Gamera: Rebirth teaser trailer previews Netflix anime series

About three months ago, we heard that Kadokawa Daiei Studio and the Netflix streaming service were teaming up for a mysterious project called Gamera: Rebirth, a continuation of the popular Gamera giant monster franchise. Would it be a film, a series, an anime feature? Well, now a teaser trailer has arrived online to let us know exactly what Gamera: Rebirth is. It’s an anime series that will show the giant turtle Gamera battling five other kaiju over the course of six episodes! The show is expected to premiere sometime in 2023.

A “giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster”, Gamera was first introduced to audiences in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, which begins with an atomic bomb waking him from a long slumber in the Arctic. Over the next six years, Gamera returned in Gamera vs. Barugon, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera vs. Viras, Gamera vs. Guiron, Gamera vs. Jiger, and Gamera vs. Zigra. When the studio was struggling with financial issues in 1980, they cut together a bunch of stock footage Gamera: Super Monster. Gamera then took a fifteen year break before being brought back in a trilogy of films directed by Shusuke Kaneko. Those were Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris. The most recent film was 2006’s Gamera the Brave.

Kaneko was hoping to make a new Gamera movie himself, but Gamera: Rebirth was already in the works by the time he made his pitch. He provided the following statement (with thanks to ComicBook.com for the translation): “When I came up with the idea for a Reiwa era Gamera and made a proposal, Kadokawa was already working on a new project. From my standpoint, I’m like a baseball commentator with experience as a Gamera team manager. I would like to support the team until they win the championship and pitch again.”

Are you excited that a Gamera anime series is coming to Netflix? Share your thoughts on Gamera: Rebirth by leaving a comment below.

Although I have watched a lot of Godzilla, I have only watched one Gamera movie so far (the original film). But I’m glad to hear the franchise is getting a new entry and I look forward to catching up on all of the giant turtle action I’ve been missing.