Ultraman Geed is nearly a third way done with its series, and it has been an odd rollercoaster ride thus far. The series has started off in a weird way, and it is not entirely the best, nor the worst especially following Ultraman Orb. However, I am still hopeful it will be great since today might mark Ultraman Zero’s first full-length battle in the series. Then again it could be just another darn tease like the Thunder Killer fight…
Summary:
Kei Fukuide plays chess with himself, as he plots Zero’s demise. Meanwhile the manager for the Galaxy Market is upset he lost the chance to attend one of Kei’s lectures. Reito appears with his family to introduce them to Riku, and Laiha. There they discover the manager, and Lumina are huge fans of Kei, as he himself arrives to invite them as guests to the event. Reito becomes briefly suspicious, as well as Laiha of the invitation. Later that night Reito, tries to get out of attending the lecture, but one of Kei’s books catches Zero’s attention; the book’s cover is literally an illustration of his fight with Arc Belial. Zero forces Reito to assist him in reading Kei’s books, to realize something is strange about Kei’s coincidental series based on his life.
The following day at the event Zero is unamused at how he is the villain of the books, but seeks to learn more about Kei. Pega even assists in Zero’s suspension, as Kei can see him. Riku is in denial when Zero informs him of the situation, so Zero most confront the issue alone. Kei’s lecture begins and during the lecture it is to reveal the next book in the Cosomo Chronicle series. This new installment in Kei’s series will feature the death of the iconic villain, Zora (Ultraman Zero) however, he seeks to make an attendee be the basis for his new villainous Shining Knight. Kei immediately chooses Reito, and Zero takes control as the two meet up on stage. There Kei informs Zero to play a part in his act, which is to reveal his villainous intent to Zero, Riku and Laiha; the attendees are hostages for his Galactron to kill.
Riku, Laiha, and Zero attempt to confront Kei as the other attendees flee. Yet, Zero informs Laiha that if they attempt to kill Kei, they will be recorded on camera and framed for murder. Riku realizes he needs to confront the Galactron, as Ultraman Geed and leaves. Meanwhile, Kei convinces Zero that he will stop the attack, but only if Zero offers himself up to be executed by Galactron. Zero accepts this as his fate, and rushes out to the area. There Zero stands before Galactron, as it chokes Geed, and takes the execution shot; Zero is killed and Reito is sent flying as the Zero Eye turns to stone. In this moment Riku realizes what it means to be a hero, but questions why it had to happen at a time like this…
My Thoughts:
Episode seven is probably the best episode thus far for Ultraman Geed. It really helps to build off the already established rivalry between Ultraman Zero, and Ultraman Belial. However, these battles are only lamented about through the books Kei wrote, which rewrites the history to make Belial the hero. The idea of Kei’s books making Belial to be the hero seems like an interesting propaganda stunt to make the public hate Zero or other Ultras, but it was not the case. Now, had the series approached that idea, the show would have more possibilities to advance the story. The only issue though with that idea I suggested is that it would have also revealed Kei’s true intentions sooner to the main cast.
Yet, some would say Kei should have been an obvious character to suspect, since in an earlier episode a tv report mentioned how Kei allegedly was saved by and lived with aliens during the Crisis Impact. One would have thought even Laiha was already trailing Kei to begin with, especially with how the story was going. Instead Laiha just begins suspecting him upon meeting Kei at the Galaxy Market, which goes against her whole backstory of searching for the monster who turns into man. However, that gripe was put to rest when Zero had to stop her from murdering Kei on the spot, due to the fact they were being recorded at the lecture. The scene proved to show her detective-like skills were still inexperience. Whereas, Riku being in denial until Kei called out Reito, and revealed an Ultra/ Kaiju Capsule to the audience just with the narrative that he is an idiot.
Now, what I love and hate about this episode was the actual lecture, as well as Kei’s overall plan to kill Ultraman Zero. The dialog between Kei and Reito/ Zero is wonderful, even when Reito (Yuta Ozawa) was dubbed over by Mamoru Miyano. It overall featured Yuta’s depth in acting, and gave me a Kamen Rider Den-O vibe, with the combine portrayal of the actor and voice actor. Whereas, Kunito Watanabe finally had his moment to shine! I say that this was his moment to shine because up until now many of Kei’s scenes either features him being just a mysterious figure, or a down right villain. Here the character of Kei finally had several scenes devoted to him, scenes that would show his public persona and his true self. Kunito even possess that sophistication needed to pull off both sides to Kei the author, and Kei the disciple of Belial. However, Kei’s overall plan had significant plot holes that should not be overlooked. The first issue was witness saw the Galactron Capsules, and Kei summon the monster; if any witnesses manage to escape he is screwed. Furthermore, if Laiha killed Kei in attempt to Galactron who was going to edit the records to make it a full malicious murder? Pretty much everything that occurs with Kei’s gamble is too convenient, while being badass at the same time.
Bringing back Galactron is a cheap ploy by the studio, but it is still a relevant monster that also is considerable strong. Having Galactron selected to battle Geed easily put him into a disadvantage, which he would not be able to overcome alone. Yet, I did like that Ultraman Geed was able to damage the monster slightly in their initial confrontation, unlike Ultraman Orb’s fight with it. Personally, how Galactron executed Zero was anti-climactic since the episode title foreshadows the event, much like most tokusatsu programs do. However, some or most of the deaths in the modern era of tokusatsu that are foretold are never permanent, especially when we all know Ultraman Zero will return as Ultraman Zero Beyond.
Never the less, a part of me is eager to see Ultraman Zero’s revival in the next episode! Yet, a part of me is becoming indifferent towards series, in a similar fashion when Ultraman Ginga aired or when I revisit Ultraman X. I really want this show to be another Ultraman Orb, but I am highly doubtful that it will occur. Maybe if this was Zero’s show it would have better chances…