Japan has been riding high in the eyes of the world ever since Godzilla Minus One, which thrilled us all with its riveting story and somehow managed to cost half what a single episode of the latest Disney+ MCU or Star Wars series costs. Now, there’s an incredible new monster-themed anime we can geek out over called Kaiju No. 8. Let’s check it out!
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The Story of Kaiju No. 8
It’s a world in which giant monsters known as kaiju regularly appear to attack cities, causing tragedy and death. To combat this threat, Japan created the Defense Force, in which skilled fighters battled with the creatures. Young Kafka Hibino and his childhood friend Mina both swear to join the Defence Force when they grow up, and Kafka challenges her to see which of them can become the strongest fighter. But years later, Mina has risen to the rank of Captain in the Defence Forces, while Kafka…works on a crew cleaning up the giant kaiju carcasses left behind after a battle.
Kafka hates his life cleaning up monster guts, but after multiple rejections, he’s given up on his dream of joining the Defence Force. Just then, a new hire named Leno Ichikawa reminds him of his dream. When a mysterious creature flies inside Kafka’s mouth, transforming him into a kaiju himself, will his dream of joining the Defense Force be realized?
Excellent Execution and Visuals
The idea of a male main character who somehow acquires the powers of his enemies, enabling him to become ultra-powerful, is far from original. In fact, it’s become so cliched that it’s one reason I don’t usually venture into the shonen genre very often. Happily, the execution in Kaiju No. 8 is so good, with interesting character twists and turns, that I’m happily suspending my usual cynicism when it comes to such stories. I can’t wait for the next episode!
The show has an incredible pedigree, with animation by Studio I.G. and involvement from TOHO Animation and Hideaki Anno’s Khara. The budget is super high, too. Clearly, the creators want to capitalize on the worldwide interest in Japan’s kaiju movie culture and make the anime a big hit.
Why Kaiju Anime Often Miss the Mark
You’d think the kaiju genre and anime would go great together since anime fans are also tokusatsu fans, and it’s even easier to draw a monster than dress a man up in a rubber suit.
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters
The three Godzilla films Netflix commissioned in 2017 should have been legendary. Written by famed writer Urobuchi Gen of Nitroplus fame, the story is set 20,000 years after humanity has been forced to leave Earth because of the power of the immortal Godzilla. Now they’ve come back…but I don’t know the rest of the story because the horrible CGI animation forced me to give up partway through.
Godzilla S.P.
A bizarre stab at bringing Godzilla into a more traditional anime format, with less CGI (only the monsters). It was actually quite good, but sadly, the stupid “Netflix Jail” system killed any popularity it could have had. Read my blog post about this series here!
SSSS.Gridman
One of the best tokusatsu-inspired anime is SSSS.Gridman, animated by Trigger and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the production company founded by Godzilla special effects creator Eiji Tsuburuya. The combination of smart story and a healthy dose of “plot” delighted fans.
Thanks for reading this blog post about our awesome new Kaiju No. 8 anime, which I will totally keep watching. What anime are you watching this season, and should we cover it on the J-List blog? Tell us in the comments below!
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Great news! J-List is having a huge sale on all books shipping from Japan! Until April 6, you can get 18% off all manga, doujinshi, photobooks and anime and ecchi magazines! Browse all sale products here!
