章 155: Spotlight#163: Kaiju No. 8
If I had a nickel for every time I covered a series with a Kaiju who are also human as the main character, I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice. Yes this is how I'm introducing Naoya Matsumoto's monster masterpiece shonen: Kaiju No.8.
Summary
In a world where attacks from Kaiju are far too commonplace, two childhood friends promised to do everything they could to protect their home. Decades later, one kept her promise as Mina Ashiro became one of Japan's best Kaiju Defense force soldiers. Kafka Hibino, though has spent most of his years cleaning up the messes the monsters left behind as a cleanup crew.
While at first being resigned to his fate, it's through the determination of a young upstart named Leno Ichiwaka that he decides to follow his promise again. Though this goal may be a bit complicated as Kafka accidentally transforms into the very thing he's spent his life fighting against when he encounters a stranged beast. Armed now with mysterious powers yet a newfound resolve, Kafka now must protect all of Japan while hiding his indentity as the mysterious monster: Kaiju No. 8.
Characters
Kafka Hibino: Our Main MC, Kafka, is a burnt-out 32-year-old who lets his age get to him. He's kind, caring, and heavily determined, but his confidence can be shaken, especially when faced with his arguably more talented peers. But they are also a big source of strength as he pushes forward while steadily losing his humanity.
Mina Ashiro: The Commander of the Defense Force's Third Division, Mina is stern, militaristic, and cold on the surface. But past her rank, she does exhibit a far nicer and sentimental personality to her closest allies.
Leno Ichiwaka: A newbie with big dreams, Leno is a prodigy who often lets his talent get to his head, leading him to get riled up and overexert himself. Though compared to his senpai Habano he's still the voice of reason.
Kiroku Shinomiya: The daughter of the Defense Force Director, Isao Shimoniya, Kiroku is a princess in status and attitude. Motivated by her mother's death and her father's high expectations, Kiroku can be a pint-sized perfectionist who can be prim, proper or petulant, depending on who she talks to. Still, her ambition and talent are equal to no one.
Summary
I've never been a tokatsu or Kaiju fan in general beyond some series , but damn if No.8 isn't changing my mind. Despite being probably the simplest new-gen shonen I've covered thus far, Kaiju No. 8 has a lot of refreshing elements to keep it sound. Kafka, being a 30-year-old who is at least trying to catch up to a main female character, is a decent change of pace.
But more importantly, Kafka's unique secret identity as a Kaiju, even though short-lived, provides a unique challenge for him to show his other skills off. Often at times this means he has to fight smarter and play a support role for the other characters in response. This goes double for 8's cast of characters, who often find themselves forced to overcome their limits a thousandfold in the heat of battle.
And those battles are metal as fuck. The Defense Force primary method of fighting often includes taking the corpses and abilities of Kaiju and using them to special mech suits for the characters. This means that just like Kafka and the recurring villain No. 9, the line between monster and man gets blurred evermore in these city-scraping encounters.
While the story is nearing 100 chapters by the time I make this, Kaiju No.8 is a series that consistently moves at a dizzying pace, so you'll never be waiting for long if you care about consistent slugfest. On the other hand, I wish this pacing sometimes gets slowed down for the good character work planted here and there, though these complications could cease given our current arc.
Epilogue
After All, if you're a fan of giant monsters or great battles, I recommend Kaiju No.8. It's certainly not the best of the bunch in Shonen Jump's newcomer catalog (Sakamoto Days got better fights and Undead Unluck has a better cast). Still, I think a proper anime can give the series more life. Either way, the series still has some potential to surprise us, so we shine a light on it again when the time is right.
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