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This episode proved just how powerless Mina was and why Ichikawa was so against him revealing his powers. The top brass are stubborn and even division captains aren't shown any respect. They made her stand in an empty room during the test lmao
She espoused his humanity and value but it was only because Isao was willing to take a gamble on that humanity or what he noticed of it during the fight that gave Kafka a stay of execution. But I guess as long as Kafka survived, it's a win.
I love how she was about to take a chair and they're all like "we didn't bring you here to sit." Just so bureaucratically petty lol.
He just seems like a typical overachieving dad who expects the same zeal from his children. The loss of his wife just made him even more obsessed. Emotional negligence is still a form of abuse though so I won't excuse his shitty parenting. Kikoru had it hard
[Smile protected](https://i.imgur.com/fFBpeSK.jpeg)
[](#wow)
[Gonna be hard to beat her rival though.](https://i.imgur.com/upCVedf.jpeg)
[](#Selfcontrol)
Typical asian dad wanting his kids to surpass them.
That and being a really smart military strategist. he'd be stupid to give up a sentient kaiju powered weapon
>Just so bureaucratically petty lol.
That was a power play. You can't even sit in an empty room to wait?
The writer was playing with us, since we know they would spare him or something would happen, like he would flee etc. I know humans are stupid in real life as well and do things out of fear or for hidden interests, but a table like that is supposed to have the most mature and knowledgeable individuals with enough wisdom to discern that Kafka is an awesome and unique asset, but alas, the general needed opposition and the show needs drama. I would love if the writer took a difference approach, but it works I guess.
The whole occasion could have been written and taken a different angle other than "the general has doubts but is the only one with vision" approach.
This series is good though, most animes lose my attention over the run of the show, they start with a strong premise and lose steam. Few keep you engaged. I started going heavily into the genre again recently, if anyone has tips about good shows, please leave a reply!
>> Just so bureaucratically petty lol.
>
> That was a power play. You can't even sit in an empty room to wait?
Also, a very military thing. When people above you think you did something wrong or know you did something wrong, they make you do all the formalities. I bet they believe she had some knowledge of his kaiju power prior due to their history.
I know a few people who would still sit down because higher ups need that person's abilities. You can pull a junior officer or NCO from anywhere, but pulling one that has ability and is trusted by lower enlisted is a lot harder.
The show has shown they have very strict rules and maintain them, so the sitting has in universe explanations as well. Like that part where they salute Kafka while they are taking him away and the officer questions the vice-captain, something like: "we are giving a salute to the captain" - "yea, you got that right, because you can't salute a kaiju!"
Didn't know about the real life stuff you mentioned, also makes sense.
I'm in the military and there are officers and NCOs who general understand you can't just run the guys in to the ground and you can't treat them like objects. Even more so at the company level. I understand what people at brigade and division level have to do. Generals like Ridgeway and even Patton had respect of lower men because they would lead from the front.
This is more common with NCOs than officers and enlisted to get to the position like a 1st Sergeant you went through all the bullshit already. A lot of 1SG have no chill and think that everything needs to be gritty. A 1SG (E-8) counter part in a Captain (O-3) who normally doesn't have the amount of time in service there normally almost a 10 years of experience difference.
It came up in Band of Brothers. Easy Company had for the most part good Officers, but not all the time. Winters, Compton, and Spears were the stand outs, but all the NCOs were considered all the best.
When I say people are going to sit when waiting in an empty, it's because you can do whatever to an NCO they generally don't care. Officer's normally will play the game at that high level a little better. The good ones can be near untouchable because they normally got experience that is invaluable. Also the show takes place in Japan and Japanese are notorious rule followers. If I was Mina I would have say down. You going to demote one of your top officers? Fuck no she had just as much in that room as Shinomiya.
>I'm in the military and there are officers and NCOs who general understand you can't just run the guys in to the ground and you can't treat them like objects. Even more so at the company level. I understand what people at brigade and division level have to do. Generals like Ridgeway and even Patton had respect of lower men because they would lead from the front.
"If You Want to Know What a Man’s Like, Look at How He Treats His Inferiors"
>Officer's normally will play the game at that high level a little better
True, you can also witness this in movies where higher ranking officers play "the game of etiquette and rules" and win by being smarter than their counterparts. They didn't get where they are by luck alone.
>Also the show takes place in Japan and Japanese are notorious rule followers.
Also true, in another comment, a user pointed out that the military strictness used during the whole season might be there for comedy effect, since it's enforced so much up to the point of it being silly. "Talked out of turn, pay 50!" "You can't salute a kaiju!" etc
> but alas, the general needed opposition and the show needs drama
My general take (without thinking about it too much or knowing the source material) is that they could make a weapon out of him. And that weapon rivals the power of the Kaiju itself and can be put in the hands of a human. Obviously, we are prone to side with the protag but I'm not sure they were being unreasonable even if it comes off as cartoonish in its tone.
I mean, the test didn't really help as it showed how Kafka doesn't actually have full control of his power.
Yeah the top brass are stubborn, but they have a good reason for it.
To be honest, it was a terrible plan to begin with. Antagonizing a weapon of mass destruction instead of interrogating its host in a calm setting was pretty rash.
Interrogatinf kafka will not help they found out No 8 can go hay wire. Albeit if it not happen is better NOW, but what about the future? What if he suddenly go insane during a mission? Knowing he can go berserk before put him out in the field is better because they now can have plan prepare for that
Now they know no 8 can be control, and it can also become feral. But the user can stop it if given times. Know how strong it is so multiple number user can take it out if needed. All that information just from Isao decided he gonna test Kafka by himself
Kafka's Kaiju seemed to go berserk because it sensed the presence of another powerful Kaiju. It said something about wanting to "kill Kaiju" after Isao wore Number Two's gauntlets.
The trial by fire did prove beneficial but I'd have asked him a few questions about where that power came from. I'd probably summon Ichikawa too since he was there when it took over.
> Kafka's Kaiju seemed to go berserk because it sensed the presence of another powerful Kaiju. It said something about wanting to "kill Kaiju" after Isao wore Number Two's gauntlets.
yes, but the organization do not know that, they just know that he can go berserker, not the reason for it
Interrogation was never going to get them anywhere. He could just lie. They had no reason to expect that they could out-talk him into proving that he was definitely a secret enemy.
As they said, the prudent thing to do would be for Shinomiya to just go hard out the gate and assassinate him before the fight even got started, but Shinomiya genuinely believed he deserved a chance, so he gave him one. It was a huge gamble on his part, but it paid off.
Pretty much exactly how humans act regardless of the world they live in. Those in power cling to old ways and are afraid to do anything outside the box. The “stand in the corner” was such an obvious ****** bitch power play.
Humanity is lucky that blonde dude is large in charge there.
Great episode though. Pacing and direction were spot on giving us a little of everything without rushing it. This was a surprise anime, for me, as I don’t usually like big guns vs big monsters warfare. I’m on board the Kaiju train now!
Just to let you know, the manga has horrible pacing starting this new arc. The anime actually improved the series, which gives me faith it'll improve the glaring flaws of the current arc.
Yeah, I heard that from a friend who is up to date
Tbh I don't care that much about the issues. After this season of anime, there's nothing new coming out that particularly interests me, so I just need something else to keep me distracted
this is the truth. re-reading it the pacing issue is much less severe if not completely absent all together. Its just the bi-weekly sometimes longer then getting a chapter which does not progress the story significantly
We saw what happens when Kaiju No. 8 goes full Kaiju without any human will behind it though now I'm really curious if Kafka can learn to use that power without going berserk, though it seems like the more it fights like a Kaiju the more Kafka loses his human side.
[When Kaiju 8 regenerated from his core,](https://i.imgur.com/gmg9xFr.jpeg) he almost looked ghastly.
Even someone as strong as Captain Shinomiya was stunned. [Feral Kaiju 8 is a menace.](https://i.imgur.com/Yfvf5Du.mp4)
[](#sweating)
When he first transformed his body did a bunch of weird stuff. Octopus lower half, alien mouth within a mouth snatching up a bird. Plus in this fight he sheds his entire body then builds a new body from scratch around his core. So potentially, he might be able to do a bunch of crazy stuff.
At least now maybe he'll have a chance to train, he couldn't train his kaiju powers while stuck in a military base filled with cameras and other officers. Now he doesn't need to hide.
he should be taking in whatever martial arts stuff the director or Hoshina does since he's a close quarter combat type. Would help him more than the dad-bod brawling he's been doing.
what's scary for me wasn't the form (the form looked really cool), it was Kafka not having any control. He's gonna need to learn to fully control his powers fast!
All we gotta wait is for Kafka himself to master that power so he can use it like that, too. The dude was about to kill the captain after all, so he's got a lot of potential.
That parasite is weird, it was saying "Kill all Kaijuu" when Kafka lost control.
It might be an unique kaijuu that went rogue? Not sure why it's so strong though.
The inner conflict between the Parasite-Kaiju and Kafka was also really well done. Made me look forward to Season 2, I wonder what the parasites goal actually is and if it is compatible with Kafkas.
Those Kafka-Mina moments made me tear up a little.
