A new trailer has been revealed for Kaiju No. 8 and it addressed the initial criticism of the series in the best way. The upcoming anime looks pretty impressive, based on the latest trailer and key visuals released for it. Kaiju No. 8 has succeeded in capturing the attention of manga readers, and its anime adaptation could prove similarly successful.
Kaiju No. 8 has been serialized on Shonen Jump+ since 2020. So far, Naoya Matsumoto’s series has lasted ten volumes but has not yet ended. On YouTube, TOHO Animation shared a glimpse of the upcoming anime adaptation, produced by Production IG. The adaptation was announced in 2022 and has been met with mixed reactions.
Kaiju No. 8 might be better than fans initially thought
The trailer, which is the second trailer released to date, gets off to an explosive and bloody start. There was a kaiju attack shown, as well as some glimpses of the main characters of the series. If that wasn’t enough, the main premise of the series that Kafka Hibino becomes a kaiju will be revealed. The trailer showcases the main elements of the series well, showing off Kafka, Mina Ashiro, and Reno Ichikawa. Mina and Kafka aim to become part of the Self-Defense Forces, but only Mina succeeds, while Kafka is on the cleanup team to clean up after the attacks, as seen in the glimpse.
In addition, the official Twitter page of Kaiju No. 8 shared two key images, revealing some of the character designs. These have been met with much more positivity than previous glimpses. Fans have compared Production IG’s art style to that of mangaka Naoya Matsumoto in previous designs of the series and were not satisfied with the results. Reactions are more optimistic now as there seem to have been significant improvements to the designs, with animations also helping to make things look better when incorporating motion. Still, there’s likely to be reservations as with any new adaptation of a beloved manga.
Production IG has previously worked on hit anime series, including Kuroko’s Basketball, Ace of the Diamond, Ao Haru Ride, Haikyuu!, and Psycho-Pass, among others. Additionally, the trailer lists the Kaiju supervision undertaken by Studio Khara, known for its work on the Evangelion franchise. With so many successful credits, this series still has a lot of hope. The Japanese voice cast currently includes Masaya Fukunishi for Kafka, Asami Seto for Mina, and Wataru Katoh for Reno. Fukunishi previously voiced Tokyo Revengers. Seto voices Nobara Kugisaki in Jujutsu Kaisen and Katoh voices Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. Kaiju No. 8 will release in April 2024.
Source: Toho Animation on YouTube, Kaiju No. 8 on Twitter (1, 2)