by August » Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:12 pm
As for ULTRA SEVEN, while it was violent (concerning the Eyeslugger), it was about on par with ULTRAMAN's violence. Now, the episodes of ULTRAMAN were not shot in order — so, the early ones that were shot, such as the examples you folks have posted above — tend to have more visible blood — while the later ones, while still violent (such as Ultraman and the Science Patrol's demoralization of Gomora), are essentially bloodless. Even though, they are blowing monsters to bits, there's no more oozing or flowing blood as in the early episodes (Red King, Jirass, Dodongo, etc.). By the 1970s, all Japanese television and movies were quite a bit more violent, brought on to bring in audiences/viewers. "Samurai" and Detective dramas became more bloody, and so were their television counterparts — including superhero/monster shows. On the original Kamen Rider shows, for example, innocent citizens were routinely burned alive, dissolved, melted, and machine-gunned. By the mid-1980s, the Japanese PTA, and other organizations, which had been protesting this violence aimed at children, finally started getting their way. While there was less graphic murders in these shows, and the heroes stopped kicking badguys in the nads, the action and fighting was pretty much still intact. But, I do feel that the more violent aspects of the 1970s shows are what really made them standout from all the came before or after them!