Comparing Godzilla and Gamera films

[Raptor]

This discussion came up on the Creature Features mail list as a result of a "Kaiju Kombat" scenario.

The formidability of Gamera was brought up in the context of NEVER "dying" in a film while Godzilla does in several.

As for power, Godzilla is a walking nuclear reactor while Gamera is more of an elemental character, powered by Mana, the lifeforce of all living things. He also can endure a lot of pain and punishment. Godzilla has his regenerating G-cells to keep going.
Naturally, the question of Godzilla being able to withstand Gamera's full flame attack (as on Legion at the end of GAMERA 2) comes up. Then again, could Gamera withstand the Oxygen Destroyer or the radiation from Godzilla's breath weapon or nuclear blast (GMK style)?

Aside from the usual way we would look at a "match-up" of these two, Sean Kotz of CreatureScape brought up these interesting observations:

Scientists in the Gamera universe are not nearly as bright as Dr. Serizawa or the designers of Kiryu. In Gamera films, they routinely confuse stars and planets and their idea of a great anti-monster plan is to rotate Gyaos on a giant turnable until he gets too dizzy to resist. They defeat Zigra by going
"AAAAAHHHH! AAAAAAHHHH!" *(which is one of several plot devices stolen from Toho but at least Toho used a mechanical sound and reason to believe it would affect aliens.)

They rarely even have to fight Gamera because he's busy being the Friend of All Children in most of his early films. *

In Destroyah, you might say Godzilla kills Godzilla because of his out of control nuclear reactor. With the latest Mecha Godzilla, it uses Godzilla bones; Godzilla to beat Godzilla.

Any other observations/differences in how/what these two kaiju have to contend with when they decide to visit Japan? * *

[Jet Jaguar]

It's basically a matter of Science vs. Fantasy/Magic
Gamera lives in the world where Magic can hold sway, and Godzilla's world is more based in Science.
Anyone agree with me?

[Mothraleo]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Jet Jaguar @ April 07 2004,13:36)]It's basically a matter of Science vs. Fantasy/Magic
Gamera lives in the world where Magic can hold sway, and Godzilla's world is more based in Science.
Anyone agree with me?

<font color='#0000FF'>The Heisei Gamera series seems to have plenty of science. And godzilla has gone into a &quot;magic&quot; type senario(sp?) once and a while ex:GMK.

[kent]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]It's basically a matter of Science vs. Fantasy/Magic
Gamera lives in the world where Magic can hold sway, and Godzilla's world is more based in Science.
Anyone agree with me?

I do. While I believe Gamera is more in the fantasy world, it kind of sways back and forth from time to time with the science and fantasy elements in the series overall. But compared to the Godzilla series, Gamera is more fantasy.
Godzilla, techinically, has only had one fantasy-type movie and that is GMK. Otherwise, Godzilla's films are more science based.

[kpa]

One difference in the Heisei Godzilla and Gamera series is that the Gamera films show a much more realistic depiction of Japan. The people making the Gamera movies made a point of show how Japan would react to the sudden appearance of monsters; from the government response, to news reports using actual Japanese newscasters audiencences would recognize, to the military hardware being what really exists these days. On the other hand; take the monsters out of the Godzilla films and you still have a world with Super-Xs, psychic children, and the like. A Japanese friend of mine said the Toho films present an idealized Japan while the Gamera films show the real Japan.

[Kaiju_Sensai]

<font color='#008080'>I'd have to agree with your friend of that. Also the Heisei Gamera monsters are actually, despite what some of you had said, treated more realistically. The idea of the monsters being engineered could also help to explain their immense size. How can they survive, because they were created to.