Kaiju No. 8 (Season One) – Kaijuu 8-gou

Kafka Hibino made a pact with his childhood friend, Mina Ashiro that they would become strong and rid the world of kaiju. Decades later, Mina became a captain in the JAKDF while Kafka worked in kaiju disposal. Will he ever catch up to her?

Kaiju No. 8 (Season One) – Kaijuu 8-gou

What did you watch?

I started reading the manga of Kaiju No. 8 in September 2022 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Of all the manga series that I was reviewing, Kaiju No. 8 was one of the ones I tried to prioritise. So, when they announced that there would be an anime, I quickly added it to my to-watch list and waited. Then, it had the audacity to come out in the same season as the latest seasons of KonoSuba, Mushoku Tensei, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. Had it not been for those shows, I would have definitely covered it weekly. In retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t. Waiting a week between episodes would have been difficult, even knowing what was coming next. Anyhow, let’s get on with the review.

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What happened?

Kafka was a part of the team that cleaned up the mess left behind when the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defence Force had finished with them. It wasn’t the most glamorous of jobs but it needed to be done and Kafka was pretty good at it. He learned a lot about kaiju from systematically taking them apart and processing their organs. His least favourite part of the job was dealing with the intestines… One day, the team took on a new part-timer, Reno Ichikawa who had dreams of joining the JAKDF. The boss introduced him to Kafka, saying that he too once planned on joining but never made the cut. After their first day, dealing with the intestines… they were about to head home when a small kaiju appeared from the carcass and attacked them. Kafka saved Reno and told him to run for help while he distracted the kaiju.

Kafka lured it away, but it was too fast and soon caught up with him. Then, just as he prepared to meet his maker, Reno reappeared and saved Kafka. The JAKSF showed up soon after and quickly killed the kaiju. Kafka could only watch as Mina strode past them as they were carried to the ambulance. In the hospital, Reno thanked Kafka again for looking after him and acknowledged that they wouldn’t have made it home without his intervention. Then, he revealed that the age limit for the JAKDF had gone up, meaning that Kafka could still apply. They resolved to apply together and help one another through the examination. Then, a tiny kaiju appeared and forced its way inside Kafka’s mouth. When he had finished convulsing, his body had changed. Reno tried to calm him down, but then a passerby saw them and called for help. They had to run before the JAKDF showed up and neutralised Kafka!

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What did you think?

There are a couple of quick indicators that will show how much I enjoyed a series. One is how quickly I watch it (unless I’m limited to one episode a week). I watched all twelve episodes in a day. Another indicator is whether I decide to look into the manga. Well, I had already read three volumes, but that doesn’t tell you much. What I should say here is that I stopped after watching eight episodes because it was four in the morning and ordered the first seven volumes of the manga. I picked them up from my bookstore later that day, read volume four and then watched the remaining four episodes. Kaiju No. 8 grabbed hold of me and would not let go. I absolutely loved this season and will definitely be here for the end, whenever that happens. This was fantastic.

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What was your favourite moment?

It’s really hard picking a favourite moment because there were so many. I loved Kafka’s interactions with Kikoru. Their initial meeting was hilarious and then when he showed up to save her from Kaiju No. 9, revealing his ability to transform into a kaiju was special too. They develop a fascinating bond as the story goes on. Similarly, I loved Reno and Kafka together. They understood one another perfectly and had that sort of friendship where they could say and do whatever they wanted to one another without worrying about how it might be perceived.

In fact, one thing that really grabbed me about this series was the way that Kafka was accepted by the other recruits. The comradery was fantastic. I loved the bath scene where they were all talking about how Mina inspired them to join and then they learned that Kafka and Mina were kids together. There were a lot of characters who reminded me of characters from other shows but seemed to be handled better here. One example of this is Iharu Furuhashi. He reminded me of Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia, but instead of being loud and angry, he was loud and angry, but in a positive way.

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What was your least favourite moment?

This one is easy. The fact that this season was only twelve episodes long is my biggest point of contention. I could have easily watched another twelve, maybe even on the same day. This is one of those shows that you just can’t step away from. The only reason that I stopped after episode eight was because I knew that if I watched one more, I would have watched four more and forgone sleep entirely. Seriously, if you haven’t seen this series yet, I very highly recommend it.

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Who was your favourite character?

I’ve already mentioned Kafka, Reno, and Kikoru and I absolutely love all of those characters. They are the core of this series and make for a wonderful team. For this section, however, I’m going to talk about another character that I thought was incredible. I’m talking about Soushirou Hoshina, the vice-captain who took a shine to Kafka during the physical exam. He’s one of those characters who always appears to have their eyes closed and then the second they open them, you know everyone is in trouble. For the longest time, however, we just got to see him laughing at Kafka, especially when Kafka had a zero percent rating from his battle suit.

He reminded me of Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan which just adds a bit more sheen to the character. We got to see those eyes when Hoshina tracked down Kaiju No. 8 and attacked not knowing that it was actually Kafka inside. It was revealed that he had suspected something when Kafka’s tracker vanished during the physical exam when Kaiju No. 9 attacked. Then, we got to see him go all out against Kaiju No. 10 who attacked the base with the wyvern kaiju. His fights were insane and while Mina definitely took things to another level with her massive gun and white tiger, there’s something insanely entertaining about Hoshina’s fighting style.

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Who was your least favourite character?

I’ve got nothing here. Isao Shinomiya, Kikoru’s father and the head of the JAKDF starts out showing that he might be a stubborn old guy, but the fact that he decided to let Kafka live and use him as a weapon shows that he’s far more pragmatic than he first appeared. He’s shown to be cold and dismissive to Kikoru in the brief moments we see, but there’s more to that than it seems. Trust me, I’ve read up to volume six which shows us much more of Kikoru’s past. This is just an amazing series packed full of likeable characters who mesh together well.

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Would you like some more?

So, I’ve preordered volume 11 as it was on a special and I’m waiting for volumes 8 to 10 to go on sale too. If they don’t before 11 ships, then I’m just going to buy them as they are. I love this series and will definitely be back for more. This may just have jumped into my favourite shounen series spot.

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What have you learned?

Conflict is always at the heart of a story. Oftentimes, authors will take that to mean that there needs to be conflict between the characters. That’s why we get the rivals and enemies. This series did something a little different with Kafka having a secret that would potentially turn his friends into his enemies. However, every time someone finds out, they instantly support him. That doesn’t mean there’s no conflict. If anything it grows the more people know. Now, everyone is involved in the secret. They’re all trying to ensure that Kafka keeps it hidden, but when the time comes when he is forced to choose to save everyone by revealing himself he doesn’t hesitate. It’s a great moment because the audience, and the characters around him, instantly know the repercussions behind his decision. However, we can’t fault him. He made the right choice no matter the cost to himself. Having a character be a jerk and force conflict is boring. Give me something like this every time.

Series Information

English Title	Kaiju No. 8
Japanese Title	Kaijuu 8-gou
Genres	Action, Adult Cast, Military, Monsters, Science Fiction
Demographic	Shounen

Manga

Author	Naoya Matsumoto
Artist	Naoya Matsumoto
Volumes	Ongoing
1	I Found You
2	Fight by Her Side
3	Welcome to the Defense Force
4	Looks Like This Game is a Draw
5	I Expect Results!
6	An Incredible Next Generation!

Anime

Season	Season One
Released	Spring 2024
Animation Studios	Production I.G
Episodes	12

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