Omega he would be on his own, but he’s seemingly committed to being Omega’s partner – or maybe sidekick. Or would “handler” be a better job description? Someone needs to be there to keep him from getting arrested by the cops after all. Most of this episode is focused around the two of them bouncing off of each other, both Kosei and Omega trying their hardest to be heroes when they have little to no idea what they’re doing.
Whom among us can’t relate to that?
Luckily, they run into someone who does know what she’s doing, a biologist named Ayumu Ichido. She’s there along with a team of other scientists to investigate the sightings of a strange new reptilian creature. They don’t have much to go on, just some blurry phone recordings and rumors. Omega – or rather, Sorato Okida, as Kosei introduces him – remembers just enough about the kaiju to be helpful, and to lead the unlikely trio straight into an encounter with the giant amphibian Dugrid.
It’s important to note here that the investigation into the kaiju from the scientists and other authorities seems to be vague and mostly made of guesswork. Part of that is perspective, since we’re following around Kosei and Omega who are certainly not scientists themselves. But it does point out an interesting side of this setting, especially when compared to other Ultraman series. This is a version of Earth that has no concept of kaiju, not even the term “kaiju” itself!
Although kaiju are usually unexpected arrivals in any Ultraman show, the various settings often will have foreshadowed them through myths and urban legends. For example, in Ultraman Blazar, the existence of kaiju and even extraterrestrial life had been known by the government for some time, even before kaiju attacks became more common. And in Ultraman Arc last year, the events of the series were kicked off by the arrival of kaiju during the eponymous “K-Day” 16 years prior. In both cases, kaiju and the disasters caused by their activities almost became an everyday part of life. Blazar even had a comedic episode highlighting a company that sold kaiju insurance!
That’s not the case here. The only way Kosei and the scientists can try to categorize the giant monsters is by a similarity to other more familiar animals like lizards or newts. In fact, that connection clues Ayumu into Dugrid’s behavior, and lets her warn the workers at a nearby dam, helping to keep them safe during its attack. Dugrid isn’t just a giant salamander though, it also spits poison as it travels underground, a detail only half-remembered by Sorato. That’s the thing about kaiju; while they may often resemble ordinary creatures, they are always more bizarre and more challenging to understand, especially on their larger-than-life scale!
Unfortunately, because these kaiju are so unusual, and so poorly understood at this point, there’s nothing to be done to remediate matters for poor Dugrid. If this was an episode of Arc then the SKIP team might have worked out a plan to relocate the kaiju away from civilization, to let it hibernate in peace. That option is not on the table, the only way to save the dam from breaking, to prevent thousands more lives from being threatened by Dugrid’s attack, is for Sorato to transform as Omega, and fight it head on.
LIke I said earlier, the only way to truly see things is to know what you’re looking at, and as Omega fights the kaiju in this episode, Ayumu and the others finally realize who he is. Or rather, they realize they are looking at a whom rather than a what. Omega fights Dugrid in a very intentional way, responding to their directions to protect the dam. Instead of just fighting to kill the kaiju, he deliberately pushes him away. Then, when the kaiju starts to bleed out poisonous ichor from its injuries, Omega figures out a way to destroy the kaiju and the toxins at the same time – by forcing it to explode with a powerful beam attack.
Now Ayumu, and hopefully the rest of Japan, can see Omega as a being who is intelligent, cautious – and kind. Even if they don’t know he’s crashing in Kosei’s apartment and eating all his instant noodles, they can at least relate to and understand the Giant of Light who fought to save the dam in this incident.
Will this incident also change the scientists’ approach to kaiju now? Has Omega remembered anything else other than just how to fire a beam attack? We’ll just have to tune in next week to find out! In the meantime, stay tuned right here to Ultraman Connection for more!
