I think that the late director, Noriaki Yuasa, put it best in the 1998 BBC documentary "Godzilla King of the Monsters", where he says the difference between Japanese and Western monsters is cultural. The indigenous Japanese religion is Shinto (Way of the Gods), which, simply put is what George Lucas originally conceived "The Force" to be. A divine power that exists in all things, animate and inanimate, and Japanese monsters are more mythical than their western counterparts, which are steeped in science and (western) principals of logic.

Gamera is one of these creatures -- like the Greek Gods and mythological creatures, they just *are*. For centuries, most eastern cultures have regarded the majestic turtles in a most profound and powerful way. The terrapin is considered strong (the Hindus believe that the World is carried on one's back), powerful (they are persistent), wise (through their longevity), and lucky (as they as symbols of good fortune in Japan and China). The head of the studio imagined an image of a giant tortoise flying through the clouds, and asked his planning staff to flesh this initial concept into something concrete, and they added the fire-spitting/eating (as an energy source to explain the flying ability).

The first film was produced as a B-Picture, but released as an A-Picture, and surprised everyone -- including the studio -- when it became a big hit. The next film, GAMERA VS. BARUGON (1966) was produced as an A-Picture, and was much more straight-faced, but failed to find an audience. So, after discussing the fact that children had taken to the character, but found the second film "boring", they decided to market the films that followed directly to children (foreshadowing what Toho did with Godzilla a few years later).

The original Gamera is an acquired taste; if didn't grow up with the films and liked them from the get-go, you might have fond memories of them, but if that's not the case -- proceed with caution and the eyes of a child. They are really neat little films and can be quite sweet at times, much like their director.

Director Shusuke Kaneko, whose DEATH NOTE is trashing THE DA VINCI CODE at the Japanese boxoffice, directed a trilogy of re-imagined Gamera films, starting in 1995. They are quite good and go through an evolution of budget and sophistication -- the visual effects in the third film are amazing. They are available on DVD from ADV Films in the States.
August Ragone
kaijupro@yahoo.com