Kaiju no. 8: The breath of fresh air shounen anime needed

When you think about classic shounen anime premieres, Luffy's mammoth punch, Itadori smashing through windows, and Denji's epic battles are some of the examples that might come to mind. Overpowered protagonists establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with is conventionally one of the most effective ways of catching the audience's attention and hooking them in for the rest of the season.

Kaiju No. 8, however, is anything but conventional, as it subverts any and all expectations right from the get-go.

Animated by Production I.G and adapted from Naoya Matsumoto's manga of the same name, Kaiju No. 8 is set in a world where gigantic "kaijus" mysteriously appear across the country and lay waste throughout the dense cities of Japan.

The central character, Kafka Hibino, is starkly different from the flashy, young main characters across the shounen trope. He isn't a high school student, a member of the ultra-futuristic Japanese Defense Force that is in charge of decimating these monsters, or part of the frontline armed forces. Instead, Kafka is a member of the cleanup crew, the team of people entrusted with cleaning up monsters' remains after they have been put to sleep.

The inclusion of a cleanup crew in itself is shocking, because shows rarely ever focus on the aftermath of monsters running rampage. But making the protagonist an average cleaner and not a hotshot Defense Force officer is definitely a bold approach that deserves appreciation.

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Kafka, of course, never wanted to be a cleaner in the first place. He dreamed of joining the Defense Force, but eventually buried that dream after multiple failed attempts. However, after a few chance encounters, his dreams were re-lit for one final time at age 32. The story thus follows Kafka's pursuits at joining the coveted Defense Force and fulfilling promises he made to his best friend and to himself.

One of Kaiju No. 8's strongest points lies in the main character's progression. He is consistently portrayed as the weakest link in any form of combat scenarios and never gets his moment in the limelight. While his significantly-younger peers and fellow candidates are able to bring out their full potential, Kafka lags behind and keeps making a fool out of himself. Despite all this, he keeps pushing himself to be better, lending his intellect and knowledge when his fighting abilities aren't up to par, leading to numerous uplifting and awe-inspiring scenes.

The show has brilliant production quality as well. The animation is dynamic, fluid, and the fight scenes are as seamless as one could hope for. The artwork takes on a modern approach, styling the kaijus in a manner that is equally grotesque and also a delight to look at. Energetic and high-spirited tracks complement the action scenes well and provide an even more riveting experience.

In the arguably oversaturated shounen market, Kaiju No. 8 is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air. It is packed to the brim with comedy, action, high-stakes, and a truckload of emotions. Twists and turns exist at every step of the way, making it a series that should definitely be on everyone's radars, and a worthy contender for the best anime this spring season.