English Dub Review: Kaiju No. 8 “The Strongest Division”

Overview:

Kaiju No. 9 appears for the third time, splitting in two and overwhelming the Defense Force.

Our Take:

We finally saw Kikoru’s backstory, and yes, it’s as sad as we thought it would be. Her mother died in the line of duty, but the strength she instilled in her daughter came in clutch this episode. Kafka could not transform into Kaiju No. 8 because he was worried that he would kill his friends. Kikoru reminded him not to underestimate how strong they are, but more importantly, how strong he is. If the worst should happen and he loses control, then he knows that they could stop him.

My main disappointment so far this season has been the animation. It feels like the fight scenes haven’t been as crisp and put together as last season. Kafka’s fight with No. 9 in this episode felt very lackluster in comparison to other fights in the show so far. If you looked away for a second, you would have missed it. I remember being on the edge of my seat and hyped up for every fight scene in the first season, and thus far, that hasn’t been the case. We’re only three episodes in so far, though, and I have faith it can turn around.