Ultraseven 50 Years

This October 1st marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the "Ultraseven" television broadcast. It is an honor to be able to speak with Ms. Hishimi, who played Member Anne, and Mr. Usui, who was a favorite pupil of Director Akio Jissoji, at such a commemorative time. First, I would like to ask Ms. Hishimi about her thoughts on this 50th anniversary.

It feels like half a century has passed in the blink of an eye. I was exactly 20 years old then, so before I knew it, I had reached my 70th birthday. It feels like the time from birth to age 20 and the 50 years since age 20 are the same length. Time goes by fast once you become an adult (laughs).

I agree (laughs). Mr. Usui, what kind of feelings do you have regarding these 50 years?

Well, for "Seven" fans as well, it feels like it happened in an instant. It doesn't feel at all like I'm reminiscing about something from half a century ago.

It feels like it's progressing simultaneously.

Yes. I feel as if I am living alongside Seven.

Exactly. No matter how many times you watch it, you can see it from a different angle. There are still new discoveries to be made.

Even when people like us who watched it in real-time look back at it now, there is some kind of rediscovery, and when young people today watch it, they have their own discoveries. There aren't many special effects TV movies where you can make those kinds of discoveries and rediscoveries.

I'm grateful to hear you say that.

I think the framework of this work, Ultraseven, was very solid even among the "Fantasy Special Effects Series" of that time. That's why it has continued to live on across space and time, regardless of the passing years.

I heard that to keep production costs down, the opportunities went to young screenwriters who could be hired cheaply. Even Mr. Shinichi Ichikawa became a big name later, but he was young back then. It was made by a gathering of many young people who were still unknown.

There was energy there. Perhaps young people today feel that energy, which is why they get "hooked" on it.

That's true. Even looking at it now, there isn't that much of a difference from the modern world, is there? There are many things in this work where you think, "Oh, this kind of thing is happening in the world right now." At the time, they were imagining 25 years into the future, but even after double that time has passed, it's still relatable.

In a way, universal themes were properly embedded in it.

Despite being in a time slot basically for children—Sunday nights at 7:00 PM—heavy themes were firmly incorporated into the stories.

It's universal, and you could also say it's a current trend. Even from a so-called security perspective, the story of the Star Gieron Beast in "Super Weapon R-1" (Episode 26) links to issues like North Korea's missiles and nuclear development.

That's right. Even "Nightmare on the Fourth Planet" (Episode 43) is a story about how far AI and robots will evolve; it was completely ahead of its time.

Exactly. That was decades before "The Terminator" (the first film was 1984).

I've only recently come to understand it well. At the time, I had no idea what was going on.

But we were children back then too, so while we were watching, we were just amused or mystified; we only gradually came to understand the meaning later on.

At the time, there were probably people who watched it just because the monster battles were fun.

Or they were just watching Member Anne (laughs). Everyone had their own way of watching back then, but in fact, many deep things were scattered throughout.

Director Mitsuta (Kazuho Mitsuta) is very energetic and his mind is still sharp. He's truly a rare treasure now (laughs).

Director Mitsuta filmed a lot of episodes, didn't he?

Director Toshitsugu Suzuki also filmed quite a few (Editor's note: Both Director Mitsuta and Director Suzuki filmed 14 episodes). But he passed away a long time ago.

It's a shame that the number of people who can talk about it like that is decreasing. In that sense, we're relying on you to keep going, Ms. Hishimi.

It's rare to be able to hear stories from those who were actually there, so it's precious and I really want to know.

We were quite haphazard (laughs). Someone like Mr. Dokumamushi (Sandayu Dokumamushi, who played Member Furuhashi) wouldn't even look at the script, saying things like, "I don't have any lines today, do I?" (laughs). Since we filmed two episodes in parallel, if the locations were similar, we'd film cuts for Episode 2 and Episode 3 together.

So you didn't know the flow of a single episode from start to finish?

Right. The people who were watching the broadcasts at the time understand it better than we do.

Ms. Hishimi, did you watch the broadcasts back then?

