Kaiju No. 8 episode 8 was filled with action, suspense, cheers, and more story development. Above all, our favorite goofy adult main character in Kafka inched closer to achieving his dream of fighting kaiju alongside Mina—he’s now an official officer of the Defense Force! Kafka reminded us all that some things can indeed be accomplished with motivation and a little bit of time.
Kafka’s Big Moment
A lot of times in anime, the main protagonist will achieve some success that’s a step closer to their end goal and Kaiju No. 8 is no different with Kafka becoming an official officer. But what I liked most is that it didn’t come at a grand moment or after achieving something that the entire country is aware of. It came from Kafka simply sharing his knowledge of kaiju anatomy with everyone else in the heat of battle, thus saving lives and helping clear out the problem in the first place.
Even more so, the celebration with all of his comrades, more importantly with Ichikawa, was perfect in my eyes. Nothing grandiose, just drinks and talks about the day. The story does a solid job of setting up Kafka’s end goal and Ichikawa being there by his side, even being on the verge of crying tears of happiness when he realizes he’s another step closer to being beside Mina. The scene had me choked up as well. How could it not?
There wasn’t a nationwide celebration for Kafka or a parade of sorts. It was simply him, his best friend, his new close friend in Kikoru, his comrades, and being recognized by the one he cares about most in Mina. Now, originally looked at as a joke to all the other officers, Kafka has garnered respect and love from everyone simply just by being himself and that’s a lesson we should all take to heart.
Of course, Kikoru and Ichikawa know his secret. But it’s nice to know that Kafka in his human form is the one receiving credit for helping out and not “Kaiju No. 8”. I couldn’t help but smile when Ichikawa and Kikoru told Iharu that it was Kafka who really saved him, not the other guy, to protect his secret but also because they care about him as well.
A good supporting cast goes a long way in stories. No matter how great the main character is, if the side characters are bland and don’t offer any support, as their role implies, then a story can fall flat on its face. Kaiju No. 8‘s ability to surround Kafka with a bunch of characters that could be any of our favorite characters makes the series that much more enjoyable. The anime has truly come a long way since its Kikoru blunder at the beginning of the season. Kikoru, above all, has proven to be an extremely likable character.
I love the little moments recently between Kafka and Mina, specifically. She shows up to the infirmary when Kafka was hurt during training to see how he was doing (and to thank him) then again in episode 8 where she smiles after Kafka re-declares he’ll catch up to her soon. The little things like that show Mina is some cold, heartless officer solely focused on her work. She’s still that best friend Kafka grew up with.
Mina and Hoshina
Of course, not everything about episode 8 was sunshine and rainbows. Kafka still needs to keep his head on a swivel with Mina and Hoshina breathing down his neck thanks to the secret he’s withholding from them. Of course, having someone like Kikoru in his corner is beneficial in more ways than one off the battlefield, but she isn’t Mina and Hoshina either.
It almost seems like a race to who will find out Kafka’s secret first. What I enjoy about this part of the series is that it creates a storyline within a storyline within a storyline. There are a lot of angles to go from right now thanks to this “hunt” for Kaiju No. 8. The series has done a marvelous job at this point establishing main external conflicts, primarily the Defense Force working to find out about Kaiju No. 8 and the new kaiju threats on the way.
Kaiju No. 8 hasn’t explored too much of Kafka’s internal conflict of being something he can’t have others know about, one that we’ve seen countless times in not just anime but comics too. Luckily, the series more than makes up for it with the current suspense surrounding Hoshina knocking on Kaiju No. 8’s door and Mina one step closer to realizing her best friend is also a monster she making a living putting six feet in the ground. Plus, adding to the fact that Hoshina wants to be the one taking down Kaiju No. 8 not knowing he was the one who got Kafka promoted to officer is my kind of dramatic irony.
Kaiju No. 9 and No. 10
Now let’s stop the mushy stuff, get to the nitty gritty dark side of this story, and discuss why I can’t get enough of this existential threat with Kaiju No. 9 and Kaiju No. 10. The fear within the main members of the Defense Force is starting to heighten. Now, with No. 10 on the scene, that bubble only grows larger.
The series is maintaining its consistency with the villains. When we first met No. 9, it was a brief appearance shrouded in horror and mystery that continued to be unveiled little by little. Now, with No. 10, the same thing is starting to happen. It makes its entrance at the very end of episode 8 riding in on bird-like kaiju with his arms crossed and all the black Air Force energy in the entire world. We don’t know anything about it or where it came from. All we know is that it’s a menacing threat with sharp teeth and really bad sunburn.
Kaiju No. 8 Episode 8 Wrap-Up
Kaiju No. 8 has reached the point where the series can be expected to deliver great episodes every week. It had some hiccups earlier in the season, but it has come around to establish itself as one of the best new anime of 2024 without a shred of doubt. With Kafka’s secret on the verge of being exposed by two people close to him and another major threat entering the chat that could force Kaiju No. 8 to come out again, things are heating up now more than ever.
Episode 8 rating: 9/10
If you enjoyed Kaiju No. 8 episode 8, vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 9 of Kaiju No. 8 will be released on Saturday, June 8. The series is streaming weekly on Crunchyroll and X.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
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