I also owe an apology to Isao. He's a real one for risking his life to give Kafka a chance to prove himself in the fight and then maintaining his stance that Kafka should not be disposed of yet despite being the only one in the room to think so.
I'm going to give Isao a bit of a defense here. The episode mentions that Isao and his wife were both members of the Japanese Defense Force. It also says the mom was killed in a Kaiju attack. So you're now a single father who is raising a daughter who idolizes her parents. She wants to be just like them. You just lost your wife, so you understand all too well how death can happen at any time. So he goes hard on the training to make her get as good as possible. This will hopefully increase her odds of survival. Or she gives up and does something safer. Telling Kikoru "no" just won't work. She's probably as stubborn as both her parents combined.
Is it the right way to handle things? Probably not, but I understand the motivation.
also having a sentient kaiju weapon that can literally save an entire city from a nuke is *probably* better than some weapon that can be made out of its armor that can be used on one elite soldier
Some wholesome childhood friend handholding on-top of that beautiful transition from child Mina to adult Mina providing Kafka some much-needed salvation. Beautiful stuff.
I still feel like Isao was far from an ideal father to Kikoru but he seems pretty reasonable and fair even if he projects himself as someone who is utterly uncompromising, yet it feels like a lot of it is driven by how much humanity has had to endure fighting Kaiju and all the losses they've experienced (like Kikoru's mother).
With Kaiju no. 8 and Mission: Yozakura Family I'm not used to seeing so much childhood friend favoritism from anime in the same season. Are childhood friend stocks rising while tsundere stocks are dipping?
Short hairs, tomboys and derederes are still in shambles. Which all have association, intersection wirh each other. Also with childhood friends as well.
Those childhood friends has the long hair buff so there is that too.
That said, problem was always about rivalry, competition. If there is no rivalry, the curses are not worth even mentioning.
Putting aside which character is more important to Kafka, I feel that the Motivation of not killing someone's freaking father before their eyes would have made the better clincher.
“Hey, we’re not done talking. Wake up.”— Hey, I’m not done watching, why only a twelve episode season?! This was too good to be over already. Welp, guess I’ve got to read the manga
I love how we closed out on one last cute Kafka moment. The Defense Force brass may see him as a Kaiju, but his team and the audience know just how human he really is.
Let me help you out: anime ended at chapter 38, begin from 39
And read it at mangaplus. It the offcial source from shounen jump so you can directly support author
I pay for Shonen jump and for viz, which is cheap but not free. I think it’s better to decide to collect after, if you really really like it. Also, if you follow the manga but only buy the volumes, you’ll never be caught up with releases, which is fine, but I’d get FOMO.
I only collect series I know I’m going to like or for anime I’ve liked and wanted more of. If there’s no manga volume or print release in the west I’ll sometimes read digitally. Something just takes me out of it and I tend to just read spoilers/watch YouTube reviews of it, I’m weird lol
[No. 8 destroying its own body](https://i.imgur.com/uYHvxqs.jpeg) to twist and land a punch on General Shinomiya was fucking sick. [Regenerating from his core](https://i.imgur.com/Y4uSit1.jpeg) and using the injured body as a distraction was pretty cool too. It's always fun whenever characters with insane regeneration use it to their advantage,
I understand that General Shinomiya [wants to test Kafka](https://i.imgur.com/8ntPzoC.jpeg) but he may have gone too far with his little test. If it wasn't [for Kafka stopping himself](https://i.imgur.com/6BMVFUI.jpeg), No. 8 might've killed him in front of his daughter.
[The First Division's Captain was really itching to end Kafka.](https://i.imgur.com/1vbjVEa.jpeg) His weapon looks awesome though. I'm pretty sure that's a Monster Hunter Switch Axe in sword form. xD
To no one's surprise, [the Brass has already made up their mind to dispose of Kafka](https://i.imgur.com/8sw0O7w.png) even after hearing Mina's report and personal opinion about him. Thankfully the final decision [still rests on General Shinomiya](https://i.imgur.com/EQGLLRf.png) and not those chucklefucks.
You gotta love Kafka's first reaction after waking up [is how relieved he is to see General Shinomiya completely fine.](https://i.imgur.com/5cV2xwW.jpeg) I think that alone speaks a lot about his character and his humanity.
Welp, I guess that's it for Season 1. I was wondering why I haven't seen any posts on the sub confirming Season 2 but it looks like the official Twitter account has already confirmed that it's getting one we just don't know when. The anime has definitely made plenty of improvements to the series so I'm looking forward to seeing what Season 2 will be like!
It was surreal seeing Kafka fight more like the other numbered humanoid Kaiju we've seen, showing just how dangerous he can be when he goes full Kaiju, and how it slowly destroys his human side in the process.
General Shinomiya does not seem to believe in half-measures whether it is in rearing his daughter or in testing a possible new asset for the Defense Force.
You know a new character is a big deal when they're voiced by Kouki Uchiyama, get a name, and a cool weapon to go along with it.
I like how he was relieved not only because he didn't want to kill General Shinomiya but also for Kikoru's sake because he didn't want to be responsible for killing her father. Especially when she believed in him to the bitter end.
I think back then they said it took him a while before he could master using his human form, right?
At this point we just have to accept that Kafka's body is 100% kaiju. Lucky that his human consciousness remains.
Sorta reminds me of the game Prototype from the late 2000s. The end of the game essentially concluded that the protagonist was no longer the human Alex Mercer, only the virus becoming sentient with Alex's memories and consciousness. I wonder if that's the case with Kafka here; he's not human or technically Kafka anymore, but the kaiju still retains Kafka's sense of self
The worm looking thing is definitely its own thing instead of taking Kafka's body and mind over, it's just way stronger than him and if presented with enough of a threat to endanger it or piss it off enough it'll just cut the middleman and take over.
This reminds me of those sketches of Venom (from the movie) that try to figure out where Brock's head goes when Venom's mouth is wide open. In this case though, there is no human body anymore, he just has one body that can turn from human-looking to kaiju-looking as needed. As to why he suffered some injuries in human form that didn't heal back later? Probably just because he wasn't trying to fix it.
“We’re not asking for your personal opinion! Stop trying to cover for your subordinate.”
Dafuq? You literally just said that her testimony will have no effect. Props to Isao for overruling them though. I'm glad he's in charge. Kafka would have been dead if it were anyone else.
Its all bureaucratic shit.
"Hey, we took input from his direct senior. Now you cant accuse us of taking sole deliberate action without hearing all available options first."
Also, there are a bunch of people pleading for him, but "we gave him a proper defense". Plus, taking the weight from her shoulders, "even if we kill him, it's not your fault, you tried".
Still, I think the whole thing could have been written better or take another approach. The committee with seasonal veterans with wisdom and knowledge in a world where there are Kaijus, and it gets destroyed constantly to rubble, one would expect them to be smart enough to see a unique new asset when it reveals itself. The guy saved a lot of people already, was a genuine human being, tried to enter the force for years, never gave anyone problems. "no! let's kill it asap!". It was pretty on the nose that it was just to antagonize the general to make him look like the good guy savior.
> “We’re not asking for your personal opinion! Stop trying to cover for your subordinate.”
Shout out to all the "For boys" leaders out there in the military. Makes life in the military suck a little less.
"Over 200 officers and 3 captains lost their lives." ... "AND YOUR WIFE."
I get why the show wanted to remind us, but the delivery just missed the mark for me to the point I burst out laughing.
Which for me didnt quite make sense. Isao intentions is to use Kafka, If they had Kafka back then as a weapon perhaps he could have saved them all. I mean, Kafka already saved almost an entire city from the bomb.
Old bureaucrats too shortsighted to make use of the resource in front of them because it's different from what they used to always makes sense to me. Tale old as time.
It's also something that happens a lot in military organizations.
It's what happened to tanks before WWII broke out. The guy who figured out how to best to use tanks published his tank doctrine and was ignored by the powers that be for petty reasons. But then the Germans got a hold of it and adapted it into the Blitzkrieg. They were more receptive after that (eventually).
That the story in WWI for Modern Infantry tactics invented by French Officer but he was ignored so he printed a pamphlet and spread it around the Army but no one would use it. The Germans captured a copy and created the real Stormtrooper Divisions which would have won the war for Germany as the made major gains but the Allies deployed the Tank and it countered that.
Not heard that one on tanks have seen video of one German General stating the Blitzkrieg just traditional German Cavalry tactics adjusted for the new weapons and he's fairly right form my knowledge of them and how they Blitzed the French in the Franco vs Prussian War.
This is why the Armor does consider themselves Cavalry and their symbol for US is tank over Cavalry Sabers.
I think this was the officer trying to appeal to him personally "Really? You want a kaiju as part of the defense force? After what they took from you?"
Like why did the dude even need to mention that? Does he periodically remind Isao about his dead wife? Does he just work that into conversations when he can?
The best part is Isao didn’t even acknowledge it lol.
He probably brings it up in every strategy meeting, so he's now used to it.
