Review: Kaiju No. 8, "Mission Recon"
Planning on watching season two of Kaiju No.8? Check out season one with a bonus episode in theaters first. Seeing it on the big screen hits different.
Although the movie is a recap of the best moments from season one, it did a great job refreshing my memory of the events that played out. Now, I’m ready for the second season, airing this summer.
The series follows Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old who aspires to be a part of the Defense Force but continues to fail the test every year. This year’s his last shot. Will he finally pass?
At his job as a cleaning crew member, Kafka meets Reno Ichikawa who inspires him to take the test one last time. After the two are attacked by a Kaiju, they end up in the hospital. In an unexpected turn of events, a small Kaiju enters Kafka’s body, similar to Shinichi and Migi from Parasyte: The Maxim.
Reno Ichikawa hears him struggling and pulls open the curtain, only to see Kafka fully transformed into a Kaiju. Major “ahh shit he’s in deep shit” moment. Since Kaiju are considered threats to society, the knowledge of Kafka being one has to stay confidential.
An old man spots the transformed Kafka and starts to freak out. To escape the situation, Kafka and Reno Ichikawa jump out of the window. From then on, hiding Kafka’s identity becomes a top priority.
Surprisingly, the duo takes the Defense Force test and passes. Yay, Kafka finally did it! However, he struggles exponentially during the physical portion of the test. His suit compatibility body literally has a 0% success rate, which has never been done before. The issue is that Kafka can only reach true power in his Kaiju form.
During the test where they have to fight Kaiju, he transforms to save Kikoru Shinomiya (who by the way, totally dominates the battlefield compared to everyone else). Kikoru Shinomiya keeps Kafka’s secret so he’s safe. For now.
It’s a miracle, but Kafka passes and becomes a cadet. The main reason he passed is because the vice-captain, Soshiro Hoshina, thinks he’d be useful in battle because Kafka understands the biology of Kaiju.
Kafka’s real motive for joining the Defense Force? To stand by Mina Ashiro’s side, his childhood friend. He has a long way to go because she’s a captain while he struggles to fight Kaiju. Plus, she can’t know he’s a Kaiju or they’ll take him away. Or worse.
During a large-scale Kaiju assault, the yoju create a nest that’s going to explode when it hits the ground. Seeing this play out, Kafka decides he has no choice but to transform. Even though he saves everyone and prevents mass destruction, he’s taken into custody for being a Kaiju.
The movie ends on a cliffhanger of what Kafka’s fate will be. The end of season two contains more footage than the movie so I’d recommend checking out the episodes to see what happens afterward.
It was nice to see an original episode at the end of the movie called “Hoshina’s Day Off.” I liked how silly and light-hearted it was after the reality of these monsters destroying the city. The way the Kaiju attack the city reminds me of the very underrated anime, World Trigger. Totally worth the watch.
For Attack on Titan fans, there are elements of Kaiju No.8 that remind me of AOT. So if you’re into high-stake battles and secret identities, definitely give it a shot.
Ah I watched the season 1 a while back and enjoyed the lack of tragedy. But my friend who's reading the manga just smirked at me when I told him this. Now I'm scared to watch the second season 😭