Want to keep that Godzilla train rolling? This season's latest kaiju anime is the one for you

It's been a good year for Godzilla fans: last year saw the arrival of Godzilla Minus One, the first Japanese live-action title since 2016's Shin Godzilla, and the American produced Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire just released at the end of March. Whether you want something a bit more grounded or you just want to watch giant monsters bashing the hell out of each other, there's something for everyone. But of course, you might want to keep that kaiju train rolling, and you're looking for something new to bite into. Lucky for you, this anime season has a giant monster anime for you that seems well worth setting some time aside for: Kaiju No. 8.

The first episode of Kaiju No. 8, based on the manga of the same name, only dropped just last week, available on Crunchyroll on demand, and even on Twitter (I mean, X) live when the episode airs for international audiences. Like all good kaiju media, Kaiju No. 8 focuses on the people first and foremost, but it specifically looks at the people that have to clean-up the dead remains of kaiju once they've been taken down.

Kaiju No.8 | OFFICIAL TRAILER

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It follows Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old who wants to join a team called The Defence Force, a group of specially trained soldiers that take down kaiju, all because of a promise he made to a childhood friend. Only problem is, life didn't turn out quite the way he had hoped, and he's stuck dealing with sh*t-filled kaiju intestines instead (even if it is an important job that helps society). This being a manga/ anime, though, there is of course a twist on the usual kaiju episode: for some reason, a small, winged, worm-like kaiju burrows itself into Kafka's body, and he is transformed into a humanoid kaiju. Oops!

This is unsurprisingly the end of the first episode stinger, the thing that hooks you in for more, and as someone that hasn't read the manga, I can't even hint at what you're in for, but I can tell you that I am, in fact, hooked. I'm obviously expecting some big actiony set pieces where Kafka will go head-to-head against kaiju in his special transformed state, but the thing I loved about the first episode is the focus on the reality of living in a world where kaiju attacks are commonplace.

Typically you might expect The Defence Force, which features a team led by Kafka's aforementioned friend, to be the focus for such a series, but no, instead we get a protagonist who is essentially your typical worker. He rides his moped to work every day, brings a packed lunch, cuts up flesh to be disposed with while others clean buildings covered in blood splatter - it's all monotonous work, but it's presented with that typical, humorous Shonen Jump charm you've come to expect for the long-running weekly manga compilation.

The characters are quickly defined and likeable too - Kafka is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy who yes, doesn't like dealing with sh*tty intestines, but will do it whenever he's asked. There's Reno Ichikawa too, a new, younger coworker who's at first a bit standoffish, who could arguably fit into the tsundere archetype, i.e. cold and harsh, but genuinely cares for others. Their dynamic, while not fully fleshed out yet in one episode, is charming, and fits into my favourite type of friendship dynamic, the smiling goofball and the grumpy but sweet asshole.

I still have plenty left to discover in Kaiju No. 8, as I presume Kafka will only be put into action in his kaiju form this week, but any which way it still feels like the anime I'm most looking forward to watch this season when I fancy some good, silly fun. I do hope it tones down the sh*t intestines though.