Gamera: Guardian of the Universe Review.

Gamera’s something of an interesting Kaiju if nothing more than the often perceived notion that he was simply little more than a Godzilla Rip-off. While this is certainly a degree of truth to that, it never prevented the character and film series from taking off, often rivaling the Godzilla Series at the box office and even on American television throughout the 60s.

But that success wasn’t meant to last. Gamera had been long dormant by the time pre-production began on GOTU, the last full film being 1971’s Gamera vs. Zigra. That same year, Studio Daiei went into bankruptcy and plans for a 1972 film were scrapped. 1974 saw the revival of Daiei after being picked up by Tokuma Shoten, but only as a production company and producer. They would have to rely on others for distribution. Daiei actually managed to do quite well, all things considered, even co-producing some international blockbusters like The Go-Masters in 1982. But by the early 90s it had dwindled into Hentai. A surprising amount of Hentai.

As for Gamera, he was only afforded a very embarrassing outing in 1980 with Gamera: Super Monster, of which ⅓ of the film is stock footage. It was so bad that Gamera co-creator and director Noriaki Yuasa requested that Gamera be killed off at the end of the film, believing that the series would never recover.

Gamera’s 20th anniversary in 1985 came and went with little fanfare, while long-time rival Godzilla already had a successful 1984 revival and would return once again in ‘89 with nearly yearly entries until December 1995. It wouldn’t be until the 30th Anniversary when Gamera finally got to shine once more on the big screen, fittingly, in 1995. Although Gamera would release in March.


However, the lead-up to that was bumpy. The film was originally envisioned as a 60-minute parody or comedy, something which greatly disappointed director Shusuke Kaneko. Thankfully, writer Kazunori Ito and special effects director Shinji Higuchi managed to convince the higher-ups of a much more grounded and bolder direction, opting for a full feature film in line with the Heisei Godzilla series. One additional advantage was that once that decision was made, the production team had a great deal of freedom to do whatever they wished. The only hard rule was that Gamera’s redesign and general depiction wouldn’t be terrifying to children, the rest was carte blanche. The downside is that the budget would be an insultingly low 500 million JPY or 4.5 million USD, about ⅓ of the average Heisei Godzilla production. For a team that wanted to reach new heights, they sure had their work cut out.

The film begins with a ship carrying plutonium in the Philippines Sea not far from Japan. Running aground, they discover an unusually large atoll as the cause of their troubles. What’s more, it’s moving.
Thankfully, the ship is unharmed and can complete its journey after the Atoll moved.

But the event has left Officer Yoshinari Yonemori (Tsuyoshi Ihara) slightly traumatized by the experience, feeling personally responsible and yet bewildered by the accident.

In a meeting with Naoya Kusanagi (Akira Onodera) an investigator for Yashima Marine Insurance, Yonemori requests to take part in the investigation despite regulations of separating the public and private sector. Kusanagi is hesitant given the risks, but Yonemori is not to be deterred. He decides to butter up Kusanagi in the following days, first stopping by a local convenience store and asking the clerk if Kusanagi has a particular drink of choice. Overhearing the conversation, a young girl interrupts, saying that he likes sake, bourbon, and rum. This just so happens to be Asagi (Ayako Fujitani), Kusanagi’s daughter.

Kusanagi returns home finding that Yonemori has prepared dinner and performed other housework duties. Amused by the gesture, he relents in allowing him to join the investigation- but notes it’s a none paying job given the circumstances.

Using eye-witness sightings, the team discovers the atoll has been spoted around Christmas island, to the Caroline Islands and of course the Philippines. By using rough estimates of the sightings they’re able to get a general idea of where the atoll is drifting and how fast, eventually finally finding it not too far from Okinawa.

Embarking upon the atoll reveals that it’s covered in comma-shaped amulets and contains a partially buried slab covered in Etrurian runes.

Digging around the slab takes all night, but reveals that the slab is both warm to the touch and ringing. Before the investigation can move further, the slab shatters just as the whole atoll begins to split.

Yonemori, having fallen into the ocean, briefly sees a giant creature swim away.




Meanwhile, a second story is unfolding at the same time as Yonemori’s.

Mayumi Nagamine (Shinobu Nakayama) an ornithologist, is requested by Inspector Osako (Yukijirō Hotaru) to accompany him to Himegami Island. Several people have gone missing, including Nagamine’s boss, Professor Hirata, who had gone to the Island to research reports of an unusual bird. Contact with the Island was recently cut off, and the last radio report came from a sailor specifically mentioning a giant bird.