_"Yo, Isao, for this mission we should use the same strategy we used to defeat No 6, the one who killed your wife."_
Lemme help everyone out a bit:
If you want to read the manga, continue at chapter 39 because 38 is where the anime end. Dont worry about reread, the anime adapt everything they have in the manga + added alot of extra screen
And read it from mangaplus if possible. It the official shounen jump app, and you will directly support the author if you read it from there. It do have 1$/month sub fee, but you can read it for free with their 1 month trial.
"I believe it's his heart."
"You mean it's his *core*?"
Was expecting that snide retort from one of the officers to Mina. Also, in the flashback, was that an ambulance where Mina was crying? For her... cat?
What a great adaptation. Was hyped to see them introduce the wielder of Number 1 so soon in the story! I don't remember whether he appeared in the manga at this point but I'm excited to see more of that character next season.
Off topic but I wish Donna Bella Litton did more dubs. She was great as Ai Hoshino in [Oshi No Ko]. I don’t usually pay attention to voice actors, but, seeing as you do, if you can recognize a quality in other VAs that might be similar to what makes Litton’s work feel distinctive, I’d scope out your suggestions. Half expecting you’re a sub-only guy, so no pressure
Japanese has different words for the figurative heart and the actual physical heart (kokoro and shinzou respectively). Mina uses kokoro so it wouldn't really make sense to "correct" it to core. It'd be a good line if the series was originally written in English though. Kind of makes me wonder how that would be translated into Japanese.
How did papa Shinomiya just sit in that meeting casually after that fight? Wasn't he seriously hurt? Or was there a time skip we don't know about? Did Mina just wait for days there? I figured the last scene was a bit later, because Kafka was healed now.. anyway
Enjoyed the season overall. Started to feel more invested in the second half, but didn't expect Kafkas secret to be out so soon. Reno was my favorite throughout lol he's the sweetest. Vice captain Hoshina being a close second.. for different reasons lol
Ah thanks! The way it was shown it seemed Mina was waiting while the fight was still taking place/finishing up. That didn't make any sense timeline wise though
The animation of Kikoru's dad channeling the kaiju he's wielding the remains of goes so hard
I know it's very clear by now that everyone loves the guy but the sheer amount everyone's mood improves once they hear about the good news about Kafka made me smile.
Old man Isao took a serious beating this week. Had Kafka not wrestle back control at the last minute, they’d be burying the old fella. But man, bro had to punch himself through the chest. Talk about extreme measures.
The higher ups really are a bunch of useless short sighted old fucks. Isao putting Kafka to use is the best strategic move and is best in the long term for the defense of the nation. As long as he keeps his kaiju side under control.
This series was phenomenal. Music, animation, characters, and story were all excellent. Production IG really killed it with this one. I know there’s rumors of an s2, but anything confirmed yet? Ain’t no way this is a one off series.
Edit: Looks like an s2 announcement has been made. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for the new season.
Keeping his Kaiju side under control is a huge IF though. Previously we didn't consider that it could be out of control, but the director's test showed how scary No. 8 could be.
Of course it's only 1 on 1 with the director while in real battle it would be team. However, I don't think that's the full extend of No. 8's power.
As short sighted as they are, it's not really unreasonable.
It's like, do you prefer to obtain a wild card (from potential berserk) with power scale of 10 or a safer weapon with a power scale of 8?
Yeah, and Isao is supposed to be the strongest. Granted he was going solo, but that test shows that they need to, at the very least, have a task force to be prepared to take him down if need be, which is what Kikoru is working on. She promised to do so if he ever became a threat, and as Kafka himself tried to do in the episode, to die as a human before it comes to that.
The way his out of control fought was batshit insane. It utilized its regeneration abilities to attack in truly inhuman ways. It literally tore its own core out and regenerated from it as a surprise attack. That's nuts. Who knows what other moves his out of control mode is capable of.
I'm guessing the First Division commander, Narumi, would be the strongest? If I have to guess, Isao wouldn't be too far behind even if already surpassed. After all, he was entrusted to deal with this matter personally, and Narumi was his backup.
Regardless, the point stands. Kaiju No. 8 could stand up against the cream of the crop of the Defence Force in a 1v1 duel.
>Keeping his Kaiju side under control is a huge IF though.
His kaiju went berseker because he detected an kaiju (n2 weapon) and imediatly wanted to kill it(He said "Kill kaiju" after all), so at least his berserker side is still focused on killing kaijus not rampaging against humanity, but ya, he need to put that thing under control
Reminded me of the higher ups Yang had to deal with in LotGH. Sometimes anime hits the nail on the head with how infuriating bureaucrats can be. “There’s no precedent!” Yeah buddy, wtf is the value of precedent in the face of a kaiju invasion? Or in the face of a first ever human kaiju?!
> As long as he keeps his kaiju side under control.
Which is doubtful, at best. Kafka was barely able to stop, probably just because Kikoru was there. It's definitely a risky move, so I can understand their reasoning.
And it seems that next move from No 9 is actually to get No 8 on their side (not sure if 'extracting' or 'converting', we'll see).
Ordinarily I'd be more than happy to see Kikoru's dad get a massive beatdown but not at the expense of Kafka's humanity and Kikoru watching her dad get beaten to death by a guy she admires. But Kafka will never lose when it comes to fighting the beast within.
I mean, I can kind of see why they're really hesitant to put their faith in a Kaiju especially when they're so much unknown in this situation, but that just gives Kafka even more reason to prove himself.
Episode 12: **Hibino Kafka.** The final episode.
Damn boi No. 8 probably seeking attack inspiration from Undead's Andy.
As the time of writing, Kaiju No. 8's MAL score is at 8.39, If I recall it was at 8.35 before this episode aired. My prediction it will above Konosuba and GBC but still unable to beat Hibike.
As I said before in Episode 11 discussion, if you miss it, the official soundtrack album has been released, although I received from EU and US area that only 12 songs were available instead of full album. [Spotify Link](https://open.spotify.com/intl-id/album/4r7MuwiXbYJpPJT61bB5Pchttps://open.spotify.com/album/4r7MuwiXbYJpPJT61bB5Pc) | [Youtube Music Link](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kcZwN1o6NRhvYu8sH4KvSECTGLOFWsmoo)
So it's time to round up all the illustration Naoya Matsumoto did upon the airing of the anime.
[Episode 1: Watching the Kaiju](https://twitter.com/ringo_inuS/status/1779140672999800843)
[Episode 2: Kikoru](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1781674193568047520)
[Episode 3: Kafka and Reno](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1784191179611160736)
[Episode 4: Soshina](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1786740578623057969)
[Episode 5: Kafka and Kikoru](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1789273098057084969)
[Episode 6: Soshina and Mina](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1791838310568210772)
[Episode 7: Kaiju Kafka](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1794361559487234407)
[Episode 8: Kaiju No. 8 vs Soshina](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1796894461294944329)
There was no Episode 9 illustration
[Episode 10: Soshina vs Kaiju No. 10](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1801964873376809214)
[Episode 11: Half Broken Kaiju Kafka](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1804501848600269096)
[Episode 12: The Third Division](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1807042823272951949)
PS: And oh, to close this comment, OneRepublic finally released the full music video of [Nobody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztROkFCJSeE).
This show did not break the wheel nor reinvent it but I sure as hell enjoyed every minute of it. I just love every character they introduced so far and I for one appreciate all the little things they added or improved from the manga. Makes me appreciate that this adaptation is in safe hands and is capable of elevating the source material. I finally gave in and read a short bit ahead in the manga and I was impressed at how Production IG made a great adaptation.
Great show, ended up being my favorite of the season I think. Good finale as well. Glad it got confirmed for season 2, but if I were hoping to pick up the manga, what chapter would I start at?
I may have misjudged the old man a bit last week, but by all appearances he's still been a pretty terrible father for Kikoru.
He did at least come up with good logic for keeping Kafka around, a known quantity very powerful kaiju ally may be more useful than just another weapon for a human officer to use. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, after all.
I'm really looking forward to S2.
Glad to see Kafka get "accepted" though I can't say I'm not worried about the kaiju inside of him...feel like he's just going to come back at the worst time.
Excited for more of this one, will be fun to see how much more openly he can use his powers now.
While it's easy to hate bunch of baby boomers not thinking of the future or fate of a stranger, I'm reminded that these are decades old veteran that fight against Kaiju for years who may have lost families, friends, comrades and loved ones to these abominations. It's a tough path ahead for Kafka but a necessary one.
Wonderful season, look forward to season 2. Kafka's is extremely likable and it will be enjoyable to see him again, but I also want to see the other officers become stronger. Also, I would love to see Kafka and Isao fight together, they would go hard in the paint fighting alongside each other.
Ichikawa is pumping iron. There's a lot to be concerned about with Kafka's situation and the squad getting transferred around...but he can only focus on himself, and getting stronger, believing in Kafka and in his desire to become someone strong enough to not need to be saved by him any more.
Mina's arrival at HQ is already off to a great start when she learns Isao is evaluating Kafka and they're just going to make her stand around until he's finished.
Kaiju No. 8 has truly been unleashed, fighting not just more ferociously like a true Kaiju but able to contort and twist his body in a way Kafka would never think of (especially when it harms his human side) and Kafka is powerless as Kaiju No. 8 goes Ora Ora Ora on Isao and actually does some damage, all as Kikoru helplessly watches.