I didn't watch much. Surprisingly, we often had filming. On Sundays at 7:00, we were all making a fuss and drinking (laughs). Because it was all post-recorded, I saw all the screens I appeared in, but I didn't see them connected, so I didn't really understand the stories.

You only watched all the episodes properly quite recently, didn't you?

That's right. I thought I had to watch them properly because I was writing this book ("Anne Konjaku Monogatari," published in 2017) (laughs).

When you looked back at the stories of each episode like that, were there any that left an impression?

There are almost too many (laughs). I thought "Nightmare on the Fourth Planet" (Episode 43, directed by Jissoji) was amazing. I used to hate it. It inserts scenes like those often found in old war newsreels, where people are blindfolded for public execution, right?

That is intense, isn't it?

Too intense. It's incredible to put that in a children's program. When I had a talk with Mr. Jissoji in his later years, I told him, "I didn't really want to watch that story because of that" (laughs).

But in this story, the member who witnesses it doesn't think it's real; they think they're just filming something on location. That part feels chilling in its own way. Why did Mr. Jissoji go out of his way to include that scene?

He was a maverick, after all (laughs).

He was a director who didn't talk much, and for the acting, he would often stand by the camera's line of sight and give instructions like, "Okay, raise the glass—" or "Okay, lower it—." For example, he was only concerned with things like the camera zooming in on a glass or filming something through an object; he didn't say much about the acting itself.

I really wanted to ask you about being on the set of such a Jissoji production.

On the contrary, it was easy to do. In the episode with the Perolinga Alien (Episode 45, "The Flying Saucers Have Arrived"), there was a scene filmed on a riverbank with Fukushin-kun and the Perolinga boy. They just let the two of them talk the whole time, and it felt like we were being filmed with a telephoto lens without us knowing. That's why there are actually quite a few nice shots. It didn't feel like "acting, acting."

Since it was film photography back then, I suppose it was during post-recording (recording voices later to match silent footage) that you'd realize, "Oh, so that's how it turned out."

Exactly. On my first day with Mr. Jissoji, I waited with my makeup on, but when I saw the footage later, it was reversed and we were in shadow. I was like, "What?!" When you know you're being filmed like that, you actually don't have to be nervous.

It's very like you to relax once you realized, "This is the kind of director he is" (laughs).

That's right. At first, I was intimidated by Mr. Jissoji. Member Furuhashi would threaten me, saying, "The director coming this time is a maverick (kisa), he's amazing." I thought "kisa" meant a "demon director" (oni-kantoku) (laughs).

So, I always tried to avoid meeting him face-to-face. Then, when we had our talk, he said, "Hishimi-kun, whenever I was on the location bus, you were always on the equipment truck" (laughs).

In Director Jissoji's case, it's clear that the visuals come first, so I thought the actors might be annoyed.

Not really. Before I knew it, there would be a close-up of a pimple.

Because he loved close-ups.

In the episode with the Metron Alien (Episode 8, "The Targeted Town"), the lighting is pure white, and everything is shown in silhouette. Then there's a close-up.

That was filmed from the building across the way.

I also tend to bring up Director Jissoji, and there are many "Jissoji maniacs" out there, but what we mustn't mistake is that Jissoji's works are strictly "unconventional works." It was precisely because there was a proper—or rather (laughs)—mainstream group of works that Director Jissoji could be so "mischievous."

That's true.

In both Ultraman and Seven, I think the reason Director Jissoji could feel secure being an outlier was thanks to the other directors being there on the other side.

Like Mr. Mitsuta. That provided contrast.

Director Mitsuta filmed quite a lot; do you have any memories of him?

Director Mitsuda was enthusiastic from start to finish. He would often peek in even when he wasn't the director for that day. My first day on set was for the episodes with Alien Waiell (Episode 2) and Alien Pitt (Episode 3), which were directed by Samaji Nonagase. At the time, Anne's hair was tied up in an updo, but Director Mitsuda, who had come to see how things were going, commented, "That makes her look like Harumi Miyako. It's better to let her hair down," and so I let it down. Because of that, the hair in the shots taken in the morning and the shots taken in the afternoon didn't match up! (laughs)

I've always wondered about this, but Member Anne's hair gets longer only in Director Mitsuda's episodes, doesn't it? Is there a reason for that?

