Kaiju No. 8: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Kaiju No. 8: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

There something undeniably charming about Kaiju No. 8 that blooms from its very first episodes. Japan's once again in peril from giant monsters, and there's an elite team of soldiers tasked with fending them off... but somehow, this series manages to find a way to make that formula entertaining. Instead of an eager young hero, we get Kafka Hibino, a 32 year old man who gave up on his childhood dream to join the Defense Force.

He takes jobs cleaning up kaiju remains for a private company, a fitting position for a man who dreamed of being at the front lines but never had the skill or talent to actually get there. His life gets uprooted when he meets Reno Ichikawa, a young and passionate coworker who inspires Kafka to pursue his dream. And, because this is a kaiju show, everything goes horribly wrong for Kafka.

The self-discovery that propels the main character in Kaiju No. 8 is a perfect blend of humor and drama, fueled by the series' single most compelling twist. Kafka Hibino has the means and (inexplicable) power to become a kaiju, one of the creatures that the Defense Force is supposed to kill and the team's foremost threat. The series has a great sense of humor and knows how to balance the absurdity of its protagonist's situation with the drama of him trying to become the hero that he wants to be.

The first season of Kaiju No. 8 adapts twelve episodes of the manga, following Kafka from bitter failure to rookie soldier, meeting strange allies and enemies along the way. It's a fast paced experience, one that rarely slows down to focus on anything other than the next exciting monster fight. While the breakneck pace may hurt character development, there's enough charm and action to keep viewers engaged.

The sheer speed at which the season tells its story is both its best asset and its greatest weakness. Kaiju No. 8 doesn't waste any time on exposition or emotional attachment, throwing protagonists into monster fights and explosive action sequences right from the get-go. After discovering his powers, Kafka spends the next several episodes trying to balance hiding his new persona with his desire to join the Defense Force. He and Reno become close friends, Kafka begins a romance with Mina Ashiro, and the Defense Force continues to take down giant kaiju with little regard for their own safety. There's enough going on in these twelve episode for a much longer series.

Pacing issues aside, the season has enough personality to keep viewers entertained. And, in a bizarre but wonderful twist, once the action proper begins, Kaiju No. 8 is more than prepared to deliver.

Production I.G. has a great hand in that, delivering stunning visuals and explosive action sequences. The monsters are large and imposing, the battles are chaotic and bloody, and the action choreography is frequently breathtaking. The very concept of Kaiju No. 8 is an exercise in contrasts, and the production team knows how to highlight that. The character designs are just as expressive, giving the series a distinct look and an instantly recognizable monster.

This cast is the real star of the show, though. Kafka Hibino, the series' namesake, is a vastly different kind of hero. He's older, more jaded, and easily the least powerful main character in anime. And yet, his determination and heart shine through regardless. He has the smarts of a veteran monster wrangler and the foolish passion of a inexperienced rookie, two talents that the Defense Force certainly needs.

The supporting cast is equally memorable. Reno Ichikawa is the ideal frenemy to our protagonist, and Kikoru Shinomiya is a far more intimidating force than most anime heroes would like to admit. Mina Ashiro embodies the ideal of a lifelong hero, one of the many things that Kafka strive for. And Soshiro Hoshina... well, he adds another layer to the military leadership of the Defense Force.

The series knows how to utilize its characters, even when they're fairly standard fare for the genre. Kaiju No. 8 has a clear idea of what kind of show it wants to be, and it knows how to layer its styles and themes without losing sight of its core contrasts. The humor and drama never overshadow the monster action, and visa versa. But what if the action isn't up to snuff? That's where the animation comes in. The animation is incredible.

Kaiju No. 8: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll. Presented in 1080p High Definition, with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Kaiju No. 8 makes a great transition to Blu-ray. The North American standard release is noted as a two-disc BD-50 set of MPEG-4 AVC encoded episodes, and the Limited Edition presents the entire twelve-episode first season across two discs too.

The image is clean, clear, and detailed. The character designs maintain good line definition, with facial features, uniforms, hair, and more rendered cleanly without excessive artificial enhancement. The animation's digital nature is easily visible, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Blu-ray retains the clean look of the digital aesthetic, while still having enough resolution available to notice the great detail in the episode's artwork.

The show's use of color is equally impressive. The series often shifts between rather bland normal-world settings and much more colorful action pieces, and the Blu-ray has no issue with either. The various military uniforms, warning lights, explosions, blood effects, and kaiju designs all offer the color palette an opportunity to shine, and the encode takes full advantage of that.

