UFO Robo Grendizer 3.03

The Frightening Air Balloon

or Le monstre du Loch Ness (The Loch Ness Monster)

or Assault! The Mysterious Sinister Spheres

Vega Daio puts Zuril in charge of the next mission, building out their underwater base. This angers Gandal but he agrees to follow their leader's orders. the Vegans launch a tsunami at the coast of Japan. The tsunami devastates an industrial area. Professor Umon is puzzled because there is no sign of the Vegans and the tsunami seems unnatural. He sends Hikaru to investigate the damage in Marine Spazer.

Gandal learns about Marine Spazer investigating the area and wants to attack. Zuril orders him to stand down. Gandal agrees but then starts plotting to do something. He doesn't want Zuril to succeed. Zuril orders a fleet of minifos from their base on the moon to intercept Marine Spazer. 

A fleet of minifos attacks. Professor Umon sends Grendizser, Double Spazer, and Drill Spazer to help Marine Spazer. Together they deal with the minifos. Gandal launches a balloon while the minifos are busy battling the humans. It attracts a lot of attention. Zuril wants to know what he is up to. Gandal acts as if hw did nothin out of the ordinary.

Grendizer and the others return to the Space Science Center, once the minifos have been destroyed.

The National Air Defense Command sends helicopters to investigate the balloon, which explodes when they approach it. A large object drops from the balloon when it explodes. It lands in the Shinano River and unfolds into a saucer beast. 

Daisuke hears about the balloon and wants to investigate but Professor Umon denies that request. The Space Science Center has not detected it but Danbei and Goro spot the saucer beast while they are fishing. Danbei calls Professor Umon and tells him about what they saw. Professor Umon immediately sends Grendizer and the others to the river.

The saucer beast launches three torpedos at the dam on the Shinanon River. The Space Science Center is on top of the dam. Grendizer and Double Spazer take on the saucer beast. Marine Spazer and Double Spazer deal with the torpedos. Neither threat proves to be easy to deal with but the dam is saved and the saucer beast is destroyed.

Daisuke and the others are happy that disaster was averted but Professor Umon wonders about where the saucer beast came from. He suspects that the Vegans may be on Earth but he doesn't share his suspicion with anyone else just yet.

Gandal and Zuril talk to Vega Daio who is angry that Gandal launched the saucer beast. Gandal bows and scrapes before his leader but is determined not to let Zuril succeed.

Thoughts

This is considered to be a key episode according to Wikirak.

I don't understand the one title (Assault! The Mysterious Sinister Spheres) for this episode. I don't recall anything about sinister spheres in this episode. The other two titles I can get although Loch Ness is a bit of a stretch considering that they are no where near Scotland.

Daisuke learns about the balloon from reading a newspaper. This seems a little strange considering the timing of all the events in this episode. I'm pretty sure that everything takes place over the course of a single day.

This was a decent episode. The Vegans continue to be the focus of this season. Danbei and Goro made an appearance but there was no sign of the ranch, once again.