Switching off from reality over the weekend, I finally gave in to the relentless recommendations from my siblings and dived into the anime series that’s been buzzing everywhere – Kaiju No 8.
From the very first episode, this anime series has been cackling. While it has serious undertones, the main character’s very unserious personality just pulls you further in to watch the whole season in one sitting.
KAIJU CRAZE
Kaiju No 8, also known as Monster #8, has quickly become the buzz of the anime world. This Japanese manga series, crafted by Matsumoto Naoya, first appeared on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ app in July 2020 and has since amassed 13 tankobon volumes.
Shueisha’s Manga Plus and Viz Media have helped spread its reach with English and digital releases.
The anime adaptation by Production IG aired from April to June 2024, and fans are eagerly awaiting the sequel.
With over 15 million manga copies in circulation as of July 2024, Kaiju No 8 has been lauded for its engaging story, energetic characters and impressive artwork. In that short span of time, the series has also expanded into light novels, spin-off manga and a video game.
Read on at your own risk – there are minor spoilers ahead!
A MIDLIFE TRANSFORMATION
The plot follows Kafka Hibino, a man stuck in a mundane job far removed from his childhood dreams. Suddenly, his life takes a wild turn when he accidentally consumes a parasitic creature (or more accurately, the creature forces its way into him) that grants him the power to transform into a kaiju.
Driven by a promise made to a childhood friend, Kafka embarks on a journey to harness these newfound abilities and join a kaiju-fighting organisation.
Kafka’s character perfectly captures what it’s like to be in our 30s. He embodies the struggle of living with an unfulfilled dream, teetering between pursuing that dream and simply letting it remain just that – a dream.
It reminds me, especially, of how this stage of life often feels like a balancing act, caught between the responsibilities of adulthood and the lingering aspirations of youth. Many of us find ourselves in jobs that pay the bills but don’t ignite our passions, and Kafka’s predicament is all too relatable.
In our 30s, the pressure to have everything figured out mounts. Society expects us to have stable careers, settled lives, and clear goals. Yet, for many, this decade is marked by a persistent sense of unfulfillment and the fear that it might be too late to chase long-held dreams.
Nevertheless, the unlikely friendships Kafka forms with other characters in the show are quite something. It all starts with 18-year-old Ichikawa Reno, who clashed with Kafka in the first episode over him “giving up his childhood dream” when Reno started working part-time at Kafka’s full-time job as a part of the clean-up crew at Monster Sweeper Inc. For various reasons in the first episode, it comes to no surprise that Reno ends up being Kafka’s confidant.
Then there’s 16-year-old Shinomiya Kikoru, one of the youngest talents among the Anti-Kaiju Defence Force recruits, who really gave Kafka a hard time during the entrance exam. Though she initially gets off on the wrong foot with Kafka and Reno, the three soon become a close-knit trio of comrades – “besties” as the young ones say these days.
There are other supporting characters who bonded with him because of his quirky personality, which makes the whole show even more enjoyable to watch, like Ashiro Mina – Kafka’s long estranged childhood friend who’s now the captain of the Defence Force’s third division that he aspires to catch up to; and of course, Hoshina Soshiro, the vice-captain of the third division.
Interestingly, another comparison I see with Attack on titan (AoT) is Hoshina’s likeness to AoT’s Levi Ackerman in terms of looks – similar hairstyle, short and slim build, and a knack for the sword. The only differences between the two characters would definitely be a sense of humour, which Hoshina has plenty of.
HIGH-TECH KAIJU COMBAT
The action scenes in the show are absolutely brilliant. It does remind me a bit of AoT, though – minus the politics (for now). Instead of the Omni-directional mobility gear, they’ve got these high-tech combat suits made from Kaiju cells and muscle fibres, which boost the wearers’ physical abilities.
The suits operate on unleashed combat power levels, bonding with the wearer to boost their strength and abilities (which Kafka, in human form, fails at spectacularly). These suits let them leap and scale buildings like superheroes.
And, of course, what’s combat gear without weapons? Instead of swords, they wield massive blaster guns to battle not titans, but mushroom crustaceans, nose-less goblin spiders, dragon-like and Godzilla-like alien monsters, and highly intelligent humanoids in the first season – and the ranked officers have even cooler special weapons.
As a dedicated anime-watcher, my views are based solely on the televised version of Kaiju No 8. While I can’t compare it to the manga, the anime’s portrayal of Kafka’s journey proves it’s never too late to chase your passions and tackle new challenges. – Izah Azahari
