Kaiju No. 8

[StaK]

I really love this.
But how do I put this... I hate that this seems like its gonna be one of those stories where the MC keeps his powers secret and gets treated as worthless normally.
If hes

Spoiler

the strongest monster to ever appear then he should be openly fighting in monster form together with the defense force; given the necessity of strong defenders the government would likely be willing to work with him (and run a few tests or whatever - the detaisl of which would even make a good filler arc) and he'd get to be a VIP and actually treated well, perhaps even figure out whats going on with his transformation (like what the fuck that think that flew in his mouth was) and more importantly it might allow the government to replicate the process to some degree (we can already see theyre open to using monster tech from the suits) and maybe turn the tied of this monster war. Also if things were like that hed be able to fight alongside his childhood friend, and even impress her with his power -- also it seems like the childhood friend is gonna regret giving him the cold shoulder once the new blonde girl steals the mc from her somewhere down the line (just a guess).

I just want to see a modern setting story where the MC gets treated well and has his power acknowledged. (Thats part of whats so refreshing about Solo Leveling... >>super Sololeveling spoilers ahead so dont click this second spoiler unless youve read the novel>>

Spoiler

...until that stupid time travel crap, after which we return to the cliche "Im a demigod but it's a secret, for dumbass reasons" trope. --Still a good story but such a bummer way to go out; at least he keeps the the powers and girl

)

 

[LaxAlias]

Chapter 8 has been out on Mangaplus for a little while. It's a good one too.

 

[Turkeyjerkey]

It's basically solid, but held down by its adherence to conventions. The developments so far have been very standard and predictable.

Spoiler

The moment that blonde girl appeared I already knew she would be built up as a arrogant prodigy with daddy issues, then get defeated by an enemy and have to be rescued by the mc. Then, all the little boys projecting themselves onto the mc get to feel "badass" and she gets "put in her place" and will no doubt fall in love with him.

This formulaic writing can be an issue because it destroys the tension. When a character is supposedly in danger, I don't feel anything at all because the author is not bold enough to do anything surprising. I don't believe for a second that they'll kill off a character at an unexpected time. If anyone does die in this series, it will be in some over overdramatic, predictable fashion that I'll see coming so far away I won't even care. The only at risk character in this series is his sidekick who will no doubt die in some heroic sacrifice or get murked by the main villain near the end to raise the stakes.

Saw someone earlier comparing this to Chainsaw man, which gave me a laugh. Chainsaw Man and Fire Punch are good because of their lack of adherence to standard storytelling. It makes then genuinely unpredictable. Their characters come across like actual human beings even if they're odd, not just vehicles for the comedy and plot. They also did a much better job of being comedic while keeping the serious moments dramatic. They keep the comedy and drama separate instead of flip flopping back and forth. When there is comedy in the middle of dramatic scenes, it's morbid or surreal comedy. It isn't fourth wall breaking jokey jokes where the characters turn into cartoons and suck out all the tension. Comedy and drama are difficult to balance, and this series fails to do so.

Having the mc blow away what are supposed to be threatening enemies in one hit provides a cheap moment of catharsis for those seeking a power fantasy, but it wears off quick and comes at the cost of gutting the tension. That's not a card you can play over and over without diminishing returns, and so many other series have used it that it just does nothing for me. If you want an example of how to do this right, look at Berserk. Guts occasionally gets to blow away some weaklings, but he spends most of the time getting the shit kicked out of him. His tougher fights are so much of a struggle, that when he occasionally gets to beat up some small fry it's a cathartic break for the reader. He earns those moments by suffering. Here, instead of struggling his way to victory, the mc is either completely helpless in his human form, or completely overpowered in his monster form. Rather than blowing them away, it would a lot more engaging if he had use his wits and fight for every scrap of an advantage he could get. If every one of these kaiju posed a real threat to the mc, the stakes would be much higher. But no, the author opted for wacky comedy and cheap power fantasy instead.

I hope this branches out into more interesting directions. It just doesn't seem to have the ambition to be anything more than a fun comedy action series. Most people will enjoy it for that, but I guess that's just not good enough for me anymore. I went into this series wanting to love it, but once you've experienced better writing, it's hard to go back. I'll keep reading for a little while in the hope it will surprise me.

 

[thedestroyership]

I believe this has good potential.

Let's just hope it doesn't become another fireforce and start power climbing without any direction.

 

[luxord91]

Great balance of badass and comedy. Top of my list

 

[inel]

dayum, this is lit af. Thx for the chapter

 

[SuperRobot9]

Gonna have to agree with Turkeyjerkey but its still enjoyable.

 

[satorito]

This manga crazy as hell I love it

 

[Siquall]

Ok, i didn't know how to feel about Shinomiya at first (you know, she could be the usual tsundere who hit Mc...), but i must say i really like her character, much more than the childhoold friend who never supported him when he was not feeling well.

 

[punpun]

Oh shit it's Pochi Kuro's author, happy they got a hit!

 

[charleswolfe]

Two chapters in I'm utterly in love.

 

[lionfromnorth]

This is gold. I can see this getting an anime in 2-3 years.

 

[dfsfhfdgjsffsh]

This listing of chapters that link directly to where it can be read is awesome, why the heck isn't this done for a bunch of other stuff?

 

[SemiNoodle]

The nice mix of comedy, serious drama and action really makes this series work (so far anyway).

 

[dsid2814]

any subgroups workin on this?

 

[SmokeWagon]

Not bad so far

I'm getting Parasite The Maxim vibes from it

 

[xyzzy]

@dfsfhfdgjsffsh

Because most of the other official sources either cost money (simulpubs by Kodansha and Yen Press) or are located on an app.

 

[Kin_tin]

Cool manga with a good start. I hope it doesn't go overboard on the mc's powers with him always on the action, kills the tension quickly. I hope that the author can sort out the power creep problem without fucking shit up which most shounen mangas fail.

 

[ArcBrunestud]

Cool start. Too bad MangaNegative has a hold on it, asinine quality and reader.

 

[Reitai]

Probably not the right place to ask but anyone know why Chapters 4+ in English by MangaPlus don't show up in Tachiyomi? Never mind, I figured it out!