Upon reaching the Island via helicopter, the village is discovered to be completely trashed, as if hit by a typhoon. Nagamine is initially skeptical that this could be caused by any bird, but an unusually large pellet catches her eye. Digging into the mass reveals a pen belonging to Hirata, along with his glasses. Further investigation into the deep woods reveals the culprit as a massive flying creature- which for simplicity’s sake I will be referring to as Gyaos.

The team rush to the chopper and attempt to distract Gyaos away from the surrounding islands, concerned it will cause more casualties. Nagamine manages to capture several up-close photos of the flying kaiju, which becomes disoriented from the camera’s flash, retreating back towards the island among several other Gyaos.


Following news reports, and before Nagamine can even change clothes, she is once again requested by Osako for her services. But this time it’s on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment.

Mr. Saito (Hirotaro Honda) tasks Nagamine with helping capture the creatures. Despite the dangers they pose, the agency has an invested interest in taking them alive since they are an unknown and likely rare species. Nagamine is inexperienced and knowledge is limited on the Gyaos’ behavior patterns, but the cabinet has made its decision.

Putting together a plan on such short notice proves difficult. The only thing certain is that Gyaos are carnivores, more active during sunset/night, and sensitive to flashes of light.  But it’s Osako who has a stroke of genius in suggesting they trap the Gyaos in the Fukuoka Dome.

With Nagamine’s ingenuity and the manpower of the JSDF, they’re able to lure the three Gyaos to the dome with a large pile of cow carcasses.

But the plan isn’t without its hitches. Yonemori arrives on the scene, warning everyone of a giant creature heading towards the area, but they’re simply too preoccupied with the current situation to pay the warning much heed. Further complications arise when the JSDF prematurely tranquilizes one of the Gyaos before the dome seals shut, allowing one to escape while provoking the other to attack, resulting in the JSDF riddling it with shots and supposedly causing an overdose.

As for the escaping Gyaos, it’s tracked by the JSDF...until it’s smacked out of the air by Gamera rising from the deep.

Gamera begins his ascent to shore, causing a large amount of damage as he makes his way to the dome. But just as the kaiju arrives, both Gyaos manage to wake and escape; Gamera taking off in pursuit.

By this point, we’re about 30 minutes into the film, all the characters are introduced including our titular turtle. From here on the film primarily focuses on unraveling the rest of the mysteries set up, as well as the fallout of Gamera’s arrival resulting in economic inflation and military action.

Yonemori meets with Kusanagi again, learning that the slab within the Atoll had photos taken and they were able to translate the runes, which foretells a prophecy of Gamera battling the Gyaos. Yonemori also gifts Asagi one of the strange stones picked up on the atoll, which is evidently made of an unknown metal. They theorize that it could be Orichalcum from Plato’s writings in Critias, indicating that both Gamera and Gyaos made have connections to Atlantis and are ancient. Whatever the case may be, the stone reacts to Asagi reading the prophesy aloud, growing warm.

Nagamine meanwhile is concentrated on tracking the Gyaos, eventually coming to the Kiso Mountain range which is in the middle of an evacuation. One Gyaos is killed by the sudden arrival of Gamera, while the other attacks Nagamine and a young child-- the two saved by Gamera who injures his hand in the process. The turtle once again takes off after the final fleeing flying kaiju, although the pursuit is cut short by the JSDF finally taking offensive action and shooting Gamera out of the sky.

Asagi, who curiously has an injured hand, catches news that Gamera has fallen near Mt. Fuji and the JSDF will be launching an assault. She feels drawn to the kaiju, managing to make her way nearby, even bypassing a blockade thanks to a crazy taxi driver.

Asagi watches in horror as the combined efforts of the SDF and Gyaos greatly injure Gamera, splitting his arm which in turn causes Asagi’s arm to spontaneously bleed. She begs for Gamera to flee, soon passing out as Gamera fulfills her wish.
Upon awakening at the hospital, she cryptically tells her visiting father that she hopes it won’t be too late, but that she and Gamera now require rest, falling into a coma.

