Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 1) – I Found You

Kafka dreams of wiping out kaiju but never expected to be part of the clean-up crew. A rookie joins the team and questions his resolve, giving Kafka a new reason to keep trying. Is he really cut out for this?

Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 1) – I Found You

What happened?

Kafka Hibino has dedicated himself to helping clean up the kaiju. After years of failing to make the Japan Defense Force, he has settled into the kaiju corpse cleanup business. It sucks, but the pay is good and there’s no shortage of work as Japan has the highest kaiju-emergence rate in the world. As long as he doesn’t get assigned to the bowels, he’ll be all right.

When a rookie joins the team, they assign Kafka to show him the ropes. Ichikawa also wants to join the Japan Defense Force and can’t understand why Kafka quit. On a cleanup mission, another kaiju shows up and tries to eat Ichikawa. Kafka saved him with seconds to spare and then sent him to get help while he held it back. He knew he couldn’t beat it, but there was no point in them both dying. Ichikawa came back for Kafka. It looked like they were done for, but the Japan Defense Force arrived in time.

In the hospital, Ichikawa convinced Kafka to try out for the Japan Defense Force again. However, Kafka was then visited by a small flying kaiju who could talk. If flew into his mouth, changing him into a kaiju. However, Kafka retained his memories and was able to convince Ichikawa it was him. They ran, looking for a place to hide. Another kaiju emerged forcing Kafka to attack. He hit it with all he had, obliterating it. With the entrance exams for the Japan Defense Force coming, Kafka would have to hide the kaiju side of him or become a target himself.

What did you think?

I recently reviewed volume 1 of Black Clover and pointed out a number of similarities to other prominent Shounen stories. Well, Kaiju No. 8 goes through the same sort of thing, be it with a bit of body horror and a lot of kaiju. The entrance exams reminded me of the ones in My Hero Academia, especially how Kafka did pretty much nothing, although he now finds himself stepping up to save the girl and fight the big bad kaiju.

And that’s fine. There are more than enough differences between all these Shounen that you can enjoy them all and still spot the similarities. For Kaiju No. 8, I liked that Kafka was a slightly older protagonist than normal, although the old man jokes for a thirty-two-year-old are crushing. It also reminded me of the Guyver series where the hero can transform into a monster.

One thing that really stood out for me in Kaiju No. 8 was some of the two-page spreads were spectacular. The detail was incredible. This is an action-packed series, but the time taken on these pictures is absolutely appreciated. I particularly loved the blood rain and some of the city scapes with the kaiju bodies. Anyhow, this volume ended on quite the cliffhanger so I will definitely be picking up the next one.

Volume highlights

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!
7	The Start of the Kaiju Era!
8	I’ll Teach Ya How to Fight!
9	Harbingers of the Cataclysm!
10	The Second Wave!
11	I Don’t Want to Die…

Anime

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

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