MANGA REVIEW | "Kaiju No. 8: B-Side" - Volume Two [FINALE]
Considering the plethora of strong heroes in Kaiju No. 8, it’s nice to see the ones outside of Kafka and Mina being given the spotlight. Kaiju No. 8: B-Side allows the fans to get a deeper glimpse of how these soldiers transformed into the heroes that they are now. While Soshiro was the focus in most of the first volume, we got a bit of a hint of Kikoru’s training style towards the end. Not only do we see the final half of that story, but Kaiju No. 8: B-Side tells the tale of arguably the best character of the franchise: Gen Narumi!
Even though her dad’s the head honcho, Kikoru still needs to learn how to be a better kaiju slayer. Her fight with a massive crab demonstrates not only her strengths, but also her many weaknesses. Her constant will to push herself more in the fight may seem like a strength, but as she experiences, that takes a bad toll on her body. That is, until Kikoru finds the perfect weapon.
Watching that moment where she finds the perfect axe will give any reader goosebumps. It’s like watching King Arthur find Excalibur, or Ash his chainsaw arm. While it’s not as massive as the sword she’s been given, the axe has more of an oomph to its power. The crab kaiju may be a formidable opponent, but it can’t compete with a plethora of whacks to its hard shell, courtesy of Kikoru. (She may also be a bit hungry while this is happening, a good thing considering crab’s a mighty tasty dish!)
Gen Narumi gets his moment to shine in the rest of Kaiju No. 8: B-Side. You learn about his past, growing up an orphan and striving for greatness. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a big surprise that even before he joined the First Division, he always had the ability to kill kaijus. The sight of Narumi holding the head of a behemoth impresses vice-captain Itami, enough so that he wants him to sign up!
What Itami didn’t count on was Narumi’s slacker-like attitude. He’s a gamer, first and foremost, meaning his Switch takes top priority. On top of that, he lacks any sort of filter when it comes to showing his thoughts and feelings. It’s an attitude that would get anyone fired with a snap of one’s fingers. Thankfully, while it may not look like it, Narumi’s blood is filled with pure determination.
The battle with a plant-like kaiju is where we see just how focused of a warrior Narumi is. With the aid of a power from Kaiju No. 1, Narumi is able to predict enemy movements in an almost god-like manner. But when the quantity of monsters seems to overtake him, vice-captain Itami comes in to be his tag partner. And there, we’re treated with some sweet kaiju carnage, as Narumi and Itami turn the beast into salad!
The last story even shows how grateful Narumi is to the First Division. With no memory of home or family, Narumi had nothing to fight for, other than himself. Now with a team behind his back and friends he can depend on, the will to live, move forward, and become stronger fills Narumi’s heart. With that being said, his attitude and love of games never changes, and perhaps that’s for the best.
It’s a same that there are only two volumes of Kaiju No. 8: B-Side. There are so many other side characters in the franchise that deserve their own stories, and with the main series finished, who knows if their tales will ever be told. Writer Keiji Ando and artist Kentaro Hidano did a terrific job adding more lore and back story to Naoya Matsumoto’s creation, so one hopes that the duo will one day return to the Kaiju No. 8 world and give some of the other members of the First, Third, Fourth, and Sixth Divisions as much love as they did with Soshiro, Kikoru, and Gen.
VOL. 2 RATING:
FINAL GRADE [series]:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
