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For those unaware, Gamera was created in the 1960's to rival Toho's "Godzilla" franchise. And while he started out as what could be considered a "spoof" character, he quickly earned himself a spot alongside the other big monsters (Godzilla, Kong, Ultraman). Hell, Gamera even has managed to outshine Godzilla on more than one occasion! Especially in regards to the 1990's "Heisei Trilogy". However, Gamera disappeared in 2006 after the film "Gamera the Brave". Not even the "kaiju resurgence" in the early 2010's managed to bring him back (with titles like "Pacific Rim", "Godzilla 2014", and "Kong: Skull Island" bring monsters back into the mainstream media ... feed.)

So this begs the question, how does Gamera fare after his 17 year hibernation? I'd personally say this series is a great start and I'm just glad the big turtle is back in action. The choice to bring the character back via animation was a questionable one (especially after the reception of the "Polygon / Netflix Godzilla Trilogy" and "Godzilla Singular Point"; which I am going to say are not nearly as bad as the "durr no hooman only monster" crowd would have you believe). The animation is definitely, less than desirable for the human characters. But when it comes to the monsters themselves, the designs are excellent modern interpretations of these classic kaiju! Gamera & co move surprisingly fast and the battles are all very entertaining. And while we wait for these colossal clashes to happen, the human storyline is pretty decent and keeps your attention. Another thing non-fans may not know is Gamera's association with children, he is usually their protector and this series continues that tradition. While the story isn't groundbreaking, its a blend of the Showa & Heisei narratives that delivers about what you'd expect. Now the music is phenomenal, and the ending credits play a wonderful, tear-jerking cover of a beloved Gamera song and it's just perfect!

I certainly hope we get to see more of Gamera, and sooner rather than later! The lead up to this show was a lot of fun and it would be terribly sad to see him disappear after finally coming back. (Plus, Gamera whooped Kong's ass this year if you compare this show to "Skull Island"...)

This was a major improvement from the first film. As an avid fan of kaiju films, this was an exciting movie! The story was so well done and intriguing, I was hooked for the entire hour and 40-minute ride!

The whole story about the Hotua and their obvious connection to Mothra was insane! (The "dust"/"scale" on their skin, and what they used to heal the humans, probably scales from the dead body of Mothra herself!) It will be interesting to see if her egg(s) hatch and larva come out to either combat Godzilla or Ghidorah (What a welcome surprise, but it wasn't unexpected too much!). This ... has to be one of the best takes on the Mothra twins/Shobijin in her film history, and Mothra's mythology in general.

As for "MechaGodzilla"... While the design was wicked for the robot himself, we get nothing but a glimpse of him before it evolves into something much greater. The concept of having the nanometals evolve to specifically combat Godzilla over thousands of years was incredible and a welcome change. The Vultures they build to fight Godzilla from above were very Gundam-esque and cool looking. Seeing MechaGodzilla City construct and arm itself was very visually pleasing (As well as that title card!) While this is an incredibly ballsy and different take on MechaGodzilla's concept, it is something fresh and new while paying homage to the originals.

As for Godzilla himself? A job well is done. This film didn't have a ton of Godzilla, but man when he is on screen he is stunning. There is no doubt in my mind that "Godzilla Earth" is truly the King of Kings. The story was so interesting and investive that I didn't find myself "needing" Godzilla to show up like I did in the first film. We get a single tease of him early on, and then when he comes on screen he doesn't leave. The end turns mankind's greatest threat into the universe's.

I was taken by surprise when the Bilusaludo turned out to be the enemy aliens and not the Exif. I thought for certain the Exif would be summoning Ghidorah based on the first film's ending, but it turns out they merely suffered from the deity's mighty wrath.

They are doing a great job setting up this huge dogfight between Godzilla and King Ghidorah. It seems that this time around, Godzilla won't be needing external aid to defeat him (as Godzilla has never defeated Ghidorah without help). This film has me just as excited for Ghidorah's return to the big screen as I am for his first appearance in the American MonsterVerse.

Overall, this film was many times better than I expected. It saves all the action for the last minute while delivering a great naratve. The bland characters from the first film were expanded upon and I actually some-what cared for how they fared. Cheers to this film's major improvement and the final film in this series!