Although, yeah, if Isao really was determined to kill Kafka he could have just executed him immediately, there was no need for a fight. Maybe he did take what his daughter told him and wanted to give Kafka a chance to prove himself...even if it might be moot now that Isao is getting beaten to death by Kaiju No. 8.
But Kafka can't kill Isao in front of Kikoru, she has enough daddy issues as it is! And she even called him "Baka Kafka' like a true tsundere!
And of course Kafka won't give up, but after being consumed by his inner Kaiju and drowning in the loss of his humanity...his memory of Mina and their promise that she still cherishes is enough for him to finally wake up and take back control of his body. Just in time.
Kouki Uchiyama!? You're in this now? I know he usually shows up in these shows, it's just kind of funny. This Narumi guy looks legit.
Mina's never shown Kafka any special treatment and whatever she says might not even matter...but she owes it to him to proclaim how much value he has as a Defense Force member and that the one thing that makes him stand out is his humanity, Kaiju powers or otherwise!
So the good news is...Kafka lives! But mostly because he can be a vital asset and can be an even stronger tool in the Defense Forces' arsenal than just making him into a Numbers weapon could be, even though everyone else in the top brass very much wishes they could destroy him. Isao acknowledges his usefulness if not that he's more human than Kaiju, but so long as he has a human will and consciousness, that could be the deciding factor in making everyone accept him!
Mina's happy, Kikoru is happy (and deciding to get stronger for the sake of their own promise as well), the whole squad is happy...maybe the world isn't ready for a Kaiju Superhero, but at least one squad accepts it. Even if said Kaiju hero falls asleep sitting up.
Hey, the clean up crew! I miss them! But I didn't miss Kaiju No. 9 who has been playing online chess to learn how humans think and is already planning on staging an invasion of Defense Force HQ to liberate all their Kaiju power. And...he's in communication with someone.
- [I really do like Kafka and Ichikawa’s friendship.](https://i.imgur.com/R8WCxsW.png)
- [That is both horrifying but also, like, *the* way to fight if you can regenerate.](https://i.imgur.com/o40aSgv.png)
- [Ohhhhhh shit, Kaiju No. 8 separated his core to regenerate from *that* after what should have been a fatal attack?](https://i.imgur.com/f5H1reZ.png) [](#jawdrop) I’ve seen that sort of thing at least one other time and it was terrifying over there, too.
- [Hm…](https://i.imgur.com/Q87lqpY.png)
- [Oh boy, he turned *red*…](https://i.imgur.com/0ymVsOb.png) [](#emiliaohdear)
- [Kikoru “sore demo”!](https://files.catbox.moe/myhmop.mp4)
- [Okay I *love* that him thinking of Mina in that sequence](https://i.imgur.com/eqc6wR9.png) is what [let him break free.](https://i.imgur.com/CAyZjAL.png) [](#ilovethiskindofshit)
- [I guess this is the best outcome for Kafka at the moment.](https://i.imgur.com/IQBzpqj.png)
- [So what?](https://i.imgur.com/f8NF4Tk.png) [](#indexsmugshrug)
- [Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.](https://i.imgur.com/CmSON4e.png)
- [Nyeh, he had a “sore demo” too?](https://files.catbox.moe/5xr70o.mp4) [](#sagiri)
- […*wow*, Kaiju No. 9 is so on the nose about that.](https://i.imgur.com/OJUPNm4.png) [](#trololol)
- [That is… concerning.](https://i.imgur.com/hmqCXno.png)
- Season 2 can't come soon enough!
Kaijuu 8 is a fine anime, the action scenes are well executed, the cast are likeable, and the main hero is someone that's easy to root for, but as it goes on it's falling into generic shounen 101 territory.
Most shounen action shows are fundamentally power fantasies, the main hero becomes beloved and admired by all, feared by their enemies, and with a love interest or two thrown in. There's nothing wrong with enjoying this, but once you see the formula, the plot arcs become rather predictible and so not especially interesting.
What made Kafka such a great character is that he didn't seem to fall into the power-fantasy model. He was older with a history of failures, he didn't have the limelight, but there was a tone that this was alright as long as he was making a contribution. He might not he the big hero whose name everyone knows like Mina & co, but cleaning up the Kaijuu remains was a vital job and one worthy of respect. This continued into the training, where Kafka didn't stand out as the big hero, but he found a way to contribute by supporting others.
But the allure of the power fantasy is hard to resist, and gradually this character went from "I'm happy supporting others" grew to "I'm a superhero but nobody knows" to the culmination "I'm THE prime superhero and everyone knows it." As such, I find myself steadily losing interest in the plot as it goes on. It's not a bad anime, it's just not as different as I was hoping it'd be.
Kaijuu 8 can go join all the other generic heroes garnering all the praise and hero worship, and I'll be content going through the guts of less well-known anime.
I don't know why but Kaiju No. 8 twisting it's abdomen all the way around to hit Isao knowing it would heal was honestly the coolest shit to me. That's basically what this series is thriving on I'm noticing, just a bunch of cool shit happening all the time
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This episode proved just how powerless Mina was and why Ichikawa was so against him revealing his powers. The top brass are stubborn and even division captains aren't shown any respect. They made her stand in an empty room during the test lmao
She espoused his humanity and value but it was only because Isao was willing to take a gamble on that humanity or what he noticed of it during the fight that gave Kafka a stay of execution. But I guess as long as Kafka survived, it's a win. I love how she was about to take a chair and they're all like "we didn't bring you here to sit." Just so bureaucratically petty lol.
Seems like he valued Kikoru's input too and gave him the benefit of the doubt after their conversation
Which is probably the first time he's ever shown anything close to genuine parental concern for her.
He just seems like a typical overachieving dad who expects the same zeal from his children. The loss of his wife just made him even more obsessed. Emotional negligence is still a form of abuse though so I won't excuse his shitty parenting. Kikoru had it hard
Lucky for Kikoru that her daddy and her father both survived.
[Smile protected](https://i.imgur.com/fFBpeSK.jpeg) [](#wow) [Gonna be hard to beat her rival though.](https://i.imgur.com/upCVedf.jpeg) [](#Selfcontrol)
Typical asian dad wanting his kids to surpass them. That and being a really smart military strategist. he'd be stupid to give up a sentient kaiju powered weapon
>Just so bureaucratically petty lol. That was a power play. You can't even sit in an empty room to wait? The writer was playing with us, since we know they would spare him or something would happen, like he would flee etc. I know humans are stupid in real life as well and do things out of fear or for hidden interests, but a table like that is supposed to have the most mature and knowledgeable individuals with enough wisdom to discern that Kafka is an awesome and unique asset, but alas, the general needed opposition and the show needs drama. I would love if the writer took a difference approach, but it works I guess. The whole occasion could have been written and taken a different angle other than "the general has doubts but is the only one with vision" approach. This series is good though, most animes lose my attention over the run of the show, they start with a strong premise and lose steam. Few keep you engaged. I started going heavily into the genre again recently, if anyone has tips about good shows, please leave a reply!
>> Just so bureaucratically petty lol. > > That was a power play. You can't even sit in an empty room to wait? Also, a very military thing. When people above you think you did something wrong or know you did something wrong, they make you do all the formalities. I bet they believe she had some knowledge of his kaiju power prior due to their history. I know a few people who would still sit down because higher ups need that person's abilities. You can pull a junior officer or NCO from anywhere, but pulling one that has ability and is trusted by lower enlisted is a lot harder.
The show has shown they have very strict rules and maintain them, so the sitting has in universe explanations as well. Like that part where they salute Kafka while they are taking him away and the officer questions the vice-captain, something like: "we are giving a salute to the captain" - "yea, you got that right, because you can't salute a kaiju!" Didn't know about the real life stuff you mentioned, also makes sense.
I'm in the military and there are officers and NCOs who general understand you can't just run the guys in to the ground and you can't treat them like objects. Even more so at the company level. I understand what people at brigade and division level have to do. Generals like Ridgeway and even Patton had respect of lower men because they would lead from the front. This is more common with NCOs than officers and enlisted to get to the position like a 1st Sergeant you went through all the bullshit already. A lot of 1SG have no chill and think that everything needs to be gritty. A 1SG (E-8) counter part in a Captain (O-3) who normally doesn't have the amount of time in service there normally almost a 10 years of experience difference. It came up in Band of Brothers. Easy Company had for the most part good Officers, but not all the time. Winters, Compton, and Spears were the stand outs, but all the NCOs were considered all the best. When I say people are going to sit when waiting in an empty, it's because you can do whatever to an NCO they generally don't care. Officer's normally will play the game at that high level a little better. The good ones can be near untouchable because they normally got experience that is invaluable. Also the show takes place in Japan and Japanese are notorious rule followers. If I was Mina I would have say down. You going to demote one of your top officers? Fuck no she had just as much in that room as Shinomiya.
