Kaiju No. 8 goes from zero-to-100 with a great first episode cliffhanger

Kaiju No. 8, the new sci-fi action anime based on Naoya Matsumoto’s ongoing Shōnen Jump Plus manga, premiered its first episode last Saturday.

Produced by Production I.G (Heavenly Delusion, Ghost in the Shell) in collaboration with studio Khara (Rebuild of Evangelion), the new series is unquestionably one of the most highly anticipated anime to premiere this spring, and for good reason — the first episode alone absolutely nails the irreverent tone, personal drama, and exhilarating action that’s made the series one of the best-selling manga in Japan since its debut in 2020. Even with just a single episode, it already feels like a strong contender to be one of the best anime of 2024.

For those unfamiliar with the series, the premise of Kaiju No. 8 can be aptly described as “My Hero Academia meets Pacific Rim.” Both the manga and anime take place in a world that is regularly besieged by gargantuan monsters known as kaiju that cause havoc and destruction in their wake. To combat the kaiju, Japan has established the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force — an elite battalion of superpowered soldiers armed with weapons and armored suits reverse-engineered from the remains of especially powerful kaiju. Members of the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force are championed as the first (and often last) line of defense against the kaiju, earning them praise and renown throughout all of Japan.

Image: Production I.G/Crunchyroll

Kafka Hibano, the protagonist of Kaiju No. 8, is not one of these elite few. Instead, the 32-year-old works as a member of a kaiju disposal company tasked with cleaning up the remains of kaiju and rebuilding neighborhoods in the aftermath of the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force’s skirmishes. Until one day, inspired by both his new co-worker Reno’s courage and the strength of the Defense Force members that come to their rescue, Kafka is emboldened to reapply and enlist in the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force — and then a mysterious, small kaiju flies into his mouth, triggering a bizarre metamorphosis that transforms Kafka into a humanoid kaiju.

Audiences who haven’t yet read the manga will no doubt wonder: How exactly does a man who has just become a kaiju go about joining an elite group of soldiers who specialize in killing kaiju? I can assure you that the manga series threads the needle on this question perfectly, and I’m excited to see how the anime follows suit.

Image: Production I.G/Crunchyroll

Already the anime’s direction emphasizes the extent to which the regular occurrence of kaiju attacks have been assimilated into the infrastructure and society of this world. From customized traffic signals and emergency sirens to “fortitude” measurements and live news coverage seen in small moments during the premiere, Kaiju No. 8 successfully sells the idea of a world that has — to some extent — adapted to an ever-present existential threat in the same way as we have to hurricanes, floods, and other sorts of natural disasters. It’s an interesting concept, especially considering how the episode briefly touches on how the remains of the kaiju are divided up between weapon companies and researchers vying to devise new commercial and defensive applications based on their unique physiology. The moody color palette and background designs in the episode add a lot to the series, grounding its universe in a way that feels both intimately believable and visually extraordinary.

The action — particularly the opening scene of the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force sliding down the side of a building while firing on a kaiju — is breathtaking and inspired, which makes me all the more excited for the series’ future fights involving Kafka in his kaiju form. That’s not even mentioning the eclectic cast of supporting characters who haven’t yet been formally introduced, like Third Division Captain (and Kafka’s childhood friend) Mina Ashiro, her affable sword-wielding subordinate Soshiro Hoshina, and the series’ primary antagonist: Kaiju No. 9.

Image: Production I.G/Crunchyroll

Best of all, when the season is done (or you’re just impatient for more) the Kaiju No. 8 manga is right there and perfect to pick up. The manga’s ninth and current arc, “The Last Wave,” sees the series moving from strength to strength as the members of the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force are pushed beyond their limits by an unprecedented threat in the war between humanity and the kaiju. The Kaiju No. 8 anime has started the series off on some strong footing. It’s still early days, but if the anime is able to continue to build on the foundation set by this first episode — and all signs point to that being the case — Kaiju No. 8 could very well grow to become a colossal hit on par in scale and magnitude to likes of the King of the Kaiju himself.

Kaiju No. 8 is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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