| abstract
| - Gamera (ガメラ?) is a series of giant monster films and other licensed products featuring the character Gamera, owned by the Kadokawa Corporation. Starting in 1965, the Gamera series remains one of the longest-running film series. The Gamera series initially began as an attempt by Daiei Motion Picture Company to capitalize on the success of rival studio Toho Company Ltd.'s successful films of the time, most notably the Godzilla series. The first Gamera film, Gamera, was released to Japanese theaters on November 27, 1965. The film was a success, inspiring Daiei to not only produce a sequel, but also the acclaimed Daimajin trilogy of films. Gamera was released on television in the United States a year later as an edited version titled Gammera, the Invincible Like the Godzilla series before it, the Gamera series went on to include numerous other entries, all featuring the titular Gamera battling against other, more malevolent creatures. The Gamera series attempted to aim itself more towards child audiences, often featuring children as the main characters. The Godzilla series even attempted to emulate this with its films in the late 1960's and early 70's. After Daiei went bankrupt in the early 70's, the Gamera series was placed on hiatus and, aside from a failed revival film in 1980, another entry was not produced until the series' 30th anniversary in 1995. The new film, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, was distributed by Daiei's former rival Toho and proved to be a huge critical and financial success, inspiring two critically-acclaimed sequels. In the early 2000's, Daiei was acquired by the Kadokawa Corporation and absorbed by the company's filmmaking branch. Kadokawa finally released its first Gamera film, Gamera: The Brave, in 2006 to celebrate the franchise's 40th anniversary. Kadokawa has since released many of the Gamera films on home video and produced remastered versions of a few entries, and has begun production on a new film with no release date yet set. While the Gamera series began as a cash-in on the popularity of the Godzilla franchise, it has since developed its own identity and become a popular and respected film series in its own right. Gamera, while not quite as popular as his counterpart Godzilla, is still a recognizable pop culture icon in Japan and around the world. The 1990's Gamera trilogy directed by Shusuke Kaneko is widely recognized as the finest example of giant monster films ever produced. Many crew who worked on the trilogy would go on to work on the Godzilla series as well. __TOC__
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