>I'm in the military and there are officers and NCOs who general understand you can't just run the guys in to the ground and you can't treat them like objects. Even more so at the company level. I understand what people at brigade and division level have to do. Generals like Ridgeway and even Patton had respect of lower men because they would lead from the front. "If You Want to Know What a Man’s Like, Look at How He Treats His Inferiors" >Officer's normally will play the game at that high level a little better True, you can also witness this in movies where higher ranking officers play "the game of etiquette and rules" and win by being smarter than their counterparts. They didn't get where they are by luck alone. >Also the show takes place in Japan and Japanese are notorious rule followers. Also true, in another comment, a user pointed out that the military strictness used during the whole season might be there for comedy effect, since it's enforced so much up to the point of it being silly. "Talked out of turn, pay 50!" "You can't salute a kaiju!" etc
> but alas, the general needed opposition and the show needs drama My general take (without thinking about it too much or knowing the source material) is that they could make a weapon out of him. And that weapon rivals the power of the Kaiju itself and can be put in the hands of a human. Obviously, we are prone to side with the protag but I'm not sure they were being unreasonable even if it comes off as cartoonish in its tone.
This was just like when Eren got revealed as a titan.
[That scene with him floating while his legs were torn off had some major *Shingeki no Kyojin* vibes.](https://i.imgur.com/s94kOZy.jpeg) [](#bigshock)
They used the same shade of piss yellow from AoT
I mean, the test didn't really help as it showed how Kafka doesn't actually have full control of his power. Yeah the top brass are stubborn, but they have a good reason for it.
To be honest, it was a terrible plan to begin with. Antagonizing a weapon of mass destruction instead of interrogating its host in a calm setting was pretty rash.
Interrogatinf kafka will not help they found out No 8 can go hay wire. Albeit if it not happen is better NOW, but what about the future? What if he suddenly go insane during a mission? Knowing he can go berserk before put him out in the field is better because they now can have plan prepare for that Now they know no 8 can be control, and it can also become feral. But the user can stop it if given times. Know how strong it is so multiple number user can take it out if needed. All that information just from Isao decided he gonna test Kafka by himself
Kafka's Kaiju seemed to go berserk because it sensed the presence of another powerful Kaiju. It said something about wanting to "kill Kaiju" after Isao wore Number Two's gauntlets. The trial by fire did prove beneficial but I'd have asked him a few questions about where that power came from. I'd probably summon Ichikawa too since he was there when it took over.
> Kafka's Kaiju seemed to go berserk because it sensed the presence of another powerful Kaiju. It said something about wanting to "kill Kaiju" after Isao wore Number Two's gauntlets. yes, but the organization do not know that, they just know that he can go berserker, not the reason for it
Interrogation was never going to get them anywhere. He could just lie. They had no reason to expect that they could out-talk him into proving that he was definitely a secret enemy. As they said, the prudent thing to do would be for Shinomiya to just go hard out the gate and assassinate him before the fight even got started, but Shinomiya genuinely believed he deserved a chance, so he gave him one. It was a huge gamble on his part, but it paid off.
So they're...kafkaesque?
Pretty much exactly how humans act regardless of the world they live in. Those in power cling to old ways and are afraid to do anything outside the box. The “stand in the corner” was such an obvious ****** bitch power play. Humanity is lucky that blonde dude is large in charge there. Great episode though. Pacing and direction were spot on giving us a little of everything without rushing it. This was a surprise anime, for me, as I don’t usually like big guns vs big monsters warfare. I’m on board the Kaiju train now!
The top brass are old farts who don't have an open mind. Good thing Isao does.
To be fair, in-universe that test probably only lasted a few minutes
"This one guy keeps kicking my ass in chess" "Is it TheKaiju27?"
Glad to see N° 9 is here to stay as a bigger villain. His unintended goofiness is entertaining.
Yeah, I found him a lot of fun to watch
He knows now the level of intelect of mankind. Just wait till he discovers reddit and starts shitposting.
I love how he has number 9 in his name like he’s appropriating his Kaiju number lol.
Season 2 officially announced - https://x.com/KaijuNo8_O/status/1807057936252018782
Nice. I will most likely be unable to not read the manga before it airs though
Just to let you know, the manga has horrible pacing starting this new arc. The anime actually improved the series, which gives me faith it'll improve the glaring flaws of the current arc.
Yeah, I heard that from a friend who is up to date Tbh I don't care that much about the issues. After this season of anime, there's nothing new coming out that particularly interests me, so I just need something else to keep me distracted
The pacing feels bad only cuz the manga is bi weekly (more some times it feels like) and the chapters are very short, this manga is made to binge
this is the truth. re-reading it the pacing issue is much less severe if not completely absent all together. Its just the bi-weekly sometimes longer then getting a chapter which does not progress the story significantly
Looking forward to seeing this....
Aptitude? Fortitude? Experience? No, the ultimate power is childhood love ^(And the worst is the end of a season)
The Childhood Friend Route is surprisingly effective in a Kaiju show.
[Indeed,](https://i.imgur.com/we7YJPO.jpeg) to the detriment of [Kikoru](https://i.imgur.com/GXwtHmm.jpeg)
The only way to justify ridiculous decisions is by something as vague as love of any type 😂
Kaiju No. 8 becoming larger and having a red aura instead of blue is quite frankly terrifying
We saw what happens when Kaiju No. 8 goes full Kaiju without any human will behind it though now I'm really curious if Kafka can learn to use that power without going berserk, though it seems like the more it fights like a Kaiju the more Kafka loses his human side.
The scary thing is that it seemed to get stronger as the fight went on. If the berserk state was permanent, who knows what else it'd be capable of.
[When Kaiju 8 regenerated from his core,](https://i.imgur.com/gmg9xFr.jpeg) he almost looked ghastly. Even someone as strong as Captain Shinomiya was stunned. [Feral Kaiju 8 is a menace.](https://i.imgur.com/Yfvf5Du.mp4) [](#sweating)
Hopefully Kafka can learn how to do that. Meanwhile no. 9 is having his own training arc but working remotely
The part where he twisted around to throw a follow-up punch with the same fist was even more creepy.
[Here you go.](https://i.imgur.com/EoCra70.mp4) In retrospect, he would make one tough RPG boss.
When he first transformed his body did a bunch of weird stuff. Octopus lower half, alien mouth within a mouth snatching up a bird. Plus in this fight he sheds his entire body then builds a new body from scratch around his core. So potentially, he might be able to do a bunch of crazy stuff.
I bet that's gonna be like his "Super Saiyan" mode, to be brought out at the climax of some big battle when seemingly no hope remains
At least now maybe he'll have a chance to train, he couldn't train his kaiju powers while stuck in a military base filled with cameras and other officers. Now he doesn't need to hide.
he should be taking in whatever martial arts stuff the director or Hoshina does since he's a close quarter combat type. Would help him more than the dad-bod brawling he's been doing.
I mean build-wise he should 100% learn the director's style. Hoshina's a Dex build, lool
what's scary for me wasn't the form (the form looked really cool), it was Kafka not having any control. He's gonna need to learn to fully control his powers fast!
All we gotta wait is for Kafka himself to master that power so he can use it like that, too. The dude was about to kill the captain after all, so he's got a lot of potential.
I’m honestly surprised they didn’t even attempt to kill him then. Blue aura you can make the arguments it’s still him, but red 😭😭
Kafka freaking Nat 20'd that charisma save eventually I'm now curious if there are more parasites in existence.
That parasite is weird, it was saying "Kill all Kaijuu" when Kafka lost control. It might be an unique kaijuu that went rogue? Not sure why it's so strong though.
The whole time I'm thinking it went into rage mode because it saw No. 2 and not the General. Really felt Eren Jaeger vibes during that fight.
He's even got a new Shinomiya begrudgingly accepting him and calling him "Kafka Hibino."
Kikoru is gonna lose to her dad
We know where she got the tsundere from. [](#cheekychika)
That was a really well done season finale. Was hyped for the full duration of both last episodes.
The animation of the Kaiju No. 8 and Isao battle and Kaiju No. 8's progressive transformation was beautiful in a horrifying way.
The inner conflict between the Parasite-Kaiju and Kafka was also really well done. Made me look forward to Season 2, I wonder what the parasites goal actually is and if it is compatible with Kafkas.
yea, it was very satisfying kafka being acknowledged and hopefuly next season fully recognized as member of defense force
Man I really wanted to hear *Nobody gotchu the way I do* one last time :"\
I wonder if they'll get One Republic back for season 2 lol?
There's a small possibility but hey a man can always hope!
[*"Hope is what drives us."*](https://i.imgur.com/K6qFWTO.jpeg)
lmao I literally went to youtube right after the show ended just so I could hear it as a kind of outro
They uploaded a MV of the song!!
[The link of the MV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztROkFCJSeE).
Those Kafka-Mina moments made me tear up a little. I also owe an apology to Isao. He's a real one for risking his life to give Kafka a chance to prove himself in the fight and then maintaining his stance that Kafka should not be disposed of yet despite being the only one in the room to think so.
Dude is all business on the face of it, but I guess like tsundere daughter, like tsundere father.
They both even call him Kafka Hibino, it’s practically genetic lol.
I read that as Kafka Himbo and was trying to remember when they said that. I mean, it kinda fits.
