Kaiju No. 8 Vol. 1
Author: Naoya Matsumoto
Illustrator: Naoya Matsumoto
Publishers: Viz Media
Age Group: Teen
Genre: Shonen
Type: Manga
Content Warnings: Violence
Spoilers ahead
Plot
Kafka Hibino is part of a kaiju (monster) corpse cleanup crew in Japan, a country with the largest kaiju-emergence rates in the world. His job may be nauseating but necessary. His dream is to join the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with neutralizing kaiju. After all, he made a promise to his childhood friend, Mina, who is now the Third Division captain. When he gets another chance to fulfill his dream and try out! There’s just one problem. After an unexpected transformation, he’s being hunted by the Japan Defense force. Can he hide that he’s Kaiju No. 8 while fulfilling his dreams?
Character Development
Kafka Hibino is a very relatable protagonist. He has dreams that he’s failed at before so he’s gotten a job-adjacent to that. He hasn’t given up even if he is too old to join. Until he learns the Japan Defense Force raise the age. He’s excited to try again thanks to the rookie on the cleanup crew, who also dreams of joining the force. He’s very laidback, reliable, and knows his stuff. He’s good at strategizing where he would best fit in during the test based on his skillset and Defense Force Suit abilities, which is support. He knows the weaknesses of the different Kaiju and Yoju (residual beasts) and guides some of the other recruits on how to finish the job most efficiently. He’s also got a bit of wit as the banter between him and Reno is hilarious.
Reno Ichikawa is a young adult with the classic teen vs adult attitude. He joins the cleanup crew hoping it’ll give him an edge in the tests to join the Japan Defense Force. He’s a lot sweeter than you’d originally suspect. When Kafka undergoes his transformation, Reno sticks to his promise to help him achieve his dream, even if he is a monster now. He helps him to hide Kafka’s new abilities and stays in his corner. This shows a lot of Reno’s character. He’s loyal and keeps his word. Everyone needs a friend like this.
Kikoro Shinomiya is your average I’m better than you because *insert all the reasons a spoiled rich kid with talent is better than a person with heart*. She feels like she has to be perfect and excels at everything she does. Not that her father gives a damn. She needs a push outside of that mindset. She’s excellent at neutralizing kaiju and doesn’t lose a single recruit during the last test. If it wasn’t for her armor though, she’d be dead when a new threat appears. She may be a brat but she’s also still a bit naive. When she’s confronted with the new threat she doesn’t immediately act on it but thinks back to the list of kiaju they were given. The new threat wasn’t on it. While she does this, the kaiju has more than enough time to attack. This causes a shattering in her thinking of always needing to be better and perfect than others.
While we’ve met his childhood friend and some of the others in the Defense force, we haven’t gotten a lot of their personalities. We do get enough information for us to separate them from other characters. It’ll be interesting to have those personalities expanded and see if the reader’s assumptions on their character is exactly what it seems or not.
World-building
The world-building is simple. It’s modern-day but with a twist of giant monsters. These monsters have wreaked havoc and caused an unnumbered amount of deaths. Yet, heroes are fighting for the people against this constant threat. At the same time, there are cleanup crews that autopsy these monsters and ship their parts to various research and development facilities. This world has grown to use the parts of monsters for a variety of uses.
We also see and understand how hard it is to get into the Japan Defense Force as there are three main tests. The first is a written knowledge test. The second is a fitness test. The third test changes depending on the year. Some years it’s neutralizing kaiju and yoju, and others are cleanup. Only the best of the best get to pass.
Themes
Even when life throws you a curveball, don’t give up on your dreams. You are the only one that can make them come true.
I decided to go with this theme because it’s something similar to the undertones of what Kafka and Reno tell and show each other about each other’s character when facing off against a yoju while on cleanup duty.
Observations & Predictions
At the end of the first volume, Kafka reveals his kaiju form in front of one of the best recruits to help deal with an unexpected threat during the end of the final Defense force test.
My hope for this scene is that Kikoro will continue her deconstruction and rely on her team (which I’m assuming will be put together during or after this battle with the unknown threat). She’ll be confused between duty as part of the Japan Defense Force and her heart. Kafka told her the words she always wanted to hear from her father and stepped in to save her, but he’s kaiju himself. This will cause a major change in her as she struggles. Depending on what she chooses, will change the story and Kafka’s life forever.
I hope that during this battle, some of the top-tier recruits will see him and they’ll become part of his team, keeping it on the down low from the higher-ups. Kafka will become their ace in the hole against a rising threat.
My observation is Kafka isn’t the only one that’s transformed into a humanoid kaiju. He may be the only one to control the kaiju within rather than letting it consume him. This new threat will make the Japan Defense Force’s job much harder. As we see at the end of this volume, they can bring back other kaiju and yoju from the dead.
A new battle is about to begin. Kaiju No. 8 against other humanoid kaiju. A war of Titans, if you will. I can’t wait for the next volume.
Recommendations
For more Contemporary Fantasy
Solo Leveling By: Chugong
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint By: Sing Shong
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