Another amazing volume of Kaiju No. 8. This must-read manga is an essential purchase for all high school and public libraries. Full of action, humor and unlikely duos.

This is a great series. I love that it is a different take on the monster theme that flows through so many shonen manga. The characters are developing well and are still surprising as we learn new facets of their personalities. The Kaiju are interesting and I can't wait to see who or what will appear next.

Before we begin this review, I would like to thank NetGalley and Viz Media for the opportunity to review this title.

It has been a couple of weeks since my last manga review, but rest assured, I’m ready to jump back into the fray!

The first mission was underway for our heroes, which included Kafka fighting Kaiju No 9. After saving Iharu and Reno, he is spotted by Defense Force Officers and the neutralization unit led by Vice-Captain Hoshina. Hoshina has been tasked to dispose of him. Kafka’s training and his new-found power are put to the test by fighting his Superior Officer. The question is, can he withstand Hoshina’s attacks without revealing his identity?

Kafka fought an opponent that was similar to himself and had it on the ropes until Hoshina interfered. These two battles served a purpose for our hero, which was to test his new abilities and test his resolve when he is put into a situation where it has him strategize more when taking on an opponent like his Superior Officer.

Kaiju No. 9 is a fascinating creature, a Daikaiju who chose to use his shapeshifting ability to join the professional kaiju cleaning company and revive the Kaiju who was killed in battle. While this Kaiju miscalculated how strong Kafka was, it was an amazing battle to read.

Kafka was able to escape, and the Defense Force continued their search for the two humanoid kaiju. The team went back to their base and tend to their wounded. There was a small fest and an argument over what happened during the mission and of course, trying to figure out what went wrong during the fight, but the sudden announcement from Vice-Captain Hoshina stopped the argument quickly.

Kafka got promoted to General Officer, but it doesn’t shake off Hoshina’s suspicion of Kaiju No. 8 and Kafka. The celebration is cut short after a Kaiju begins to attack the base! This was another great volume, packed with plenty of action and more character-building moments.

I was impressed with Hoshina’s fighting technique and his “Percentage” capability. His style and reminiscent of Tite Kubo’s Soul Society Captains and Vice-Captains regarding their way with a weapon. I can see why fans have high praise for this vice-captain. He’s hardworking, calm, and one heck of a fighter. Another factor that we’re beginning to see is similar to superheroes and their alter egos. Kafka’s knowledge of Kaiju and his ability to transform into a Kaiju will affect his relationships. As always, the artwork is incredible and the Kaiju designs are stellar.

Well, this volume was certainly tense in places! It was also majorly action packed, with one massive fight and then an air raid on the base towards the end of the volume. I liked that Kafka’s knowledge continues to be used when fighting the Kaiju, and I liked that his hard work is starting to pay off as he gets promotion. HOWEVER, it also made me wince because it’s really building up for an explosive reveal about his identity as Kaiju no. 8 at some point in the future, as if his bonding with Hoshina!

I liked this one significantly more than the 2nd one. The fighting is well-drawn and exciting. I’m enjoying the story and It is developing at a good rate.

Kaiju No. 8 Volume Three sees the stakes going up for Kafka, as well as for the Defense Force.

Kaiju No. 8 Volume Three
Written by: Naoya Matsumoto
Publisher: Shueisha Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: July 12, 2022

Volume Three continues Kafka (as Kaiju No. 8)’s fight with the humanoid kaiju. While he’s able to weaken this kaiju, it still manages to get away. Unfortunately, when Kafka finds a spot to transform back into his normal self, he’s spotted by Hoshina, who starts fighting him. Poor Kafka is in a position where he needs to defend himself, yet not harm Hoshino. But Hoshino is incredibly talented, so it’s taking everything Kafka has to try to avoid Hoshino’s attacks. Kafka manages to get away, but this encounter causes issues for both Kafka and Hoshino.

For Hoshino, he realizes that something’s off about Kaiju No. 8, because it fights more like a human than it does a kaiju. Because of this, he thinks Kaiju No. 8 is a daikaiju. And for Kafka, he has to try to act normally around Hoshino and not give away that he is actually Kaiju No. 8. It also turns out that thanks to the information that Kafka provided in Volume Two to help defeat a kaiju (which is something he knew from his previous job at Monster Sweeper Inc.), Hoshino recommends Kafka for promotion to a general officer. I think these elements add an interesting dynamic to Kaiju No. 8, and it’s going to be interesting to see how Matsumoto handles this new dynamic between Hoshino and Kafka going forward in the series. It should also be mentioned that the promotion is good for Kafka, though, since it gets him closer to the promise he made to Mina about fighting kaiju by her side.

