Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon: Kafka's quickened journey is perfectly buttressed by an anime-original episode

Earlier this week, the Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon compilation anime film began screening in various international theaters, including in India and North America. The film primarily serves as a condensed recap of the events of the first season of the television anime series, which itself adapts mangaka Naoya Matsumoto’s original series.

While Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon cuts a significant amount of material to fit a movie format, Production I.G and the film’s staff make the right calls here. This is especially true thanks to the “Hoshina’s Day Off” original episode which screens with the film, giving the exact support the experience needs likewise.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon’s recap portion focuses on the major steps of Kafka’s journey

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Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon first showed its recap of the television anime’s first season. However, the film opened slightly differently than episode 1 with an anime-original sequence of protagonist Kafka Hibino and Mina Ashiro as children. This quickly transitioned into a Kaiju-form Kafka watching a hypothetical version of himself and Mina as they fought Kaiju together. He commented on “needing to go” after seeing this, with the film’s title appearing after.

This began the familiar opening sequence from the first season’s premiere, seeing a massive Kaiju attack Tokyo and the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force respond in kind. This led directly into Kafka’s official introduction as a cleanup worker. Later that night, he saw childhood friend Mina Ashiro, now captain of the Defense Force’s Third Division, on TV. This started a flashback scene, which saw a young Kafka and Mina promising to wipe out all the Kaiju together.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon saw Kafka question how he and Mina ended up on different sides of Kaiju combat as focus shifted to the next day. Reno Ichikawa was then introduced as a Defense Force hopeful looking to get experience. Kafka explained his reasons for quitting going into the Defense Force, with Ichikawa responding negatively in turn. Kafka and Ichikawa were then partnered together for work, where they got closer thanks to the former’s knowhow.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon condenses the start of Kafka and Ichikawa's friendship in expert fashion (Image via Production I.G)

After work, Ichikawa encouraged Kafka about going for the Defense Force again since the age limit was raised. This led into the appearance of a Yoju, with Kafka telling Ichikawa to escape and get help as he distracted it. This led into the full flashback of Kafka and Mina’s promise, revealing their hometown and loved ones as victims of a Kaiju attack. This inspired the two to fight Kaiju, with Kafka promising they’d fight Kaiju together as Defense Force officers.

In the present, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon saw Ichikawa first save Kafka, with both of them then being saved by Mina and her Third Division. However, she didn’t explicitly acknowledge Kafka at all here. He mused on how far the distance between them now was in the hospital that night as Ichikawa thanked Kafka for saving him. As he encouraged Kafka to go for the Defense Force again, Kafka agreed, calling Ichikawa a good guy while declaring his intent to try one more time.

The Mysterious Larva then appeared and infected Kafka, leading to his first transformation into Kaiju No. 8. After some brief comic relief based on the situation, Ichikawa and Kafka fled the hospital. This led into another flashback of young Kafka and Mina, where they were studying how to fight Kaiju so they could chase their goals. Kafka promised he’d be right beside Mina if she was ever scared, starting a transition into the present day where Mina called him a liar.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon's decision to center the recap's narrative on Mina Ashiro and Kafka Hibino is a shrewd one (Image via Production I.G)

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon then saw Mina and her Third Division called to eliminate No. 8, mobilizing likewise. Kafka, meanwhile, sensed that a Kaiju was about to emerge and was proven right. The Third Division altered course to this new Kaiju, with Kafka and Ichikawa also going. They arrived just in time to save a mother and her daughter from being killed, with Kafka’s incredible strength eviscerating the Kaiju with a single punch.

The Third Division was shown to have arrived after the pair fled, with the two then discovering they both advanced to the entrance exam’s next stage. Kikoru Shinomiya’s introduction played out here, with Mina learning of Kafka’s presence in this exam. Kafka was then shown to be one of the lowest ranked examinees in both the physical tests and in Unleashed Combat Power. Thankfully, Kafka still impressed in the practical despite his weakness and getting injured.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon then introduced Kaiju No. 9, who quickly and gravely injured Kikoru despite her incredible strength. After the dead Kaiju began reviving, Kafka arrived to save her just as he did in the television anime. No. 9 was then revealed to be disguising itself as a human and working at Kafka and Ichikawa’s old job while cursing its plan’s failure. Kafka was then accepted into the Defense Force, but as a cadet rather than a full-blown officer.

