Some stories simply don’t have easy answers to them. Sometimes, that’s the point.
Welcome back to our Ultraman Arc reviews, friends. Sarah is on break this week, so I have the privilege of discussing this excellent episode of our favorite series with all of you — an episode that has developed quite a lot of discussion around it globally, both for its debuts, as well as the subject matter discussed within. Let’s crack into the episode itself, before the next full moon.
Our episode starts with a bit of a sad fact — It’s getting hot out there, folks. Hotter than ever, in fact. To travel back in time, a bit, Ultraman Dyna episode 21 “Fever Monster 3000 Degrees,” the Kaiju Sodom caused a heat wave of a sweltering 36.5 degrees celsius, or 97.7 degrees fahrenheit. Unfortunately, due to climate change, that temperature is normal these days — so the stifling heat this time has had to be elevated all the way up to 45 degrees celsius, or 113 degrees fahrenheit. This was actually pointed out on social media by fans who were paying attention, so we extend our appreciation to them — but it’s still rough, isn’t it?
Yuma and the rest of SKIP are trying to beat the heat — or at least function in it — with the help of Shu and YouPi’s exquisite iced coffees, but poor Chief Ban never gets to enjoy his before SKIP is called out to investigate a geyser that has sprouted up in the middle of Hoshimoto!
Fittingly for a geyser, the smell of sulfur has filled the air, and boiling steam and water are sputtering out… And yet, Yuma can’t seem to detect any Kaiju that may be causing this. Japan is a very volcanic country, but Hoshimoto isn’t on a fault line, so what could it be…?
Our answer comes in the form of a mysterious girl, Anju, who calls out to Yuma and begs him to stay away. Yuma’s the only one that can hear or see this woman, but her message comes through clearly a moment later, when the ground begins to sunder and shatter, and a Kaiju does emerge, heading towards some local gas tanks to consume the contents! In a rare moment, Yuma transforms almost immediately, becoming Arc to try and take this creature out immediately. However, Anju’s words reach him yet again, telling him not to fight “Homger” — and that brief moment of pause on Arc’s part is all the Kaiju needs to blow him away, knocking Arc back into human form for the first time this season!
Back at SKIP, Yuma is recovering as the team discusses their options when the Anju’s words sink in, and he realizes the true identity of this “Homger” — a legendary Kaiju associated with volcanic eruptions! The creature is sleeping in the middle of the city right now, but as SKIP study it, they discover the Kaiju’s energy is reaching a peak — and combining that with the legend of Homger causing disasters on the full moon, they realize that the monster will detonate come nightfall, a colossal explosion that will destroy the entire city!
As evening approaches, SKIP is able to evacuate the city, but there is no solution to the Kaiju’s threat. Yuma prepares to transform again when Anju appears to him again, begging him to act differently, and that he is only approaching the situation from a human position. And that’s where this episode gets complicated.
A warning — after this point we will be discussing this episode’s twist. If you have not watched the episode, we recommend you pause here and finish the episode.
You finish? OK, good.
So, Homger is pregnant, and this threat of detonation is how the creature gives birth, violently exploding to bring its child into the world, passing that energy on! If the GDF or Arc destroys Homger, the species may cease to exist simply because its natural reproductive cycle is inconvenient to human society. Do humans have the right to pass judgment on Homger?
At the same time, can they afford not to? In case it wasn’t clear, Homger’s birth would annihilate the space wholly up to the Monohorn, miles away. Even if SKIP was able to fully evacuate Hoshimoto, and that’s a big if, everyone’s homes will be gone — who knows if the city would ever be inhabitable again?
Wow, that’s… complicated. Neither answer is particularly easy, or necessarily satisfying — and yet, an answer must be decided upon. Thankfully, the whole point of Ultraman is that he can find that third answer, that option that doesn’t require a sacrifice. And Arc finds his answer in Yuma’s past… and the light of the full moon.
I love the Luna Armor. This archetype of powers, be it Tiga’s Sky Type and especially Dyna’s Miracle Type, always enable some of the coolest visuals in the entire show, and Luna Armor delivers immediately, using its speed and flight abilities to create, as Chief Ban refers to them, “afterimages with mass”!
…Wait. Is that a reference of…?!
Anyway, what Luna actually enables is a miracle. Forming a tornado of energy around Homger, Arc approaches it as it approaches its end, and embraces the Kaiju, offering comfort in the Kaiju’s final moment. I’m a softie in general, but I absolutely teared up as Homger’s eyes closed for the last time in Arc’s arms. Its eyes had been bloodshot for the entire episode, as though it hadn’t gotten to properly rest for so long, or had been in terrible pain. In that moment, it was in pain no more.
After the detonation, Anju appears in front of the newborn Homger, embracing it and revealing her own mystical true form to Arc for just a moment, before the two disappear into mystery. From death comes new life, and the cycle continues.
In the show’s final moments, SKIP discusses the Homger crisis and speculates on Arc’s motivations, unaware that their hero is in the room with them. Yuma finally gets some rest after a long night, vowing to prepare future generations for the next time Homger appears… alongside its spirit companion.
“The Full Moon’s Answer” was, in my opinion, the best episode of Arc yet. Thought-provoking with gorgeous effects, a great Kaiju design, and the debut of Arc’s coolest form yet, the show gives you an embarrassment of riches to discuss at length.
Homger may not have been evil in the end, but next week, SKIP and Arc face perhaps the greatest evil that an Ultra has ever gone up against — Cryptocurrency! See you then!
