Wadatuzin sitting on Nagira's horn.
Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars is a 1990 tokatsu movie released by Tsuburaya Productions, based on their old TV series, Ultra Q. It is notably Tsuburaya's first giant monster movie since 1984's Ultraman Story, Akko Jisouji's first film since the 1979 adaptation of Ultraman and the last Tsuburaya movie containing the Tsuburaya Opening.
A series of mysterious deaths, where executives and CEO involved in a large-scale city development project are found murdered with holes in their heads but without traces of any murder weapons being used, have a team of reporters including the leader Jun Manjone, Jun's sidekick Ippei Togawa, and intern Yuriko Edogawa travelling to Okinawa for an investigation. But the truth is far more mind-blowing and absolutely nothing they could've anticipated — let's just say, the plot involves an alien deity who existed before the dawn of time, and her pet monster, as well as an ancient cult and the alien's hidden underwater spaceship?
This is notably Tsuburaya's final efforts to reinvigorate interest in Ultra Q until Ultra Q Dark Fantasy 14 years later.
Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars contains one Mind Screw of a plot, but it also have the following tropes:
- Abnormal Ammo: The victims of Wadatuzin have odd-looking holes in their craniums, without any sign of being hit by projectiles, it's later revealed that Wadatuzin can create high-pressure "water bullets" that can pierce through human skulls.
- Advertised Extra: Some posters and promotional materials will attempt to hype up the presence of Nagira, the kaiju monster whose screentime totals up to approximately seven minutes, with a grand total of three appearances in the film (the first which only its tail is visible, but not the entire creature). Granted, it's still a Tsuburaya property where giant monsters are still their main selling point, but anyone who's in for some epic giant monster action based on the posters showcasing this awesome-looking kaiju going on a rampage will be really dissapointed.
- Ancient Astronauts: Wadatuzin is one of many aliens who arrived on earth in ancient times, who ends up remaining on our planet due to being unable to reawaken her spaceship. Being amazed with the beauty of nature, Wadatuzin started a cult to teach the then-primitive humans to preserve the environment, and was worshiped as a wrathful goddess for centuries until humans have advanced sufficiently and gradually forgot about her existance.
- Apologises a Lot: Yuriko the intern, whose dialogue consists mostly of her apologizing over things which clearly aren't her fault, and that NOBODY is actively blaming her.(when traces of mysterious alien gunk is found on a VHS) "I'm sorry sir! Let me get you another one!"
- Attack of the Monster Appendage: During Nagira's first rampage, all we the audience see is it's tail lashing out from underground, smashing up construction sites, excavators and facilities, and while it's roars are audible the monster remains hidden for most of the part. Several scenes later, only then did Nagira shows up completely.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Calling Wadatuzin a "bad guy" would be a bit of a stretch though, since she is but a mere herald of warning towards the human's consequences of pollution and destruction towards the environment. But the film ends with Wadatuzin having collected enough life-force from her human worshippers, collecting Nagira, and then entering her spaceship and fleeing, never to be seen again, while leaving most of the coastal town in ruins, and the executives Wadatuzin killed have died for nothing.
- The Cameo: Susumu Kurobe and Akiji Kobayashi made brief appearances which doesn't impact the plot in any way. There's also Hiroshi Tsuburaya (grandson of Eiji) who plays a staff in the reporter's office.
- Covers Always Lie: Wadatuzin on the poster above doesn't look anything like the gynoid-looking appearance she had in the movie itself
◊. The numerous posters that implies the movie to contain loads and loads of epic kaiju action, by shoving Nagira right in the front and center, are even worse offenders. - Girls Love Stuffed Animals: For much of her screentime, Yuriko is seen playing with a stuffed raccoon, or simply carrying it around while she's at home.
- Green Aesop: Always preserve the environment and hold back on the indiscriminate development of forests and oceans, or else Wadatuzin will murder you with water bullets and sic her monster Nagira on your cities.
- Kaiju: In classical Tsuburaya fashion, Wadatuzin's Pet Monstrosity Nagira fits the bill. It appears to be based off either Gomora or Earthtron, being horned subterranean beasts living underground capable of tunneling.
- Kill It with Water: Wadatuzin's "water bullets" which can penetrate flesh, which is how she killed the executives behind the land development projects without leaving behind traces of murder weapons involved.
- Lady in Red: Wadatuzin's default human form is a lady in a red dress, complete with a red headscarf.
- Legend Fades to Myth: Part of Wadatuzin's backstory, where after humans have advanced to the point of no longer believing in gods, the cult of Wadatuzin then gradually turns into a myth until it was resurfaced centuries later.
- Living Statue: When the Wadatuzin first reveals herself to Jun, Ippei and Yuriko, the takes on the form of a sentient Dogu statue. Who can fly and assault the main characters with lasers eyes.
- Parting the Sea: Towards the end of the film, this is how Wadatuzin reveals her spaceship which is hidden under the waters of Okinawa's coast.
- Really 700 Years Old: Wadatuzin and her monster pet, Nagira, have existed since the Yayoi period of Japan note .
- Serial Killer: The police and reporters initially though they're dealing with one of these after finding the corpses of various executives and CEOs involved in the developmental projects. But later it turns out they're dealing with something far more sinister.
- The Shadow Knows: Wadatuzin's shadow remains in her alien form, even when she's disguised as a human or as a dogu statue.
- Shout-Out:
- The opening scene of psychedelic lights floating through galaxies while the narration talks about the origin of mankind should invoke a certain scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- Wadatuzin's alien form, a silver Fembot, seems to be based off Hel from Metropolis.
- The myth of Urashima Tarō is brought up when Jun and Ippei are discussing on the possible origins of Wadatuzin.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Wadatuzin and Nagira at the end of the film. Having unleashed the monster on a coastal town and destroyed the remaning developmental projects, Wadatuzin decides her rampage is enough of a final testament to humans to protect their planet or face far worse consequences, at which point she leaves intending to return to check on humans once more decades later.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Wadatuzin's reasoning for killing the executives behind the development projects and setting her monster Nagira loose on a rampage is to warn humanity the consequences of nature pollution and to embrace the environment. Hey, it's the 1990s.
