by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $17.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Intro:
The characters are compelling, the soundtrack is over-the-top but in a fitting way for a show about humans fighting giant monsters trying to eat them, and the action is eight different shades of badass.
Kaiju, Kaiju No. 8
In Kafka, it lays in wait
When giant monsters attack
Hit ‘em up, hit ‘em up, hit ‘em up!
Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon isn’t like most other anime compilation films. It condenses ten-and-a-half episodes worth of story into just over 90 minutes, and yet it doesn’t come across as if large chunks have been carved out of the story. Part of that is because its main story benefits a surprising amount from that streamlining… but mostly, it’s because this is just so freaking cool!
Inspired by classic tokusatsu icons like Ultraman, Kaiju No. 8 doesn’t follow a young upstart trying to make his way up the ranks of Japan’s elite giant monster hunters; instead, we have 32-year-old Kafka, who usually works cleaning up after the monsters have been slain, fighting to fulfil a childhood promise to join the JAKDF (Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defense Force). His perspective offers something different, influenced by series creator Naoya Matsumoto’s own experiences as an older artist in the manga industry, while still keeping that youthful vigour that makes for great anime protags.
He is far from alone in that, though, as the rest of the characters not only have their sharp dimensions (Reno as Kafka’s confidant, Kikoru the ass-kicking prodigy, the aloof but kind-hearted Soshiro), their banter is the right kind of jarhead to keep things moving even outside of the fight scenes. Even truncated, the humour and energy still show through like there’s nothing holding them back, not to mention when things get emotional as the script digs into why they’re so determined to make their mark as kaiju fighters.
And then there’s the actual fight scenes, which are exquisite. The kaiju themselves are designed by Hideki Anno’s studio Khara, offering multiple kinds of gruesome and unnerving that really bring out the dread of each encounter, like a less explicit but still effective Apocalypse Zero. Production I.G. on main animation keeps things crispy and clean, from the throwdowns, to the classic exaggerated character reactions, to what are some of the sickest hero shots in recent anime. For pure action thrills, this delivers and then some.
Mission Recon all on its own is great, and makes a hell of an introduction for newcomers to the series, but it’s also packaged with a new OVA, ‘Hoshina’s Day Off’. It’s a good cooldown moment after Mission Recon’s hectic conclusion, focusing more on the comedy and general hijinks of what monster slayers do in their downtime. The story is reminiscent of a Spy X Family episode, where discovering personal secrets gets dialled up to delirious levels, but there’s quite a bit of heart to it as well. In keeping with the main series’ look at the real-world logistics of kaiju being a regular occurrence in Japan, it offers some Silver Age-era superheroic coding that is both goofy and indicative of how worthy this main cast is as protectors of their home and loved ones.
Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon not only recaps its source show in superb fashion, but it also delivers as its own animated action experience. The characters are compelling, the soundtrack is over-the-top but in a fitting way for a show about humans fighting giant monsters trying to eat them, and the action is eight different shades of badass. Whether you’re looking for a new series to binge, or just need a reminder of this show’s bonafides, we think you’ll get with this, for this is where it’s at.
