It’s time for the long awaited rematch between Kikoru and Kaiju No. 9. I went in to this fight not expecting Kikoru to necessarily win outright. She has gotten stronger but she’s still not at the level of a Captain and No. 9 is a force to be reckoned with. Fortunately, Kikoru is aware of this as she admits that she’ll need Kafka to strike once she provides him an opening. To her credit, she definitely puts on a more respectable effort this time, compared to her humiliating defeat in Episode 4. Her “Daruma Dropper” move at around the 8 minute mark is particularly slick. The only thing that bugged me about this fight is Kikoru’s axe getting destroyed. Like, this battle is only the second time Kikoru uses her personal weapon. Destroying it just seems a bit too soon for me. Still, it raises the stakes at bit and I suppose Kikoru could just get a new axe or something even better than it.
At one point in the fight, you get a flashback depicting Kikoru’s childhood, namely her memories of her mother, Hikari (Kotono Mitsuishi). Hikari was the captain of the Second Division and the wielder of the No. 4 weapon. Amazed by her mother, Kikoru decided that she wanted to join the Defense Force so that she could one day assist her mother on the battlefield. Kikoru however would never get the chance as Hikari died defeating Kaiju No. 6. After her mother’s death, Kikoru has resolved to become the strongest soldier so that she doesn’t lose anyone ever again. It’s a very short scene but it does a good job exploring a more positive side to Kikoru’s character, establishing that ego isn’t the only thing motivating her on her journey. Bringing up Kikoru’s desire to protect the ones she cares about also helps assuage some doubt about where her and Kafka’s friendship currently stands.
Meanwhile, Gen takes care of the duplicated No. 9. I figured Gen would have no issue here. He is a Captain after all and the show wouldn’t challenge him just yet. I don’t know if it’s the highlight of the episode but the fight is very entertaining, thanks to the animation and Gen’s versatility. During the fight, Gen introduces the RT-0001, special contact lenses built from the eyes of Kaiju No. 1. These grant Gen the ability of foresight, which proves to be an effective counter to the fast rate at which No. 9 can learn from his opponents. As cool as the No. 2 gauntlets are, I think I actually dig the R1-0001 more. At the very least, it’s quirkier and more unique than simply something that can hit kaiju really hard.
Despite Kikoru providing an opening, Kafka is unable to capitalize on the opportunity as he fails to transform again. At first, the two assumed No. 9 is the cause of this but as I had suspected, the real roadblock is Kafka himself. He’s too afraid of losing control again and killing all of his friends (which the episode conveys via an effectively eerie scene). Fortunately, Kikoru snaps some sense to him, reminding him to have faith in her and the others to stop him if need be. Kafka finally manages to transform and he faces No. 9 while Kikoru settles with taking down some revived Yoju. Apparently, Kafka now has a better sense of his power and speed after his fight with Isao. The scene kind of goes overboard in displaying this, what with Kafka literally flying up into the sky at one point, but I don’t mind it. This is the first real appearance of Kaiju No. 8 this season so the show is allowed to go big. Plus, I’m glad that Kafka gets to fight No. 9 in the end. I had expected Gen to intervene but this is a much more satisfying note to end the episode.
Watch Kaiju No. 8 on Crunchyroll
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