Kaiju No. 8 vols. 7 & 8

These volumes serve as a bridge between arcs and the hope is that the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force will be able to turn the setback they suffered at the start of vol. 7 into a win with the conflict that starts in vol. 8.  So what do we have to look forward to in between?  TRAINING!  LOTS OF TRAINING!  Not only is Kafka getting his hand-to-hand skills upgraded through training with Hoshina, but Ichikawa is getting  his own Numbers Weapon – a piece of combat equipment made from the remains of a kaiju.  He just has to prove that he can use it without succumbing to its influence, destroying himself, or both.  Which is why Furuhashi will be on hand to keep him in check, even as he nurses his own brand of resentment about his stalled performance.

I’m not writing this review to let you know that “Kaiju No. 8” has suddenly found its groove, or has finally shown an interest in subverting rather than slavishly following shonen manga tropes.  These two volumes offer more of the same slick thrills married to conventional storytelling that the series has been trafficking in since its first volume.  What I do want to say is that after watching the first 12-episode season of the anime, it really isn’t a significant improvement on its source material.  I’d hoped that Production I.G. would bring its A-game to the anime, and while it’s a very nice-looking series overall, it won’t offer any surprises compared to what you’ve seen in the manga with the animation only occasionally provoking a “This is Cool” reaction in me.  It’s no “Chainsaw Man,” in other words.

The anime was popular enough to get a second season announced right after the completion of its first, so it’s clearly doing something right in regards to connecting with its target audience.  Right now, I’m only considering watching it if there’s nothing else interesting on offer during the season it premieres.  I could almost say the same for the manga as well.  There’s a lot of other stuff I’d rather be reading than another shonen series that paints by the numbers whenever it can regarding the story it’s telling.