Kafka reveals his secret to someone new and an enigmatic new human/kaiju hybrid makes his debut. Read more in our Kaiju No. 8 episode 4 review.
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The Kaiju No. 8 episode 4 review
In my episode 3 review, I wrote that things weren’t eventful and that I hoped things would be more interesting and action-packed in episode 4. Thankfully, it looks like my wishes came true for this latest episode.
With Kafka now injured after a kaiju surprise attack, all that he can do now is to rely on Ichikawa to help support the other Defense Force applicants, but with Kikoru present, she immediately annihilates the remaining kaiju that are still kicking. However, soon after she puts down a major kaiju (called a Honju), it and the rest of its smaller brethren are resurrected by an unknown, human-sized entity, seemingly a human/kaiju hybrid like Kafka. It then injures Kikoru by using some invisible force attack before leaving the test arena.
Now aware of the reanimated monsters, the applicants are ordered to leave, while Mina and Vice-Captain Hoshina move in to investigate and help put the applicants. Meanwhile, Kikoru is gravely injured by the reanimated Honju and is about to bite the dust, but Kafka’s timely arrival prevents that. He then transforms in front of her, begs her not to tell anyone his secret, and kills the kaiju for good this time, as well as unlocking more of his kaiju form’s power. With that, Kikoru passes out and is carried by Ichikawa to a kaiju shelter while Mina and Hoshina investigate Kafka’s latest kill.
The episode ends with Kafka and Kikoru recovering from their injuries, with the latter lying to Hoshina about her being the one to take out the Honju. Meanwhile, the other human/kaiju hybrid is seen listening to radio news of the episode’s events before morphing into his human guise and going back undercover into human society.
Being shown up by the dead last
This episode helps paint a better picture of who Kikoru is and gives us a peek at her history. Flashbacks during the Honju attack show that her cocky personality is a disguise to mask the pain of having a mostly absent father, who demands perfection from his child since she’ll be a kaiju killing machine one day. It’s an effective method of portraying Kikoru in a more sympathetic light, especially when she hears other parents praising their kids while her dad dismisses her when she says she scored the highest in an exam.
Considering that I initially thought of her as a spoiled brat in an earlier review, it’s safe to say I’ve changed the way I look at her now.
The high point this time around is when Kafka steps in to save the day. After the Honju starts charging up an energy ball attack, Kafka shields her from the attack and transforms into kaiju mode, and immediately begs her to keep his secret while she’s freaking out about what’s currently happening. It’s also mentioned that Kafka’s power exceeds that of the Honju’s and that claim is proven right.
Kafka then literally slaps another energy ball shot by the Honju and charges up his attack, followed by rambolts protruding from his legs and boosters manifesting on his arm. The fists of both kaiju slam against one another, with electricity leaking out of the leading man’s body. He soon overwhelms the Honju, the force of his attack initially peeling off the skin of its arm, followed by the rest of its skin, with an explosion occurring from their epic fistbump. The behemoth’s body falls apart as Kikoru looks on in complete shock.
It ends with Kafka telling the remains to try rising back from his attack, only for the body parts to start moving and he panics, begging them to stay down before they do just that. The heroic kaiju then swats away a smaller kaiju (a Yoju) before admonishing Kikoru for putting herself in danger, only for Ichikawa to criticize him for doing the same thing.
This scene combines the two things that Kaiju No. 8 does best: the humor and the action. Everything from the visuals on-screen to Kafka’s roar as he powers up and even the song that plays during the moment makes him look like a total badass when he wipes the floor with the Honju. The music sounds like something you’d hear during a halftime show at a sports game to hype up the crowd and it fits incredibly well in this scene. What’s also impressive is how the episode oscillates from the action to the humor and vice versa, since Kafka’s begging to both Kikoru and the kaiju remains are hilarious thanks to his very panicked overreactions.
Everything else
Besides this scene, every other action/comedic scene is pretty good in comparison. Prior to what I just described, most of the kaiju killing is done by Kikoru as she shoots chunks of their flesh off in an attempt to be perfect for her father.
A good moment of hilarity is when Kafka rides on top of Ichikawa’s shoulders because of the former’s injury from the last episode. It’s ridiculous, but also nice to see since Ichikawa isn’t planning on abandoning the hybrid since they already seem to be thick as thieves. Though in the end, Kafka kicking ass and his usual overreactions take the cake this episode and the amount of blood and gore shown here makes up for the smaller amount shown last time.
The WTF factor returns this time because of the presence of the other human/kaiju hybrid. Dialogue from him hints that he’s more kaiju than human and the abilities he displays immediately set him apart from the rest of the cast. Being able to bring monsters back from the dead and raising your hand to put literal holes in people as if you’re firing a gun makes you very unique, I will admit.
His synthetic voice and the way his body’s flesh bubbles up as he transforms into a human easily show that this is one eerie entity. Given that he’s an undercover agent for the kaiju side, this guy has my immediate interest with his mystique and abilities. I’m eagerly anticipating more scenes with him to learn more about this enigmatic individual.
Kaiju No. 8 episode 4 gives us more of what worked in the first two episodes and uses more hooks to reel you in and keep you invested. There are zero dull moments here. Episode 5 can’t come soon enough.
Final score: 10/10
Kaiju No. 8 can be streamed through Crunchyroll.