That was a coincidence.

No way! (laughs)

Before that, I think it was Director Toshihiro Iijima's episode with Alien Banda (Episode 38), where there was a scene in a hospital where a boy was having heart surgery performed by a foreign doctor.

He was saying things like, "But I don't want to have surgery."

Right, right. He says, "I won't do it unless Dan comes." Then, when I go there in a regular car, I encounter Crazygon (the robot sent to Earth by Alien Banda).

I hated my hairstyle at that time because I had cut it short and gotten a perm, so I looked like Betty Boop or something.

After that, I pulled my hair back tight and put on a wig, using my own hair only for the bangs. When I told Director Mitsuda, "I don't like my current hairstyle, so I'm changing it to this," he said, "Oh, that's good," and he kept it that way. That's how it became that soft, flowing hair in the final episode.

Yes, it was beautiful hair.

That really was great, wasn't it?

Director Mitsuda was the type to be quite particular, even about hair.

Ms. Hishimi, did you watch Ultra Q or Ultraman before you appeared in the show?

No, I didn't watch them at all.

So you went straight into Seven.

Straight into Seven. However, I was shown just one episode of Ultraman. At the time, I thought those orange uniforms were nice, but then they became blue-grey (laughs).

But those uniforms were very cool, weren't they?

At the time, I wanted a more brilliant color. But thinking back, those blue-grey uniforms were good because for someone with a thick waist like me, they created an optical illusion that made me look a bit more "curvy" (laughs). Even though I didn't have a great figure, everyone fell for the illusion.

But because of that, there are so many boys for whom Member Anne was their first love.

Exactly. Back then, it wasn't just one cour (three months), but a full year of broadcasting, so Member Anne was firmly imprinted on the boys who were watching. For us, Ms. Hishimi and Anne were almost one and the same (laughs).

But back then, once a TV show was broadcast, that was it. Surprisingly, for us actors, once it was over, it felt like, "Okay, that's done." Someone like Kohji Moritsugu (who played Dan Moroboshi) would finish filming and immediately move on to the next project.

When I spoke with Tomoko Nakajima, who played Hotaru in "Kita no Kuni kara" (From the North Country), she said that no matter how old she got, people kept calling her "Hotaru, Hotaru." While she was happy, she also felt some resistance, wanting people to see "the other me" as well. Did you ever feel that way?

I was never called "Anne, Anne."

Is that so?

It was a children's show, so kids wouldn't say things like that. And as they became adults, their interests shifted to other things like Megumi Asaoka (laughs). So, I was never mobbed or anything for being "Anne."

But during that one year you were actually doing it, did people ever call out "It's Anne!" when you went out on the street?

No. Almost never for Dan, either. Once, when we had an autograph session, so many people gathered at the department store that the glass was about to break, and we had to stop because it was dangerous. Then we changed clothes and walked right past the crowd, and everyone ignored us.

I see, they wouldn't recognize you unless you were in the Ultra Guard uniform (laughs).

Exactly. That's why that uniform had such an impact.

The uniform itself has become an icon.

Quite a while later, for some reason, I appeared in a TV drama called "Playgirl" (1973).

I saw that, I saw that.

The ratings nearly doubled for the episode I appeared in. The staff were wondering, "Why?" (laughs). I thought maybe people who saw the name Yuriko Hishimi in the newspaper TV listings watched it because they felt nostalgic.

"Playgirl" was quite sexy, and I was surprised too. I thought, "Serious Anne has become a bad girl!" (laughs).

It seems there were many people like that. That's why the ratings went up (laughs). I guess the timing worked out where the boys who saw Anne as children had grown up a bit, and I was on a slightly more "sexy" path.

Yes. It made my heart race.

