Kaiju No 8 Mission Recon Review: Season 1 Recap Fit For Old/New Fans

The film is a recap of the show and follows through on the main aspects of the story, and leaves just enough for the new fans to want to watch the series. On the other hand, the film would be a good big-screen experience, but it doesn’t add much to the story or hint at what to expect in the new season. The show has been one of the best of its season, and the film will bring up the hype for its upcoming seasons, but it’s a film that does not add much for fans.

The film begins with a Kaiju causing another major disaster in a city until the third division shows up to clean the mess. But in killing the Kaiju, they also end up creating a bigger mess for the cleaning company, who have to clear the area for reconstruction. Within the first 20 minutes, we are introduced to all the main characters, including Kafta Hibino and Mina Ashiro. Both childhood friends had made a promise to be the cooler member of the Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defense Force (JAKDF), but while Mina ends up as an officer, Kafta fails the exams and ends up working for a cleaning agency.

But when Reno Ichikawa appears at the agency as a cleaning intern, things change for the better. One day after cleaning the Kaiju’s corpse, they are attacked by a smaller monster named Yoju and in an attempt to save Reno, Kafta puts himself in danger. After calling in for help, Reno comes back to save him, making them friends who can rely on one another, even if one of them becomes a Kaiju. For the rest of the run time, the film explores how Reno helps Kafta hide his Kaiju strength and get into the academy and become an officer.

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Kafta does his best to stay hidden while making sure no one in their ranks is in danger. And if there is a bigger threat looming, Kafka turns into the Kaiju to take care of it. The film does cut out many major fights from season 1, including the one between Kaiju No. 8 and his team leader, Soshiro Hoshina. It does feel like a bummer as watching those fights on the big screen would be more enjoyable for fans. On the other hand, the film gives just enough to a new audience so that they feel the need to check up season 1 before the new episodes drop.

There aren’t any major changes in the animation for the big screen, but it would appeal to the fans of the show. The voice acting doesn’t have any major changes or a different impact on the film, but the soundtrack of the anime series is better and adds a different charm to the performance. The film does have additional material, diving into the characters after the events of the first season, but instead of a major plot change or confirmation of the next villain, we get a simple filler. While fun to watch, the filler is not the right choice for a theatrical release, as the recap also takes up the majority of the runtime.

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Overall, the film has a fun vibe to it, but it might not be enough for the die-hard fans of the anime.

Cover artwork by Patrick Gawande/Mashable India