Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 2) – Fight by Her Side
Kafka transformed into his kaiju form to save Kikoru, however, it wasn’t enough to get him an officer position. Vice-captain Hoshina saw something no one else did and decided to take Kafka on as a cadet.
Kaiju No. 8 (Volume 2) – Fight by Her Side
What happened?
In his kaiju form, Kafka obliterated the massive kaiju that had been reanimated by the other humanoid kaiju. Kikoru was stunned and didn’t quite know what to make of it. He was a kaiju. Ichikawa came running when he realised what Kafka did. Together they carried Kikoru to a shelter while the professionals came in to clean up the mess, although Kafka had already taken care of it. There was a lot of confusion, although vice-captain Hishona saw something that interested him.
Kafka failed the officer exam. It was his last chance to fight alongside his childhood friend, Mina Ashiro. Well, that was what he thought. Hoshina asked to be allowed to make Kafka a cadet and put him through his paces. He noticed that the moment there was a higher-than-normal kaiju reading, Kafka’s life signs disappeared. Hoshina was going to keep an eye on him, plus he would be good for morale because he was hilarious!
After a couple of months of training, everyone was getting stronger. Kafka’s improvements were still very slow and he faced being let go in three months if he couldn’t turn it around. Then, there was a kaiju alert and the rookies were given their first assignment. A giant class had appeared, however, they would be focused on taking care of the Yoju that spawned off it. Kafka saw his chance to shine and used his experience to hack apart a dead Yoju and analyse it for weaknesses. He also noticed that they too were able to reproduce. They took care of the Yoju while Mina Ashiro took out the Honjo. However, Ichikawa and Furuhashi were caught in a bubble by the humanoid kaiju and there appeared to be no escape!
What did you think?
I really enjoyed this one. I liked that Kafka failed but was picked up for different reasons. That made sense and instantly turned Hoshina into a fairly interesting character. There’s a little bit of Levi Ackerman in there I think. I mentioned in my review of volume one how it follows most of the standard shounen tropes and, well, this volume wasn’t any different. It was done very well and with a fantastic energy that manages to sweep you up in the world.
I loved the scene where Kafka rescued Kikoru. Those panels where he punched the kaiju to oblivion were incredible. However, there were other great moments that were more character-driven and that was great to see. In the bath scene where all the guys were talking about how Mina Ashiro had inspired them, Kafka told them she was his childhood friend and instead of it being a thing, everyone wanted to talk about it. It was a bizarre bonding session, but it worked incredibly.
So, at the end of the volume, Kafka punched the head of the humanoid kaiju who was also working in the cleanup crews. It was a cool moment, but I can’t help but feel like he’s not done yet. There should be an exciting fight to start the next volume just as this one did. I’m not a huge fan of cliffhangers, but it does make you want to keep going.
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 |
Nice