BLOOD WORK: KAIJU CINEMA: GAMERA REBIRTH (2023)

GAMERA REBIRTH (2023)

We haven't talked about him nearly as much as we have Godzilla, but one of our all-time favorite kaiju is the titanic terrapin himself: GAMERA. The only other Japanese kaiju to ever come close to rivaling Godzilla, the Gamera films began in 1965 and saw eight films from 1965 through 1980. Another three films were released in the 1990s, arguably three of the greatest kaiju films ever made. The final film, as of yet, came out in 2006, titled: GAMERA THE BRAVE. Since then the Gamera series has lain dormant, much to our disappointment.

Gamera is unique among most kaiju as he is commonly depicted as a "friend of the children." In the original Gamera film there is a child character who has a curious fondness for Gamera, despite the dangers. The second film in the series eschews this idea only for it to return even stronger in all of the following films in the series. For the rest of the Showa era the Gamera films became specifically aimed at child audiences and even affected the Godzilla series in similar ways (there is a notable shift in the Godzilla series from serious drama to childish super heroics after the Gamera films began). Conversely, though being aimed at younger viewers, a surprising amount of blood, gore, and violence often pervaded in these films.

And the kaiju Gamera would battle were often wild and unique creature designs. Barugon had an extending tongue that spat freezing air and had a rainbow beam attack. Gyaos was a giant bat-like beast with a taste for blood (imagine if Dracula became a kaiju) and a laser beam attack. Viras was an alien cephalopod-like thing that came to earth in its own spaceship. Guiron had a giant knife for a head and shurikens that shot from his head. And so on and so forth, the creativity in the kaiju designs being foremost (and these more bizarre designs would also eventually influence Godzilla too with such kaiju as Gigan and Megalon). In all fairness though, the Godzilla franchise tremendously influenced Gamera as well.

While the Gamera films of the 1960s and 70s have their merits, and are enjoyable in their own right, they rarely matched the quality coming from Toho and their kaiju films. The budgets for these films were significantly smaller than those of the Godzilla series and the resources available to Daiei's filmmakers were far more limited. And the focus on the children and the child actors themselves often left a lot to be desired. The Gamera series significantly improved in the 90s and 2000s, but even so there is a lot to be enjoyed from the Showa era films of the 60s and 70s.

Fast-forward to the 90s and the films became far more serious. The connection and focus on children characters was retained albeit with more mature high school students as opposed to more juvenile grade-school aged children. Then in Gamera The Brave the focus returned to grade-school children with magnificent results, being the best depiction of children in a Gamera film to that point. At last, the Gamera series had mastered the inclusion of children in their films that worked for all ages.

The Gamera film series, essentially finishing with Gamera The Brave, ended on a high note, the last four films being all high caliber kaiju cinema. And fans of Gamera eagerly awaited more, especially in the void left by Toho as America tried their hand at Godzilla. Aside from a proof of concept trailer for Gamera's 60th anniversary in 2015, the Gamera series was done.

Until now...

THE SYNOPSIS

Boco and his friends start their summer vacation from school when a host of avian-like monsters suddenly attack the city. Devouring humans in the streets, these monsters grow larger as they eat. Boco and his friends are nearly eaten alive when a colossal turtle-like creature appears to save them, a creature Boco calls Gamera. An organization called the Eustace Foundation arrives, claiming knowledge of these creatures, calling them "kaiju." More kaiju begin appearing and it soon becomes apparent that these monsters are targeting Boco and his friends. Joining the Eustace Foundation, Boco and his friends are taken to a more secure location. While en route they are attacked by several kaiju, and each time Gamera arrives to save them. But what is the connection between Boco and Gamera? And why are the evil kaiju targeting them?

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

Upon finishing the series, Gamera Rebirth feels like a genuine love letter to the 60s and 70s Gamera films. Comprising a mere six episodes, 45 minutes each, each episode could conceivably be a remake or reimagining of a classic Gamera film. No new original kaiju appear in the series, instead focusing on redesigned and revamped versions of most, but not all, of Gamera's original enemy kaiju. And the kaiju battles are one on one, presented much like how they were in the original films. Not to criticize those films from the 60s and 70s, but this series is essentially updated versions of those films with tighter continuity and a consistent human cast between them.

