Kaiju No8 Season 2

Production IG returns for a second season of Kaiju No,8 with new intros and outtros, as well as a new threat orchestrated by the mysterious Kaiju No.9. The stakes are raised for the Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defense Force who suffer major losses this season, culminating in a challenge custom made to destroy the entire organisation.  

Kafka Hibino takes more of a back seat as he’s taken off active duty by the JAKDF directors to be studied and train. This gives the many other characters a chance to shine, chief among them Kikoru Shinomiya, who not only faces the loss of her father in the early episodes, but must also master her late mother’s Kaiju armour too. She’s taken under the wing of Squad Leader Gen Harumi, a fearsome battlefield warrior who becomes something of an unreliable loser when he’s off duty. This change of focus away from Kafka’s original Third Division team-mates does relegate some familiar characters, though his old friends Reno Ichikawa and Iharu Furuhashi do get a spotlight episode which works well to continue the growth of both characters.

Another member of the JAKDF that gets some screentime is Platoon Leader Rin Shinonome, whose admiritaion for her commander Gen colours her entire worldview. While the admiration for the JAKDF is felt largely through the population (to the point that there are trading cards of popular squad members to collect), and Kafka admires his own squad leader Mina Ashiro, there’s something more intense about Rin’s desire to live up to expectations. Her battle in the final episode feels all the more inspiring as she draws strength from her mentor to try and hold her ground in a fight she knows she can’t win. 

Rin Shinonome was one of the standouts from season 2

That's not to say that Kafka doesn't get some moments, but they're mostly introspective as he fears the reaction of his former team-mates after his arrest (he hasn't been able to contact them since) and as such you really feel the pain of his isolation, which borders on cruelty given that his superiors just expect him to face his literal inner-demon alone. Kafka being Kafka, he pulls through by putting on a brave face for others, a point that's made multiple times in this new arc.

The overall theme of the season is, if anything, one of a new generation reaching its potential. Sacrifices made by the old guard in order for those that follow is hammered home Captain Shinomiya’s heroic last stand and in all there’s a gravitas to the show that really held my attention through every episode. 

As always, Production I.G. Brings the goods when it comes to animation - this is a sharp looking and skillfully directed show, with suitably gruesome Kaiju tearing apart Japan in some large-scale, terrifying acts of destruction that feel impactful on-screen. 

The new opening and closing took some time to grow on me following season 1’s fantastic combo, but no doubt Aurora’s “You Can’t Run From Yourself” feels very much like a Production I.G. cut, the soulful tune putting me in mind of Ghost in the Shell’s  “Inner Universe” by Origa. US band OneRepublic return for the closing song “Beautiful Colours”, which is good but still not quite on par with last seasons “Nobody” which had enough rotations in my playlist on the school run that my 5 year old now sings along whenever it fires up.

The last episode may well catch viewers off guard, ending on a cliffhanger that feels deflating given the dramatic build up and the tantalising prospect of Kaiju No.8 finally being deployed after an entire season of seeming inaction. This is perhaps more galling than the same state of affairs with Sakamoto Days, because I actually feel invested here and I actually want to see more of it. It is, to say the least, frustrating.

Can't argue with that rating Kafka...

Despite this, the second season is a welcome expansion of the Kaiju No.8 universe, with more characters coming to the fore, a greater understanding of the inner workings of the JAKDF and an intelligent evolution of the threat. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s at the height of the shonen genre with no filler and a lot of heart.

So despite the frustration of the battle being only half fought by the time the curtain falls, this was an enjoyable and more introspective season of anime that I’ll eagerly dive into again when season 3 lands.