So, I don't think there's another unusual actress like me (laughs).

The range is incredible, isn't it?

Yes. Not just 180 degrees, but 360 degrees. I played a mother in an educational film and appeared in "Koshoku Genroku Maruhi Monogatari" (Secret Tale of Genroku Eroticism). And all in just nine years.

Even so, the impact of Seven is still very strong, isn't it?

The power of the work "Seven" itself is amazing.

When it comes to Seven, something I'm always particular about is Toru Fuyuki's music.

The music, Tohl Narita's designs—everything is good.

That's true. Especially, being a classical music fan myself, Schumann's Piano Concerto in the final episode really resonates with me.

Actually, the Piano Concerto used there is a 1948 recording conducted by Karajan, but the pianist, Dinu Lipatti, died of illness at the young age of just over 30, two years after this recording.

I think Mr. Fuyuki might have known that and chosen this recording for that reason. Overlapping that music with the image of Seven fighting his final battle with his life on the line...

I see.

As a child, I thought it was a piece written for Seven, but when I found out it was composed by Schumann, I thought, "How did they find a piece that fits so perfectly?"

Mr. Fuyuki was involved in the work while also serving as a high school music teacher and homeroom teacher. I don't know if it was to keep production costs down, but he happened to get a part-time job at TBS during his student days and got to know Hajime Tsuburaya and Akio Jissoji.

I see. So the fact that it was cheap to use Mr. Fuyuki was also a big factor.

I don't know the true intentions, but despite that, he left behind such wonderful work. That's why everyone involved in Seven is being brought back like this.

The theme song of Ultra Seven also has that "boom, boom" sound of the horn that really sticks in your ears.

I can't help but react to it.

That kind of use of the horn itself is quite rare. It's a piece in E-flat major, and E-flat major is said to be the key of heroes in the world of classical music. A hero is strong, but carries sadness somewhere, yet must lead the way. Both Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" and Symphony No. 3 "Eroica" are in E-flat major. They used that for the Ultra Seven theme song as well, bringing out the heroism with the horn.

That's incredible taste. With Ultraman, there isn't much of a classical image, is there? The music is a completely different type. With Seven, the whole thing changed and became more adult. The stories themselves weren't just for children anymore.

And also, we must look at the design. Tohl Narita is one, but for me, it's Noriyoshi Ikeya.

Mr. Ikeya. Yes, yes.

I had the chance to work with him on Jissoji's projects, and I think Mr. Ikeya's designs will live on forever, not just for 50 years.

That's true. Like how he imagined the Nonmalt (Episode 42) from a cabbage. Mr. Ikeya has passed away too...

Speaking of design, there's also the mechanical design.

Wonderful. I also love the Pointer, the Ultra Guard's special vehicle.

The Pointer is great, but as a child, the separation and docking of Ultra Hawk 1 was just so cool. I even built the plastic models.

I can't tell you how many of those I made (laughs).

It has Alpha, Beta, and Gamma parts that separate and combine, right?

Yes. There was a scene where they saved someone by forcibly docking with the Gamma. That was the Alien Curacao episode (Episode 7), wasn't it?

That's Episode 7, "Space Prisoner 303" (directed by Suzuki), where they docked to save the kidnapped Anne. The gas station where we filmed that is actually still there near my house.

That's the one where Alien Curacao kills people.

That alien was the scariest one for me.

In reality, he's just a common criminal. Even his home planet goes out of its way to tell Earth, "You can execute him as soon as you find him." There was a very realistic sense of dread there.

Hishimi: Like a real-life stalker.

The original Ultraman before Seven didn't really have elements aimed at adults; it was entertainment for children, right?

While there were some exceptions, it was basically a story of good versus evil where a monster appears and Ultraman defeats it.

Besides, monsters were like natural phenomena; there was no logic behind why they appeared or what they wanted. But the aliens in Seven come to Earth for a reason. They have intelligence and plans for how they intend to invade.

They have their own side of the story.