As the last remaining Gyaos remains hidden in the deep woods around Mt. Fuji, Nagamine and Yonemori meet with a colleague, Michiya, who is a biologist. He’s been examining the genes of the Gyaos, and they’re unlike anything else on earth. All are female and only possess a single chromosome. Whatever they are, they’re not natural and can reproduce asexually at an alarming rate. In essence, they are genetically perfect creatures. Mayumi and Yoshinari put the pieces together, theorizing that the writings on the slab and the recent occurrences with Asagi are all connected and that she could be the key to all of this, but for the moment there isn’t much they can do as both she and Gamera remain in slumber.

This situation proves even more dangerous as the final Gyaos is allowed to grow to massive proportions, equaling Gamera in height. She attacks a train in the middle of Tokyo, making off with a boxcar and consuming the passengers. The attack results in a mass evacuation and the environmental agency canceling any plans of capture. Refocusing their efforts to kill the winged Brobdingnagian, they begin their attack the following morning, only for the Gyaos to outmaneuver their missile barrage, with the JSDF ultimately only succeeding in destroying a part of Tokyo Tower for which the Gyaos makes its nest.

The next day, Kusanagi arrives with his now cognitive daughter. Nagamine and Yonemori know this means Gamera will arrive soon, and sure enough, the kaiju pops out of the ground, launching a surprise attack against the Gyaos- missing- but destroying the nest and a collection of eggs.

Gamera chases Gyaos through the city, weaving in and out between the comparatively narrow streets as a JSDF helicopter carrying Asagi and the three others tries to keep up.
The chase breaks down into a brawl, Gamera gaining the upper hand and causing a building to partially collapse upon the Gyaos. But knowing it’s not over, Gamera takes the opportunity to gain altitude, the Gyaos giving chase once freed. Gamera breaks through the stratosphere, quickly turning the tables when he bites hold of the Gyaos’ leg and begins dive-bombing. The winged fiend tries desperately to break free, blasting Gamera’s head multiple times and in turn causing a great deal of pain to Asagi. But Gamera holds tight, the Gyaos finally sacrificing its own leg to break free, causing Gamera to free-fall into an oil refinery, which explodes spectacularly.


With hope seemingly lost, Asagi clutches the stone tightly and holds her father’s hand as the fires gather and revive Gamera. Gyaos and Gamera standoff, each readying a penultimate attack. Both fire, Gyaos missing and only grazing Gamera. Gamera’s fireball hits true, decapitating and ending the aerial terror once and for all.

He turns victoriously towards Asagi, gratefully nodding as he heals the wounds she’s sustained, breaking their bond before returning to the sea.

In the aftermath, Nagamine worries that there could still be other Gyaos in the world and they should stay vigilant. But Asagi is sure that if anything happens, Gamera will return once again.

Hot damn, what a fucking movie. I honestly do not have a lot to critique about Gamera, it's simply an easy watch for me. I wouldn’t call it a comfort movie per se, but one thing that always gets me is how quickly the film just seems to fly by. It’s an hour and a half but it barely feels like 45 minutes because it’s such a breeze to watch and genuinely entertaining.

If there is something of a criticism I have for Gamera’s story it’s that the characters are just relatively average. They’re not bad by any means, Mayumi and Yoshinari are both perfectly fine and their actors do an excellent job in their roles. In fact, Shinobu Nakayama won a blue ribbon for best-supporting actress for her role as Mayumi, a well-deserved one I might add.

But the characters themselves are not given a particular amount of depth beyond their dedication. They work for moving the plot along; unraveling the mystery surrounding the Gyaos, where they came from, how they operate and breed, the mystery of the strange metals, Gamera, the lost civilization, and so forth. Those parts are the most engaging for me, and the film does a great job of utilizing the characters in that manner. They’re just not well-rounded otherwise, but I feel that’s an acceptable compromise.


I will however give special mention to Asagi, who I enjoy in a meta sense. Her spiritual bond with Gamera is a clever way to harken back to Showa entries emphasis on Gamera’s connection to children and the kids having to deal with ignorant adults- although here it’s obviously more teen or pre-teen.

I’ll also give credit for the film keeping it simple. We really only have two leads and the Kusanagi family, followed by Mr. Saito of the EPA as a pseudo antagonist. Simple as they may be, keeping the core cast basic helps maintain focus. It never feels like there are too many unnecessary characters or ones that you enjoy but are killed off too soon or the like.