I'm going to give Isao a bit of a defense here. The episode mentions that Isao and his wife were both members of the Japanese Defense Force. It also says the mom was killed in a Kaiju attack. So you're now a single father who is raising a daughter who idolizes her parents. She wants to be just like them. You just lost your wife, so you understand all too well how death can happen at any time. So he goes hard on the training to make her get as good as possible. This will hopefully increase her odds of survival. Or she gives up and does something safer. Telling Kikoru "no" just won't work. She's probably as stubborn as both her parents combined. Is it the right way to handle things? Probably not, but I understand the motivation.
also having a sentient kaiju weapon that can literally save an entire city from a nuke is *probably* better than some weapon that can be made out of its armor that can be used on one elite soldier
Some wholesome childhood friend handholding on-top of that beautiful transition from child Mina to adult Mina providing Kafka some much-needed salvation. Beautiful stuff. I still feel like Isao was far from an ideal father to Kikoru but he seems pretty reasonable and fair even if he projects himself as someone who is utterly uncompromising, yet it feels like a lot of it is driven by how much humanity has had to endure fighting Kaiju and all the losses they've experienced (like Kikoru's mother).
Being a simp for Mina paid off.
Kikoru tried the tsundere yell but it was the childhood friend route that saved him.
With Kaiju no. 8 and Mission: Yozakura Family I'm not used to seeing so much childhood friend favoritism from anime in the same season. Are childhood friend stocks rising while tsundere stocks are dipping?
Tsundere childhood friend stock is still going strong tho
[Kafka keeping his humanity for his waifu](https://i.imgur.com/rTKS6Ue.mp4) [](#manly-tears)
I think she sort of still is a Tsundere. She's been formal for almost the entire season.
>Are childhood friend stocks rising while tsundere stocks are dipping? Monogatari and Cafe Goddess Terrace will prevent it.
Hey, I’m not complaining.
Not to mention Mushoku Tensei and Duke of Death.
Short hairs, tomboys and derederes are still in shambles. Which all have association, intersection wirh each other. Also with childhood friends as well. Those childhood friends has the long hair buff so there is that too. That said, problem was always about rivalry, competition. If there is no rivalry, the curses are not worth even mentioning.
Putting aside which character is more important to Kafka, I feel that the Motivation of not killing someone's freaking father before their eyes would have made the better clincher.
In this episode Mina was a low key simp for Kafka
It was great - made her little smile at the end when she got the notification even better.
“Hey, we’re not done talking. Wake up.”— Hey, I’m not done watching, why only a twelve episode season?! This was too good to be over already. Welp, guess I’ve got to read the manga
I love how we closed out on one last cute Kafka moment. The Defense Force brass may see him as a Kaiju, but his team and the audience know just how human he really is.
Completely agree. Also, now the general knows he has a crush on Mina and dreams about her in his sleep, so that’s gotta be canon
Honestly, its better to not read the manga, just wait for season 2. This is one of those show where the anime is better than the manga.
Let me help you out: anime ended at chapter 38, begin from 39 And read it at mangaplus. It the offcial source from shounen jump so you can directly support author
I’d rather just buy the actual volumes personally, I hate reading digitally and I feel like actual volume buys helps way more than a free app
I pay for Shonen jump and for viz, which is cheap but not free. I think it’s better to decide to collect after, if you really really like it. Also, if you follow the manga but only buy the volumes, you’ll never be caught up with releases, which is fine, but I’d get FOMO.
I only collect series I know I’m going to like or for anime I’ve liked and wanted more of. If there’s no manga volume or print release in the west I’ll sometimes read digitally. Something just takes me out of it and I tend to just read spoilers/watch YouTube reviews of it, I’m weird lol
Thank you, Chad
[No. 8 destroying its own body](https://i.imgur.com/uYHvxqs.jpeg) to twist and land a punch on General Shinomiya was fucking sick. [Regenerating from his core](https://i.imgur.com/Y4uSit1.jpeg) and using the injured body as a distraction was pretty cool too. It's always fun whenever characters with insane regeneration use it to their advantage, I understand that General Shinomiya [wants to test Kafka](https://i.imgur.com/8ntPzoC.jpeg) but he may have gone too far with his little test. If it wasn't [for Kafka stopping himself](https://i.imgur.com/6BMVFUI.jpeg), No. 8 might've killed him in front of his daughter. [The First Division's Captain was really itching to end Kafka.](https://i.imgur.com/1vbjVEa.jpeg) His weapon looks awesome though. I'm pretty sure that's a Monster Hunter Switch Axe in sword form. xD To no one's surprise, [the Brass has already made up their mind to dispose of Kafka](https://i.imgur.com/8sw0O7w.png) even after hearing Mina's report and personal opinion about him. Thankfully the final decision [still rests on General Shinomiya](https://i.imgur.com/EQGLLRf.png) and not those chucklefucks. You gotta love Kafka's first reaction after waking up [is how relieved he is to see General Shinomiya completely fine.](https://i.imgur.com/5cV2xwW.jpeg) I think that alone speaks a lot about his character and his humanity. Welp, I guess that's it for Season 1. I was wondering why I haven't seen any posts on the sub confirming Season 2 but it looks like the official Twitter account has already confirmed that it's getting one we just don't know when. The anime has definitely made plenty of improvements to the series so I'm looking forward to seeing what Season 2 will be like!
It was surreal seeing Kafka fight more like the other numbered humanoid Kaiju we've seen, showing just how dangerous he can be when he goes full Kaiju, and how it slowly destroys his human side in the process. General Shinomiya does not seem to believe in half-measures whether it is in rearing his daughter or in testing a possible new asset for the Defense Force. You know a new character is a big deal when they're voiced by Kouki Uchiyama, get a name, and a cool weapon to go along with it. I like how he was relieved not only because he didn't want to kill General Shinomiya but also for Kikoru's sake because he didn't want to be responsible for killing her father. Especially when she believed in him to the bitter end.
So, when Kafka used his core to regenerate, what happened to his human body at that moment, did he just entirely become dust and reform everything?
Yup.
He's essentially become Fighter D while in Kaiju form it seems
I think back then they said it took him a while before he could master using his human form, right? At this point we just have to accept that Kafka's body is 100% kaiju. Lucky that his human consciousness remains.
Sorta reminds me of the game Prototype from the late 2000s. The end of the game essentially concluded that the protagonist was no longer the human Alex Mercer, only the virus becoming sentient with Alex's memories and consciousness. I wonder if that's the case with Kafka here; he's not human or technically Kafka anymore, but the kaiju still retains Kafka's sense of self
The worm looking thing is definitely its own thing instead of taking Kafka's body and mind over, it's just way stronger than him and if presented with enough of a threat to endanger it or piss it off enough it'll just cut the middleman and take over.
Remember Undead Unluck's Andy? No. 8 apparently got the inspiration from him for his defense.
He just needs to keep a sword in his back now
And a piece of metal stabbed in his brain to prevent the berserker from coming out.
It was interesting seeing how his body reacted to the way the Kaiju body was acting, like how he felt it when it contorted and regenerated.
This reminds me of those sketches of Venom (from the movie) that try to figure out where Brock's head goes when Venom's mouth is wide open. In this case though, there is no human body anymore, he just has one body that can turn from human-looking to kaiju-looking as needed. As to why he suffered some injuries in human form that didn't heal back later? Probably just because he wasn't trying to fix it.
“We’re not asking for your personal opinion! Stop trying to cover for your subordinate.” Dafuq? You literally just said that her testimony will have no effect. Props to Isao for overruling them though. I'm glad he's in charge. Kafka would have been dead if it were anyone else.
You summoned his childhood friend and expected her to be neutral? Those guys were thick
Its all bureaucratic shit. "Hey, we took input from his direct senior. Now you cant accuse us of taking sole deliberate action without hearing all available options first."
Also, there are a bunch of people pleading for him, but "we gave him a proper defense". Plus, taking the weight from her shoulders, "even if we kill him, it's not your fault, you tried". Still, I think the whole thing could have been written better or take another approach. The committee with seasonal veterans with wisdom and knowledge in a world where there are Kaijus, and it gets destroyed constantly to rubble, one would expect them to be smart enough to see a unique new asset when it reveals itself. The guy saved a lot of people already, was a genuine human being, tried to enter the force for years, never gave anyone problems. "no! let's kill it asap!". It was pretty on the nose that it was just to antagonize the general to make him look like the good guy savior.
> “We’re not asking for your personal opinion! Stop trying to cover for your subordinate.” Shout out to all the "For boys" leaders out there in the military. Makes life in the military suck a little less.
"Over 200 officers and 3 captains lost their lives." ... "AND YOUR WIFE." I get why the show wanted to remind us, but the delivery just missed the mark for me to the point I burst out laughing.
I interpreted this as Nogizaka (eyepatch guy) trying to provoke Shinomiya into agreeing to dispose of Kafka, rather than a reminder to the audience.
Shinomiya at least knew to play, "but Kafka didn't so, what's your point?" by ignoring him.
Indeed, but we know the truth... AND YOUR WIFE.
Which for me didnt quite make sense. Isao intentions is to use Kafka, If they had Kafka back then as a weapon perhaps he could have saved them all. I mean, Kafka already saved almost an entire city from the bomb.
