‘Kaiju No. 8’ Season 2 Hits Crunchyroll With New Characters + Higher Stakes
Kaiju No. 8 is back today for its second season, just a little over a year after its initial debut, putting the anime production schedule on pace with its live-action streaming counterparts—a dream come true for fans who are used to waiting years for their favorite animated stories to continue.
The series, which is based on Naoya Matsumoto’s manga of the same name, is a masterclass at world-building, drawing on familiar tropes from Japanese film history. Kaiju refers to the iconic larger than life monsters of Godzilla and King Kong stature, made famous through the live-action tokusatsu movies and TV programs that leaned heavily on early special effects. For American audiences, Cloverfield will be your closest spiritual equivalent, and fans of the film will find an easy anime entry point in Kaiju No. 8.
While paying homage to predecessors by elegantly blending scenes of urban life with sci-fi chaos and destruction, and relying as much as possible on a “show, don’t tell” approach to pulling us into its premise, where Kaiju No. 8 gets really creative and original (and also earns a gore warning) is in its hyperbolic realism when dealing with the carnage involved with killing a creature as tall as a skyscraper.
Whenever a member of the elite Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defense Force takes out a kaiju, there is a bomb-like explosion resulting in a prolonged downpour of blood and guts within its “fall-out” zone. This artistic choice isn’t just for show or spectacle, it sets the stage for protagonist Kafka Hibino’s background as a kaiju disposal company cleaner.
In essence, we get to see the aftermath of the victory, the part where the movie normally ends, and the anime answers the very question that audiences perhaps never took the time to ask, “What happens when you kill a giant dinosaur in the middle of a major city?“
Kafka is such a refreshing protagonist by anime standards. When we first meet him he’s a little washed up, kind of pudgy, and too old to follow his dream of joining childhood friend and captain, Mina Ashiro, on the Defense Force. That is, until they raise the age limit to 33, granting him a second chance to go through the application process alongside new colleague and friend, Reno Ichikawa.
The two men form a bond that is strengthened after a joint encounter with a kaiju that sends them both to the hospital, where Kafka is attacked by/forced to swallow a live kaiju, transforming him into a monster himself in the process. Reno must guard the secret as the two progress through the application process, knowing Kafka would be neutralized by the Defense Force if they discovered his true identity.
Of course, that’s exactly where season one leaves off, with Kafka in the custody of the Defense Force, and tested in battle by none other than Director General, Isao Shinomiya, an intimidating man with a Hunger Games-esque beard who allows Kafka to live after witnessing the self restraint he displays during the battle.
Season 2 picks up with the new recruits from Kafka and Reno’s officer training class (think of it like the Quantico for kaiju hunters) joining new divisions after their base was severely damaged in a kaiju attack. Most notably Isao’s daughter, prodigy Kikoru Shinomiya, is sent to join the First Division, the most powerful of the Defense Force, who are internationally renowned.
That reputation is quickly eviscerated when Kikoru comes face-to-face with First Division Captain Gen Narumi, who turns out to be a disheveled and reclusive gamer with what appears to be an online shopping addiction. He is by far the most exciting new character of Season 2, providing much needed comedic relief while Kafka (who typically supplies the laughs) is dealing with mounting challenges.
We get to see Gen in action almost immediately, and watch him transform into a super confident and capable leader and warrior, becoming almost another person entirely simply by brushing his hair out of his eyes.
Once the battle is over, we see how insecure he is about his own success, overcompensating with a competitive attitude towards the other captains, and even monitoring online activity against his own name. He’ll be a great foil for Kikoru, who finds his mannerisms concerning, but is still allured by his power and abilities. His mantra is not to demand cleanliness or manners from her, but pure unadulterated power.
So it’s no surprise that Kafka’s assignment to the First Division feels like a threat to Gen. The Director General tells Kafka he must prove himself and win over the entire division to stay on the Defense Force, because the rest of the top brass want to see him put down and his kaiju biomaterial used to create new technology and weapons.
Episode 1 kicks off with great momentum that raises the stakes for Season 2 and throws us right into new conflicts and higher pressure than ever before.
We can’t wait for new episodes every Saturday on Crunchyroll, with live-streaming at 7 a.m. PT and VOD available at 7:30 a.m. PT. The English dubbed version is getting a same-day release, so however you like to watch your anime, Kaiju No. 8 will have you covered!
