Kaiju No. 8 Season 2

Episode 23

Episode 23 of Kaiju No. 8 is another big win for the season and even higher watermark for the anime.

I'm all positive this week, quite frankly, and I don't know if I have any real criticisms to share. So… settle in for a few hundred words of me gushing about this episode, folks.

The threat of Kaiju Number 9's unleashed hordes finally reaches fruition. The opening segment is more mook-monster killing, which is something I was somewhat mixed on last week. I share a lot of the same joys and concerns with this section. Mina popping giant monsters with a mega-sniper emplacement is legitimately very cool, there's no two ways about it. The shots (snarf) are framed incredibly well, emphasizing the size and scale of these shots quite deftly. You get a true sense of the size of these shots and their impact despite how easily the monsters go down. I even appreciate the attention to detail in the background technical chatter about the wear on the barrel (a significant concern for real-world heavy artillery). The weakness of course is that it's still just generic baddies getting killed, and they all share the same design. Like I said last time, I want to see the new original monsters fight!

Well, the remainder of the episode answered the call. The defense force's heavy hitters are all split up and finally face off one-on-one with the unique kaiju. This is what I was hoping for, and it does not disappoint. There's a bit of jumping around, though we spend most of our time focused on Shinomiya's fight and Shinonome's fight. The Shinomiya fight is full-on superhero mode, and it's great stuff. Big attacks and lots of collateral damage. The scale and the stakes are clear, with a heavier emphasis on the former. Shinonome's fight is a bit simpler in execution - mostly involving a big bruiser type that she can't seem to harm. But the stakes are really ramped up to eleven in her battle, and she's emotionally and physically laying it all on the line. I have to hand it to the voice performance in particular on this one, as Emi Lo turns in a stellar performance in the English dub. The monster she's up against may not be the most interesting power-wise, but it has a cool design, and her determination comes through loud and clear.

It's also worth noting that this episode just looks tremendous. The battles are swift and punchy. The environmental destruction and energy effects set a great mood. It's an overall excellent package.

Rating:

Kaiju No. 8 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.