Netflix is whetting the appetites of kaiju addicts that are awaiting their next fic of giant monster Eiga, Gamera: Rebirth, with the release of a new teaser trailer, a first look at the new Gaos, and further details about the series — including confirmation that it will be a miniseries, answering the big question of whether Rebirth was a show or a feature film.
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The new trailer verifies a few more things — for instance, that Rebirth’s animation style and tone are similar to the bleak and futuristic Godzilla anime trilogy. This is gleaned from the craggy-looking Gamera standing before the flames and wreckage of a destroyed city, evoking imagery of both the Heisei films of Shusuke Kaneko and the short from 2016.
Also, it’s revealed that Gamera will fight five monster foes, one of whom is the Daikaiju turtle’s old enemy, the Gaos. You can find one of the bizarre bat-like pteranodons flying away in the distance. The flying, swarming demon has been a thorn in his shell since the kid-friendly Showa days, managing to become the Guardian’s chief rival — the Ghidorah to his Godzilla.
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First appearing in 1967, the Gaos has undergone a handful of evolutions over the years across various eras from Showa to Heisei to Millennium in Gamera: The Brave in 2006. Gamera: Rebirth is no different as Netflix Anime reminds its Twitter followers with an unveiling of the updated design in silhouette and glowing a familiar green hue.
Gamera had the same look and lightning pattern on his chest in the first teaser image for the series which raises some questions. Number one is whether they are connected in some way as they were in Kaneko’s continuity. He established in his trilogy that Gamera was created by the people of Atlantis to wipe out their earlier creation, the uncontrollable Gaos.
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The two creatures might share a similar dynamic in Rebirth where the former is bred to kill the other, but Gamera and his allies may have to worry about this ancient history later. Their protector has four more threats to contend with that are still a mystery, but those could be unveiled in the coming weeks to the even greater delight of fans.
Unless they are original creations, the door is open for the four open slots to be occupied by more combatants from Gamera’s past. Reiwa upgrades could be in store for the rainbow-blasting Barugon, the knife-headed Guiron, the spiky Jiger, and the vengeful Iris to name a few. Each has a following that’s waited years to see them again challenging for supremacy.
The possibilities are tantalizing and going by the glimpses seen so far, Kadokawa in tandem with streaming giant Netflix seems like they are going to deliver the goods — albeit at an undetermined date. They may even humble the likes of MST3K who made a living lampooning Gamera’s cornier moments back when — which ironically gains the riff-view series credit for keeping him relevant.
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