The story is one of the strongest aspects of the series. The series weaves in key elements from the classic films in compelling ways, feeling both respectful to those films while elevating the ideas and themes. Of particular note are the four central protagonists, the kids. These children are each given distinct personalities, deep character development, and relatable experiences. The children characters were never particularly endearing in the original films, but they are wonderful and fully-fledge characters here.

But the real standout aspect of the series are the kaiju (of course!). Gamera's new design manages to feel both fresh and exciting while feeling traditional. Reminiscent more of his 90s designs rather than the 60s and 70s, Gamera appearance in this series is nothing short of spectacular. And this extends to the other kaiju as well, each of the classic enemies receiving a new design that's exciting and respectful to the originals. What's particularly noteworthy is, while reinterpreting these classic monsters, the filmmakers never stray too far as to losing who these kaiju are. They never reach too far into the "experimental" area that the Godzilla series has traveled lately, which was much appreciated. Their powers too are given greater definition and exploration, further showcasing how amazing these monsters are. The excitement for the next kaiju keeps growing from episode to episode, building momentum as the series reaches its climax.

The biggest point of concern for this series is the animation. There are notably two aspects of the animation: 1) the humans. 2) the monsters. A cel-shaded CGI animation style (one that's popular at Netflix) is used, the same style used for the Godzilla Planet anime trilogy and Pacific Rim: The Black from Polygon Pictures. Personally we've never found this animation that attractive. For the human segments the animation is particularly poor, almost embarrassingly so. But the monster segments and battle scenes are breathtaking and utterly engrossing. It appears as though the production budget for this series was quite low and the production team made a decisive choice to prioritize the kaiju segments, lending most of their resources to render those and leaving little else for the human segments. If this was in fact the case that the filmmakers found themselves in, they certainly made the correct choice. The monster segments are near perfection and the human segments are lifted up by solid storytelling and wonderful characterizations.

It's clear that the Gamera series has never had the same budgets given to them as the Godzilla series. As such, this series doesn't quite match the production quality of even the Netflix original animated Godzilla projects (some even animated in the same style). However, given the resources available to them, Gamera Rebirth is excellent. A lot of love and care was taken into crafting this story, its characters, and kaiju. The love these filmmakers have for the original Gamera films comes across to the audience. There's even an instrumental version of the classic "Gamera March" song from the original series to top it all off.

THE VERDICT

Gamera Rebirth was fantastic. The kaiju shine like no other in this series (as they rightfully should) with new yet reverential designs, deepened power sets, and homage to their origins. The animation is terribly uneven however, skewing favorably towards the kaiju and negatively towards the humans. But relatable and endearing characterizations strengthen the human characters, making up for the disparity in animation. The overall narrative is highly compelling keeping you watching at a faster and faster rate. Overall this whole series works very well and services the Gamera franchise wonderfully. Maybe the ultimate love letter to the Showa Gamera series, Gamera Rebirth is a great addition to the franchise.

Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10

While not my favorite films in the series, the Showa Era of Gamera films have always been enjoyable and fun kaiju films. Gamera Rebirth feels like a vindication of those films and of my feelings towards them. This series represents those films how we as fans see them in our hearts, with much love and excitement. Now, if only this series would receive a second season as well as a physical media release, we would be in heaven! Even better still, hopefully this series is successful enough that Kadokawa will greenlight a new prestigious Gamera film. Fingers crossed!

For more of our thoughts on giant monsters and all things kaiju, check out these other posts below!

SHIN GODZILLA (2016)

SHIN ULTRAMAN (2022)

SHIN KAMEN RIDER (2023)

THE SAGA OF THE KING OF THE MONSTERS

Part 2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Part 3: King Kong Vs Godzilla (1962)

Part 4: Mothra Vs Godzilla (1964)
Part 5: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

Part 6: Invasion of Astro Monster (1965)

Part 7: Godzilla Vs The Sea Monster (1966)