Hello and welcome, Ultraman Connection readers! We’re back again this week to break down the latest episode of Ultraman Arc. Each and every one of these articles assumes that you’ve already seen the episode – and you should fix that right now if you haven’t, because the story this week is a doozy. Many times, I’ve said that Ultraman shows are at their best when they balance many different tones and styles throughout their run, and sometimes even within the same episode. Arc is no different, and there’s been a number of heavy episodes before this point.
I think this week’s episode is different, however, because every part of it is laser-focused on an especially heavy topic: dealing with grief.
Last week, as Rin was forced to say goodbye to her younger, naive self from the past and the happy memories associated with that time, the show made an important point about imagination, related to the show’s theme overall. Imagination isn’t just about living in an illusion to comfort ourselves or to escape the world around us. Rather, it allows us to imagine a better future and gives us the hope and courage to work towards that future, despite pain or disappointment from our past.
Kazuo, a former classmate of Yuma’s from their junior high school days, seems like he just wants an escape from his world at first. He had found an unexpected friend through a cosmic accident, when he picked up a mysterious signal from outer space on his hobby radio. I can imagine the kind of loneliness that would have sparked that hobby in the first place. Sometimes it seems like the world outside is too big for us to leave our familiar surroundings, but at the same time being cooped up in a tiny apartment is also unbearably claustrophobic. The idea of listening to a new voice and learning about places from far away, without having to travel there in person, certainly sounds exciting.
Through their conversations though, Kazuo’s new friend “Fio” seemed more interested in learning about Earth, than talking about her own planet. Kazuo – and the audience – never learned what her planet was even called, or what her people or her civilization was named, or where in space she was located. Instead, she wanted to hear about “rain” and the living creatures on our own planet. For someone who seemed to have no interest in other people or the world outside of his apartment, Kazuo always appeared to be happy to talk to her about these rather mundane things.
Space is big enough to provide new places and new friends, but also new and unexpected dangers, however. Their radio signals attracted Noiseler, a Kaiju originally from an episode of Ultraman 80, but one that has remained a fan favorite and has several recurring appearances in modern Ultraman shows. In all of these cases, Noiseler actually consumes noise, and was feeding on the electromagnetic waves which connected Fio and Kazuo together.
Last week, I commented that Arc’s battle against Pagos and Neronga felt more like an afterthought compared to the drama between Rin and Professor Yamagami. This time, the drama around Noiseler’s arrival and the consequences of its rampage were elevated beyond just the “normal” concerns about a massive space Kaiju stomping through Hoshimoto City. Kazuo and Yuma are desperate to stop the Kaiju because they know Fio’s message is in danger – and it might be the last message she ever sends to Earth.
Fio had never mentioned one specific thing about her planet or her people: that they were going extinct. She had never described her own world, its weather, or living things because they were all dead. Her technology was powerful enough to help translate her conversations with Kazuo, but not powerful enough to save her life, or even give her more time to talk with him.
It’s ironic that those messages, the radio conversations they shared, were the sole source of happiness for both characters, who were isolated from their own worlds for very different reasons. Ultraman Arc, using the power of Yuma’s imagination, could only give them a few minutes longer to share after getting rid of Noiseler. Long enough to say goodbye, knowing that neither of them would ever hear the other’s voice, ever again.
How do you move on after a loss of that magnitude? What else does Kazuo have to provide happiness or hope for a future after losing Fio so suddenly like that? Well, to speak honestly, it was a good thing Yuma was there to reach out to him. After all, if anyone in this show knows about dealing with sudden, senseless and utterly devastating losses, it would be him. Yuma hasn’t forgotten his parents or tried to ignore the sadness of that day, sixteen years ago when he lost them in a Kaiju attack. Rather, his memories and the happiness he had back then helps motivate him to do everything he can to help others now – like Kazuo, who endure their own losses and tragedies in the present.
“Tomorrow is another day”, and thanks to Yuma’s imagination along with Arc’s power, individuals like Kazuo can share that imagination, and hope for a better future beyond their tragedy.