The show's use of darker colors is just as noteworthy, as the encode manages to keep appropriate detail in the shadows without it looking overly crushed out, and nighttime scenes still manage to look appropriately moody.

Wider areas of uniform color don't appear overly smeared out, either, and visible compression artifacts are few and far between. The encode gives the animation enough breathing room to really have fun with it, especially when it comes to the more detailed action pieces. Quick, busy shots with lots of debris, smoke, and other effects can be difficult to properly encode without losing detail, but the Blu-ray has no trouble maintaining the detail in fast- paced shots. The character and monster designs also greatly benefit from the upgrade.

Kaiju No. 8's great black-and-white forms have plenty of fine lines and detail in their designs, and the Blu-ray allows the characters to maintain their imposing presence on screen. The larger kaiju also have unique textures and features that are given a proper visual upgrade across the high- definition format.

The Blu-ray isn't simply providing a convenient way to watch the episodes, but also a stable high-definition presentation to fully enjoy the artistry and detail in the show's animation without the complications of online compression and streaming issues.

Kaiju No. 8: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The North American Blu-ray offers Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 options. English subtitles are provided.

The English 5.1 mix is especially well done for an action-oriented series. The dialogue is cleanly placed at the front center while other sounds such as the environment or large-scale events are well-integrated into the surround channels. Gunshots, explosions, collapsing buildings, kaiju attacks, and other destructive events provide ample opportunity for the soundtrack to use the extra channels.

The larger battles provide the most satisfying example of the audio mix. The sound of giant creatures smashing into each other and military installations is satisfyingly gigantic. Low-end effects add impact without dominating the conversation.

The Japanese option provides a more standard stereo mix, but it is clean and satisfying as well. Both tracks have excellent dialogue, however.

The musical score is also worth mentioning since it provides the series with a suitably exciting identity and the use of orchestral and modern instrumentation. The series' theme songs during the opening credits and ending credits add the expected anime flair.

Kaiju No. 8: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

Promo Videos (HD, 12:30)

Disc 2:

Music Videos (HD, 5:48)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:31)

Textless Ending Song (HD, 1:32)

The Limited Edition has the same core video extras as the standard release of the show, including promo videos, music videos, and textless openings and endings. The real draw is what comes with the discs.

The Limited Edition:

Crunchyroll has made this with collectors in mind. It comes in a glow-in-the-dark box with a special slipcover, instantly setting it apart from the standard Blu-ray.

An appropriately themed presentation for Kaiju No. 8, with the glow-in-the-dark treatment not being something that often comes with a regular anime release, but one that fits with the monsters of the show and makes it stand out on a shelf.

There are also a few physical collectibles.

A Kaiju No. 8 acrylic standee that glows in the dark, five character art cards with Kafka, Reno, Kikoru, Hoshina, and Mina, and a metal-finish Kaiju No. 8 art card.

The standee is arguably the best value of the physical products. Something that makes you feel like you've gotten something to display on the shelf outside the box, and the card with a metal finish adds an appropriately premium touch.

The centerpiece, though, is the 160-page art book.

It's a substantially richer experience than the thin promotional booklets that often come with anime releases, and it's focused on production material like Japanese staff interviews, concept art, and storyboards.

This makes the book more than just another decorative object in the box. It gives insight into how the world and characters of Kaiju No. 8 were created for the screen.

The Limited Edition lives up to being a special product for collectors. Its various physical components feel thematically linked to the series, with the box, standee, cards, and art book not feeling like disparate odds and ends thrown into a larger box and packaging set.

Kaiju No. 8: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kaiju No. 8 arrives on Blu-ray at precisely the right time for physical-media collectors. The Blu-ray presentation complements the production nicely. The 1080p image is clean and detailed, while the lossless audio options provide a satisfying presentation of both dialogue-driven scenes and large-scale monster battles. The supplemental material on the discs is modest, but the Limited Edition more than compensates with an impressive assortment of physical collectibles.

The glow-in-the-dark packaging is an especially nice touch, and the 160-page art book elevates this beyond a simple season box set. This is the sort of release that demonstrates why premium physical-media editions remain appealing even in an increasingly streaming-focused market.

For fans of the series, this is a particularly attractive way to own Season 1. For collectors, the combination of distinctive packaging and substantial printed material makes the Limited Edition stand out from the standard release.

Highly Recommended.