Movies News Talk
In an interview for Weekly Bunshun, Naoya Matsumoto disclosed the behind-the-scenes narrative of the writing and setting of his work, Kaiju No. 8, where he stated he created the manga after seeing Shin Godzilla by the famed Evangelion filmmakers, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi.
Once I saw the film "Shin Godzilla," I became once again fascinated by the "disaster aspect" of monsters. From there, I stretched the scene to create a more fascinating Manga world.
Long awaited work by Naoya Matsumoto, Kaiju No. 8 is a ground-breaking narrative that subverts common clichés while simultaneously featuring themes that fans adore about shōnen, so attaining great popularity. Since its premise of the protagonist Kafka Hibino having the ability to transform into a kaiju, the same creature he's seeking to fight, and wishing to fulfill his dream of protecting his country reminds fans of Eren Yeager's very own tragedy story, Kaiju No. 8 is a story of perseverance with common elements both with hit Animes like Naruto and Attack on Titans.
These tales couldn't be more different, though, since Kaiju No. 8 is lighter than AOT and the protagonist is a 32-year-old guy employed by a company that cleans kaijus rather than a young man. Viewers of shōnen and MonsterVerse both have been prompted to wonder about Kaiju No. 8's inspiration by this unusual environment.
Naoya Matsumoto would not have realized that, following inspiration from Shin Godzilla, the same filmmaker would be in charge of realizing his own kaiju in an animated rendition. Production I.G. in collaboration with Studio Khara, Hideaki Anno's own production company, animates Kaiju No. 8, with Kaiju artwork and character design oversight under his purview. Matsumoto's preferred studio turned his work into animation, therefore fulfilling another of his fantasies; he once laughed with a friend and said:
Even if I had to commit seppuku after seeing a sample of the first episode, I would welcome an anime adaptation of my Manga done by Production I.G. or Studio Khara!
Disillusioned Kaiju corpse cleanup worker Kafka Hibino dreams of serving in the Defense Force shielding Japan from terrible Kaiju attacks. Once he contracts a Kaiju parasite, his life veers off course and he gains the ability to metamorphose into a Kaiju personally. Called Kaiju No. 8, Kafka has to negotiate the twin life of a monster and a guardian while confronting rivals both human and Kaiju.
The manga takes place in a different universe where monsters abound and could become more powerful than any human, including those defending their nation. This series is most likely worth looking at for anyone drawn in sci-fi, fantasy, or action.
Fans should not be surprised by this disclosure given Kafka's Kaiju form obviously reminds of Godzilla, the Kaiju by excellence and king of monsters. Using the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and the following nuclear accident of Fukushima Daiichi as inspiration, Shin Godzilla is also the most horrific and dark but also the most fascinating portrayal of the monster in the franchise.
Although the creator of Kaiju No. 8 wanted to investigate the dynamics of monsters and disasters in a shōnen manga since the genre had few hits in that form, what justified the series to become a smash was basing the protagonist on himself. As a thirty-year-old who hadn't fulfilled his ideal, Matsumoto has turned his own hardships and frustrations into a work that appeals to a large audience. The development of the narrative and its success have been much aided by the inspiration discovered in Shin Godzilla and the personal connection with its protagonist.