ULTRAMAN: SHUWATCH!
The Giant of Light returns once more with a new look! This is a direct sequel to the original "Ultraman" television series. (1966) We follow the original Ultraman's son, "Shinjirou Hayata". The true "Ultraman" has left Shin Hayata's body and returned into deep space. Shin has been left with no memories of being "The Ultraman", but now has super-human attributes. The S.S.S.P. has developed suit that matches Shin's newfound superhuman abilities, and is very similar in design to Ultraman. Aliens begin to appear once more after an extended period of peace. Shinjirou now takes his father's place as the "Ultraman" as the abilities ... have been passed down to him as well and the S.S.S.P. has an exclusive power suit for him as well. Can Shinjirou fight off these new alien invaders and live up to the name "Ultraman"? Read to find out!
This new Ultraman series only has the original television series as "cannon" , as if all of the sequel series do not exist in this new universe such as "Ultra-Seven" and the American "Ultraman". The creators do say that even though these series are not related, it does not mean that the characters are non-existent. I'll be honest, this series is not what I thought it would be. Giant Ultramen fighting giant kaijus in a city. Instead we get a man-sized almost "Iron-Man" Ultraman fighting human-sized aliens. There are many nods to the original series in terms of events and designs, but this is not that kaiju drama I hoped it would be. Maybe we will see kaiju sooner or later! But, what we get is very satisfying and I look forward to this new series! Fingered crossed for an anime-adaptation!

Ok, this is a three part OVA series so I am going to give each individual episode a rating and mini-review.

#1-Slipstream:
Score: 9
This episode could be the only one you watch and you are not missing anything. This is my personal favorite out of the three. It makes me wish that this episode alone evolved into it's own short 6 episode anime, with more backstory. You get a Nazi viewpoint of WWII and you end up caring for the main two Nazi's. The ending is very satisfying but a little emotional.
It is a great aviation short!

#2-Sonic Boom Squadron:
Score: 7
This episode is alright, it has an ... interesting story. The only factor that throws me off is the design of most of the Japanese characters. A lot of the pilots look very deformed and almost as if they were "inbred"; and it really takes away from the serious tone. (Though the Americans look great) You follow a pilot whom pilots a suicide missile/plane hybrid; as he struggles to find the right time to launch. The aviation battle scenes are what keep this episode "above the water".

#3-Knight of the Iron Dragon:
Score: 6
Ok, this is the worst episode, the serious tone only lasts for maybe a minute. All of the characters now have the goofy "inbred" look to them, again, except for the few Americans in this episode. This episode can honestly be skipped, as none of these episodes relate to one another. You follow a boy and a kind solider as they try to retake their home base. Like the others, the ending is quite sour as well, but i had little-to no emotion for what happens to these characters.
The art style of the characters ruins this episode, and the whole "aviation" them is not present except for a quick plane encounter. No aerial dog-fights present at all.

Overall, I feel like episode #1 was too good when compared to the last two and lead to them feeling underwhelming. I would highly recommend episode 1, episode 2 is all-right, but dont waste your time with episode 3.

What you are in store for is a whole gathering of genres. Mecha, Kaiju, Romance, Comedy, War, Sci-Fi, Magic, and so much more!
Utawarerumono is an anime adaptation of a visual novel, with a twist... This is not your usual "cute school girls" and "lovey-dovey" anime, instead you get an epic. The anime has fantastic opening and ending songs, along side a great OST. The animation is not perfect, but is pretty soothing to watch. The characters are fantastic and you get a unique variety of characters! Not to mention that most of the characters either have fluffy ears and a tail or wings. You can ... read the summaries for a detailed summary of the story, but here is a quick one. A man wakes up with a mask he cannot remove, a beautiful young woman finds him and helps him get back into shape. He then enters a world filled with wars and governmental issues. I enjoyed the series for it's intriguing mystery, which keeps throwing twists at you, one after the other. You get a wonderful cast, and I loved each and every one of the main characters. My personal favorite was "Karura". This anime has an element which I crave, but is very rare in anime, kaiju. But this isn't a tale of Godzilla or a E.G.E. in the creature(s) case(s). It has fantastic re-watchability, I'm just waiting to get it on DVD. Make sure to check out the sequel "Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen", as some of the characters from this series are rumored to appear!