The wyverns attack, Hoshina takes on another intelligent kaiju and Kikoru shows off her deadly new weapon. Read more in our Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 review.
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The Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 review
This time, things start with a bang, literally. The wyvern kaiju seen at the end of the last episode dive bomb on Tachikawa Base, where the Third Division is stationed, and are classified as Honju-level threats. Everyone scrambles to prepare to fight the invading monsters and Kafka calls Hoshina to inform them that in the past wyverns never attacked in groups. Hoshina believes that there’s a kaiju both powerful and intelligent enough to make the wyverns obey his commands and go along with his plan.
That suspicion is immediately proven correct as the leader kaiju confronts Hoshina, revealing that it can speak. This leader kaiju aims to fight the strongest human at the base and with Mina not around, Hoshina is the one the leader will be fighting. Hoshina orders his subordinates to fight the wyverns and prevent them from leaving the base and begins to battle the leader, noting that the invaders are after their base after the wyverns react to a cry from their leader. While the Defense Force soldiers attack the wyverns, Kafka advises them to shoot their backs since their skin is lighter and their cores are located there.
Aoi and Izumo can’t attack from the back because of the wyverns working together until Kikoru swoops in and breaks the armor off of one of the wyverns with her new axe. A flashback shows that since she’s the third strongest member of the Third Division, she’s allowed to have a new prototype weapon to aid her in combat. After Ichikawa aids her in taking down a wyvern by partially freezing it, the two team up to expedite the kaiju killing process.
Meanwhile, Hoshina lures the leader into a training area, noting that it appears to be relishing the fight, something kaiju shouldn’t be capable of doing. The Vice-Captain then goes all out as his opponent declares that devouring Hoshina would strengthen it. Kafka arrives on the battlefield and manages to save one of his comrades, Minase, by partially transforming his body to give himself a speed boost. Kikoru arrives in the nick of time to save them from a wyvern’s laser attack and instructs them to help any wounded while she and Ichikawa deal with the kaiju.
Hoshina’s fight with the leader continues, with the Vice-Captain slashing at the gaps in the intelligent kaiju’s armor to damage it. The leader discovers that this is a ruse and that Hoshina used his gap attacks to distract the leader, allowing him to cut off its remaining arm and head. This proves ineffective as the leader regenerates its flesh and it goes back to attack Hoshina, saying that this is how rivals should fight. Hoshina manages to slice through the creature’s core, however, this results in it mutating into a larger version of itself. The sword wielder realizes that his opponent shifted the position of his core, meaning he didn’t fully destroy it.
The episode concludes with Kafka’s kaiju detection ability going off and causing him pain, while the Vice-Captain prepares to engage a giant-sized version of the leader kaiju, who now has a fortitude level of 9.0.
The third kaiju that can talk
This episode is all action, which is perfect since this attack was set up last week and episode 9 doesn’t need to waste any time getting us interested in what’s happening this time. The design of the wyverns indicates that these things are powerful threats that aren’t easy to take down since two people need to work together to make that happen. Combined with the black and red laser attack they can shoot from their mouth and the destruction they cause, they solidify themselves as a formidable threat, an awesome addition to the cast and perfectly set the dire tone of the episode.
Their leader also manages to make his debut a memorable one. Right off the bat, we’re shown that he’s the brains behind this whole operation since he’s commanding the winged kaiju to work together to attack the base, but what makes his debut so unforgettable is his fight with Hoshina. The leader displays great strength and speed, along with armor so tough, Hoshina can’t slice through it unless he’s at full power. His look, comprised of red armor covering his whole body with spikes on some areas and bright blue eye, immediately gives away that this guy is no pushover in a fight.
He’s a formidable challenge for the Vice-Captain since the human (at least initially) can barely keep up with his monstrous opponent. Along with his lust for battle and his fierce design, this new intelligent kaiju stands out from the rest of the cast right off the bat.
As for the leader’s opponent, Hoshina truly shines when he allows himself to power up once both of them are in the training area. The fight scenes between the two before and after they arrive at the training area are very smoothly animated and move at a breakneck pace. You get a real sense of both how powerful Hoshina’s attacks are and how tough this kaiju is when you witness the former slashing off its limbs only for the latter to regrow them and keep attacking.
The highlight comes near the end of the episode when the sword wielder discovers the kaiju’s core and slashes through it and the rest of its body. It’s a very brief moment, but thanks to the purple, black, and white visual effects along with the slicing sound effects, the blood gushing from the leader’s wounds, and the traditional Japanese music backing this scene, you can tell Hoshina gave this attack everything he had. Even though this only resulted in the kaiju becoming larger and its fortitude increasing, it’s still a great scene that displays Hoshina’s skill level.
Kikoru’s new toy
As for the other characters, it was also cool to see Kikoru using a giant axe to slay the wyverns since it definitely fits her style. Seeing her use the axe’s shockwave feature enhanced her kaiju killing scenes, especially when she killed her second and third wyverns using the ‘Falling Thunder’ and ‘Water Skimmer’ attacks.
The shockwave building up and the explosive impact when the axe lands on the wyverns resulting in it ripping chunks of flesh off them make it obvious that Kikoru is incredibly dangerous when wielding her new weapon. It was also nice to see her and Ichikawa teaming up to take on more of the winged kaiju, but aside from Ichikawa shooting the wyverns with freeze bullets, we don’t get to witness much of the two working together.
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Since the kaiju leader, Hoshina and Kikoru take up most of the runtime this week, we only get to observe what other characters are up to for a few moments before the focus shifts back to the aforementioned three. Kafka makes himself useful by using his knowledge of kaiju biology to tell his fellow soldiers about the kaiju’s weak spot, saves Minase, and feels pain when his kaiju detection ability flares up when the leader kaiju becomes bigger. Aoi and Izumo try to kill a wyvern, but can’t before Kikoru rocks up with her new toy. After she leaves, the two focus on shooting the backs of the wyverns while she attacks from the front.
These scenes are meant to show that Kafka will likely be affected by the leader and that Aoi and Izumo’s relationship is becoming stronger. Kafka’s final scene has some importance since he’s the main character, but Aoi and Izumo aren’t endearing or interesting, so their dynamic developing isn’t as important (for now, at least).
Kaiju No. 8 episode 9 excels this week by focusing on pure action. The devastating power of the wyvern kaiju and their leader, along with the scenes involving Hoshina and Kikoru, ensure that there isn’t a dull moment to be had. Hopefully, Aoi and Izumo won’t need someone to kill kaiju for them next week.
Final score: 10/10
Kaiju No. 8 can be streamed through Crunchyroll.