That's why it makes you think about what "justice" really is. Take Alien Pegassa (Episode 6), for example. They don't have bad intentions; it's just that their Pegassa City is on a collision course with Earth. They want to avoid the crash, but because of a malfunction, they ask Earth to move out of the way. However, Earth doesn't have the technology to move.

That's an incredible story.

Since there's no other choice, the Terrestrial Defense Force has to destroy Pegassa City. They do it, but it's a heartbreaking story to watch.

It's not at all a simple story of good versus evil where our side is good and we defeat the evil enemy.

The Nonmalt (Episode 42) is the ultimate example of that. There's that line from the boy, Shinichi, saying that the Nonmalt were the original inhabitants of Earth.

That was an amazing premise.

Indigenous people.

I often wonder how people in Okinawa or Hokkaido felt when they saw that back then.

True. Even with my faint memories of the time, when Captain Kiriyama said, "Now Earth belongs to us," I felt a bit of a pang, thinking, "Wait, is that really right?"

Earthlings and aliens are fighting, but the essence of it serves as a metaphor for various problems within Earth itself.

The imagery can be substituted. It works as a metaphor for World War III or the structure of the Cold War.

That's why it remains easy to understand. The content is something we can deeply relate to as human beings. Even after 50 years, it's still the case.

It's sad, but it makes you realize that humanity hasn't really grown. Even with "The Fourth Planet," now that we have AI and robots, there are actually jobs being taken away by them. Today, there are many cases where AI can make more accurate decisions. If we follow that to its conclusion, we might end up in a world like that Fourth Planet.

And they were doing this 50 years ago. Of course, evolution and progress bring many good things, but Seven also depicted the "but..." part. It's worth emphasizing that in that era, they were already questioning whether scientific omnipotence was enough and if all progress was inherently righteous.

Even in "Super Weapon R-1" (Episode 26), they keep saying to build stronger weapons, and it leads to misery.

That's exactly what's happening even now.

Dan says, "It's a sad marathon that continues while coughing up blood."

Thinking back, it's incredible that they were airing content like that at 7 PM on a Sunday (laughs).

As technology advances, it ultimately comes down to the importance of trust between people. What's interesting there is "The Targeted Town" (Episode 8). There's that final narration: "We humans do not trust each other enough yet to be targeted by aliens." It's very ironic. Hishimi: That narration by Hikaru Urano is very effective. I wonder who wrote it. Usui: It seems Director Jissoji added it himself. Hishimi: Jissoji did! That was brilliant. They are great words. Kuwahata: This episode is still talked about as a masterpiece today. Usui: Yeah, that "face-to-face" scene at the low table in the small room is quite a shock (laughs). Even as children watching the broadcast back then, we felt like "this time is somehow different from usual." As adults, we eventually learned it was made by an eccentric director named Jissoji and it all made sense. Kuwahata: Also, the design of Alien Metron. It really sticks in your head. It's incredibly colorful yet has such a strange shape.

The final scene in the sunset is such a beautiful image; it really gets imprinted on a child's mind. Usui: That sunset scene is unforgettable. Kuwahata: Mr. Usui, what did you feel when you worked with Mr. Jissoji? Usui: I was close with him for a quarter-century until he passed away. For Director Jissoji, the primary concern was what kind of image he wanted to capture. In a sense, he treated actors like objects, which sometimes made me nervous. That's exactly why his work became something different from other directors. Hishimi: Rumor has it that when he filmed Hibari Misora during his TBS days, he didn't film her face but her feet? Usui: No, he took an extreme close-up right up to her nostrils. It caused a huge uproar.