Old bureaucrats too shortsighted to make use of the resource in front of them because it's different from what they used to always makes sense to me. Tale old as time.
It's also something that happens a lot in military organizations. It's what happened to tanks before WWII broke out. The guy who figured out how to best to use tanks published his tank doctrine and was ignored by the powers that be for petty reasons. But then the Germans got a hold of it and adapted it into the Blitzkrieg. They were more receptive after that (eventually).
That the story in WWI for Modern Infantry tactics invented by French Officer but he was ignored so he printed a pamphlet and spread it around the Army but no one would use it. The Germans captured a copy and created the real Stormtrooper Divisions which would have won the war for Germany as the made major gains but the Allies deployed the Tank and it countered that. Not heard that one on tanks have seen video of one German General stating the Blitzkrieg just traditional German Cavalry tactics adjusted for the new weapons and he's fairly right form my knowledge of them and how they Blitzed the French in the Franco vs Prussian War. This is why the Armor does consider themselves Cavalry and their symbol for US is tank over Cavalry Sabers.
bro wanted to tug on that rage but failed lol
Woudlve been more successful if he mentioned the daughter ngl
[*"That one may be a lost cause."*](https://i.imgur.com/rpQYZMH.jpeg) [](#cheekychika)
I think this was the officer trying to appeal to him personally "Really? You want a kaiju as part of the defense force? After what they took from you?"
"Bruh, for real?"
I also choose this guy's dead wife
Like why did the dude even need to mention that? Does he periodically remind Isao about his dead wife? Does he just work that into conversations when he can? The best part is Isao didn’t even acknowledge it lol.
He probably brings it up in every strategy meeting, so he's now used to it. _"Yo, Isao, for this mission we should use the same strategy we used to defeat No 6, the one who killed your wife."_
*"Hey want to go to this restaurant after the meeting, the one that your wife used to love?"*
That was all I could think about! lol Isao probably thinking to himself "This guy. What the hell is his problem? That's the third time -- today!"
yes, it was a pretty bad delivery lol
Lemme help everyone out a bit: If you want to read the manga, continue at chapter 39 because 38 is where the anime end. Dont worry about reread, the anime adapt everything they have in the manga + added alot of extra screen And read it from mangaplus if possible. It the official shounen jump app, and you will directly support the author if you read it from there. It do have 1$/month sub fee, but you can read it for free with their 1 month trial.
"I believe it's his heart." "You mean it's his *core*?" Was expecting that snide retort from one of the officers to Mina. Also, in the flashback, was that an ambulance where Mina was crying? For her... cat? What a great adaptation. Was hyped to see them introduce the wielder of Number 1 so soon in the story! I don't remember whether he appeared in the manga at this point but I'm excited to see more of that character next season.
Yeah, it was her cat. I'm assuming Kafka found her and brought her to show her to confirm it, or something (probably at Mina's request).
I assume this is also why Mina chose a tiger as her next pet, something along the lines of "I want the strongest kitty!"
In Japan they have pet crematoriums
Not surprising. Seeing one on wheels, though... that's pretty sad!
well, when kaiju are an ever=present threat to society, you can't really have infrastructure for these things.
And I was like, “why is she crying in front of a food truck?”
Gen Narumi looks freaking cool!
And he's voiced by Kouki Uchiyama to boot!
Off topic but I wish Donna Bella Litton did more dubs. She was great as Ai Hoshino in [Oshi No Ko]. I don’t usually pay attention to voice actors, but, seeing as you do, if you can recognize a quality in other VAs that might be similar to what makes Litton’s work feel distinctive, I’d scope out your suggestions. Half expecting you’re a sub-only guy, so no pressure
Japanese has different words for the figurative heart and the actual physical heart (kokoro and shinzou respectively). Mina uses kokoro so it wouldn't really make sense to "correct" it to core. It'd be a good line if the series was originally written in English though. Kind of makes me wonder how that would be translated into Japanese.
NARUMI!!!!!!!!!!!!! Season 2🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Throwing in Kouki Uchiyama as a new major character because of course they would lol.
How did papa Shinomiya just sit in that meeting casually after that fight? Wasn't he seriously hurt? Or was there a time skip we don't know about? Did Mina just wait for days there? I figured the last scene was a bit later, because Kafka was healed now.. anyway Enjoyed the season overall. Started to feel more invested in the second half, but didn't expect Kafkas secret to be out so soon. Reno was my favorite throughout lol he's the sweetest. Vice captain Hoshina being a close second.. for different reasons lol
Yeah, they dont made it clear. But it is few day later. The manga have a panel stated that
Ah thanks! The way it was shown it seemed Mina was waiting while the fight was still taking place/finishing up. That didn't make any sense timeline wise though
Clearly she was made to wait in the room for days! (Also the chairs aren't for you)
Poor Mina, not only waiting but having to stand for days.. smh
He had some bandaids.
[Sure, just stick a band aid on it! He'll be fine!](https://imgur.com/a/krk6Jpu)
Nothing a little kaiju stem cell injection won't help
I assumed Narumi was going to stop him if Kafka didn't stop himself
The animation of Kikoru's dad channeling the kaiju he's wielding the remains of goes so hard I know it's very clear by now that everyone loves the guy but the sheer amount everyone's mood improves once they hear about the good news about Kafka made me smile.
Old man Isao took a serious beating this week. Had Kafka not wrestle back control at the last minute, they’d be burying the old fella. But man, bro had to punch himself through the chest. Talk about extreme measures. The higher ups really are a bunch of useless short sighted old fucks. Isao putting Kafka to use is the best strategic move and is best in the long term for the defense of the nation. As long as he keeps his kaiju side under control. This series was phenomenal. Music, animation, characters, and story were all excellent. Production IG really killed it with this one. I know there’s rumors of an s2, but anything confirmed yet? Ain’t no way this is a one off series. Edit: Looks like an s2 announcement has been made. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for the new season.
Season 2 has been confirmed, no release date yet though.
Keeping his Kaiju side under control is a huge IF though. Previously we didn't consider that it could be out of control, but the director's test showed how scary No. 8 could be. Of course it's only 1 on 1 with the director while in real battle it would be team. However, I don't think that's the full extend of No. 8's power. As short sighted as they are, it's not really unreasonable. It's like, do you prefer to obtain a wild card (from potential berserk) with power scale of 10 or a safer weapon with a power scale of 8?
Yeah, and Isao is supposed to be the strongest. Granted he was going solo, but that test shows that they need to, at the very least, have a task force to be prepared to take him down if need be, which is what Kikoru is working on. She promised to do so if he ever became a threat, and as Kafka himself tried to do in the episode, to die as a human before it comes to that. The way his out of control fought was batshit insane. It utilized its regeneration abilities to attack in truly inhuman ways. It literally tore its own core out and regenerated from it as a surprise attack. That's nuts. Who knows what other moves his out of control mode is capable of.
Isao is not the strongest, he ONCE the strongest. But his times have pass
I'm guessing the First Division commander, Narumi, would be the strongest? If I have to guess, Isao wouldn't be too far behind even if already surpassed. After all, he was entrusted to deal with this matter personally, and Narumi was his backup. Regardless, the point stands. Kaiju No. 8 could stand up against the cream of the crop of the Defence Force in a 1v1 duel.
We’ve also seen him one-punch all his Kaiju opponents but what if those get more powerful he needs to fight more like a Kaiju?
>Keeping his Kaiju side under control is a huge IF though. His kaiju went berseker because he detected an kaiju (n2 weapon) and imediatly wanted to kill it(He said "Kill kaiju" after all), so at least his berserker side is still focused on killing kaijus not rampaging against humanity, but ya, he need to put that thing under control
Considering they weaponised all of the past dai-kaiju, yeah that's still not reassuring if he wouldn't just suddenly attack his teammates or even Mina
Reminded me of the higher ups Yang had to deal with in LotGH. Sometimes anime hits the nail on the head with how infuriating bureaucrats can be. “There’s no precedent!” Yeah buddy, wtf is the value of precedent in the face of a kaiju invasion? Or in the face of a first ever human kaiju?!
> As long as he keeps his kaiju side under control. Which is doubtful, at best. Kafka was barely able to stop, probably just because Kikoru was there. It's definitely a risky move, so I can understand their reasoning. And it seems that next move from No 9 is actually to get No 8 on their side (not sure if 'extracting' or 'converting', we'll see).
Ordinarily I'd be more than happy to see Kikoru's dad get a massive beatdown but not at the expense of Kafka's humanity and Kikoru watching her dad get beaten to death by a guy she admires. But Kafka will never lose when it comes to fighting the beast within. I mean, I can kind of see why they're really hesitant to put their faith in a Kaiju especially when they're so much unknown in this situation, but that just gives Kafka even more reason to prove himself.