Now for the themes, it’s a bit 50/50. There’s something of a political critique in showing to the national diet ratifying a bill for military action (As the JSDF is only for defense and the enemy must attack first)  But once that occurs the JSDF prioritizes attacking Gamera over Gyaos, even though it clear the other is a much bigger problem. But it feels a little undercooked for what is depicted. Giving the benefit of the doubt, I could simply be missing very topical and specific satire relevant only to mid 90’s Japan. The economic mentions definitely feel topical to the bubble bursting. Still, it feels like more could have been done with a Government finding problems where there isn’t one, yet ignoring the obvious until it’s too late. This instigates some friction between our main protagonists and the Government officials- but again, it’s relatively shallow despite a solid concept.

Where they’re more successful is, again, discussions of Gyaos and Gamera’s origins. Parallels are drawn between the ancient civilization losing control of Gyaos and inadvertently being destroyed by their own creation to that of mankind’s pollution of the earth, which is also cited as a probable factor in reawakening the beasts.

And if that sounds familiar, yeah. A large part of that concept was almost copied wholesale for Legendary’s Godzilla series.



Another area Gamera was unique and in some ways still is, is the more animalistic depiction of the Kaiju, at least for the Gyaos. Biological functions just aren’t something you often see with Kaiju, at least not in a traditional sense. Most of the time when a giant monster is consuming something, it’s more ethereal like radiation or electricity, not flesh. It’s funny to think that as far back as Gojira, the idea of giant monsters eating was thought about, just not often depicted and more so only ever alluded to if that. Delving into reproduction and other functions even less so.






But while I think the story is enjoyable and the various depictions of the kaiju are wonderful, as superficial as this may be to say, where Gamera shines most is the visual effects.

Gamera’s early concepts were quite varied and even downright bizarre, almost appearing more like a Lovecraftian abomination, barely recognizable. Others were simply darker with sharp angles. Obviously, those wouldn’t do given the restrictions. But there were some other design choices also rejected, ranging from Gamera having fins at all times, to fins only when in flight, or a sharp protruding elbow, all of which were rejected. Although the elbow concept was made retractable and snuck into the final battle.

The final result was essentially a fairly straightforward update with all the modern accouterments from detail to material. Gamera’s head’s a bit softer and the eyes made more friendly (Which are actually Gachapon capsules). The shell was made more rounded than the Showa era designs, as was the chest to more closely resemble real turtles.

As with most suits, several were made for different purposes, including an animatronic head which is very expressive. If Daiei wanted a friendly Gamera, this very well might be most kindly looking he had ever been up to that point. It's not my favorite design for Gamera, but I think it's a great starting point and a wonderful update to the classic design.


On a humour note, Takateru Manabe and Jun Suzuki were both chosen to play the role of Gamera, primarily for the reason that they were fairly short, which made the low-angle shots easier while avoiding the ceiling. It also meant that both the suits and the miniatures could be made smaller and thus save time, material, and money.

Gyaos is granted a similar upgrade, although with a much more villainous visage for obvious reasons. Perhaps the most interesting thing to note about Gyaos isn’t the design itself but the suit actress, Yumi Kameyama. She has the distinction of being the first woman to portray a Kaiju. Higuchi noted that Gyaos had a slim design and they required someone with the right shape. In fact, it seems the primary reason Gyaos was designed in such a manner was mainly so a woman could be cast. Higuchi felt the industry was filled with too many men and decided he would do something to make it easier for a woman to break into the field. Kudos.

But I think what everyone will inevitably point to in terms of design quality is the sets. At one point in time, this was the pinnacle of miniatures and it took a long time before anything else came close.

It’s goddamn impressive what they realized considering the budget. But it also makes a degree of sense when you think about what’s on-screen. They went with smaller complexes as opposed to the giant skyscrapers you often saw in Heisei Godzilla films. Going with smaller buildings allows for more detail such as a bike leaning against the building or clothing hanging out to dry, rust upon a water tower. Little things that wouldn’t be practical to incorporate otherwise and were often missing in Godzilla movies which results in much more plain environments. I believe they quite rightly realized that finer details such as that are far more interesting than worrying about if the monsters are outsized by modern skyrises. Simply put, it’s quality over quantity.

You have about 3 Gamera suits, 2 Gyaos, some smaller puppet Gyaos that can be easily repurposed, and a small focused cast. Everything thing else can go into the set design and location with three really big set pieces with the Dome, the battle in Tokyo, and the final confrontation in the oil refinery- which they actually use twice in the film but only briefly.

