The fight between Kafka/Kaiju No. 8 and Isao rages on for a couple minutes more. Kafka has lost control of his body, leaving Isao to fight the uncontrollable monster he expected Kafka to be. Curiously, Isao’s peers note that he probably could’ve killed Kafka from the start, making Kikoru realize that her father is holding back a little to give Kafka a chance. The fact that Isao actually listened to his daughter’s request is interesting. As stern and cold as he is, his daughter’s words can still get to him.
Eventually, No. 8 becomes so powerful that it completely overwhelms Isao. In his mental battle to regain control, Kafka briefly loses to the kaiju that converted him but memories of Mina manages to give him the push he needs to re-take the wheel. Before Isao is killed, Kafka attacks his own core, rendering him unconscious and ending the fight. That Kafka wins through the power of friendship and love is a bit silly but the again, it’s Kafka’s desire to help Mina and everyone else that’s got him this far so I don’t mind. I do think not knowing the weird bug thing’s character kind of holds this part of the fight back. Like, I guess its motivation to attack humans but that can’t exactly be it because it’s never taken over Kafka’s body until now. Since the presence of the No. 2 weapons might’ve been a trigger, it’s possible that this kaiju wants to fight its kind. But why it does is currently beyond me. All we’re left then is Kafka’s struggle, which I do enjoy watching, but it makes the fight feel incomplete.
While Kafka receives medical treatment, Mina arrives at headquarters to give her testimony on Kafka’s work at the Third Division. The top brass have already made a decision (spoiler alert: they want Kafka dead) so having Mina say a few words is just to cover their bases. I really like how sneaky Mina gets with her testimony. First, she brings up the goof Kafka has done for her division, which is hard to deny as fact, before more or less admitting that she’d like to have Kafka’s life spared. That’s something I’ve really enjoyed about this character. She’s very good at maintaining her composure but that doesn’t stop her from expressing how much Kafka means to her.
While everyone in the top brass commits to executing Kafka and turning his body into a Numbers weapon, Isao ultimately vetoes all of them and decides to keep Kafka alive. Isao is able to justify his decision by providing a pragmatic excuse. The kaiju are getting stronger and the Defense Force don’t have enough manpower to combat it. Add onto the fact that a number kaiju is stronger alive than dead and it does make sense to have Kafka around as an asset. That said, we do see Isao tell Kafka his decision and tell the kaiju/human hybrid to prove his worth to the Defense Force. In reality, Isao has determined that Kafka is still human and he’s buying the guy time to show that. That the Director General refers to Kafka by his real name as opposed to Kaiju No. 8 is a nice touch.
Naturally, everyone is ecstatic with the ruling, though Kikoru shows a more complicated response. Although she’s relieved that Kafka will get to live, she did see Kafka lose control of his kaiju form and almost kill her own father. In hindsight, having Kikoru witness the fight between Kafka and Isao was smart. Not only did it raise the tension of the fight, it also served as wake-up call for Kikoru. She now knows that Kafka can go berserk and she’s seen how strong he can get. She realizes now that she might have to fulfill her promise to Kafka, to be the one who kills him if things go south. I doubt there’ll be a rift forming between Kikoru and Kafka or anyone else but I can see her continuing to grapple with the task Kafka entrust her with.
We do get a post-credit scene, showing Kaiju No. 9 plotting his next move (and telling everyone to git gud at chess). Definitely the most alarming detail is that No. 9 talking to a copy of itself. Why do I get the feeling this guy is actually harder to kill than No. 10? This is of course a sequel hook and we don’t have to worry about that as Season 2 was confirmed right after this episode aired. Really, I think at least more one season was a guarantee. The manga has been selling very well in Japan and Crunchyroll backed Season 1 with a sizable marketing campaign. Like hell, they’re not going to make more.
I figured enjoyed Kaiju No. 8 but I got into the show more than I expected. Some of the humor doesn’t work for me and a couple supporting characters feel underdeveloped. Conversely, I think the whole kaiju counterforce is a immensely cool premise and I really enjoyed the main characters and the action. Suffice to say, I’ll be covering Season 2 when it premieres in July. There is also a compilation movie with an additional episode included in releasing next month but there is no word on an international release. It is entirely possible that I might end up covering Season 2 first but I’ll try to get to it once it’s available.
Watch Kaiju No. 8 on Crunchyroll
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