Is the source material just as good?
Summary:
- Kaiju No. 8 is based on the manga by Naoya Matsumoto.
- The manga started in 2020 and is still ongoing.
- If you like the anime, you’ll like the manga too.
Kaiju No. 8 (Kaijuu 8-gou) is getting more and more popular each week. The anime adaptation is going strong, fans can’t seem to stop praising it, and the high scores (8.26 on MyAnimeList) speak for themselves.
Kaiju No. 8 is an anime adaptation of the manga series written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto. It started serialization in July 2020 and is still ongoing. New chapters are usually released once in two weeks, but there are small breaks sometimes. As of now, there are 107 chapters.
Is It As Good As the Anime?
Despite the manga score on MyAnimeList (7.72) being lower than the anime one, readers say it’s an incredible experience. The anime character design of Kaiju No. 8 has been criticized a lot since the moment the first visuals started coming out. But it’s not the manga issue, its art style is incredible.
All the characters look much more appealing in the original source, they have more personality, and there are more details. So if visual beauty is one of the most important things for you, the manga will be even better than the anime.
But when it comes to the story of Kaiju No. 8, there aren’t big differences for now. The anime is a rather faithful adaptation of the original material. Of course, there have been a couple of manga moments that didn’t make it into the anime, but readers think it’s nothing terrible.
The manga gave more perspective on Kafka and Mina’s past, so if you’ve already started shipping them or like their dynamic, the source material has some pleasant surprises for you. But to be honest, manga readers call those moments cut-worthy, so perhaps you’re not losing anything by only watching the anime after all.
It’s Not Perfect, But It’s Worth It
Kaiju No. 8 is not a perfect masterpiece, and fans admit that. It has some pacing issues and a lot of generic shounen tropes, but somehow it works. It’s an exciting and entertaining experience, packed with action, breathtaking moments and goofy humor. Kaiju No. 8 just knows how to charm you.
If you’ve been really enjoying the Kaiju No. 8 anime, it’s a great idea to start reading the manga, too. Even though it’s still ongoing, it features a bigger part of the story than Season 1 of the anime will. So if you’re tired of waiting for a new episode each week, start reading the manga, and you won’t be disappointed.