Kaiju No. 8 was a show I didn’t know I needed. I mentioned the upcoming second season in my Best of the Upcoming Anime for 2025 article. I said I wasn’t familiar with it, however I decided to watch it one day since it was on Netflix. And I was missing out on a great anime. I’ve even caught up to the manga.
Kaiju No.8 (Monster #8) first aired in Spring 2024. The anime is an adaptation of the manga with the same name. Naoya Matsumoto writes and illustrates the manga, and it has been published online on Shonen Jump+ since 2020.
The manga won a first place in the Next Manga Awards under the Best Web Manga Category in 2021. Kaiju No. 8 actually won over DANDADAN. Kaiju No. 8 is also in the top 10 best selling manga of 2024.
Synopsis
Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old man, is unsatisfied with his job as a sweeper. From a young age, he has aspired to join the Defense Force and kill kaiju for a living. After a few failed attempts, however, he gave up on his dreams and resigned himself to the mediocrity that provided a decent paycheck. Nevertheless, when an ambitious, 18-year-old recruit named Reno Ichikawa joins his cleaning team, Kafka is once again reminded of his desire to join the Defense Force. (Kaiju No. 8 Fandom)
Kaiju No.8 Season 1 Review
Story
One of the things I ended up loving was the story and the premise. The main character Kafka always wanted to join the Defense Force because a kaiju destroyed his hometown when he was a child. Alongside him at the time was his childhood friend Mina Ashiro the captain for Division Three. They promised to both be part of the Defense Force.
However he just wasn’t cut out for it, and he ended up with the cleaning job. They clean up after the Defense Force after they kill the kaiju. It’s a story of not giving up on your dreams. Even though he may be too old to join the force, Kafka didn’t stop believing. Even though some things may have ‘helped’ him.
Another aspect I loved about the story is the mix of seriousness and comedy. Most of the characters have a sense of humour and aren’t killjoys when the rest of the cast are joking around.
Animation
The animation in this adaptation was great. Production I.G did a great job like they always do. The fight scenes are so well done. Check out the Kaiju No. 8 trailer below:
Characters
They all started out in Division Three under Captain Ashiro and Vice Captain Hoshino but transferred out due to reasons. There are a lot of other characters as well in the Division, however I would say these are the most important.
As mentioned, they all have great comedic timing. When it’s time to lock in they all lock in and do their job. My personal favourite character is Shinomiya. She always gives Kafka a hard time, which leads to funny scenes.
Should You Watch Kaiju No. 8 Season 1?
Yes. You have to watch it before season 2 comes out. If you’re looking for a great shonen with a mix of seriousness and comedy, this is it. After you finish season one, you’re going to be reading the manga like I did. I couldn’t wait for season two and caught up to the manga. What I can say is that Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 will be even better.
