Kaiju No.8 manga is another manga that I always want to write about right away after reading the manga.
Just like Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective, I decided to put the write-up about the manga on hold until the manga has more chapters coming out.
Of course, I need to be sure that the manga doesn’t get canceled midway. It doesn’t look good to me whenever I’m recommending a manga that ends prematurely.
Yes, I get that’s the nature of a serialized manga. There will always be a possibility that the manga will get canceled even if you find the manga to be interesting.
But still, I don’t like the idea of recommending a manga that ends prematurely on my blog. It doesn’t feel good to me even if the manga does have an interesting premise.
The good news is that doesn’t seem to be the case for Kaiju No.8 manga.
In fact, the third volume of the manga is already out now as I write this.
Will it meet its demise anytime soon? I can’t say for sure about that. But at least we can expect that the manga will have a proper ending like any other Jump Plus manga such as Jigokuraku and Summer Time Rendering.
For those who are wondering Kaiju No.8 is also known as Monster #8 in English.
What Kaiju No.8 manga is all about
Here’s the book description that I got from MANGA Plus.
A man working a job far removed from his childhood dreams gets wrapped up in an unexpected situation…! Becoming a monster, he aims once again to fulfill his lifelong dream…!
What got me to read this manga
My reason for reading this manga isn’t that much different from any other manga that I stumbled upon on MANGA Plus – it’s just there and I decided to give this a try.
That’s how I got to know this manga in the first place.
Yes, I know. It’s that simple.
I’m sure that other people who are reading Weekly Shonen Jump and Jump Plus manga are in the same boat as I am.
We just read any manga that comes our way. We will keep reading if the story is interesting enough. And we will ditch the manga if the manga is just meh.
So far, I tend to enjoy the manga on Jump Plus a lot more than the one on Weekly Shonen Jump.
Sure, there will always be a hit-and-miss pretty much for any series on Jump Plus.
But I will say that I like most of them. And that includes Kaiju No.8 manga.
What makes Kaiju No.8 manga worth reading
If there’s one thing I can say about the manga, then I will say it has a lot to do with it having an interesting premise.
First, we have an old dude who thinks that he already missed the boat to join Defense Force only because he failed the recruitment process before.
If you’re in a situation where you feel that the opportunity is no longer there for you due to your age and failure, then you can relate to what Kafka is experiencing.
It was thanks to the newbie in his workplace that made him decided to try joining the Defense Force once again.
But for some strange twist of fate, he ended up turning into a monster before he can turn his life around for the better.
Fortunately, he was able to revert to his human form whenever he wished. But it can still spell trouble for him if people from the Defense Force unit find out that he’s the monster that they label as No.8.
How is he able to keep things under the wrap while joining the Defense Force unit can be an interesting take, considering that he’s a most wanted monster.
On top of that, the manga is fast-paced too. Yes, it can be due to each chapter being short.
But it can also be that the story tends to be straight to the point, with no fluff and no lengthy explanation.
If that’s the kind of story you enjoy, then there’s no doubt that you’ll enjoy reading Kaiju No.8 manga.
What I didn’t expect when I read the manga
To be honest, I never thought that the manga will have a similar resemblance to World Trigger.
The only difference is the main character is an old dude who thinks that he’s a failure for not being able to pursue his childhood dream.
And the rest of the people in the Defense Force are older. Well, at least when you compare it to the age group in World Trigger where most of the recruits in Border are mainly in their teens. Only a handful of them is in their late teen to early twenties.
In addition to that, the story is a lot more fast-paced than World Trigger too. It feels like you can sift through the chapter quickly every time a new chapter comes out.
Well, that’s expected for a fast-paced story like Kaiju No.8. But I never thought that it will be over in less than five minutes.
I have to wait for another two weeks or so before the new chapter comes out.
Who should read this manga
If you’re already familiar with World Trigger, then there’s no doubt that you should give this manga a try since Kaiju No.8 is more or less has a similar concept.
Sure, the main character may not be that appealing to you. But the manga does have an interesting premise just as much as World Trigger.
Love reading seinen manga? Then you should give this manga a try too.
The only reason why you should avoid reading this manga? You don’t like action-oriented manga and you hate the main character who is an old, unattractive dude.
I have no issue with Kafka being an old, unattractive dude here. The only thing I care about is the story is interesting and it makes sense, at least in the context of the plot in Kaiju No.8.
Where to buy Kaiju No.8 manga
The good news is you can read the manga for free on MANGA Plus. Since the manga is Jump Plus manga, all chapters are viewable on the website and also on the app.
If you’d like to give the manga a try, you can read it for free right here:
Read Kaiju No.8 manga on MANGA Plus
I’m not sure if the manga will be available in print or not. But judging from how much people enjoy reading this manga, I won’t be surprised that the manga will eventually be licensed for print and digital format anytime soon.
I’ll let you know when the manga is available in print or digital format.
For those who can read Japanese, you can get the print version of the manga from CDJapan.
You can buy the Japanese version of the manga in print right here:
Buy Kaiju No.8 manga at CDJapan
Over to you
What do you think about Kaiju No.8? Are you interested in reading the manga after finding out about it through my blog?
Let me know in the comment below.
P.S If you enjoy reading light novels and you’re looking for a light novel that falls into the seinen category, then you may enjoy reading my Trigger Locked series.
You can download the sample chapter from the first book and also buy the book right here on Payhip. Here’s the link to the first book from the Trigger Locked series.
Trigger Locked Book 1: The Mind Control Assassins
Don’t forget to use the coupon code SEKINAMAYUBLOG during checkout to receive 25% off on the total order.
My book is also available for sale on other retailers too. Here’s a list of retailers where you can buy my book in digital and also in print online.