History of Other Kaiju Part 1: Daiei Kaiju

Hey guys. Today I want to continue the History of Tokusatsu segments, and today I will be going over the Daiei Kaiju, specifically Gamera and Daimajin. Like last time, I said that these are for people who are just getting into Tokusatsu. So, let's dig in and learn about Gamera and Daimajin.

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Gamera

First, let's start off with the big turtle monster himself, Gamera. Making his debut, Gamera made his debut in 1965 and the more important reason to Gamera's creation was, of course, to rival with Godzilla. Here is the history of his movies:

Gamera (1965)

This was the first movie of the Showa Era and was a huge success.

Gamera vs Barugon (1966)

This was the second movie of the Showa Era and also was the first to feature different monsters.

Gamera vs Gyaos (1967)

This was the third movie of the Showa Era.

Gamera vs Viras (1968)

This was the fourth movie of the Showa Era.

Gamera vs Guiron (1969)

This was the fifth movie of the Showa Era.

Gamera vs Jiger (1970)

This was the sixth movie of the Showa Era.

Gamera vs Zigra (1971)

This was the seventh movie of the Showa Era.

Gamera: The Super Monster (1980)

After a nine year hiatus, Daiei released the eighth and last movie of the Showa Era. Sadly, it wasn't recieved very well by fans.

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

This was considered the first movie of the Heisei Era trilogy, as well as a reboot of the Gamera franchise.

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996)

This was the second movie of the Heisei Era trilogy.

Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris (1999)

This was the third and last movie of the Heisei Era trilogy.

Gamera the Brave (2006)

This is the only film in the Millenium era. This film was also a second reboot of the Gamera franchise. This film actually doesn't focus on Gamera, but actually his son, Toto (and no, I'm not talking about the dog from The Wizard of Oz).

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Sorry that I didn't give enough information about Gamera, (and on the Godzilla post from April). But, let's move on.

Daimajin

This big stoned samurai was Daiei's second success after Gamera. Though not large like Godzilla and Gamera, but he is cool enough to get himself a trilogy, and a spinoff series too. These are his movies:

Daimajin (1966)

This was Daimajin's first movie. It actually takes place in feudal Japan and not in modern Japan, well at the time.

The Return of Daimajin (1966)

Since the first one was a success, Daimajin gained another movie. This was considered the second film of the Daimajin trilogy.

The Wrath of Daimajin (1966)

This was the last movie of the Daimajin trilogy. Kind of funny that Daiei produced three films in the same year.

Daimajin Kanon (2010)

44 years later after the trilogy, Daiei released a 26-episoded series, best known as Daimajin Kanon. This is actually a retelling of the trilogy, but is set in a modern Japanese setting. Thank god the beautiful Nao Nagasawa is in it.

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Well, that is it for now. Later today I will release Part 2 of History of Other Kaiju, where I will go over the monsters from Toho this time. Until then, Later.