Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon review: A well-intentioned recap that falls short of Production I.G's goals

With the television anime series’ second season on the horizon, all eyes were on the Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon recap film which began releasing internationally this week. Also including a brand-new episode with a completely original story, fans were optimistically curious to see how animation studio Production I.G would blend these two elements.

Certainly, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon is an especially ambitious and challenging anime project, looking to not only provide significant recap but add new material to the franchise. While clearly well-intentioned and handled with care, the project overall does seem to fall short of what Production I.G’s apparent intentions were.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon review: Exceptional slice-of-life episode overshadows an ambitious but overstuffed recap

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon chronicles protagonist Kafka Hibino's journey through most of season 1's events (Image via ©JAKDF 3rd Division © Naoya Matsumoto/SHUEISHA)

One of the most impressive aspects of Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon is how Production I.G restructured and reformatted season 1’s story for the project. Film-original scenes help significantly here, such as the film’s opening scene which sets the tone for its narrative framing. By putting protagonist Kafka Hibino’s relationship with Mina Ashiro at the center of the story via this opening sequence, this helps justify and explain some of the other choices made.

One major area to greatly benefit from this justification is the film’s pacing, which is noticeably fast even without comparing it to the television series. While inherent to a recap film, it does feel slightly too fast at times even if not unjustifiably so given what it is. The quickened pacing also hurts some characters’ introductions, especially in the supporting cast. Kafka’s backstory also takes somewhat of a hit, if only for that his past failures have to be rushed through.

However, making it clear that the recap film is focusing on Kafka and Mina helps to justify these choices. Production I.G also makes a great decision in developing Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon’s main narrative simultaneously with that of Mina and Kafka’s relationship, especially early on. This serves to better blend the two narratives into one, which was clearly Production I.G’s goal given where and how the film chooses to end.

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These Mina and Kafka scenes are also given obvious special care by Production I.G throughout the film. They receive some of the most noticeable touch ups, and the film-original scenes focusing on the pair are some of the most well produced. Other film-original scenes which don’t focus on them as a couple instead help smooth out the film’s approach to recapping season 1. These typically do so by giving the storytelling a more cinematic and Hollywood-esque feel.

One area where Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon’s approach to season 1 recap somewhat falters is the series’ trademark style of comedy. While some scenes benefit from the quickened pacing, others greatly suffer due to not being given the proper timing the anime intended them to have. Other memorable comedic scenes are outright absent as a result of larger sections of the first season being left on the cutting room floor.

Speaking of, one of the recap film’s most questionable choices is to cut several episodes which highlight Kafka’s second confrontation with Kaiju No. 9. This section of the series is incredibly memorable and looked on fondly by fans, and is also key to developing Kafka’s goals and desires. There are also other aspects of the recap which are hampered by this, especially when it comes to where the film chooses to end its season 1 recap.

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon's major highlight is the "Hoshina's Day Off" original episode (Image via ©JAKDF 3rd Division © Naoya Matsumoto/SHUEISHA)

However, the conclusion of Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon’s recap portion is still very satisfying considering where and how it chose to end. Likewise, the product is satisfying overall for what’s mentioned above and more. Slightly touched-up animation and the supporting cast still being acceptably developed are certainly appreciated. While there are other minor issues like weak sound direction relative to the television anime, the recap is still acceptable overall.

What is truly the highlight of the film project, however, is the “Hoshina’s Day Off” original episode which serves as the theatrical experience’s conclusion. Despite being a slice-of-life addition to a battle shonen series which could easily be phoned in, Production I.G goes above and beyond. Firstly, the animation quality is incredible, certainly up to the standard of other slice-of-life series in terms of its top-to-bottom consistency and quality.

CGI animation is also particularly well-implemented, used sparingly and mostly only when it would be preferable to 2D animation. However, there are some CGI scenes which go above and beyond acceptable to genuinely impressive and exciting execution and quality. Yet what truly carries the original episode is Production I.G’s character acting animation and the performance delivered by the episode’s voice cast.

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Likewise, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon shrewdly uses the original episode to incorporate and give focus and development to the rest of the Third Division. Kafka’s backseat in these events, as highlighted in promotional material and synopses, is obviously the first step here. Yet the narrative goes out of its way to include and focus on supporting cast members. Some characters receive more focus than others, but several are incorporated here nevertheless.

The focus on these characters is also narratively justified by Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon’s original episode, seeing the various Third Division subgroups all reuniting by its end. This helps to make not only the episode’s overall narrative more engaging, but also its conclusion. It’s incredibly fitting to the episode’s slice-of-life narrative, and also adds some welcome worldbuilding to the series, even if it is fairly minimal and unimpactful.

Final thoughts

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon is an experience worth going out of your way for (Image via ©JAKDF 3rd Division © Naoya Matsumoto/SHUEISHA)

Even with its flaws, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon is an excellently made recap film which at least justifies spending time and money to see it. Although it falls short in some areas and isn’t an acceptable substitute for season 1 overall, it’s perfect for fans who need a refresher. Television anime fans will also appreciate the slight narrative changes and animation touch ups in the film.

The “Hoshina’s Day Off” episode, however, is undoubtedly the theatrical production’s highlight. It’s an extremely pleasant and enjoyable episode which was clearly a high priority for Production I.G rather than something to go through the motions of. Although it’s certainly the theatrical experience’s selling point, the recap portion is by no means objectively or comparatively reprehensible.