Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy (ウルトラQ dark fantasy, Urutora Kyū: dāku fantajī) is a Sci-Fi Horror Tokusatsu series produced by Tsuburaya Productions as part of their enormous Ultra Series as its 17th official installment.
The series is a remake of the Ultra Series' very first entry, Ultra Q. Like the original, don't expect to see any of the gigantic light-based alien superheroes you'd normally expect from the Ultra Series by this point — this show is not about them. Rather, just like Ultra Q, it's set in a world very much like the regular one, only interspersed with encounters by ordinary folks with all manner of bizarre creatures, inexplicable events, and nightmarish phenomena.
Usually investigating and reporting on these happenings and monsters is eccentric journalist Goichi Sakamoto (Yoshihiko Hakamada) and his far more grounded co-worker, the freelance photographer Ryo Kusunoki (Kumiko Endo), with their friend Professor Kakunoshin Watarai (Masao Kusakari) often providing explanations as to what's going on.
But in the anthology stylings of the show, anything is possible, with our main characters not always be relevant or around to deal with things. But if one thing is certain in the shadowy and chaotic world of Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy, it's that behind any corner, your dreams and your nightmares may not always be mere fiction.
Airing on TV Tokyo from April 7 to September 29, 2004 for 26 episodes, Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy was produced as part of a three-phase project from Tsuburaya Productions known as "The Ultra N Project". Alongside the other two phases, Ultraman: The Next and Ultraman Nexus, Dark Fantasy was intended to retool the Ultra Series into a darker, adult-aimed franchise, with Dark Fantasy being an even more horror-oriented piece than the original Ultra Q. Unfortunately, Nexus (also airing in 2004, albeit on Tokyo Broadcasting System) proved a complete ratings failure, putting the lid on the reboot attempt and ultimately rendering Dark Fantasy null in the grander scheme of the franchise.
Nonetheless, Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy sticks out as one of Tsuburaya's few forays back into the Ultra Series' Sci-Fi Horror roots alongside 1990's Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars, and the show would be succeeded in 2013 by Neo Ultra Q.
Dark Fantasy provides examples of:
- Alternate Continuity: To the Ultra shows featuring Ultramen.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Mostly averted. With the exceptions of Garagon, Sabikong, and the Rekyum-Man, all the Monsters of the Week are human-sized.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: The theme of "The Eyes of the Totem" and "The Dream Stone", with both episode's wishes ending in twisted ways for the wishers.
- Breather Episode: The series has a pattern of showing heartwarming episodes after its more tragic or nightmarish ones. The lighthearted "Unitoroda's Repayment" follows "Kiara"'s Downer Ending; a remake of the 1966 original's "The Devil Child" is followed by the hope-filled, monster-free story of "The Shining Ship"; and so on.
- Broad Strokes: It's a little bit vague whether the series actually does take place in the same universe as the original Ultra Q or not. The first episode references an episode of the 1966 original, which also plays a role in the plot, but when the Gara Q reappear, everyone seems to have forgotten about the original Garamon incident and treat the Gara Q's first appearance as the first of its kind.
- Crapsaccharine World: Would you believe a nice modern Tokyo to have strange things under the surface?
- Darker and Edgier: Compared to its preceding shows including its original, it's more horror-oriented and employs Deconstruction of various elements. Being aimed exclusively at adults, it's a late-night show.
- Dark Fantasy: As stated above, although it's more a Sci-Fi Horror.
- Deconstruction: Of the original Ultra Q. Whereas the original tried its hardest to remain as family-oriented as a sci-fi horror series can be, Dark Fantasy is a 100% serious take on the genre.
- Dream Stealer: The Rekyum-Man steals the dreams and imaginations of humans to fill his own.
- Evil Twin: "Invader from the Shadows" is all about these. They're amoral mirrored versions of you and me created by an evil being in the Mirror World called Varno, who send them out to Kill and Replace people.
- Fountain of Youth: Yamada the alien salesman sells bottled versions of this.
- Gender Flip: Female versions of the Cicada Man and Kanegon appear in the series.
- The Grim Reaper: Farewell Flame is a mortal version of this.
- Monster of the Week: Just like the original Ultra Q, every episode has a monster or some form of weird occurrence.
- Negative Continuity: Besides the two Gara Q episodes, and the three characters of Goichi, Ryo, and Kakunoshin, the episodes share no continuity with each other. This is most notable with The Eyes of the Totem and The Quiet End with their endings showing humanity is doomed - even if you take them as the final episodes chronologically, they still contrast each other as well as the sequel series Neo Ultra Q.
- Our Angels Are Different: Kiara is a fairy-like angel who helps Jazz musicians achieve greatness (or so Sakaguchi believes).
- The Professor: Watarai steps into the shoes of Ichinotani for this series.
- The Remake: Many episodes are remakes of Ultra Q classics, notably "Lilly and Lili" and "Kanegoneh's Shining Road".
- Schrödinger's Butterfly: "Who Are You?" ends this way for poor Yamazaki.
- Sequel Episode: "Gara Q's Revenge" follows up on the first episode with the return of the Gara Q and their creator showing up for revenge.
- Touch of Death: Farewell Flame can do this to help people pass away peacefully.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Sushi for Unitoroda, particularly urchin and tuna.
- Two Guys and a Girl: Goichi, Ryo, and Professor Watarai.
- You Know Too Much: Implied to be why the Alien Giraff are attacking Kaypoko. More explicitly stated with Goichi's encounter with the people who run "Paradise".