Book Reivew: Kaiju No.8. 2 

By Naoya Matsumoto 

3 Stars 

Kaiju No. 8 Volume 2, written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto, naturally takes place after the events of Volume 1, with Kafka Hibino's identity as Kaiju No. 8 revealed to the young prodigy Kikoru Shinomiya. After a near-death encounter with a mysterious Kaiju during the Defense Force entrance exam, the new stakes of Kafka's identity being revealed cause his mask to quickly slip, as some begin to think there is something off about him. Unwanted attention from higher-ups in the Defense Force threatens to affect those around him. As the ever-increasing Kaiju threat continues to be a major and recurring problem, a new Kaiju, nicknamed "No. 9," seems to possess some form of human sentience, reflecting Kafka's own struggle with being both human and Kaiju. This volume is a little less exciting than the first one and takes more than half of the volume to reach the really amazing parts. At times, the rest feels less like building the side characters and more like filler that will not impact events later on, which is one of the glaring issues with this volume. However, when the plot gets moving, it really gets moving, featuring some impressive action and designs. It's honestly quite amazing at times, despite all the rather calm and slower parts of the volume. In summary, Volume Two of Kaiju No. 8 has good action but many calmer moments that can distract from the main story at times. This is my opinion, and others may enjoy the calm moments more than I did. For me, this is a rough 3.4 out of 5, and I hope the later volumes will be better.   

Reviewed by Amare as part of the Teen Reviewer, opens a new window program.

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