Ahead of its Season 2 premiere, Kaiju No. 8 is smashing its way into theaters with a brand-new anime movie. However, does Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon do justice to Shonen Jump‘s breakout hit of 2024?
Rotten Tomatoes, the popular review aggregator website for TV and films, has launched its review page for Kaiju’s No. 8’s new anime movie. Mission Recon, similar to Solo Leveling -ReAwakening-, is a compilation film that recaps the major story events from Season 1, just in time for the upcoming premiere of Season 2 this July. Only a handful of officially published reviews are available to read online, meaning that an official Rotten Tomatoes score of «Fresh» or «Rotten» has yet to be given. However, the several reviews already up and running offer a clear enough picture of whether anime fans should bother with this theatrical adaptation of Shonen Jump’s latest title, as well as revealing its current Popcornmeter (verified audience) score.
Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon Debuts With Positive Rotten Tomatoes Score Ahead of Season 2 Release
Ayaan Paul Chowdhury of The Hindu published a glowing review for Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon. «The action sequences are glorious,» Chowdhury said, «blending parkour-style movement with meaty, Godzilla-meets-Evangelion chaos.» The comparison to Neon Genesis Evangelion is appropriate, as Studio Khara – the production studio of Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno – worked on the monster designs for Kaiju No. 8. Christopher Cross of Asynchronous Media also praised the new compilation film: «Suffering from many of the downfalls of the omnibus film, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon makes up for those with tremendous set pieces and a compelling wrinkle in its narrative that unfortunately fails to be adequately addressed before the credits roll.»
The serious complaint about the film’s unintentional cliffhanger due to being limited to Season 1 details was also acknowledged in CBR’s positive review of Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon by Daniel Kurland. «Unfortunately, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon’s action spectacles reach a rather abrupt ending caused by the natural limitations of a compilation film,» Kurland said. «After a flashy, action-packed climax, Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon abruptly ends. The ending makes it clear that Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon isn’t equipped to be a standalone story if subsequent compilation films never come to fruition.» However, the bonus anime episode, «Hoshina’s Day Off,» is an entertaining one-off that provides enough reason for fans to march into theaters.
Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon is available to watch in North American theaters as of April 13, 2025. The film’s current audience score is at 75% positive. In comparison, the original anime TV series that aired in spring 2024 on Crunchyroll and X (formerly Twitter) is 100% «Fresh,» with an audience score of 90% positive.
Crunchyroll describes Kaiju No. 8 as a story revolving around «Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old longing to join The Defense Force and make good on his promise to a childhood friend, Mina Ashiro. He befriends a new coworker, Reno Ichikawa, while cleaning up Kaiju remains. His determination to join The Defense Force inspires Kafka to fulfill his childhood promise to pass the entrance exam and join Mina to protect humanity. When a small Kaiju burrows itself inside Kafka, he gains superhuman strength and powers fit for fighting Kaiju. He works to earn the trust of his human teammates, defeat increasingly powerful Kaiju, and keep the world safe.» Season 2 of Kaiju No. 8 is slated to release in July 2025, with a specific release date yet to be confirmed.
