Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 review: The kaiju are ready to rage in this bloody first episode

Our Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 review will tell you if this is good like Godzilla or a bomb like Baragon.

The Kaiju No. 8 episode 1 review

Usually, when you need to fight giant monsters hellbent on destroying whatever city they happen to appear in, the usual solution to this problem is deploying giant robots to kick their asses and send them packing, à la Power Rangers or Pacific Rim. Kaiju No. 8 is a bit different.

In this series, special forces dedicated specifically to annihilating kaiju are deployed whenever one rears its ugly, oversized head and that’s made apparent in the fast-paced intro. Civilians are evacuated to safe zones as military choppers and armored vehicles race towards the danger. Once the area is clear, the chopper unleashes a barrage of missiles and the soldiers of the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force are dropped into the battlefield, running down walls and blitzing toward the creature, firing their weapons at it, until a single shot from a well-experienced sniper takes down the behemoth as blood gushes from the lethal wound it just received.

This is a great introduction and establishes just how battle-hardened Mina (the sniper) is. That’s what Kafka, her childhood friend and protagonist aspires to be; fighting as a Defense Force soldier alongside her to wipe out the kaiju threat that’s plagued them since they were children.

Unfortunately for Kafka, he’s not qualified to be a soldier and is instead a kaiju corpse cleanup man, which is exactly what you think it is. After befriending Ichikawa, a new cleanup man and someone who also wants to be a Defense Force member, they are attacked by a kaiju, before the threat is soon eliminated by Mina and her squad. Soon after, both are hospitalized and after Kafka decides to pursue his childhood dream again thanks to Ichikawa inspiring him earlier, the former is soon turned into a kaiju because of an insect creature making itself at home in his body. And thus, the titular Kaiju No. 8 is born.

Action/Comedy

What caught me off guard in this first episode of Kaiju No. 8 was the comedy. For a show with such a serious intro sequence, I never expected there to be some funny moments. But they’re here and are a (mostly) welcome change of pace, like when Kafka is assigned to cutting the kaiju’s intestines and tries to get out of it, or when Ichikawa is forced to accept nose plugs from him because of the terrible smell that comes with cutting intestines.

The action is also very well done. I’m certain most of the budget for this first installment went into the intro as well as the kaiju chase sequence. The animation for the monster chasing Kafka looked a bit stilted and unnatural, which helps in showing just how strange these creatures are. The slow motion that sets in during two moments of the chase, with Kafka as the focus, as he dodges the creature’s bite and jumps through a window to avoid it, is very fluid.

Another great instance is in the beginning when Mina takes out the kaiju with her sniper rifle. You can feel the impact and pain of the shot when it leaves a huge, gaping hole in the creature and a massive spray of blood is spread all across the surrounding buildings. It’s brutal. Kaiju No. 8 also has a slight WTF factor that works in its favor, like when Mina’s white tiger attacks the kaiju chasing our leading man or when Kafka transforms because of an insect entering into his mouth and going down his throat. I certainly didn’t have that in my bingo card and I’m interested in seeing any other moments like these two.

Art and characters

The art style is also a sort of blend between action and comedy. Certain characters like Kafka and his co-workers look like they belong in a comedy-focused anime, whereas others like Ichikawa and Mina feel like they’re from a series with a more serious tone. The kaiju look like hulking abominations that desperately need to be put down (as they should) and most backgrounds have darker shades to reflect the no-nonsense side of this anime.

I think Kafka will be an interesting character to watch. His desire conflicts with what he’s becoming and I’m curious to see just how he hides this aspect of himself from Mina and other people on the Defense Force. You can relate to the guy since a lot of us aren’t able to follow our passions and instead settle for something else in life. His overreactions to certain events are also amusing.

His dynamic with Ichikawa is also enjoyable to view since they already seem to have a decent level of trust and respect for one another, given that he comes to Kafka’s aid during the chase. The guy feels like the main character of another anime series that got put into this one. There’s honestly not much to write about him in this first episode, though I would like to see more of him and Kafka’s interactions.

We also get a small look into Mina’s character. All serious, wants to kill Kaiju, is good at her job, and is mad that Kafka lied to her about being at her side and fighting Kaiju. Besides that, not much else, but like with Ichikawa, I would like to know more about her.

In the end, this is a fun start to Kaiju No. 8. The action sequences, the moments of hilarity, and the small WTF factor have me hooked and there’s a good balance of each. I’m also interested in seeing how Kafka keeps his secret from others and what will happen to him. Though we didn’t learn too much about the supporting characters, that’s forgivable since there’ll be plenty more episodes to flesh them out. The cliffhanger is also a good way to end things since it makes me want to see how Kafka and Ichikawa escape when the Defense Force comes down on their heads and answer questions I have regarding what’s going on in the story.