Kaiju No. 8

Kaiju No. 8 gives the monster-slaying genre a new, working-class point of view by asking what happens to the heroes who miss their prime. Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old washout, is the main character. He gave up on his childhood dream of joining the elite Defense Force and now works for a "Monster Sweeper" crew, which has the dirty, gruesome job of cleaning up giant monster intestines after battles. When Kafka gets a parasite, the story changes. He can now change into a high-spec humanoid kaiju while still being aware of what is happening. It stands out because it has an older main character who has to hide his identity from the very group he wants to join. The story balances high-octane action with the funny and relatable problems of a middle-aged man trying to keep up with a generation of young geniuses to finally keep a promise he made to his childhood friend.

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