Gamera Rebirth – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Run Silent, Run Deep

Episode 3 of Gamera Rebirth begins with James, Emiko, and the four kids embarking on a voyage to Yonaguni Island with the goal of transporting the biological samples and kids for investigation purposes.

The scene cuts to a ship being attacked by a kaiju as it swims underwater and dodges torpedo missiles. We see a flashback of how the kids didn’t believe they would get permission to go on the voyage, but James uses his tactics to convince Boco’s and Douglas’ parents.

Junichi is super excited to check out the top-notch tech aboard the ship and Emiko offers to show them around. She shows them the ship’s control deck and then the ship’s defence systems. During the tour, Joe feels nauseous due to his seasickness. He still continues to follow them around until they reach the most priceless cargo on board, the Orylium crystal. Emiko explains its uses to detect traces of the kaiju’s presence.

Unfortunately, Junichi is too wrapped up in exploring the features of the ship and doesn’t realize Joe’s health is rapidly declining. Boco and Douglas accompany him back to the room to let him rest. Just then Emiko gets an urgent call back to the communication room where they inform her about the underwater kaiju called the Zigra.

James is shocked to learn about the possibility of encountering a Zigra on the voyage and blasts off at the executives. He orders the captain to immediately speed up the journey to avoid making contact, given that kaijus tend to attack ships with children on board.

The kids also catch wind of the possibility of encountering a kaiju. Junichi uses her skills to chalk out a prediction of where the kaiju will attack them keeping past attacks in mind. She also points out the possibility that the kaiju’s originated from an ancient civilization due to their positions.

Douglas is skeptical about what Junichi says and drags the boys aside to ask them their views on her credibility. Junichi overhears them and feels sad about them not trusting her. Emiko sees this from above and empathizes with Junichi, expressing to James how she could relate.

Later that night, Emiko approaches Junichi and has a conversation with her. Junichi expresses that she isn’t sure if Boco and Joe are really her friends as she doesn’t think they believe in her. Emiko shows her the good side of their friendship and reassures her that it definitely means something to them too. Emiko expresses that at some point in time, she had faced something similar, and the two bond over it.

Just then, the ship began to toss around in the waves. The team rushes in to learn that it is Zigra chasing the boat at the speed of a missile while using kinetic energy missiles. The crew dodges the attacks and hits the Zigra with missiles of its own, leaving it immobile for some time. The crew takes the opportunity to use EM propulsion to create some distance between the kaiju and themselves. 

Unfortunately, this is short-lived, and the Zigra continues to chase them. As a precautionary measure, the captain suggests they use option B and order everyone to board the submarine. James starts to act paranoid, suggesting he has claustrophobia. He instead decides to deviate from the plan, despite retaliation and takes everyone on deck to board the helicopter.

The group follows him out only to witness the helicopter get wrecked in the action against Zigra. Just then, the crew witnesses Zigra erupt out of the water; however, Gamera is holding it back and defending the boat. With no other option, the kids and the crew get aboard the submarine.

A brawl breaks out underwater between Gamera and the Zigra. Meanwhile, the crew and kids manage to take the submarine and depart before the ship explodes. Gamera and Zigra hit each other with energy blasts. Unfortunately, this leaves Gamera immobile and sinking to the bottom of the ocean. 

The captain maneuvers the submarine into the ocean bed making it incredibly hard for Zigra to find it. The submarine gets hit by a shockwave from Gamera and receives a radio signal as well. Unable to find the submarine, Zigra begins firing randomly. Junichi picks up on this and realizes Gamera’s shockwave probably disoriented Zigra.

She tries to persuade the captain to go to the closest radio station and use the same radio frequency that Gamera is emitting. She receives support from Boco and Joe and the captain reluctantly complies as the submarine heads towards land. Just as Zigra regains its sense of orientation and approaches them at full speed, the crew reaches the island and jumps onto land using their main tanks.

On arrival, James is astonished to see a support team hasn’t arrived. The kids decide to run towards the radio tower instead. Unfortunately, Junichi passes out from the steep climb and Gamera almost reaches the shore. Boco, Joe, and Douglas offer to carry Junichi up to the radio tower.

On reaching the radio tower, Junichi and Emiko work on transmitting the signal. Just as Zigra reaches the tower, Junichi manages to emit the signal, striking Zigra and leaving it disoriented. The kids celebrate their success, but suddenly Boco is hit with a sharp pain sensation in the head. Zigra begins to climb the hill once again to reach the tower.

Just as Zigra is about to reach the tower, Gamera emerges out of the water. Zigra uses its long tail to stab Gamera, but by then Gamera is able to charge up fully and unleash a fireball, setting Zigra ablaze. Gamera returns to the ocean after saving the day. The next day, the support team assists James in collecting samples and prepares to continue their journey to Yonaguni.

The Episode Review

Episode 3 of Gamera Rebirth maintains the trend and introduces a different type of kaiju to face off against Gamera. To add even more intrigue, Zigra confronts Gamera in its natural habitat: underwater. Unfortunately, Gamera struggles to overpower the kaiju in this environment, and this is where Junichi’s brilliance shines through.

The chapter primarily focuses on Junichi, who has been a part of the group since the beginning but hasn’t had a very specific role to play until now. Throughout the episode, Junichi makes multiple clever moves, one of which involves utilizing the radio signal emitted by Gamera to stun Zigra, allowing Gamera to gain the upper hand.

Another significant aspect of the episode is its emphasis on portraying Junichi as an individual, revealing her personality through anecdotes from her childhood and highlighting her bond with Emiko. Zigra proves to be the most formidable opponent Gamera has faced thus far. However, the arrival at Yonaguni promises to be a potential game-changer, with the potential for significant revelations.