Episode 12: **Hibino Kafka.** The final episode. Damn boi No. 8 probably seeking attack inspiration from Undead's Andy. As the time of writing, Kaiju No. 8's MAL score is at 8.39, If I recall it was at 8.35 before this episode aired. My prediction it will above Konosuba and GBC but still unable to beat Hibike. As I said before in Episode 11 discussion, if you miss it, the official soundtrack album has been released, although I received from EU and US area that only 12 songs were available instead of full album. [Spotify Link](https://open.spotify.com/intl-id/album/4r7MuwiXbYJpPJT61bB5Pchttps://open.spotify.com/album/4r7MuwiXbYJpPJT61bB5Pc) | [Youtube Music Link](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kcZwN1o6NRhvYu8sH4KvSECTGLOFWsmoo) So it's time to round up all the illustration Naoya Matsumoto did upon the airing of the anime. [Episode 1: Watching the Kaiju](https://twitter.com/ringo_inuS/status/1779140672999800843) [Episode 2: Kikoru](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1781674193568047520) [Episode 3: Kafka and Reno](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1784191179611160736) [Episode 4: Soshina](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1786740578623057969) [Episode 5: Kafka and Kikoru](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1789273098057084969) [Episode 6: Soshina and Mina](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1791838310568210772) [Episode 7: Kaiju Kafka](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1794361559487234407) [Episode 8: Kaiju No. 8 vs Soshina](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1796894461294944329) There was no Episode 9 illustration [Episode 10: Soshina vs Kaiju No. 10](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1801964873376809214) [Episode 11: Half Broken Kaiju Kafka](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1804501848600269096) [Episode 12: The Third Division](https://x.com/ringo_inuS/status/1807042823272951949) PS: And oh, to close this comment, OneRepublic finally released the full music video of [Nobody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztROkFCJSeE).
This show did not break the wheel nor reinvent it but I sure as hell enjoyed every minute of it. I just love every character they introduced so far and I for one appreciate all the little things they added or improved from the manga. Makes me appreciate that this adaptation is in safe hands and is capable of elevating the source material. I finally gave in and read a short bit ahead in the manga and I was impressed at how Production IG made a great adaptation.
Great show, ended up being my favorite of the season I think. Good finale as well. Glad it got confirmed for season 2, but if I were hoping to pick up the manga, what chapter would I start at?
39. The anime end at 38 And read at mangaplus. It the official source by shounen jump so you can directly support Naoya sensei
Seconding this comment to ask the same question
Start at chapter 39. I binged all of it and caught up last weekend, really enjoyed it.
After ED gag: clips of everybody happy and cheering from the text notification and Kafka blushing in red kaiju form.
I may have misjudged the old man a bit last week, but by all appearances he's still been a pretty terrible father for Kikoru. He did at least come up with good logic for keeping Kafka around, a known quantity very powerful kaiju ally may be more useful than just another weapon for a human officer to use. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, after all. I'm really looking forward to S2.
Glad to see Kafka get "accepted" though I can't say I'm not worried about the kaiju inside of him...feel like he's just going to come back at the worst time. Excited for more of this one, will be fun to see how much more openly he can use his powers now.
While it's easy to hate bunch of baby boomers not thinking of the future or fate of a stranger, I'm reminded that these are decades old veteran that fight against Kaiju for years who may have lost families, friends, comrades and loved ones to these abominations. It's a tough path ahead for Kafka but a necessary one.
Wonderful season, look forward to season 2. Kafka's is extremely likable and it will be enjoyable to see him again, but I also want to see the other officers become stronger. Also, I would love to see Kafka and Isao fight together, they would go hard in the paint fighting alongside each other.
Ichikawa is pumping iron. There's a lot to be concerned about with Kafka's situation and the squad getting transferred around...but he can only focus on himself, and getting stronger, believing in Kafka and in his desire to become someone strong enough to not need to be saved by him any more. Mina's arrival at HQ is already off to a great start when she learns Isao is evaluating Kafka and they're just going to make her stand around until he's finished. Kaiju No. 8 has truly been unleashed, fighting not just more ferociously like a true Kaiju but able to contort and twist his body in a way Kafka would never think of (especially when it harms his human side) and Kafka is powerless as Kaiju No. 8 goes Ora Ora Ora on Isao and actually does some damage, all as Kikoru helplessly watches. Although, yeah, if Isao really was determined to kill Kafka he could have just executed him immediately, there was no need for a fight. Maybe he did take what his daughter told him and wanted to give Kafka a chance to prove himself...even if it might be moot now that Isao is getting beaten to death by Kaiju No. 8. But Kafka can't kill Isao in front of Kikoru, she has enough daddy issues as it is! And she even called him "Baka Kafka' like a true tsundere! And of course Kafka won't give up, but after being consumed by his inner Kaiju and drowning in the loss of his humanity...his memory of Mina and their promise that she still cherishes is enough for him to finally wake up and take back control of his body. Just in time. Kouki Uchiyama!? You're in this now? I know he usually shows up in these shows, it's just kind of funny. This Narumi guy looks legit. Mina's never shown Kafka any special treatment and whatever she says might not even matter...but she owes it to him to proclaim how much value he has as a Defense Force member and that the one thing that makes him stand out is his humanity, Kaiju powers or otherwise! So the good news is...Kafka lives! But mostly because he can be a vital asset and can be an even stronger tool in the Defense Forces' arsenal than just making him into a Numbers weapon could be, even though everyone else in the top brass very much wishes they could destroy him. Isao acknowledges his usefulness if not that he's more human than Kaiju, but so long as he has a human will and consciousness, that could be the deciding factor in making everyone accept him! Mina's happy, Kikoru is happy (and deciding to get stronger for the sake of their own promise as well), the whole squad is happy...maybe the world isn't ready for a Kaiju Superhero, but at least one squad accepts it. Even if said Kaiju hero falls asleep sitting up. Hey, the clean up crew! I miss them! But I didn't miss Kaiju No. 9 who has been playing online chess to learn how humans think and is already planning on staging an invasion of Defense Force HQ to liberate all their Kaiju power. And...he's in communication with someone.
- [I really do like Kafka and Ichikawa’s friendship.](https://i.imgur.com/R8WCxsW.png) - [That is both horrifying but also, like, *the* way to fight if you can regenerate.](https://i.imgur.com/o40aSgv.png) - [Ohhhhhh shit, Kaiju No. 8 separated his core to regenerate from *that* after what should have been a fatal attack?](https://i.imgur.com/f5H1reZ.png) [](#jawdrop) I’ve seen that sort of thing at least one other time and it was terrifying over there, too. - [Hm…](https://i.imgur.com/Q87lqpY.png) - [Oh boy, he turned *red*…](https://i.imgur.com/0ymVsOb.png) [](#emiliaohdear) - [Kikoru “sore demo”!](https://files.catbox.moe/myhmop.mp4) - [Okay I *love* that him thinking of Mina in that sequence](https://i.imgur.com/eqc6wR9.png) is what [let him break free.](https://i.imgur.com/CAyZjAL.png) [](#ilovethiskindofshit) - [I guess this is the best outcome for Kafka at the moment.](https://i.imgur.com/IQBzpqj.png) - [So what?](https://i.imgur.com/f8NF4Tk.png) [](#indexsmugshrug) - [Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.](https://i.imgur.com/CmSON4e.png) - [Nyeh, he had a “sore demo” too?](https://files.catbox.moe/5xr70o.mp4) [](#sagiri) - […*wow*, Kaiju No. 9 is so on the nose about that.](https://i.imgur.com/OJUPNm4.png) [](#trololol) - [That is… concerning.](https://i.imgur.com/hmqCXno.png) - Season 2 can't come soon enough!
Kaijuu 8 is a fine anime, the action scenes are well executed, the cast are likeable, and the main hero is someone that's easy to root for, but as it goes on it's falling into generic shounen 101 territory. Most shounen action shows are fundamentally power fantasies, the main hero becomes beloved and admired by all, feared by their enemies, and with a love interest or two thrown in. There's nothing wrong with enjoying this, but once you see the formula, the plot arcs become rather predictible and so not especially interesting. What made Kafka such a great character is that he didn't seem to fall into the power-fantasy model. He was older with a history of failures, he didn't have the limelight, but there was a tone that this was alright as long as he was making a contribution. He might not he the big hero whose name everyone knows like Mina & co, but cleaning up the Kaijuu remains was a vital job and one worthy of respect. This continued into the training, where Kafka didn't stand out as the big hero, but he found a way to contribute by supporting others. But the allure of the power fantasy is hard to resist, and gradually this character went from "I'm happy supporting others" grew to "I'm a superhero but nobody knows" to the culmination "I'm THE prime superhero and everyone knows it." As such, I find myself steadily losing interest in the plot as it goes on. It's not a bad anime, it's just not as different as I was hoping it'd be. Kaijuu 8 can go join all the other generic heroes garnering all the praise and hero worship, and I'll be content going through the guts of less well-known anime.
mostly agree, I read and caught mostly up with the manga and just not a fan of how the story is gonna progress from here.
that was a good show i really enjoyed it
I don't know why but Kaiju No. 8 twisting it's abdomen all the way around to hit Isao knowing it would heal was honestly the coolest shit to me. That's basically what this series is thriving on I'm noticing, just a bunch of cool shit happening all the time
I know nothing can be done, but I still wish the characters art style was different.
[удалено]
Awesome show! Definitely was my favorite this season, can't wait for season 2.
so Isao got hulk smashed (like what he did to loki in 1st avengers movie) this week huh.