Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

In 1995, Daiei Film, Hakuhodo, and Nippon Television produced a reboot of the Gamera franchise, distributed by Daiei Film in Japan. Directed by Shusuke Kaneko and written by Kazunori Itō, with special effects by Shinji Higuchi, *Gamera: Guardian of the Universe* is the ninth film in the series and the first of its Heisei period. The cast includes Tsuyoshi Ihara, Akira Onodera, Shinobu Nakayama, Ayako Fujitani, and Yukijirō Hotaru; Naoki Manabe and Jun Suzuki portray Gamera, while Yuhmi Kameyama plays Super Gyaos.

The story begins when a ship carrying plutonium hits a floating atoll near the Philippines, one of several such incidents. As the atoll drifts toward Japan, a scientific team led by Naoya Kusanagi finds orihalcum amulets and a stone slab with Etrurian runes. The atoll suddenly shakes, destroying the slab and throwing the scientists into the sea; officer Yoshinari Yonemori glimpses a giant turtle-like creature’s eye and tusk. Meanwhile, ornithologist Mayumi Nagamine investigates a village in the Goto Archipelago reportedly attacked by a giant bird. She finds human remains in a bird pellet and later helps prevent three bird-like creatures from attacking another village. The creatures are lured to the Fukuoka Dome, where two are captured, but one escapes to the harbor and is killed by the giant turtle. The remaining birds flee before the turtle reaches the stadium.

Kusanagi translates the runes and tells Yonemori and his daughter Asagi that the turtle is Gamera and the birds are Gyaos. When Asagi touches an amulet, she forms a spiritual bond with Gamera. Kusanagi tries to convince the government that Gyaos are the real threat, but they focus on Gamera’s destruction. The team witnesses another Gyaos attack in the Kiso Mountain Range. Nagamine and Yonemori nearly die rescuing a child, but Gamera saves them and kills another Gyaos; the last one escapes. Asagi discovers she shares Gamera’s wounds and fatigue. At Mount Fuji, a military strike on Gamera attracts the final Gyaos, which grievously wounds Gamera, forcing it into the ocean. Asagi collapses from the same injury and falls into a coma after saying they must rest.

A biologist helps Nagamine and Yonemori learn that Gyaos are genetically engineered and reproduce asexually. They theorize that pollution awakened Gyaos and an ancient civilization created Gamera to fight them.