With “Kaiju No 8”, one of the most anticipated new anime series of 2024 has finally started! We watched the start of the exciting adventure on Crunchyroll and will tell you in our series preview whether it's worth a look.
To have something Monarch: Legacy of Monsters“Power Rangers” and the new anime series “Kaiju No. 8” together? That's right, huge monsters that reduce entire cities to rubble! The brutal action against the beasts that are firmly anchored in our pop culture is certainly one of the reasons why the anime series is one of the most anticipated reboots of 2024.
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We watched the recently released first episode of “Kaiju No 8” on Crunchyroll and will tell you in our little series preview whether the anime show has more to offer than “just” intense fights against XXL monsters and whether you can watch it in the should keep an eye.
live your dream
The focus of the story is Kafka, who is a member of a cleaning crew. He and his colleagues are always called when the elite military unit, which many simply refer to as the Corps, has taken out one of the monsters. Kafka actually wanted to join the Corps as well, but he buried this dream some time ago. But is it really too late to live your dream?
Our protagonist gains new hope when Leno, a new recruit who has the same dream, joins his troop. After their first day of work together, it seems as if Kafka wants to try again – when just then a Kaiju shows up! With great difficulty they manage to defend themselves from the monster and barely escape with their lives.
As they later recover in a hospital, our hero's life takes an unexpected turn despite himself: a tiny kaiju suddenly whizzes around in front of Kafka and flies into his mouth, whereupon he transforms. Can he really still join the Corps if he is a monster himself? An exciting starting point for “Kaiju No 8”!
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A somewhat unusual protagonist
What's exciting isn't just that Kafka himself turns into a Kaiju, but rather that he's surprisingly old for a main character. Kafka is already in his early 30s and is therefore significantly older than most other protagonists in a shōnen series that are primarily aimed at a younger target audience. It's a pleasant change.
What's more: All those viewers who are of a similar age to our “Kaiju No 8” main character should be able to understand why Kafka is having such a difficult time in his current situation. Many of us have probably dreamed of a certain goal but were ultimately unable to achieve it. That's why it's quite inspiring to see Kafka gain new courage to make his long-cherished dream come true.
However, the remaining characters in episode 1 of the anime series were not able to make us as curious as Kafka. Leno's dynamic with his older colleague is entertaining to watch and Kafka's childhood friend Mina also made us curious with her cool, mysterious charisma. The other supporting characters we got to know remained very one-dimensional and were quickly forgotten.
Production IG in top form
The story in combination with the setting definitely makes you want more. The origin of the monsters in particular could be worth exploring in more detail. It also promises to be fascinating to see what's going on with the little kaiju that crawled into Kafka at the end of the first episode. We look forward to learning more about this world in the future!
We have nothing to complain about in the implementation of Naoya Matsumoto's hit manga, thanks to the experienced team at Production IG (“Haikyu!!”, “Psycho-Pass”), which started with episode 1 of “Kaiju No 8”. once again delivers at a high level. The monster designs are wonderfully scary to look at and the backgrounds are also designed with great attention to detail. Furthermore, the level of violence is already quite high in the first episode.
In the fight against the Kaijus, not only do liters of blood spray out, but all sorts of intestines and excrement also fly around. The anime series is therefore not for the faint of heart, but fans may already be familiar with such outbreaks of violence from one or two older productions by the renowned anime studio.
The action in Episode 1 is also as dynamic as you would expect from the studio. When Mina's fighting unit literally dismantles a kaiju at the beginning of the episode or Kafka and Leno later fight for their lives, it is wonderfully choreographed.
We were also impressed by the soundtrack at the start of “Kaiju No 8”. The pieces contained therein fit in excellently in terms of atmosphere and fit in particularly well with the action during the brutal performances of the huge monsters with their driving beats. The German dubbing also left a good first impression, which is mainly thanks to the committed speakers.
“Kaiju No 8” started on April 13, 2024 and can be streamed exclusively on Crunchyroll in this country. The premiere of a new episode takes place at the same time as the Japanese TV broadcast. The German version follows just a few hours later.
Whenever a new anime series from Production IG starts, many anime fans pay particular attention. Not without reason, after all, the studio has already produced numerous hits and “Kaiju No 8” also has the potential to become one of the highlights of the recently started spring season 2024. At least the ingredients for a great anime series are there: a fascinating world, a likeable main character, well-staged action and a more than talented studio.
Episode 1 is a promising start thanks to its good narrative pace and an appealing mix of fights, serious moments and a pinch of humor. If the anime series can maintain this high level over the next eleven episodes, we should be in for a real anime hit. You should definitely keep an eye on this brutal monster action!
Further reports on Kaiju No 8, crunchyroll.
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