This Beloved Shonen Anime’s Major Comeback Makes a Frustrating Season 2 Worth It

It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 hasn’t felt as fun to watch as the anime’s first season. After peaking with the tragic defeat of Japan Anti Kaiju Defense Force (JAKDF) Chief Isao Shinomiya, the Kaiju No. 8 anime has meandered along through a cold streak of boring exposition. Thankfully, Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22, “Cataclysms,” is here to get this beloved shonen anime back on track.

Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 doesn’t waste time in finally showing what Kaiju No. 9 had been planning all along: an all-out attack on the entire nation of Japan, not just a specific city or two. Kaiju No. 9’s devastating attack and the promise of more deadly action almost makes Kaiju No. 8’s most recent episodes worth the slog, but Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 still isn’t perfect.

Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 Takes a Dark Turn as All-Out War Finally Erupts Across Japan

It may have taken more episodes than necessary, but Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 finally returns to what it does best and what fans love the most: fighting and killing kaiju. The moment it starts, the episode doesn’t let up when it comes to showing the destruction and chaos caused by the kaiju’s sudden nationwide attack. Worse, the JAKDF expects more kaiju to emerge and wreak havoc. It’s also worth noting that the more powerful and self-aware kaiju have yet to make a move.

To say that this level of destruction is unprecedented by Kaiju No. 8’s standards would be an understatement. Kaiju No. 8 has always been consistent and reliable when it comes to showing how dangerous a kaiju attack would be on a city, but this is the first time that all of Japan is at risk. Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 properly establishes the final battle’s stakes in the prologue, where the kaiju attack unprotected and powerless civilians in different cities.

Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22’s prologue — but especially the wedding of Masahide Tokuda’s daughter — is the first time in quite a while that Kaiju No. 8 has felt so dangerous and tense. Since the JAKDF’s soldiers have specialized weapons and even superpowers in Kafka Hibino’s case, it can be very easy to forget that most people are helpless against these giant monsters. The tension is finally released when the JAKDF arrives in the nick of time, and ushers in the episode’s main event.

In a satisfying break from the last four episodes’ formula, Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 is light on narrative and heavy on action. The JAKDF’s response to the invasion is immediate and blunt. They barely make time for witty banter or emotional flashbacks. Killing the rampaging kaiju at all costs is all that matters. Normally, this would be a detriment to Kaiju No. 8, but given how meandering and repetitive its most recent episodes are, this change of pace is very welcome and needed.

Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 Gives Kikoru Shinomiya the Short End of the Stick

The first part of the spectacle in Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 focuses on Kikoru Shinomiya, while the second puts Vice Captain Soshiro Hoshina in the spotlight. Both are driven by their respective focal characters’ fights and displays of power, but this is done differently for Kikoru and Hoshino. In Kikoru’s case, she gets to unleash her full potential by donning her mother’s old Kaiju Weapon, Kaiju No. 4, while emulating her father’s unshakable strength.

Kikoru makes short work of the kaiju in her way while also showing that her rough training under Captain Gen Narumi paid off. However, Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 does this by having other characters talk for Kikoru. Specifically, the episode has Director General Eiji Hasegawa literally spell out what she must be feeling instead of giving these moments to her. It would’ve been better and more fulfilling for Kikoru to realize these things herself while in combat.

What’s more, Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 doesn’t give Kikoru that much characterization to work with in the first place. Granted, she wouldn’t have much time to do so since she’s in the middle of a mission. But when contrasted to how talkative and even tonally jarring Vice Captain Hoshina’s segment is, Kikoru really got the short end of the stick in this episode. For what it’s worth, it’s satisfying to see her newfound might that will most probably surpass that of her legendary parents.

Vice Captain Hoshina’s Comedy Routine Almost Ruins Kaiju No. 8’s Comeback

Technically speaking, Vice Captain Hoshina shares his spotlight with Kaiju No. 10: the captured superpowered kaiju who volunteered to become a Kaiju Weapon in exchange for being used in the best wars possible. Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 gives the unlikely duo of Vice Captain Hoshina and Kaiju No. 10 all the time they need. They take up a bulk of the episode’s runtime, and use it to slaughter hordes of kaiju while talking back at each other.

While Vice Captain Hoshina and Kaiju No. 10’s rampage is easily the most exciting part of Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22, it also almost ruined the entire episode. With kaiju simultaneously attacking the most vital parts of Japan’s national infrastructure and with the JAKDF’s forces spread so thin that sending in reinforcements is currently impossible, now is not the time for a buddy comedy. Despite this, Vice Captain Hoshina and Kaiju No. 10 bicker endlessly throughout their fight.

It gets to the point where even the support team on the other end of Vice Captain Hoshina’s radio literally call him and Kaiju No. 10 the “Comedy Duo Suit.” But to be clear, the mere existence of comedy in Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 is not the problem. It’s one thing to have some levity even in the midst of a dire situation, but it’s another to completely break the scene’s tension by having two characters engage in the kind of banter that better fits a comedy anime.

Whatever fear that an airport full of kaiju that are stronger than usual and whatever tension could’ve been derived from the weaponized Kaiju No. 10’s premature deployment is deflated by Vice Captain Hoshina’s need to scold Kaiju No. 10 for being so stubborn. Their dynamic is fun, but so many of their jokes and comical overreactions clash with current events. Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 is only saved by quickly it wraps up this segment to get to the exciting cliffhanger.

Production I.G. Finally Leans Into Exciting Action Again in Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22

Production I.G. is one of the best and most experienced anime studios working today, but its pedigree isn’t evident in Kaiju No. 8’s most recent episodes. For one thing, Production I.G. is best known for its stellar action and captivating thrillers. The lack of action and abundance of expository conversations in Kaiju No. 8’s last four episodes forced Production I.G. to animate the kind of scenes they aren’t good at. Thankfully, Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 plays to Production I.G.’s strengths.

Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22’s action is simple and effective. The JAKDF use guns and Kaiju Weapons to fend off the kaiju hordes to the best of their abilities. What the animation lacks in incredibly dynamic camera movements or displays of superpowers, it more than makes up for in the kaiju’s sheer scale and the amount of carnage on screen. Truth be told, Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22’s most effective scenes aren’t the fights, but the kaiju’s rampage in the beginning.

At its worst, Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 often cuts away from the action just when things are getting good. The episode does this to show bystanders’ reactions, or to show analysts literally analyzing the battle from behind their computers. This is understandable since it shows just how many people are involved in the operation, but it also inadvertently cuts the tension. Case in point, it would’ve been cooler if Kikoru’s attack wasn’t just a bunch of snippets interrupted by commentary.

Kaiju No. 8 Episode 22 is what fans deserve after enduring some of the anime’s slowest and most uninteresting episodes in some time. It brings back the action that excited fans in the first place, and it does so while never losing sight of the people underneath the JAKDF’s combat suits. Kafka’s fans will just have to wait a bit for the anime’s main character to jump into the fray, since his allies had to set the stage for what’s sure to be his epic comeback.

Kaiju No. 8 is now streaming on Crunchyroll.