As Japanese monsters go, Godzilla stands tall as both the first and the one that best defines this rubber-costumed creature genre.
But there is a certain percentage of the fan base just as devoted to Gamera, the fire-breathing flying turtle who, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, starred in a series of films in which, like Godzilla, he fought a group of strange monsters with names like Gyaos, Viras, Guiron, Jiger and, last but not least, Zigra.
To me, Gamera was always a more substantial character than Godzilla, said Mark McLaughlin, a staunch supporter of the flying turtle. He was more social and had a purpose in life as the protector of all children, unlike Godzilla, who is not a good role model. Plus, Gamera had a great theme song!
McLaughlin, who covers B movies for Horror Garage, believes that, by all rights, Gamera should be more popular than Godzilla, whom he considers a typical Hollywood pretty boy.
Read more: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/28/japanese-monster-fans-come-out-of-their-shells-for-gamera/
