Ultra Bigisu

The Ultra Kaiju series was published in the mid-1960s by Tokyo Hinomaru Bunko (Koushin Shobou), a publisher based in Tokyo that specialized in rental manga. A total of four titles were released in the following order: Ultra Bigisu, Ultra Gokkamu, Ultra Arigon, and Ultra King.

The name Ippei Tsuburaya is credited as the writer and artist, but this is a pseudonym of the renowned Shouji Hashimoto (known for rental manga works such as Yuurei Kanja and Futamaku Mokichi—considered the most gruesome stories ever published by Togetsu Shobou—as well as for his expertise in bondage themes as an erotic manga artist and illustrator, and as a leading talent at Mizuki Productions).

These are kaiju stories with “Ultra” in the series title, created by an author named “Tsuburaya.” It is unclear whether this was a deliberate nod to a certain famous tokusatsu series.

They can be described as a rare collection of works that embody the chaos and vitality of the rental manga world—as well as the peculiarity and charm that stem from it.

This time, from Tsuburaya’s Ultra Kaiju series, two works— Bigisu and Gokkamu—are being reissued in a limited edition to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Mandarake Complex.

(Source: Mandarake, translated)