Seeing as Kafka is a humanoid kaiju, and a powerful one at that, he and Reno skedaddle out of the hospital before the Defense Force arrives. The escape scene evokes more humor out of Kafka and Reno trying to wrap their heads around the situation and frankly, I think Kaiju No. 8 is pushing it. Definitely the joke where mileage varies the most is the one where Kafka discovers that he urinates through his nipples. That might be the most cursed image I’ve ever seen and I watch a lot of crap on the internet so that’s saying something.
Episode 2 picks up when Kafka detects a yoju wreaking havoc and the monster set its sights on a defenseless little girl and her injured mother. Even though he and Reno should flee to avoid getting caught, Kafka can’t bring himself to let innocents die so he punches the yoju as hard as he can, killing it in the process. The art and animation in this scene is superb; especially with the glow effects on Kafka’s punch and the kaiju’s blood raining down in the aftermath.
Knowing that he’s a scary monster, Kafka bows out with Reno but not before the little girl thanks him for saving her and her mother. I really like that this is what allows Kafka to revert back to human form for the first time. The girl is still scared to death but she ultimately approaches Kafka as if he’s a human (which he technically still is but you get the point) and that’s what reverses the transformation. That gratitude also assures Kafka that he can still be a hero, motivating him to re-apply for the Defense Force (even if it’s probably not the best idea right now).
The Third Division arrives shortly after Kafka and Reno leave. Mina promises the little girl that she’ll slay the kaiju, prompting the girl to ask if this includes the good one that saved her. I find Mina’s reaction really interesting here. Any grown-up would likely dismiss the girl’s claim and think she’s remembering things differently due to her young age and shock so I wouldn’t blame Mina if she does the same. But instead, she just looks at the girl dumbfounded; her brain can’t compute the existence of a good kaiju and yet, she’s not dismissing it entirely.
After a three month time skip, we learn that the Defense Force hasn’t caught Kafka and has dubbed him “Kaiju No. 8”. There’s your title drop! Being anime only and having not gone too far with the show, I have no idea what the deal is with the “No. 8” part. My best guess is that Kafka is 8th on a most wanted list or something. Thing is, Kafka is the only kaiju on the run so it doesn’t really make sense to number him as the 8th one.
Anyway, Kafka and Reno manage to pass the first part of the application test for the Defense Force so they head over to the Third Division’s headquarters for the second, more practical part of the test. Kafka appears to have gotten the hang of maintaining his human form but he still slips up every once in a while. You just know that Kafka will transform during the exam and Reno will absolutely have to help Kafka maintain his cover, even when he says he won’t.
At the testing grounds, the two meet Kikoru Shinomiya (Ai Fairouz), a young girl who is also applying for the Defense Force. I honestly don’t know why Kikoru needs to go through the rigmarole when she kind of already has an augmented suit akin to the Defense Force’s and she already kills kaijus as a hobby. You’d think this would automatically make her a recruit. Curiously, Kikoru points out that Kafka smells like a kaiju. Considering that Kafka’s current job is dealing with dead, smelly kaijus, he can probably allay the girl’s suspicions. That said, it looks inevitable that Kikoru will find out the big secret.
OP: “Abyss” by YUNGBLUD
ED: “Nobody” by OneRepublic
OneRepublic in an anime?! What?!
This post was originally published on April 20, 2024
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