Kaiju No. 8 is the most surprising, refreshing, and entertaining book I’ve read in some time and is my new favorite “You should read this” book recommendation. Japan is constantly under attack by kaiju and they have had to develop their own special task for to deal with the menace, the Japan Defense Force. The setup all feels pretty standard for a Shonen manga, but the twist is our main hero isn’t on the Defense Force, he’s on the clean-up crew. He has the unenviable job of cleaning up the corpses of kaiju after they are taken down so that people can try to resume daily life and it’s anything but glamorous.
Kafka Hibino once had aspirations of joining the Force with his childhood best friend Mina Ashiro. They watched their homes and school get destroyed and vowed to wipe out kaiju together. She went on to glory as Captain of the famed Third Division, a hero to the people. Kafka failed the exam and went into a different type of public service, a much grosser type of service, but someone has to clean up the intestines, right? Now, at 32 he’s too old to enlist, so he’s resigned to a life of “what-if’s” until a new guy joins the cleaning company and shakes his world up. Reno Ichikawa is 18 years old and wants to join the Defense Force. He holds a mirror up to Kafka’s life and while Kafka resents him initially, they form a quick bond when they have to fight off a kaiju who isn’t quite dead yet. Mina winds up saving them both and later in the hospital they pledge to enlist together after Reno tells him the age limit has been moved up to 33. Then, out of nowhere, a tiny flying kaiju appears, says “I found you.” to Kafka and flies directly into his mouth. Now, suddenly endowed with the power of a kaiju, Kafka is on the run because while he may still be himself, he looks like the enemy.
Kafka can now stand toe-to-toe with kaiju and fight them himself, without the fancy equipment that makes the Third Division so deadly. Reno offers to help keep his secret, but he will not hesitate to put him down if Kafka cannot control his power or becomes a threat to the people. They head off to take the entrance exam and we start to meet some of the other candidates. There is stiff competition to get into the Defense Force, but they are determined to do their best and Mina being there spurs Kafka forward when his resolve flags.
Aside from being a little unconventional in initial setup, a plot synopsis wildly undersells this book. This has the right amount humor to keep it from being dry or stale, without being over the top cartoony. It is self-aware enough to be able to play against expectations and set up the humor. It is genuinely fun to read and is paced wonderfully between both the action and the interpersonal relationships. The art work is both huge in scope when showing cities and monsters, yet detailed enough for smaller, personal panels to still feel full of life and energy. “Balance” is probably the best word to sum this book up: it manages action, heart, humor and personality perfectly.
If you have a manga section for teens or adults, this is a great addition to either collection. If you are considering starting to add manga to your library, this is a fantastic book to begin with. It has no foul language, no sexual content, no gore, just a lot of kaiju getting blown up. I wouldn’t recommend it for kids, Kafka smokes early in the book and the themes are just mature enough in nature to require some life experience. Personally I have ordered this for our library and pre-ordered Vol. 2 as everyone I have recommended it to also enjoyed it. Really looking forward to seeing where this series goes as there isn’t a lot out there like it!
Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 1
By Naoya Matsumoto
VIZ, 2021
ISBN: 97819747259
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
Character Representation: Japanese,
