“And… They’re off…” Heavyweight bouts. The contender in one corner and the champion fighting back. Braddock vs Baer, Ali vs Foreman, Balboa vs Creed, mono e mono two goliaths face off. “LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!” Rope-a-dope, uppercut, bob and weave, will they “go the distance” or trash the neighborhood? Rockyland, “Gonna Fly Now!!!”, why are rubber suits a thing? Is there cause or is it just show business? PC or Mac, Animatronic Pop Can, Disco Cumber-Bubble-Bund, Fightin’ Men & Monster Set!, T.G.I. Tokyo’s, The Drive-In, No Gamera. “Water the source of all Sandy Frank Films”, “Hey looks like a kid wrote this with a crayon”, “Oh planning, I hate it when he plans. There’s never enough buns.” “Kill The Wabbit, Kill The Wabbit” or “A little background first”?
Possibly the worst thing that could have happened to Showa era kaiju films was the shift to color. I’m not sure why it is, but bad special effects have a way of looking worse in color than in black and white. The flaws somehow pop out more readily.
While Gamera suffered from this as much as any of his other fellow hundred-foot hellbeasts, there were plenty of other ill-advised decisions that went into this film. Possibly the most flawed proposition was the idea to increase the prestige of the budding franchise by marketing the new film towards adults. As well as replacing the relatively green director of the first movie with a thirty plus year studio veteran, a storyline completely devoid of kids would be used.
For the most part, it’s something designed to appeal more to yakuza film audiences. But what kaiju movie fans want is guys in rubber monster suits duking it out. This installment of the Gamera franchise easily has the briefest amount of fighting action, well under ten minutes worth. So, it wasn’t a big surprise that it flopped, and the studio suits recognized the error of their ways.
But it wasn’t entirely devoid of kaiju goofiness, with Barugon possessing two rather silly-looking attacks. First is his tongue, with which he sprays an icing attack and can use as a ram. His rainbow death ray may be a case of cultural perceptions being at odds. I’m reminded of a line from the anime series Baccano which has led me to believe that they have a more pessimistic view of rainbows in Japan. Here is the full quote:
“From the time we are but children, we see rainbows as beautiful things. Without a doubt in our heads, upon sight, they are harmonious to our spirit. I’ve always wondered why that was. Of course, people who do not understand science or the refraction of light might see this anomaly in the sky as the harbinger of a natural disaster, thinking that something unwelcome might be coming down from that rainbow. Perhaps vegetation might be ablaze at the foot of the rainbow, bringing destruction. At any rate, we still see these seven-colored pieces of information with a sense of faerie tale magic to them.”
It’s 1991 and Comedy Central, which I just recently got, is having a Police Squad! marathon, which I plan on taping all of since it’s only a few episodes. So I get my VHS tape ready and hit record, but Police Squad! doesn’t come on! I got it off by an hour. Instead what comes on is a Japanese monster movie and these guys at the bottom of the screen making fun of it. I start watching, and by the time Barugon sticks out his tongue and Joel says, “I’m your boyfriend now! Bleahleahleahleahleahleahleah!” I was hooked forever.
It explains this movie and the contrasts that exists between cultures. The divide on rainbows alone is suggestive. It’s not alone. The kaijus themselves and the genre they inhabit take some getting used to but are worth it. The joys of international cinema. So much to choose from.
