Kaiju No. 8 vol. 2

The field test where Defense Force recruits get to show off their kaiju-killing abilities was meant to involve just that.  With the appearance of a humanoid, talking, one with the ability to resurrect defeated kaiju, the tables have quickly turned.  At least, that was the plan until Kafka Hibino showed up, took them out, and even won the respect of shouty hotshot Kikoru Shinomiya.  What’s more is that thanks to the finagling of Platoon Captain Soshiro Hoshina, he’s even got a spot on the Defense Force itself, and it’s not entirely due to the captain’s belief in Kafka’s potential for comic relief.  This means that our protagonist still has something to prove and he gets that opportunity right away when a horde of mushroom-looking kaiju descend upon the city.

Vol. 2 of “Kaiju No. 8” plays out in much the same way the first volume did.  It’s a slickly-made mash-up of “Attack on Titan,” “The Incredible Hulk,” and “The Metamorphosis” that’s more notable for the uniqueness of seeing these three influences coming together in one manga than the stories being told itself.  “Kaiju No. 8” still hasn’t offered any genuine surprises in its narrative and is still relying on its rock-solid execution to draw the reader in.  That worked for me in moments such as a three-page sequence that saw Kaiju Kafka punch the flesh off of an attacker, but showstoppers like that felt rare throughout the volume.  What’s more is this volume ended in much the same way that the first did with our protagonist showing up to save the day again.  I really don’t want to believe this series has run out of ideas already, but it looks like we’ll have to wait until vol. 3 to see if this series is more than the sum of its influences.