Soshiro Hoshina's early-series presence remains largely unaffected in Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon (Image via Production I.G)

The film then spent some brief time focusing on the new recruits’ training, and developing the supporting cast in between this training focus. Kafka and Third Division vice-captain Soshiro Hoshina then spoke about the former’s goal of standing by Mina’s side. The latter pointed out this effectively meant replacing him, which Kafka shied away from at first before admitting. An emergency then rang out, marking the trainees’ first mission.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon saw this fight against the Honju and its reproducing Yoju play out as it did in the anime. Despite not being able to fight directly, Kafka dissected the Yoju’s corpses in order to learn about them and give his fellow soldiers valuable intel. Mina was also shown to be incredibly powerful, further emphasizing the work Kafka had to do. After the mission, Kafka was officially promoted to a full-fledged officer thanks to his contributions.

Mina gave him words of encouragement here that confirmed she remembered their promise, and seemingly valued it as highly as he did and still does. She also revealed that she’d be leaving Tachikawa Base to go to headquarters about Kaijus No. 8 and 9, and the threats they pose. Later that night after studying and training, Kafka was preparing to go to bed when suddenly, what appeared to be meteors dropped down onto Tachikawa Base.

Hoshina's fight with No. 10 likely suffers the most from Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon's condensing of events (Image via Production I.G)

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon quickly revealed that these weren’t meteors, but groups of wyvern-type Kaiju of the Honju Class. As vice-captain, Hoshina gave orders while theorizing this attack was a coordinated one given the localized damage. Kafka, meanwhile, realized something was wrong and told Hoshina that wyvern-types are never seen in groups. As they both theorized the Kaiju were being led, that leader appeared before Hoshina himself.

This was Kaiju No. 10, who asked Hoshina if he was the strongest human on the base. While Hoshina was clearly confident in his answer, the Daikaiju before him quickly made it clear that he was a legitimate threat. Kafka, meanwhile, played his normal role and provided intel support to his fellow officers. As the rank-and-file officers’ combat proved more effective, Kikoru appeared on the battlefield with a new custom weapon in the form of a giant axe.

Kikoru’s weapon proved capable of letting her take out the wyvern-types on her own. However, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon saw her and Ichikawa utterly dominate the battlefield after beginning to work together. Hoshina, meanwhile, was struggling against No. 10 due to its incredible power and speed, as well as its tough armor. While he was able to do damage by aiming for the gaps in No. 10’s armor, he eventually began cutting through the armor as he wanted.

Kikoru Shinomiya's presence in Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon isn't as prevalent as it is in the television anime (Image via Production I.G)

This both whetted No. 10’s thirst for battle while also revealing where its core was located, with Hoshina seemingly destroying it in his next attack. However, both Kafka’s senses and Konomi Okonogi’s readings made it clear the fight wasn’t over yet. No. 10 then transformed into a giant mass, which began expelling incredibly hot steam while also increasing in strength. This mass eventually reformed into a new giant body, now too big for Hoshina to fight with his swords.

Likewise, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon saw Hoshina quickly defeated and all but killed by No. 10. As Kafka ran to save him and started transforming, Mina was suddenly heard on comms. Hoshina told No. 10 that he won this fight as Mina started firing shots at it from afar. Victory likewise seemed assured with No. 10’s defeat, with everyone relaxing likewise. However, they then realized a massive, explosive ball made up of wyvern-types crashing down on the base.

No. 10 told Hoshina that this fight was a draw as Mina and the others realized there was nothing they could do. Kafka then ran past the others, with Ichikawa telling him to stay back. Hoshina tried pursuing him, but paused when he realized Kafka was moving too fast for 1% Unleashed Combat Power. Kafka then transformed into No. 8, with Konomi confirming that the reading was coming from the real No. 8.

Mina's arrest of Kafka is the perfect endpoint for Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon's recap portion (Image via Production I.G)

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon saw Kafka apologize to Ichikawa before thinking of Mina. He then charged up an attack and launched into the sky, punching the bomb up high enough to save everyone’s lives from its explosion. Mina then arrested Kafka, calling him Kaiju No. 8, as the credits began rolling. However, an additional scene played out here giving some relative resolution to the recap portion’s events.

Mina was seen reading Kafka his rights and escorting him to headquarters. However, he interrupted her, asking if he can still strive to fight by her side. She paused before nodding and saying she’d be waiting for him, prompting Kafka to begin crying. The recap portion’s true final scene then played out, which saw Hoshina leading Ichikawa and the rest of the Third Division in a salute for Kafka as his escort drove away.

“Hoshina’s Day Off” serves as the perfect side-character-focused supplement to Mission Recon’s recap

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Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon’s original “Hoshina’s Day Off” episode began with Kafka Hibino sick in bed after stress-eating the day before. Kafka’s mind immediately wandered to using his Kaiju powers to fix his stomach, but Reno Ichikawa sensed this and immediately reprimanded him. Ichikawa headed outside and celebrated how beautiful a day it was to be off, as a flashback revealed most everyone in the Third Division’s recruits were off.

