JP Nunez
I have to be honest, I’m not really an anime fan. I just never got around to watching it as a kid, so now that I’m an adult, I’ve never had much of an inclination to seek it out. But there are a few exceptions. I’m a huge giant monster fanatic, so I’ve seen some kaiju anime, like Godzilla Singular Point and Gamera Rebirth. And now, I can add another title to that list: Kaiju No. 8. It’s an adaptation of a manga series of the same name, and even though we’re only one episode in, I’m pretty confident that this show is going to become one of the biggest highlights of my weekends for the next few months.
Kaiju No. 8 takes place in a world where giant monster attacks are nothing new, and the series focuses on Kafka, a 32-year-old man who always dreamed of joining the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force. In fact, when he was a kid, he and his friend Mina decided to enlist together, but unfortunately, he didn’t make the cut. Instead, he had to settle for the cleanup crew, and that failure haunts him to this day.
However, Kafka’s life takes a completely unexpected turn when a small monster burrows itself inside him and transforms him into a half-human/half-kaiju monstrosity. He now has the ability to fight giant monsters himself, but he faces two big problems. First, he has to gain the trust of the humans in the Defense Force, and secondly, he soon finds that the thing inside him is threatening to destroy every last vestige of humanity he has left.
That’s the basic premise behind Kaiju No. 8 as a whole, and this first episode, “The Man Who Became a Kaiju,” feels almost like a prelude to the rest of the series. It’s basically just an introduction to this new world and the characters who inhabit it, and even though it’s only 23 minutes long, it does an amazing job of setting the stage for what’s to come.
Take the kaiju attacks, for instance. “The Man Who Became a Kaiju” gives us two big monster scenes, so if you thought Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was too light on the Kaiju action, it looks like Kaiju No. 8 is going to be right up your alley. In fact, this first episode opens with a cool monster attack, and even after the Defense Force kills the creature, its remains stay front and center for much of the episode.
But beyond the sheer quantity of kaiju screen time, the quality of these scenes is what really impressed me. Granted, they’re not on the level of Hollywood kaiju blockbusters like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, but they’re still pretty riveting. In particular, the second monster attack perfectly blends white-knuckle action with heart-wrenching emotional stakes, so it had me on the absolute edge of my seat from start to finish.
On top of those fun monsters, the Kaiju No. 8 premiere also features some surprisingly great character work. The episode doesn’t have much time to get us invested in these people, but somehow, it gets the job done. For example, Kafka’s backstory makes it impossible not to sympathize with the guy, and his younger coworker Ichikawa has a surprising but convincing arc that will endear him to you in no time.
What’s more, even though we don’t get to spend much time with Kafka’s childhood friend Mina, the short amount of screen time she does have makes me confident that I’ll love her just as much as the other two main characters. Her introduction towards the end of the episode is totally badass, and if you’re a cat lover like me, there’s an extra layer to this character that’s sure to win you over immediately.
Last but not least, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how funny Kaiju No. 8 promises to be. I went into “The Man Who Became a Kaiju” pretty blind, so I didn’t know the show was supposed to have a strong comedic element. I was expecting a straight-up horror/sci-fi/drama, but the humor actually ended up being one of my favorite things about the entire experience. This episode is pretty hilarious, and I especially enjoyed the moments when it changes its visual style for comedic effect.
See, by and large, Kaiju No. 8 doesn’t have the kind of Powerpuff Girls-esque look that most Westerners probably associate with anime, but there are a number of times when it switches to that style to make a joke. And let me tell you, that technique totally works. Several of these moments had me laughing out loud, but even when they didn’t quite reach that level, they always at least put a smile on my face.
And when you combine that awesome humor with the great characters and the great action, you get one hell of a premiere. Since I’m not a huge anime guy, I admittedly wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Kaiju No. 8, but by the time the credits began to roll on “The Man Who Became a Kaiju,” I was totally on board. This episode is a nearly perfect combination of fun monster action, excellent characters, and fantastic humor, so I can’t wait to see where the show goes from here.
“The Man Who Became a Kaiju” premiered on Crunchyroll on April 13, and the streaming service is set to roll out new episodes of Kaiju No. 8 every Saturday.