They’re also very frugal and clever by revisiting locations like the Island, the local store, or Kusanagi’s home without it ever being too noticeable as it is sensible to shoot multiple scenes in those locations. The pacing is so goddamn good that no area, miniature or otherwise, ever becomes stale.
The smaller occurrences like the bridge scene or Gyaos eating the passengers of the train also help add variety in small ways that make the film seem bigger than it really is. But even with those clever elements, the fact this was still accomplished on such a minuscule budget is impressive.

And it’s not just how nicely detailed the sets are, but how they frame and film the shots, how they combine the miniatures with real scale or night shots to create magnificent illusions.

You have very impressive pullback shots like this which give a sense of mass to the suits and adds a depth of realism. That sense of scope and magnitude is something Gamera nails in such a way that many others have failed to grasp.

Again, how those finer points are shot is what makes the film for me. You can have the most bloated budget, the largest sets, the best CG, but if I can’t believe this is a lived-in world, it’s for naught.

Goddamn.

That said, it’s not as if the effects are flawless. As wonderful as the miniatures are, a lot of the green screen and CG effects are really dated and some not even all that great for the time.

Some are...pretty fucking bad, actually. Especially watching this in Bluray quality. What’s funny is that probably cost an arm and a leg in 1995 and I’m sure more of the budget went towards this than any other component.

Some of the ground fights are rough as well. This only happens at the end of the film during the final fight, and it’s inter-cut with very impressive aerial battles, so I can’t complain too much. But neither suit is particularly suited for fisti cuffs. Gyaos is of course winged and Gamera’s shell simply makes him too awkward to move in a fluid enough motion to properly hit. It’s clunky.

But again, it’s a minor issue. The vast majority of the ending confrontation has some fantastic POV shots weaving in between the buildings and wonderful destruction of all those buildings. Even with the heavy blacklines around the monsters, it's a sight to behold. In Japan the film is actually called ‘Gamera: Giant Monster Midair Battle’ and it certainly lives up to the title.

Final thoughts.

If it wasn’t clear by now, I think this film is marvelous. I don’t even think it would be controversial to say this is one of the very best toku films of the era. In an hour and a half, it gives you everything you want with brilliant pacing and a unique take that pretty much every later giant monster movie cribbed from in some way. Gamera GOTU doesn’t overstay its welcome, and the few flaws present are easier to forgive because of that. (something I wish more modern films would take note of)

I don’t know of any other film or series that has had as much impact as the Heisei Gamera trilogy, yet is not fully appreciated for it- at least outside Japan. Because there it was a critical darling being nominated at the Japanese Academy Awards. Winning a blue ribbon for both best supporting actress and director, and winning best-supporting actress, director, screenplay, and special effects at the Yokohama Film Festival.
The film made back its budget and a profit of about 2 million which allowed for subsequent sequels, and it even bested the then most recent Godzilla entry which was Godzilla vs Space Godzilla.


Despite the praise, this never resulted in much fanfare in the west. The most it got at the time was a surprisingly high rating from Roger Ebert, who gave the film three stars and described the movie as better than Airforce One. Although noting that the movie itself wasn’t good but a good moviegoing experience.

A lot of that floundering simply has to do with the fact that Gamera never had as big a foothold as Godzilla Internationally. After the 70s, poor Gamera was mostly relegated to infamy for being even cornier than Godzilla in the Showa era and was primarily known for the Sandy Frank edits and MST3K. Heisei Godzilla films on the other hand were all over the place on video and ran into the ground on the WAM channel.


Thankfully the Gamera trilogy has started to get more recognition in recent years thanks to things like Shout Factory running a marathon and the recent releases by Arrow- which by the way are loaded with extras.

I really don't know what else to say. GOTU is the accumulation of decades of SFX work, fans of monster movies, people who weren’t even involved with Tokusatsu, and simply the right people at the right time. They all came together to create something that in some ways is still unparalleled in what it started. It’s not perfect, Gamera GOTU certainly has some flaws and noticeable room for improvement- something that is taken into account in future entries. But that doesn’t keep this from being an absolute watch and one of my favorites.

Maybe one day I’ll talk about the subsequent sequels that make those improvements, but for now, I hope you enjoyed this look at one of my favorite tokusatsu films. If you’d like to watch Gamera for yourself, it’s free on Tubi.

You can also purchase the trilogy in a 3 disc steel book from Arrow at a very reasonable $50, or get the Heisei collection with Gamera the Brave at $70.

And if you like what I do and can spare a buck, you can donate to my ko-fi page here.