Ultra Q

# of DVDs 7
# of Episodes 28
Language

Only in Japanese. None are available with English subtitles or dubbing. 
It is easy to follow and understand though.
Quality A+. Digitally Remastered.
Region No Region Encoding
Format NTSC (not PAL)
Bonus Materials Yes

 

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Ultra Q

Swirling Logo that was later used in Ultraman
This series pre-dated Ultraman.  It was a black and white "Twilight Zone"-ish show that was popular for its revolutionary use of a new monster each episode. There was no giant superhero in this show... just people dealing with the supernatural "Unbalance."

The opening narration often ended with the catch-phrase, "For the next 30 minutes, your eyes will leave your body and enter inside this fantasy time" ("time" probably meaning dimension).

A number of monsters from Ultra Q are icons of the genre.  For example, Namegon is a giant slug monster from Mars. Garamon is an invader's monster who tears up the Tokyo Tower. Peguila is the Mr. Freeze of the Ultra world, and Kanegon eats money for sustenance.

Much care was put into these shows. The 28 episodes took fifteen months to produce, which is unusually long.

Hiroko Sakurai, the actor who portrayed Yuriko, later appeared as Science Patrol member Akiko Fuji in Ultraman. Hiroko was reduced to 1/8-scale in one episode of 'Q.'  Ultraman paid a fun homage to this scenario by having Fuji turned into a rampaging giant by Mephilas-seijin.

The swirling 'Ultra Q' title shot that opens the show is redone in color and reused in the Japanese opening credits of 'Ultraman.' After the 'Ultra Q' title forms on the screen, the 'Ultraman' logo with red background bursts out and takes over. Variations of the 'Ultra Q' opening title treatment can be seen in many of the series, though they stray further and further from the original swirl, including the shattered glass spectacle of 'Ultraman 80.' More recently, Ultraman Gaia's logo does a quick but obvious title swirl as an homage to the old days.

'Ultra Q' monsters frequently cross over into 'Ultraman.' For example:

(a) Kemur-jin shows up as a toady of Mephilas-seijin.
(b) There is also a giant verison of Ragon, and
(c) Peguila is a thinly disguised Chandler.
(d) Garamon shows up twice as a miniture-sized Pigmon, who in turn shows up as an animated robot mascot Pigu in 'The Ultraman.'
(e) Even the notorious Baltan-seijin has his roots in 'Q', since the first Baltan costume is just a dressed up version of Locust Man.

More recently, homage is paid to Kanegon in the movie feature Ultraman Zearth 2, in the form of Digital Kanegon.