Kafka wants to clean up kaiju, but not literally! Will a sudden metamorphosis stand in the way of his dream? With the highest kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with the neutralization of kaiju. Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corpse cleanup man, has always dreamed of joining the force. But when he gets another shot at achieving his childhood dream, he undergoes an unexpected transformation. How can he fight kaiju now that he’s become one himself?! Kafka hopes to one day keep his pact with his childhood friend Mina to join the Japan Defense Force and fight by her side. But while she’s out neutralizing kaiju as Third Division captain, Kafka is stuck cleaning up the aftermath of her battles. When a sudden rule change makes Kafka eligible for the Defense Force, he decides to try out for the squad once more. There’s just one problem—he’s made the Defense Force’s neutralization list under the code name Kaiju No. 8. Gr 9 Up-At the age of 32, Kafka is resigned to the fact that in a world where kaijus (or monsters, in the vein of Godzilla and Mothra) exist and wreak havoc, he'll never be one of the ballyhooed members of the kaiju neutralization defense force, the Third Division. Instead, he's working in a field that while still important is far less appreciated: kaiju cleanup. When the Third Division raises the maximum age for new recruits to 33, and a chance encounter with a kaiju gives Kafka the ability to transform some of his body parts into kaiju ones (and, in turn, gain their strength and speed), he receives a second lease on life. This title follows the typical shonen hero formula, where an lead ordinary lead becomes extraordinary. However, that doesn't make it any less exciting. Peeks into the character's backstories give them and the narrative some depth. All female leads pack just as much of a punch as their male counterparts, if not more so. The pacing is quick and fun, and the artwork is sharp and detailed, particularly when it comes to the kaiju illustrations. VERDICT Absolutely worth the read. The anime is planned for 2023.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Naoya Matsumoto published his first serialized series, Neko Wappa! , in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2009. His next series, Pochi Kuro , began serialization in Shonen Jump+ in 2014. Kaiju No. 8 is his follow-up series.