Welcome to This Week in Shonen Jump, our weekly check in on Viz’s various Shonen Jump series. Viz has recently changed their release format, but our format will mostly remain the same. We will still review the newest chapters of one title a week, now with even more options at our disposal. The big change for our readers is that, even without a Shonen Jump subscription, you can read these most recent chapters for free at Viz.com or using their app.
This week, Rowan checks in with “Kaiju No. 8.” If you have thoughts on this or any other current Shonen Jump titles, please let us know in the comments!
Kaiju No. 8 Chapter 40
Written and Illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto
Reviewed by Rowan Grover
Chapter 40 is a slower and more exposition filled detour in this series, taking breaks to show the more human side of the First Division captains and do a little bit of character ranking and shuffling around. There are some interesting politics present, but most of this feels like it could be relegated to half the amount of page real-estate that it gets. Matsumoto does a good job writing the brash and egotistical young Captains of the First Division in the first section of the story, as they boast and brag about who did better in the latest Kaiju battle and who was unfairly scorned in the media. Gen Narumi’s usual cool head is juxtaposed by a shrieking madness as he sees his name neglected in the newspapers about the battle. This is all witnessed by the First Division’s attendant, Shinomiya, who acts as a great deadpan audience fulfillment character in this section, baffled as to the captain’s attitude.
This, however, is the best part and shortest part of the chapter. Three quarters of this chapter is spent on the JAKDF’s decision to promote Kafka to First Division, whilst Gen tries to rebuke this decision. It’s an interesting look into Gen’s more decisive and calculating personality as he suggests turning Kafka into a weapon that Gen himself can use, much to Kafka’s dismay. The reference that Kafka makes to his personal resolve also strikes an interesting chord with readers. However, the whole conversation feels overly deconstructed, using repeated close up shots on characters like Kafka and Gen and members of the JADKF to overcompensate for a sense of drama.
The linework in this issue is clean and stripped back, more in service to delivering and not distracting from the dense character conversations. There’s some fun character work in the first scene, playing with exaggerated angry faces on Gen as he discusses his media presence, and a much more bored look on Shinomiya as she silently tolerates his insecurity. This more than anything in the narrative creates a sense of camaraderie between the two, that they have a friendly bond worth keeping an eye on in future issues to come. Seeing Gen then switch to a heavily put-on calmness is entertaining, too, as he tries hard to fool Shinomiya and tell us that he’s over the past conflict and moving forwards. It’s pretty clever character work!
The rest of the issue is a bit more of a slog, like with the scripting. The whole scene takes place in a generic courtroom looking environment, with even the JADKF symbol looking out of place and slapped-on. Matsumoto does some slight camera tilts and dramatic speedline movements in some panels, but it’s clear that he’s trying hard to work with a spread that doesn’t want to budge too heavily. The best character work in this scene is with Gen, who remains cocky and confident as he tries to buck the JADKF’s decision to promote Kafka, retaining a calm sense of arrogance the entire debate. However, it doesn’t stop from the scene feeling like it drags a little too long.
Final Score: 6.0 – “Kaiju No. 8” is still a solid manga but this is definitely a weaker point in the series and feels more like a write-off chapter than something genuinely plot moving.
