"Gamera The Brave" Tokyo Premiere

Above, Gamera and Zedus battle in Nagoya. Photo: Kadokawa Pictures.

As mentioned on a previous blog post, I went to Japan in April 2006 to attend the premiere of Gamera The Brave. I had previously gone to Japan a few months earlier in October 2005. At the time of the premiere, the English title was Gamera: The Little Braves (almost sounds like an Indian monster movie).

On this trip, I first went up to Sendai and Matsushima, Japan to see where my dad was stationed briefly before going over to Korea during the Korean War. Following this, I headed back down to Tokyo for more wandering, meeting actress Shelley Sweeney and, also, for the movie premiere.



The premiere of Gamera The Brave was held at the Picadilly Theaters in the Yurakucho Marion building (above) in-between Hibiya and Ginza. It was a packed house and the audience gave the movie a good reception.

Outside, a full-size juvenile Gamera rested on a flatbed. This prop was used in the movie. Unfortunately, I missed seeing this as it was brought to the front of the Yurakucho Marion buildings after I already entered the complex.

After getting into the theater lobby, I made a bee-line over to the souvenir tables to pick up some items for myself and family members, including the official program.

Above, this screen capture from the Region 2 DVD shows me waiting to get into the theater for the premiere.

In the special edition of Gamera The Brave DVD (Region 2) extras disc, footage from the premiere was included. The DVD shows me waiting outside of the theater lobby and at the souvenir table. The accompanying screen captures are from the DVD.

Above, this screen capture from the Region 2 DVD shows me among other souvenir hunters at the souvenir table.

After getting into the auditorium, the movie was shown. Although it had no English subtitles, the movie played straightforward enough for me to figure out what was going on. It was an enjoyable movie and one that the whole family can enjoy. Although geared more toward kids (unlike the Shusuke Kaneko Gamera trilogy), the story was not sappy to make an adult viewer cringe.

One thing about Japanese premieres, and some regular screenings, they seem to make sure that a free keepsake is given out when the tickets are sold. On this day, a small plastic egg with a hatching Gamera was given.

Following the movie, the stars, director and special effects director came out on stage to greet the audience and talk a little about the movie. After this, Gamera makes his entry (or, rather, a Gamera event suit). After the stars and directors posed for photos with Gamera, the event ended and everyone cleared out of the auditorium to allow for the next screening audience to enter.

Unfortunately, although a very enjoyable movie, it did not fare too well with the Japanese ticket-buying public and no further Gamera movies have been announced. What a shame!

Still, it was worth the experience in going to Japan to attend the premiere.

At the HMV record and video store in Shibuya, items of Gamera The Brave (models and props) were displayed throughout the store.

If a new Godzilla or Gamera movie is ever to be made in the future, you would be doing yourself a big favor in attending. It is an experience one would savor for the rest of their lives.