As one can probably imagine, this year's convention was a very big deal, as it was the 10th official meeting since being started in 1994. I myself have been to 8 of those conventions and intend to keep coming back as long as they exist. This year the theme was focused a little more around Gamera. The main special guest this year was Noriaki Yuasa, who directed the original, as well as most of the movies in the original Gamera series from Daiei. Mr. Yuasa was presented with this year's Mangled Skyscrapper Award. With him this year was Carl Craig, who played boy scout Jim Morgan in Gamera vs. Viras. I have seen both of these men as special guests before, but they both have enough experiences in the business that there is always something new to learn from them about the kaiju movie genre. Mr. Yuasa is always interesting to listen to, as he provides a very unique perspective on film making as it happened back in the day. It's also interesting to listen to his views on the comparison between movies then and now, particularly between the original and new Gamera series. Many of the sessions this year were focused on and revolved around the showing of the original Gamera films.
To aid in the celebration of the history of Gamera, a very impressive display room was created. The picture below shows the entrance to the room, which continued to attract much attention throughout the convention. Check the link above for a description and pictures. This year's convention had all the same great activities and contests as the previous ones, but I'm going to focus this review on two specific aspects of the show. The first, is the great effort that has been put into garnering support for the families of fellow G-Fans who have been dealing with the financial burden of raising children battling autism. It is a very commendable cause that deserves as much attention as anything else that went on during the three days of the convention. The other focus is on the experience of going to the theater each year to join all of the other fans in watching the movies that have provided us with a reason for gathering. Previously I've only metioned what movies were being shown, but this year I decided to go a little more in depth about this fun experience. |
