Kaiju No. 8’s anime already looks as rad as the manga

Kaiju No. 8, the new science fantasy action anime produced by Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Heavenly Delusion), will stream exclusively on Crunchyroll when the series premieres next year, the streamer announced during its panel at New York Comic Con 2023. The forthcoming anime is due to debut next spring and feature monster designs courtesy of Studio Khara, the Japanese anime studio founded by Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno.

Based on Naoya Matsumoto’s manga of the same name, the series takes place in a world where monsters known as kaiju regularly cause disasters. Kafka Hibino, a 32 year old man who works as a member of a kaiju clean-up crew, dreams of one day joining Japan’s Anti-Kaiju Defense Force but has failed numerous attempts in the past to apply. After ingesting a kaiju, Kafka gains the ability to turn into a Kaiju himself. Concealing his new powers, Kafka reapplies to become a member of the Defense Force and fulfill his childhood dream.

Oh, and great news: The trailer looks like it rips! We get glimpses of life in this post-kaiju reality, including a great superhero landing by Mina Ashiro (Kafka’s childhood friend and the resident badass of the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force).

Mixed in with the shots of Kafka, Mina, and co. are the kaiju, who are alternatingly ferocious and gross (we see some of the havoc they wreak, including the destruction of whole buildings and massive blood splatters). And of course we see the kaiju infect Kafka — it’s gross! It’s great! And it’s all a promising tease for Kaiju No. 8 being one of the biggest anime premieres of 2024 already.