Ultra Q Epiose 7 "S.O.S. Mt. Fuji" Review | Godzilla Island Archive

Note: This article was originally published on Godzilla Island in 2017. All views and opinions may have since changed.

In this episode, we learn that Mt. Fuji has become active, and a local police officer warns nearby residents to evacuate until the activity passes. We also meet a man who has lived in the forest near Mt. Fuji for 15 years. He got lost in the forest as a child and has survived there ever since. When a news reporter hears about him, she decides his story is more interesting than the volcanic activity, even as earthquakes and temperature spikes affect nearby lakes.

One of the lakes shoots a large rock onto a nearby highway, with a strange glowing light at the top that pulses like a heart. The highway patrol blows up the rock with dynamite and dumps the rubble in the forest. The forest man, watching from a nearby tree, notices the glowing rock. The rubble begins to move and join together around the glowing core, forming the monster Gorgos. Spotting the man, Gorgos begins chasing him through the forest.

During the chase, the man trips and a tree falls on his leg, but the officer evacuating the area rescues him. Angry at Gorgos for causing trouble in his forest, the man climbs onto the monster, aiming for its glowing heart. Gorgos begins thrashing to shake him off. The man pulls out the glowing heart, tosses it into the air, and shoots it with the officer’s pistol. Gorgos flails a bit more before dying. Meanwhile, an avalanche triggered by Mt. Fuji’s heat and Gorgos’ stomping buries its body, never to be seen again. The forest man is reunited with his sister and returns to normal life.

I really enjoyed this episode, especially after the strange Gameron installment. Whenever a giant monster appears, I’m automatically interested, and Gorgos did not disappoint. The design was cool, and its death felt believable given its behavior. Gorgos seemed lazy, dragging itself by its front legs, so it makes sense the man could climb on it. It only started moving aggressively once it realized the man was trying to attack its heart. The Tarzan-like story mixed with the monster fight at the end made this episode a big winner for me.