Veteran writer/director Toshihiro Iijima has passed away on October 17 at the age of 89. Among Iijima’s works, he’s without a doubt best known for his contributions to the Ultra Series, being one of its earliest creative minds. Occasionally writing under the pen name Kitao Senzoku, Iijima brought us scripts to episodes like Ultra Q‘s Defeat Gomess! (Which was only the very first episode aired) and Ultraman‘s Shoot the Invader (The first episode of the series produced and the introduction of the series’ most iconic foes), in addition to directing many iconic episodes like Ultra Q‘s Challenge from the Year 2020 (Which he co-wrote alongside Tetsuo Kinjo), Ultraman‘s Shoot the Invader, Science Patrol to Outer Space, Passport to Infinity, and The Dreaded Comet Tsuifon and UltraSeven‘s epic The Seven Assassination Plan two-parter. In addition, Iijima directed several episodes of Operation: Mystery!, the wacky children’s Kaiju film Daigoro vs. Goliath and Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact (Which features his iconic Baltans in a more sympathetic portrayal). Iijima would revisit his lobster-like creations in Ultraman Max‘s Welcome to Earth!, to date the Baltan’s last major role.
The Baltans have been long overdue for a comeback in the series. I’d say there’s no better way to honor Ijima-san than to finally bring our laughing crustaceans back.
Beta Capsule Reviews 