Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 Episode 4 Was Good

Article at a glance:

• Season 2 has lost some of the charm that made Season 1 so special, even when it delivers good episodes like Episode 4.
• Episode 4’s fight between Isao and Kaiju No. 9 was beautifully animated and packed with impact, but the season’s pacing and presentation issues still hold it back.
• The story feels more stalled and disconnected compared to Season 1, with less focus on the wider cast and fewer impactful moments per episode.

It is no secret that I haven’t been the biggest fan of Kaiju No. 8 Season 2, even though Episode 4 was a great episode, I remain mixed on the season overall. I will admit my bias; this is partially because of the manga ending. But even putting that aside, Season 2 has lost the charm of what made Season 1 special. So, even when we have good episodes like Episode 4, it still feels a little underwhelming. I don’t think this is a bad season of anime, though. I just think it is worse than Season 1.

Of course, whatever I am about to say is my opinion. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. That’s the thing, you can’t be objective about certain things. But if you are still interested, let’s talk about why Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 Episode 4 didn’t land as hard as it should have.

What did I think of Kaiju No. 8 Episode 4?

Let’s start with the praises. The episode was animated beautifully. The fight between Isao and Kaiju No. 9 went incredibly hard, and it was a lot of fun to watch. The yellow effects on Isao’s armor and weapons as he fought No. 9 looked sick. The fight was mostly just punches, but you felt the impact of every single punch. And here’s the thing: Isao almost had the enhanced No. 9 right there, his core was exposed; if Isao got in one more punch, there would be no more No. 9. That went incredibly hard.

But that’s where my praises end. Let’s get on with the issues. I don’t know what happened here, but why does No. 8 look so “odd” in Season 2? Every single time No. 8 appeared in Season 1, it was a big deal, and it was animated as such. But now, we have had No. 8 out for 2 episodes, and he just looks “odd” for some reason. Aside from that, there has been so much stalling in Season 2 so far. So here’s the thing: every single episode in Season 1 felt impactful, and a lot of stuff happened.

Meanwhile, in Season 2, basically nothing happens in Episode 3 except for Kafka getting a decent character moment. This kind of stalling hurts when the total number of scheduled episodes for Season 2 is just 11 episodes. And finally, even though Narumi and Isao are good characters, we basically know nothing about any of the others. While in Season 1, we were given enough time with every single squad member to care about them and create a tightly-knit cast that played off well with each other. Now, we have separated all of them.

That is all for now

Again, to be clear, I do find Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 enjoyable, it is just that it pales in comparison to how good Season 1 was. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I know a lot of people won’t agree with this assessment, and that’s fine by me. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my deep dive into Kaneki’s different personalities here!