The police investigate a zoo where the cages were ripped open and find the zookeeper holding feathers and saying, "I saw a bird!" Meanwhile, Jun, Yuriko, and Ippei look into a strange ship. They find a bird but suddenly, the ship begins to sink and the bird goes to Saburo. At night, the bird he names Kuro flies out. Professor Ichinotani identifies it as Larugeus, a bird thought to be extinct.
Plot
A strange occurrence at the zoo has caused the animals to disappear and has left the zoo keeper near death. Gasping his last breath, the dying man murmurs, "I saw a bird". At a peaceful fishing village, a 10th-century sailing vessel mysteriously drifts into port.
Upon investigating, Jun and the others find the ship to be completely deserted, but discover the navigational log and a small, white bird. Without warning, the ship begins to crumble around them and the group flees, taking along the ship's journal. The ship is lost beneath the waves and the small bird flies away.
Back in Tokyo, Dr. Ichinotani determines the ship's log to be 998 years old; oddly enough, the final entry reads "I saw a bird..." Adding to the mystery, the small bird that was discovered is identified as an extinct species of prehistoric bird called Larugeus. In the meantime, a young boy from the village named Saburo befriends the small bird and names it Kuro (an ironic name for a white bird, as kuro means black in Japanese). Shortly after the bird's appearance in the village, a large flock of chickens are missing.
Believing the bird to be dangerous, the local authorities capture and hold it in jail. Larugeus grows to gigantic proportions, breaking its bonds and causing widespread destruction to the city as it flies away. Saburo catches sight of the departing Larugeus and bids the bird farewell.
Ultra Q Volume 3 features episodes 9-12, and Total Natural Color Blu-ray Volume 4 features episodes 12-14.
2001 release
2008 release
Total Natural Color Blu-ray
Trivia
This episode is labeled as "No.7" on the script cover.[2] However, due to adjustments in the production process, it was actually the sixth episode filmed, with production taking place from November 18 to late November, 1964.[3]
It is regarded as one of the most emotionally moving episodes of Ultra Q, portraying a young boy's longing for absolute freedom—unbound by time or constraints—reflected in the image of Larugeus, as well as the inevitable sorrow of parting. Tokusatsu researcher Masami Yamada commented on this episode, stating, “Amidst an almost surreal event occurring in everyday life, we see a boy's world filled with hope. It seems that only the adults fear this otherworldly being.”[4]
Screenwriter Masahiro Yamada gave this episode the theme of "children versus adults." He positioned Larguyus as a "symbol of youthful dreams," and the monster's attack on the city represented "revenge against adults who fail to understand those dreams." The farewell between Saburo and Larguyus symbolized the "farewell to dreams," highlighting the sorrow of growing up and the loss of childhood innocence. Yamada expressed that he wanted to design the farewell scene to resemble a subtitle like "I Saw a Bird."[5][6]
Notably, this was the only episode in the series where the staff credits were omitted from the opening sequence.
The storm sequence caused by Larugeus utilized real footage from 1956 film Rodan, as the destruction scenes filmed on set did not meet expectations.[7] While a set was built, it was ultimately deemed ineffective, leading the team to incorporate stock footage. Some unused set pieces were reportedly used for promotional stills.
Various miniature models were used to depict Larguyus, some of which were modified from the Rodan puppets used in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. This model was later repurposed into Litra. For close-up shots, a special model of the bird's legs was made, and for compositing purposes, the models were painted in shades of red rather than blue.
For the scene of Larugeus flying over the castle keep, the production utilized backup footage from Rodan, specifically the sequence of Rodan attacking Fukuoka. As a result, the castle was intended to represent Kumamoto Castle in Kyushu. However, the structure depicted in the model shots more closely resembles Matsumoto Castle in Nagano Prefecture.[8]
The song Saburo sings—"Lending 100 Retainers, I set sail with great spirit."—was composed spontaneously by Tsuzawa based on the lyrics provided in the script. He recalled that it was inspired by childhood memories of traditional nursery rhymes. director Harunosuke Nakagawa provided only the lyrics, while Tsuzawa improvised the melody.
Regarding the filming process, Tsuzawa recalled, "I couldn't swim at all, but I still went into the sea. Assistant director Mitsuta was underwater holding me up—it was truly terrifying."[9][10]
When Larguyus transforms into the bird, a hand-raised Java sparrow was actually used for filming. However, director Nakagawa mentioned that getting the bird to perform the required movements for the scene was very difficult.
The episode's visual effects were supervised by Koichi Kawakita, marking his first work in television. He later became the special effects director for the Heisei Godzilla series and Chouseishin Series.
Kawakita recalled that although this was his first time handling special effects for television, it didn't feel unnatural. "After all, we shot on 35mm color film before converting it to black-and-white. It was an absolute luxury. Essentially, it was no different from filming a movie."[12]
According to an interview with producer Ken Kumagai by Yoichi Iwasa:[13]
Kumagai stated that while he considered "The Devil Child", "Baron Spider", and "Open Up!" to be the best episodes of Ultra Q, he also regarded Masahiro Yamada's "I Saw a Bird" as a well-crafted story. He noted that at the time of filming, Akihide Tsuzawa, who played Hoshino, had not yet undergone a voice change, making his slightly youthful intonation especially endearing. During production, handling the birds proved challenging as they often flew away, leading the crew to search for them on set.
For the special effects sequences, real footage from Rodan was used. Keiji Kawakami was initially in charge of shooting the related scenes, but he had to leave the production midway due to health issues. Although miniature sets had been built, only about a third of the planned footage was completed. Ultimately, Eiji Tsuburaya personally negotiated with Toho to secure the use of Rodan's special effects footage.
A smaller Manda model was repurposed as the masthead of an old ship in the episode.
Ultraman Orb episode 1 "The Sunset Wanderer," features an easter egg to this episode. While Jetta Hayami was scrolling through tweets regarding typhoons in Twitter, Maga-Basser was depicted by Larugeus' shadow and the uploader said this episode's title.
Sequences from this episode served as the basis for the opening of the 2022 film Shin Ultraman. Additionally, the film recreated scenes of Larugeus destroying Matsumoto Castle and flying toward the sea at sunset.[14]