But things get crazy when a group of kaiju perform an aerial raid on the Defense Force base. But these wyvern-type kaiju aren’t acting normally, because they usually act alone but have come together as a group. Hoshino figures there must be a super-powerful leader pulling the strings, and Hoshino ends up facing off against the leader, since Mina is currently away.

Meanwhile, Kafka is able to provide information to the others that should help them defeat the wyvern-type kaiju. Unfortunately, these kaiju are making sure to keep this strategy from working, but Shinomiya was recently provided with a special prototype weapon, and this weapon helps her take down the wyvern-type kaiju that the others are having a hard time fighting. It wasn’t surprising to learn that Shinomiya is number three in combat power at the base, and that she is being included as part of the main force even though she’s still a cadet. The series had made it pretty clear up to this point that even though she’s a teenager, she has a lot of natural combat abilities that are effective against the kaiju.

Unfortunately, this fight isn’t concluded at the end of Volume Three. The volume ends with Hoshino unleashing more of his combat power and preparing to face off against the leader of the invading kaiju. I thought this was a great spot to end the volume on, because it makes the reader want to read the next volume in order to find out what’s going to happen next.

Kaiju No. 8 Volume Three has a good mix of action, story progression, and character progression to make it a riveting read. But with that being said, though, the action is focused on more at the beginning and at the end of the volume, with the development aspects being focused on more in the middle of the volume. Right at first, Volume Three comes across as if it’s going to be a quick read, and then once the action is over, the middle portion of the volume feels like it slows down quite a bit. With this sudden change in pacing, it almost feels like being a passenger in a car and the driver has to suddenly hit the brakes. However, the pace of the volume picks back up again when the kaiju attack the base, so at least the reader isn’t feeling nearly as bogged down by the end of the volume. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can potentially distract a reader if they pick up on this shift.

When it comes to the art, I was really getting the impression that Matsumoto really likes Hoshino’s character. Of the characters that appear in this volume, he was consistently getting some impressive close-up panels or being the main focus in many of the panels that he appeared in. It would almost make one think that the focus of the series is on Hoshino, not Kafka.

This volume realistically continues the story that’s been presented up to this point, and I think that readers who enjoyed the previous two volumes of Kaiju No. 8 will be able to appreciate Volume Three.

I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I genuinely enjoy this series. It has everything you could want: action, humor, and massive monsters. Kafka is funny and genuinely wants to be strong and help rid their world of these monsters. Even if he is one of those monsters.

If you're looking for a series where an older man tries to keep up with a bunch of rambunctious teens and young adults while also hiding the fact that he is the one who everyone wants to kill, look no further. Check it out! I heard it has been picked up for an anime so read it before you watch!

This is a great continuation to the series. The action and adventure continues, while at the same time, we are getting to know more about the characters and the mystery surrounding the Kaiju attacks. Can't wait for the next volume!

WE NEED THIS TO BE AN ANIME!
Kafka, Reno and Shinomiya are for sure a found family and I love it! I love how they are so understanding and playful as well as serious with each other.
NO SPOILERS -The plot is thickening with the Kaiju plan and connection!

This was a great volume! Lots of fighting, lots of action, and of course lots of people getting hurts as usual. We got to see the teams take on some really cool kaiju and even some humanoid ones. Overall, this was a fun volume full of action and fighting! Can't wait for volume 4!

**Thanks to NetGalley and Viz media for the e-galley in exchange for an honest review!**

This volume picks upright in the middle of the battle we were left on a cliffhanger with in the last volume. The volume also builds the world up a bit more by exploring the Defense Force back at their base during downtime. Overall this is a great continuation to the series and I am interested in seeing how the mystery of the human kaiju plays out!

I was ready to give up on this after I realized I'd read the first 30%, and then forgot about it for two weeks. It was worth returning for the last 70 - we got a bit of character development for several members of the team, and hints that maybe - just maybe - this story will progress regularly and not be a bit of a slog like much of the genre.

The next fight is big, detailed, easily followed, and shows the weapon on the cover well. Very much looking forward to continuing.