In 1995, Daiei hired director Shusuke Kaneko to direct a reboot to the Gamera series. Distributed by Toho, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe was a huge success with critics and in the box office. Daiei produced two sequels to the film, Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, both of which were critically acclaimed. In 2002, Daiei was purchased from Tokuma Shoten by Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., a subsidiary of the Kadokawa Corporation. Daiei was merged with the corporation's film studio, Kadokawa Pictures, to form Kadokawa-Daiei Film Company, Ltd.