Stuntman Akira Ohashii portrayed Gamera and other monsters in the 1990s Gamera Trilogy, widely considered the peak of the Gamera series. Photo courtesy of Kadokawa. © 1996 KADOKAWA NHFN

Author: Benjamin Chaffins With the upcoming release of the GAMERA: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION Limited Edition Blu-ray Set from Arrow Video, I felt it was the perfect time to reach out to one of the main players from the acclaimed Gamera films of the 1990s.

Akira Ohashii taking a break while filming GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION. Photo courtesy of Akira Ohashii. © 1996 KADOKAWA NHFN

Akira Ohashii is known for portraying Gamera in GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION (???2 ?????? Gamera 2 Rregion Sh?rai, 1996), Trauma Gamera and Iris in GAMERA 3: THE REVENGE OF IRIS (???3 ?????????), and also King Ghidorah in Toho`s GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL OUT ATTACK (?????????????? ??????, Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Gidora: Daikaij? S?k?geki, 2001). He`s a professional stuntman and actor who has become known in the kaiju community for his hard work portraying these monsters. I hope that you, the reader, enjoy this interview and learn a few things from Akira Ohashii... Benjamin Chaffins (?????????????): Your professional background is as a stuntman and actor, what made you decide this is what you wanted to do? (??????????????????????????????????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): When I was 16 years old, I entered the world of action, influenced by watching Bruce Lee`s movies. (??????????????????????????????????16??????????????????.) Ben (??): Before joining the crew of the Heisei Gamera series, what other movies or TV shows were you a part of? (???????????????????????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): Prior to joining Gamera, I was a stuntman performing as Iria`s stunt (double), which is the lead role in Keita Amemiya`s ZEIRAM and ZEIRAM 2. (???????????????????????? ??????????????2???????????????(????)?????????.) Ben (??): How did you become involved with the Heisei Gamera series? (????????????????????)

Ohashii as Trauma Gamera in GAMERA 3. Photo courtesy of Akira Ohashii. © 1999 KADOKAWA TNHN

Akira Ohashii (???): Originally, I was supposed to perform the hind legs of Legion for GAMERA 2. The suit actor who played Gamera in the previous film did not participate because of a scheduling conflict and I was selected to be Gamera because of my work. (???????????2?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): Mizuho Yoshida and Toshinori Sasaki played Mother Legion. How difficult was it for them to operate the suit? (??????????????????????????????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): I think it was very difficult for Legion to be performed by two people. The Legion suits are large and heavy. (?????2??????????????????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): How was it working with Shinji Higuchi on set? (?? ??????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): Higuchi was a very unique person and I had a lot of fun shooting with him. I strongly felt the love he had for monster movies. (??????????????????????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): What was Shusuke Kaneko like? (??????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): Kaneko was the main story director and I was in the special effects group, so we didn`t spend much time together. However, I sometimes participated in the main story group, and I thought director Kaneko was a kind and smart person. (?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.)

Gamera is well known for taking severe damage in his movies, and GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION was no exception. Photo courtesy of Kadokawa. © 1996 KADOKAWA NHFN

Ben (??): What was the most difficult thing about the Heisei Gamera series? (?????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): In GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION, it was difficult for me to express the injuries that Gamera had because Gamera does not speak words and because there are many scenes that Legion is involved in. (???2????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): How did Iris perform differently compared to Gamera? (??????????????????????????????)

Ohashii suiting up as Iris. Photo courtesy of Akira Ohashii. © 1999 KADOKAWA TNHN

Akira Ohashii (???): I also played Trauma Gamera in GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS. Iris looks like expressionless, but he actually has emotions! It was difficult to express that. (????3????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): Did you make a mistake on set while shooting? (????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): There was no mistakes on set during shooting. (???????????????????.) Ben (??): How often do you train other actors and actresses? (??????????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): The actors are the main group and I`m in a special effects group, so I don`t train with them. (?????????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): How much fun did you have while working on the Heisei Gamera movies? (??????????????????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): The shooting period for GAMERA 2 and GAMERA 3 was long, and it was a really fun time to play games and make plastic models while waiting [between takes]. (???2?????3????????????????????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): In GAMERA 3, Hirofumi Fukuzawa played the role of Gamera. Why did this change? (???3???????????????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): For GAMERA 3 it was decided to make a new suit and do it with a bigger person [than me] because Gamera is a growing monster. And I was in charge of Iris and Trauma Gamera. (????3?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.)

Behind the scenes of GAMERA 3: THE REVENGE OF IRIS. Photo courtesy of Akira Ohashii. © 1999 KADOKAWA TNHN

Ben (??): Do you remember the critical reception that GAMERA 3 received from viewers during the release? (???3????????????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): People who saw GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS said that Iris was cool. (???3 ???????????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): GAMERA 3 has been recognized as the best monster movie in the world since GODZILLA in 1954. What do you think about the achievements of the work you achieved with Gamera 3? (???3??1954???????????????????????????????????3??????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): I think Iris and Trauma Gamera were able to perform with soul because of us "suit actors" in GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS. (????3???????????????????????????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): Do you remember how long it took to film your role as Trauma Gamera and Iris in GAMERA 3? (???3??????????????????????????????????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): I think the shooting period for GAMERA 3 was about 3 months. (???3???????????????????????.) Ben (??): Finally, do you think you will play a monster in future movies? (???????????????????????) Akira Ohashii (???): I love monster movies, so I think I`ll participate if I hear talk about work. (?????????????????????????????.) Ben (??): Thank you for this interview. (???????????????????.) Akira Ohashii (???): Thank you. (??????????.)

Akira Ohashii as Iris in a scene from GAMERA 3: THE REVENGE OF IRIS. Photo courtesy of Kadokawa. © 1999 KADOKAWA TNHN