Gamera (Cutie Knight)
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Gamera (ガメラ Gamera) is a portable kaiju used by the Secret Squadron in the 1995 and 1996 Daiei direct-to-video short films Cutie Knight and Cutie Knight 2.
Name
Onscreen text in both films introduce the monster as Capsule Monster Gamera (カプセル怪獣ガメラ Kapuseru Kaijū Gamera), which is echoed in their end credits. In the first film, Rei Shiratori refers to him as simply Gamera, followed by Gamera-san (ガメラさん Gamera-san), using the honorific -san (similar to "Mr."). In the second film, Mai Akagi and Miku Momozono both call him Capsule Gamera (カプセルガメラ Kapuseru Gamera).
Development
Gamera appears to be portrayed by suits originally built by Tomoo Haraguchi and his team for the Heisei Gamera Trilogy, or ones derived from them. The suit in Cutie Knight resembles those from Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, while the one in Cutie Knight 2 is closer to the Gamera 2: Attack of Legion suits. It is unknown who played the monster in the first film, as its credits treat him as being played by himself, "Gamera the Giant Monster." In the second film, he was played by prolific suit actor Ryu Hariken, who also played Buganki in the film. The framed photo of Gamera in Cutie Knight is actually a portion of a poster for Guardian of the Universe, while the shot of him flying in Cutie Knight 2 is stock footage from the end of Gamera vs. Viras.
Cutie Knight 2, helmed by Shōwa Gamera series director Noriaki Yuasa, was Yuasa's first time directing Gamera since Gamera Super Monster in 1980, and was the last film he ever directed.
Design
In Cutie Knight, Gamera appears identical to his counterpart from Gamera the Guardian of the Universe. In Cutie Knight 2, his appearance changes to be closer to the design from Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, notably gaining webbing between his fingers and spikes protruding from his forearms. However, unlike the G2 Gamera, who is closer to grey in color, this Gamera has a green hue.
Unlike all standard incarnations of the character, this Gamera is human-sized rather than giant.
History
- Cutie Knight (1995)
- Cutie Knight 2 (1996)
Cutie Knight
A framed photo of Gamera, in actuality a video screen, hung on the wall of the Secret Squadron's headquarters. When Dr. Yuasa peered up at it, it briefly switched to a feed of Gamera roaring.
Later, after tracking the kidnapped Yuki Aoyagi to an underground casino operated by the evil organization Empire, disguised Cutie Knights Mai Akagi and Rei Shiratori met with Yuasa, who passed them a strange capsule. Finding Aoyagi in the basement, the Knights took on their heroic forms and threw down the capsule, which unleashed Gamera. The monster used his flame breath to torch Aoyagi's captor, Empire Colonel Zulu, allowing the Knights to free her.
Cutie Knight 2
Gamera was summoned to assist Secret Squadron members Akagi, Aoyagi, and Miku Momozono in foiling a plot by Empire monster Rudonko to infect the Tama River and Tokyo Bay with E. coli. After pummeling the restrained monster into submission, Gamera flew off into the sky. While reporting the mission's success to Commander Ichiro Kaida, Akagi lamented that the Squadron's shortage of members was causing an increasing reliance on Gamera's services.
Abilities
Flight
Gamera can fly in the same manner as the Showa Gamera: retracting his limbs into his shell and shooting flames from the holes, which spin him around through the air.
Physical abilities
In Cutie Knight 2, Gamera repeatedly kicked, stomped, and swiped at Rudonko, eventually seeming to knock him unconscious.
Flame breath
In Cutie Knight, Gamera fired a jet of flame from his mouth which charred Colonel Zulu's face and incapacitated him. The colonel returns in the following film without any apparent injury, however.
Gallery
- Main article: Gamera/Gallery.
Roar
Gamera roars a total of seven times across his appearances. All instances reuse sound effects from the Shōwa-era Gamera.
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See also
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