Kaiju No. 8 by Matsumoto Naoya

 

This was not what I expected. Not even a little bit, so just know if you are going in with expectations that this is going to be a serious series about kaiju keep those because what you are going to get is so much better. 

Japan has got a Kaiju problem and sure the big problem with Kaiju is the hurt people. But there's another side most people don't think about and that's the disposal of the body of the enormous monster after the JDF takes them out. Kafka's job is to do just that, it's certainly not a glamorous job but hey someone's got to do it. One afternoon as Kafka is out training the newest member of the Kaiju clean-up crew, Reno, he and Reno are suddenly attacked by a Kaiju, Kafka risks his life to save Reno's. Inspired by his superior's bravery instead of evacuating Reno comes back to assist Kafka. This unfortunately leads to them both being hospitalized where something completely and utterly unexpected happens; Kafka swallows a tiny Kaiju and can now transform into one at will becoming Kaiju No. 8 the only Kaiju that has ever escaped the JDF.

This was hilarious, I was expecting this super serious manga about kaiju so I was completely surprised that I was laughing the whole time I was reading it. Kafka's character is great, he just rolls with it when he becomes a kaiju. I'm not sure I could be that accepting of becoming a monster but I'm glad he is because it leads to some seriously funny scenes. Reno is wonderful too. He comes off as kind of a jerk initially but his dedication to Kafka is really sweet. 

The designs of the Kaiju weren't really what I was expecting either, I expected them all to look more like Kafka's Kaiju form (the front cover) but they are kind of all over the place and I enjoyed that. Kafka's is by far the coolest, at least as far as I've read. 

Overall, this easily became one of my new favorites. And honestly, I can't imagine it falling off of that list any time soon. Highly recommend it to any looking for a new series to start, especially since it sounds like it will be getting an anime soon.