Review: The Kaiju No. 8 omnibus is a successful mission

The latest theatrical anime omnibus movie is here. Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon covers the first season of the popular anime, and then concludes with a upbeat bonus episode after the credits roll. I try to be somewhat aware of the anime world, but there's a lot, and I am but one man, and I'm embarrassed to admit I had never heard of Kaiju No. 8 until I heard about this movie coming out. Egg on my face, because it's a big deal! But now, I'm in the know, and all the better for it.

Before I get into it, I should know that my enjoyment of this was likely somewhat dampened by the fact that I saw the English dub. Nothing against the English voice actors, who do a good job here, but I always prefer watching stuff in the original language (and especially so with Japanese movies, since I'm learning and like having in my eyes as much as possible). But this movie only was only showing in theaters on a few specific dates, and this was the only showing I could make. So it goes.

Anyways, the basic premise of Kaiju No. 8 is very solid. In this version of Japan, kaiju (giant monster) attacks are commonplace, almost mundane. Yes, they're scary and dangerous, and a cause for evacuations, but they're also a part of everyday life, more common than natural disasters. There are designated teams that swoop in to battle these monsters, other teams that help with the evacuations, other teams that assist with cleanup. Meanwhile, citizens might watch live-streams of attacks/battles on social media, or in the distance. Something to see, to comment on, like a car crash or something.

Kafka Hibino, our hero, is part of the clean-up crew, which is as nasty as you might imagine. These things make a huge mess. They're often taken down pretty easily, but never cleanly. Kafka has a knack for doing well in the intestines, much to his chagrin. Two days in a row of entrails duty? Gross.

Of course, Kafka has bigger dreams, but dreams that have passed him by. At the ripe old age of 30, Kafka is the Lexi Love of this universe, constantly being called old despite not being old. (At least I hope he's not old, since I hit the 35-year mark recently. Oof.) As a kid, Kafka and his friend Mina vowed to join the Kaiju Defense Force someday, to fight side-by-side. Now, they're on opposite sides of the coin. Kafka is cleaning up after Mina, who's a national hero as a stand-out captain on the force, wielding a massive gun and flanked by her pet (?) white tiger. Her dream came true, and how, but in the process, she left Kafka behind.

While Kafka has surrendered himself to a life of drudgery, new recruit Ichikawa puts some new wind in his sails, becoming a quick ally who informs him that the maximum age for applying to the KDF has been raised. Kafka can try again. Which is great news aside from a weird wrinkle: after a mishap at a cleanup site that leaves both of these dudes injured, Kafka gets infected by a tiny creature and transforms into a kaiju himself. Not one of the towering menaces that are usually in the spotlight. He's smaller, a touch bigger than human-sized, and he can talk, and he still retains his brain/personality/etc. He's also insanely powerful, one of the most powerful kaiju ever recorded. And, of course, that makes him a target, even as he joins the force.

The movie does a nice job with its structure and pace, finding that cinematic arc and really punching at the right moments. We follow Kafka through his training, some early missions, some various non-battle situations. The thing is, Kafka is kind of a dunce, and this is one of the areas that had me wishing for the subtitled version. Dude is annoying as hell, whiny, and his voice just kind of drove me nuts. I wonder if I'd find him a little more endearing in Japanese.

But regardless, it's fun to see him get put through his paces, figure out how he fits into a team that is all very much more skilled than him, and adapt to using his powers in ways that won't get him noticed too much.

However, at least in the movie, I felt like his kaiju transformation was a bit underused? There's an anime I'm watching right now called Ranma 1/2 that focuses on a character who changes gender whenever he/she gets splashed with water. How often can that possibly come up? All the fucking time. Because it's the point of the show! So they make it happen! Because that's why we're watching! I'm thinking maybe he goes kaiju-mode more in the show, maybe some scenes of him adjusting to it and mastering it, so I'll chalk it up to the change in format.

My other main gripe is that a lot of the supporting characters don't really get much to do. There are some who are essentially relegated to background characters, which is the reality of working with a more limited runtime. That said, all praise and glory to Kikoru Shinomiya. She's one of Kafka's fellow recruits who is an absolute powerhouse, striving for perfection and pretty much always achieving it. She is such an awesome character, and I definitely want to learn more about her backstory. I want to rewrite Ariana Debose's entire BAFTA actress song to be about Kikoru.

My queen!!

The way the movie ends is so good, exactly the kind of cliffhanger you want to end a season on. A big paradigm shift that leaves you wondering where the story is going to go from here, what the new normal is going to look like. Good stuff.

After the credits roll, we get the new episode, Hoshina's Day Off. Hoshina is the Vice Captain of the team, and another favorite character of mine. The episode centers on some of the recruits following him around on their day off, wondering if he's up to something shady. It's light-weight, which is pretty welcome after all the intensity that came before, but it also isn't terribly interesting. It's also a bit jarring since it would've occurred at some earlier point in the movie. So a little weird to watch, but a pleasant little dessert to an overall satisfying meal.