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Considering the recent explosion of international interest in kaiju cinema, from the Academy Award-winning acclaim of Godzilla Minus One to the blockbuster revenue of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, one can see this season’s Kaiju No. 8 anime as another monster-sized addition. And why not? It does have to do with kaiju and their city-destroying antics, so if you just finished watching Godzilla stomp around, it makes for a fitting follow-up. However, that’s not the only genre it fits neatly into. Kaiju No. 8 also owes a great deal to superhero stories, and if you’re disappointed by their lackluster Hollywood offerings recently, you should consider giving this anime a shot.
For those that haven’t tuned in yet (the series is currently streaming new episodes weekly on Crunchyroll), Kaiju No. 8 deals with a 32-year-old man named Kafka Hibino. Kafka, unable to pass the test required to join the Defense Force that helps Japan repel and defeat kaiju and feeling the weight of a decade’s worth of career malaise, is part of a team that cleans up the gory remains after a kaiju has been taken down. That changes when he forcefully ingests a weird flying creature, one that apparently turns him into a kaiju. With his newfound powers, Kafka must live a double life as both wannabe kaiju hunter and kaiju himself.
Comic inspiration
It wouldn’t be that much of a leap to imagine this plot emerging in Marvel Comics’ Silver Age, a time period and a company that thrived on combining heroic antics with creature-feature thrills. Everyone, from members of the Fantastic Four and X-Men, to even Spider-Man, had to balance their dreams and what they felt like they owed humanity with their ridiculous (and sometimes monstrous) visages and powers. How can you help a world that hates you? How can you trust and take part in a society that might turn on you if it ever knew what you were capable of?
The use of an alter ego, one that you have to hide in order to survive, also brings Kaiju No. 8 in line with the comic book stories that seem to have at least partially inspired it. Kafka fits the Peter Parker mold – He’s an everyman, stuck in a job that he’s had to settle for with aspirations that are foiled at every turn. He’s also an avid kaiju geek, having turned his obsession with giant monsters into an encyclopedic knowledge of them. This might make his role as a protective kaiju seem a bit like escapism, just as Peter Parker donning his Spider-Man costume makes use of his scientific aptitude and his innate wittiness. But with the weight of his responsibility toward mankind (and mankind’s distaste for kaiju) always heavy upon his shoulders, he can’t find true solace there either.
Fresh spin
Obviously, this isn’t the same for the audience. Watching Kafka transform into Kaiju No. 8 (typically as a climactic resolution in a dramatic situation,) combines the thrill we get from monster brawls with something akin to the super heroics of "tokusatsu" series like Super Sentai. Series like that typically build toward the unveiling of the powered-up suits and martial arts action, and though Kafka’s fists are a little more damaging than those spandex-wearing do-gooders, they hit the same emotional beats. It also ensures that we don’t get tired of Kafka-as-Kaiju and that each time we see him, it’s a bit of a treat. When you use his real life and the troubles involved there as the set-up and his kaiju form as a pay-off (while continuing to make it clear that neither life is without its consequences), it combines some of the best of both Japanese and American superheroes.
In 2024, Kaiju No. 8 can feel quite refreshing. It does a fine job of enlivening a genre that is often oversaturated with mediocrity. Tired from expanded universe machinations and indefinite franchising, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC’s broader efforts have hit a bit of a lull. This means that series like Kaiju No. 8 are ripe for filling the void of interest left behind.
So, if your mind wanders toward the angst that drove Marvel’s most creatively potent era, the one that produced a legion of terrific (and terrifically tormented) heroes, ones that might seem more at home in a monster movie, check out Kaiju No. 8. The hero there might not be on Godzilla’s side, but he’s a good guy nonetheless.
Kaiju No. 8 is airing weekly on Crunchyroll. For more, check out our guides to the best anime of all time and all of the new anime that should be on your radar.