I heard he got scolded. Usui: Of course. Anyway, he was someone who wouldn't film things normally when a normal shot would suffice. For a simple variety show, showing "Hibari Misora's nostrils" is going to bring a flood of protests (laughs). Kuwahata: But surely there was an intention behind it. Usui: No, I think he just didn't want to take conventional shots. Hishimi: That was his visual conviction. Maybe the role of a TV station director didn't suit him? Usui: Conversely, because of things like that, he went to Tsuburaya Productions and encountered the Ultra series. In the end, it might have been for the best. Hishimi: It's amazing considering he only directed four episodes of Seven. I really hope that with this 50th anniversary, they finally release Episode 12 ("From the Planets with Love," directed by Jissoji). Kuwahata: I agree. Currently, it's treated as a missing episode. Usui: I think if people actually saw it, it would become clear that it was misunderstood at the time. It's certainly not something strange like that. Hishimi: Exactly. It's a waste to keep it shelved. I've been saying "Release Episode 12!" for over 20 years. Kuwahata: Some fans even made fanzines dedicated just to Episode 12. Hishimi: There's even an "Episode 12 Society." Kuwahata: I hope this 50th anniversary will be an opportunity for things to heat up again, including a re-evaluation of Episode 12.

Mr. Usui, which aliens, monsters, or robots left an impression on you?

In my case, it's Alien Metron from Director Jissoji's "The Targeted Town." Their intelligence is considerable, but children at the time could imagine that creatures like this might exist beyond Earth.

After all, 1969, just two years after "Seven" aired, was the era when humanity stood on the moon. Back then, the trust in science and technology, as well as the interest and longing for space, was stronger in society than it is now.

Also, what was depicted in "The Targeted Town" was a very ironical worldview, showing that human connections are actually fragile. This was also a surprise; it's one of the episodes that taught me that adults—or humans—have another side that young boys wouldn't even imagine.

I see. In my case, like the Ultra Hawk, it was an era where we could have dreams for the future. While wondering what we would be able to do in the future, King Joe (Episodes 14 & 15) was an incredibly impressive robot.

The one that combines.

Yes. The idea of separating and combining to become a robot was great. Also, it was so strong that even Ultra Seven couldn't match it, which left a huge impression on me.

King Joe is very popular too.

And then there are the Capsule Monsters.

Even though the image of a monster is something giant, the idea of turning them into capsules is interesting.

It's the concept of having monsters as allies.

It even feels like it leads to the later Pokémon.

Exactly.

Ms. Hishimi, do you have any favorite monsters or aliens? Hishimi: The one I'm most attached to is Pegassa-kun (laughs). Kuwahata: Ah, I thought so. That scene in the promotional photo where Alien Pegassa is attacking Anne from behind doesn't actually exist in the show, does it? Hishimi: It doesn't. That was just taken for a TBS promo or something. Kuwahata: Because that photo still exists, there's an impression that Alien Pegassa is a bad guy trying to attack Anne from behind, but it's actually different. A new series called Ultraman Geed started recently, and a Pegassa appears as a regular character and is an ally. That's nice. It's like the Pegassa from back then survived. Hishimi: Because it ended with no one knowing where the Pegassa in Anne's room went. Kuwahata: It feels a bit redeeming. What specifically makes you attached to Pegassa? Hishimi: Just the fact that he was in Anne's room. The way he runs is cute, like when he dashes out of Anne's room (laughs). The one that was gross was Alien Braco (Episode 22). He has two antennae near his crotch and attacks Anne. Since his head is big, the antennae are right at crotch level. So when he attacks, it's just like, "Gross!" (laughs). "Anne Konjaku Monogatari" is basically a research book on Seven. It's the result of collaboration with many people. I've also learned things from the fans. We even went on location tours together. Kuwahata: It has great archival value. It's wonderful that we can enjoy what you've shaped by putting the puzzle pieces together. Usui: Yes, it's truly precious. Hishimi: Oh, I'm so happy to hear you say that. Before, I was like, "I don't know. I don't remember at all." I studied so I could answer properly, and this book came out with the feeling that I've finally caught up with everyone a little. Usui: You remember very well. Reading this, the events of that time come vividly to mind. Kuwahata: Please continue to teach us as an evangelist, not just for people our age, but for younger people as well. The number of people who like Ultra Seven will surely continue to grow. For those people, your presence is very significant. I really enjoyed today. Thank you very much. Hishimi: Thank you as well. *Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.