After years of dormancy, it ain't a bad time to be a fan of the friend to all children - the guardian of the universe - the original Koopa, Mister Gamera; with the six episode anime Gamera: Rebirth having just been released in 2023, including tie-in games, manga, and even - of course - Movie Monster Series figures! The series does a great job revisiting, and reviving just about everything we all love about Gamera; from the melodrama, to the fantasy, to the offensively low budget.
Somewhere between Gamera 3's dark, extreme Samurai overlord, and the Showa era's goofy, wide-eyed supermonster, Rebirth - who technically made his first appearance in 2015's aptly titled "Gamera" short film, in a sort of prototype state - is a determinedly heroic guardian kaiju, hell-bent on savaging and destroying all freak-out hippie weirdos who oppose him; whether it be kid-hungry demons, or psycho cultist moon bureaucrats.
Gamera Rebirth is a tank of a monster, let alone vinyl; there's a lot of mass to the figure, really conveying his heroically colossal scale. While his ominous, lumbering pose certainly plays to the designs strengths, it's also not
quite representative of what Gamera's up to throughout the anime; that being, running, jumping and generally kicking kaiju ass. Plus, that tail... so... Erect.
Ahem. See below. Nice as the figure looks, it also feels a bit like they nicked the reference sheet and called it a day - a more dynamic, battle-ready pose would've fit much better. Just compare it to
Bandai's HG figure.
Plus, with that hunchbacked slouch, you can't see his face most of the time; which is a real shame, because it's a very accurate and intricate likeness across the board. As evidenced by various MMS figures since 2016's
Shin Godzilla, I wouldn't be surprised if the figure drew from the screen-used CG model itself - the detail is just perfect. Just look at those sculpted retinas. Gamera's heavy leather skin is textured by various scutes and ridges, richly carved while still replicating an appropriately "flat" animated look; I especially love the flowing waves and curves of his huge armor shell - really beautiful. While I find it overall a touch underwhelming, it nevertheless is one of those sculpts that's a marvel to just
look at.
As for articulation... well. There's none.
Okay, that's not fair - you got an elbow twist on both arms, a swivel on his thick, suspiciously phallic tail, and... yup, that's it. So, yeah, borderline nothin'. He's either looming intensely, or shouting a hearty "come onnn!"
It seems Bandai traded poseability for detail with their 2020-23 Gamera lineup, with newly sculpted figures such as Gamera '96 and '98 featuring similarly limited articulation; effectively more statues than action figures, at least by MMS standards, though this might not be much of an issue for some collectors. The figures certainly look excellent, offering some of the best work MMS has had to offer in years - it's just a bit of a letdown, especially, again, for this particular version of the character.
Gamera's paint is, likewise, limited, though it looks cool, and pretty much matches his onscreen appearance. Cast in a deep, desaturated green that does a nice job giving some depth to his sculpt, a shiny blue-green representing his bioluminesent power glows through his patterned chest and heated eyes, with a very cleanly detailed mauve mouth, grey teeth, and deep, black claws. It's about all that's necessary - he is animated, after all - but more variance in color could've really brought out the nice sculpt.
2023's Gamera Rebirth is a
solid figure, though, not unlike the anime itself, one that's pretty held back by it's own limitations. If I had to blindly speculate, this probably had to do with the figure being released more-or-less alongside the series'
five new monsters - production costs, yadda yadda. Don't get me wrong here, it's still a nice, if not vaguely middle-of-the-road MMS, but I really think a more creative second pass could've worked wonders in truly bringing the character to life. Still, I can't understate the figure's excellent detail, and, beyond that, what's there,
works - despite its shortcomings, if you're a Gamera Lifer like me, he's definitely a must-have.
It's my favorite boy Gamera's 60th birthday this year, and just recently, a "new project" of sorts was teased by the mega-turtle's official social media account; will it be another wave of MMS figures? A new season of Rebirth? Perhaps... a movie?!
I doubt it. But let's hope this ages poorly.
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