Ichikawa realized that Third Division vice-captain Soshiro Hoshina was off as well, with focus returning to the present where Ichikawa was exercising. As he realized he instinctively went to work out despite being off, he began panicking when Hoshina noticed and teased him. After wholeheartedly reminding him to enjoy his day off, Ichikawa asked Hoshina about his being off today as well. The vice-captain confirmed this before suspiciously walking off.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon saw Iharu Furuhashi arrive at that moment, sharing his intent to go work on his motorcycle for the day. Ichikawa then shared his suspicions about Hoshina’s day off activities, with Iharu theorizing he was going to see a woman. Ichikawa theorized that he was doing extra training, with the two’s disagreement sparking a bet on Hoshina’s activities. Focus then shifted to Hoshina driving around town, with Iharu and Ichikawa following on motorcycle.

Kafka Hibino takes a backseat in Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon's original episode "Hoshina's Day Off" (Image via ©JAKDF 3rd Division © Naoya Matsumoto/SHUEISHA)

Ichikawa was hesitating against this course of action, but Iharu convinced him to keep going by telling him to learn how to have a little fun. They followed Hoshina into a market, where he called Third Division captain Mina Ashiro and let her know he got the limited-edition snacks she wanted. Iharu and Ichikawa saw this, and were somewhat disappointed at first before arguing about who won or lost the bet.

As they did so, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon saw Hoshina tell Mina he didn’t mind doing her the favor since it was on the way to his destination. The two immediately stopped arguing and began tailing him again, as Hoshina found Kikoru Shinomiya, Hakua Igarashi, and Akari Minase were seen worrying about missing a reservation. Hoshina offered to give them a ride, with Iharu and Ichikawa continuing to tail him after he dropped them off.

Haruichi Izumo and Aoi Kaguragi were then seen shopping together for a camping trip, but evaluating what they should buy very differently. The two were interrupted by Hoshina, who suggested they buy used equipment to get it for significantly less than new. He departed after, with Iharu and Ichikawa tailing him by pretending to be eating at a restaurant. After Hoshina helped several citizens, they eventually followed him to a sketchy parking lot.

Hoshina's suspicious activities eventually draw the attention of everyone in Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon's "Hoshina's Day Off" original episode (©JAKDF 3rd Division © Naoya Matsumoto/SHUEISHA)

However, Kikoru’s group, and Haruichi and Aoi then appeared, with Iharu and Ichikawa revealing they were tailing Hoshina all day. Kikoru asked why Kafka wasn’t with them, prompting Iharu to tease her about her apparent feelings. Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon then saw a suspicious individual park next to Hoshina. The man then took a case from him which appeared to contain Defense Force equipment.

Iharu, Ichikawa and co grew incredibly suspicious of this, theorizing Hoshina was selling old technology on behalf of the Defense Force to fundraise. As they all argued about this, Hoshina had driven off, prompting the others to search for him. Upon reuniting after an unsuccessful search, they found Hoshina, who initially refused to answer their questions. However, his suspicious behavior was interrupted by several children coming up to hug him.

Kafka's absence in Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon's closing focus lets supporting characters like Ichikawa shine (Image via ©JAKDF 3rd Division © Naoya Matsumoto/SHUEISHA)

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon then revealed they were at the Tachikawa Disaster Prevention Center. This was effectively a youth center which educated kids on Kaiju, how they’re fought, and what to do when they attack in a low-stress, fun way. The man whom Hoshina gave the equipment to was revealed to be an ex-Defense Force soldier who worked at the center.

This of course started a montage of Iharu, Ichikawa, and the others playing with the children in the various educational activities the center had. Hoshina then approached Ichikawa and gave him stomach medicine for Kafka, revealing he knew they were tailing him from the start in the process. The original episode ended with Hoshina and co musing on the future as a Kaiju alert sounded, with the children entering an on-site bunker as Hoshina and co suited up for battle.

In summation

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The Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon theatrical experience is split up into two main parts, the first being a recap of the first season’s events. This section chronicles the start of Kafka’s journey through his arrest after revealing his powers to save Tachikawa Base. While the recap portion covers a significant amount of material, there are some major events left out. This includes Kafka and No. 9’s second fight, as well as Kafka’s brief fight with Hoshina shortly thereafter.

The second part of the theatrical experience is the “Hoshina’s Day Off” anime-original episode. This sees Reno Ichikawa and Iharu Furuhashi tailing Soshiro Hoshina on his day off to settle a bet on what he’s up to. However, as the day progresses, they grow much more suspicious of Hoshina’s activities. The anime-original episode pairs perfectly with the recap portion, giving a focus on several side characters which the season 1 recap had to understandably forgo.