Invisible Bonds

Invisible Bonds (見えない絆, Mienai Kizuna) is the fifth episode in the series, Ultraman Neos.

Plot

Hino thwarts a monster's sudden attack. Hino's riding high, but then makes a big mistake in the next mission. Just as Hino is reeling from the error, two giant monsters launch a merciless attack.

Cast

• Genki Kagura (カグラ・ゲンキ, Kagura Genki): Jun Takatsuki (高槻 純, Takatsuki Jun)
• Hironobu Uematsu (ウエマツ・ヒロノブ, Uematsu Hironobu): Shigeki Kagemaru (影丸 茂樹, Kagemaru Shigeki)
• Takayoshi Hino (ヒノ・タカヨシ, Hino Takayoshi): Taketora Morita (森田 猛虎, Morita Taketora)
• Nana Hayami (ハヤミ・ナナ, Hayami Nana): Atsuko Rukawa (瑠川 あつこ, Rukawa Atsuko)
• Ayumi Kitabayashi (キタバヤシ・アユミ, Kitabayashi Ayumi): Mika Sakamoto (坂本 三佳, Sakamoto Mika)
• Yoko Fujiwara (フジワラ・ヨウコ, Fujiwara Yōko): Satomi Murakami (村上 聡美, Murakami Satomi)
• Gonpachi Minato (ミナト・ゴンパチ, Minato Gonpachi): Kyusaku Shimada (嶋田 久作, Shimada Kyūsaku)

Guest Actors

• Hino's Father (ヒノの父親, Hino no Chichioya): Kimihiro Reizei (冷泉 公裕, Reizei Kimihiro)
• Customer (客, Kyaku): Shu Minagawa (皆川 衆, Minagawa Shū)
• Boy (少年, Shōnen): Yuki Yoshino (吉野 結貴, Yoshino Yūki)

Voice Actors

• Narrator (ナレーター, Narētā): Ikuya Sawaki (沢木 郁也, Sawaki Ikuya)

Suit Actors

• Ultraman Neos (ウルトラマンネオス, Urutoraman Neosu): Hiroyuki Okano (岡野 弘之, Okano Hiroyuki)
• Shildoban (シルドバン, Shirudoban): Kazunori Yokoo (横尾 和則, Yokō Kazunori)
• Backacoon (バッカクーン, Bakkakun): Toshio Miyake (三宅 敏夫, Miyake Toshio)

Appearances

Ultras

• Ultraman Neos

Kaiju

• Shildoban
• Backacoon

Home Media

Trivia

• This episode and episode 6 "Revenge of Alien Zamu" were directed by Hiromasa Mitsudome. Mitsudome, who was invited to join the series due to his directorial experience on Ultraseven 1999: The Final Chapters, adjusted his schedule at the request of producer Masahiro Tsuburaya to participate in the project.^[2]
  • Mitsudome stated that when working on this series, he approached it with the mindset of "this is the original Ultraman." He focused on minimizing the use of special effects and aimed to solve as much as possible on set. This philosophy was something he had carried over from his work on Ultraseven: The Final Chapters, where he believed that instead of having Ultraman constantly fire beams, it was more fitting to follow the style of the classic series, with the defense team's fighter jets supporting the action through barrage attacks.
  • The filming of this episode lasted around ten days and faced various challenges, including rain and overnight shoots, which created some difficulties on set. Mitsudome noted that because the story in episode 5 and 6 was relatively straightforward, he sought to add unique touches, such as scenes with sunlight streaming from the distance.
  • Mitsudome revealed that there were no explosion scenes in this episode, which was a relief since the filming conditions did not support such sequences. Furthermore, the episode featured two monsters, Shildoban and Backacoon, each with different forms, leading to a total of four distinct monster forms. The challenge was to clearly establish the connection between the two monsters, which, despite being simplified, required significant exposition. As a result, the monster battle with Neos was not given enough screen time.

• Hino's father is portrayed by Kimihiro Reizei, who previously appeared in Ultraseven episode 45 "The Saucers Have Come" as Saburo Fukushin. A soba restaurant from that episode is included as an Easter egg. In one scene, while Hino's father is chatting with a customer, the customer says, "Speaking of which, you used to always be watching the stars".
• This episode aired in the United States on TOKU on May 3, 2017.

References

1. ↑ TV Magazine Special Issue: Heisei Ultra Video Complete Works, pg 113
2. ↑ Ultraman Age vol.2, pg 50-53