Kaiju No 8 Mission Recon review: Continuing the customary practice of anime recap movies dropping in theatres before the highly anticipated follow-up season, the brand-new Kaiju No 8 movie invests well in preparing audiences for what’s to come next. As usual, that comes at the cost of sacrifices, including various character-focussed subplots. Despite the common shortcomings, the new big-screen premiere validates the hype surrounding the popular sci-fi, action-packed expansion of an elseworld monsterverse.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Adapted from the original manga created by Naoya Matsumoto, Kaiju No 8 is animated thanks to the ambitious partnership between Production I.G. and Studio Khara, with A-1 Pictures as the animation production banner.

The Kaiju No 8 universe sends us tumbling into a Japan where colossal, blood-thirsty monsters run amok on the regular. Yet unlike many major live-action monsterverse storylines, or even Marvel features, this anime doesn’t just catch its heroes in action, fighting to subdue behemoths.

It also wins extra points for capturing the wearisome aftermath centred around doing the dirty work and sweeping up the grotesque remains of the heavy-duty clash between the human-led Defence Force and savage kaijus. The situation is so normalised and commonplace that those fighting off the monsters aren’t only cheered as mighty warriors but also form part of the bureaucratic machinery.

ALSO READ

Kafka Hibino: Kaiju No 8’s not-so ideal shonen MC

At the core of it all, Kafka Hibino, though an ideal shonen protagonist in terms of his underdog presence that is easy to root for, sits out of the usual circle of main characters leading such flashy action-packed sagas. Contrary to high-octane sequences being packed around a high-school-attending MC, Kafka Hibino’s once-passionate backstory positions him as a man in his early 30s whose years-old dream, though ever-present like a ghost of the past in the background, has faded into complacency while he experiences a midlife crisis.

In a lot of ways, his familiar circumstances make him all the more relatable, especially when he is juxtaposed with relatively younger colleagues embarking on the same dream path of battling it out as members of the Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defence Force (JAKDF). Presented as an aging misfit in the midst of athletic and agile aspiring squad members, Kafka’s character is doubly distanced from fitting in following a freak accident that turns him into a kaiju as well, flipping the whole Hunter and the Hunted narrative, and kickstarting his hearty origin story rooted in friendship and growth.

Kaiju No 8 Mission Recon review

In addition to Kaiju No 8 Mission Recon standing in as an origin story for a rather “Old Dude,” as most characters call Kafka, it fortunately doesn’t erase its rounded female characters. Thankfully, the movie (and the 12-episode first season) doesn’t reduce them to token inclusions or anime’s typical objects of voyeur pleasure — which means they step out dressed in logically fit costumes suitable for the battleground.

Nevertheless, the curse of recap anime movies hangs heavy on the Kaiju No 8 Mission Recon banner. Revisiting a condensed Kaiju No 8 Season 1 on the big screen has its merits and demerits. The former evidently translates into the mind-boggling visuals and animation that are best justified in theatres — a thought that must have crossed fans’ minds while watching the 12-episode anime through Crunchyroll’s streaming access. As for the latter, certain significant exchanges and character developments end up getting bypassed in the cinematic offering.

What’s missing from the Kaiju No 8 movie?

Vice Captain Hoshina and Kafka’s dynamic, though makes the cut, is simplified to a large extent. Director General Isao Shinomiya testing Kafka in battle also fails to fit into the movie runtime, which ultimately rips out some strands of the grounded character-driven emotional arcs and moral complexity of Kafka’s crisis. The latter’s absence will especially weigh heavily in the minds of those who’ve sat through the events of the entire first season of Kaiju No 8 because that’s exactly what sets the tone for the series’ continuation with a now-confirmed second season. Moreover, the spine-chilling introduction of a seemingly intelligent humanoid antagonist is also washed out of the movie which largely prides itself on its visuals (as it should).

ALSO READ

Kaiju No 8’s core humourous theme lives on in Hoshina’s Day Off – but at a cost

Instead of paving that path, Kaiju No 8 Mission Recon abruptly rolls out its credits. The post-credits sequence makes room for a bonus episode – Hoshina’s Day Off – centred around the second-in-command’s mysterious aura that everyone hopes to decode. Despite its loyalty towards the series’ heartwarming core of friendship, it feels a bit out of place. The makers presumably recognise that disjointedness, and hence place the additional episode after the credits to the recapped events of Kaiju No 8 Season 1 roll out.

It does its bit in leaving the viewers with a reminder of the Kaiju No 8 series’ overarching lighthearted elements while simultaneously demystifying Hoshina’s character. Hoshina’s Day Off’s incongruous placement after the events of a condensed first season, though merely identifies as an exclusive extra scene, delivers enough carefree charm to stick around for.

Kaiju No 8 movie review: Final verdict

All in all, the Kaiju No 8 movie comes with the same suggestive epigraph as many precursory examples of omnibus anime films: These recap additions can never substitute an episodes-long anime season. However, it doesn’t mean that it can’t step in as a thrilling piece of extra material, either. Kaiju No 8 Mission Recon settles in as a well-intentioned reminder of the popular anime’s ever-so beautiful animation and exceptionally potent battle choreography. Though not sufficient as a standalone offering, Kaiju No 8 Mission Recon fulfils its promise of entertaining the audience.

Kaiju No 8 Mission Recon is now playing in Indian theatres. The beloved action shonen anime returns for second season on Crunchyroll in July 2025.