not sure how many anime-onlys follow me, but here's a reading list of kn8 content, including spin-offs and interviews:
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kaiju no. 8 [main manga]
by naoya matsumoto! at the time of writing this, the manga is ongoing with 106 chapters. (new chapter soon tho djksksh)
available on shonen jump here.
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kaiju no. 8: mitchaku! dai san-butai (exclusive on the third division) [light novel]
by naoya matsumoto and keiji ando, with illustrations by matsumoto. the novel covers events after ch.22 (and presumably before ch.23).
an eng translation will release sep-nov 2024 (source) (it may already be available for preorder in your country).
you can check out an untranslated preview here.
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kaiju no. 8 b-side [manga]
spin-off! first published january 4, 2024, at the same time as ch.100 from the main manga. story by naoya matsumoto and keiji ando, art by kentaro hidano. so far, the b-side has covered stories from the light novel. it's ongoing, and might cover stories that the novel doesn't.
you can technically read it after ch.22 (main manga) but since it might feature plot points in later chapters, i recommend starting it after you've read ch.100.
available on shonen jump here.
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kaiju no. 8 relax [manga]
a spin-off manga that will cover stories in the characters' off-duty days. set to release june 4, 2024!
an announcement tweet here.
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extra reading
manga plus editor interview with seijiro nakaji (q&a with naoya matsumoto) here.
linternaute.com interview with kn8 background artist and prod. collaborator koiwai osamu here.
spoilers for kn8 manga literally scroll past right now if ur not caught up
panels that changed my fucking life
i think what really hit me the most was narumi’s reaction to kikoru’s tears like you’ve to remember she’s still just 16 years old and has lost BOTH parents. both while fighting kaiju.
even though it wasn’t established in the main manga i have to wonder if he saw himself just a little seeing her break down like that given he also lost his parents in a kaiju attack
and it’s just their shared similarity of wanting (needing) to meet isao’s expectations - kikoru because she was raised to do so as his daughter (and after hikari died he had to be the one to harden his heart and toughen her up) and narumi because isao gave him a chance
their mentor/mentee relationship really makes me happy tbh and i think it’s developed really well i hope we get a second season just so i can see it animated 🥹 they mean a lot to me and with isao gone i think they do mean a lot or each other too
i also think it’s crazy how the words isao said to narumi is what he tells kikoru now… kaiju no8 really is about the full cycles and parallels and taking your chances </3
Hoshina sees Ninjini's eldritch form and he blurts out Marry Me
LOL You guys really want to spice up the vice captain's love life?
Hoshina just hides his face as he can't believe he said that outloud. Ninjinni immediately disappears into her bottle, blushing mad since she definitely didn't expect that reaction. She had suitors in the past run for the hills upon seeing an eldritch entity, not fancy this side of her.
Who would've thought Vice Captain Soshiro Hoshina had a thing for monsters?
hi mel! i'm soooooo happy to find another kn8 writer i just went a little wild liking all of your agents of chaos series to save them for later -- but i haven't read anything yet bc my brain doesn't let me read fic while i'm in fic writing mode!! -- i just wanted to let you know that once i do read them i will be reblogging with comments/tags just like i do for other fic i read!!
our fandom is so tiny we all need to stick together so thank you!!! 😭😭😭😭 every time I get a notif about my beloved kn8!chaos couple my heart grows just a little bit fuller so seeing the entire series spammed just made me feel so happy. hopefully more will join the fold once the anime comes out this month 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
keep thinking abt hoshina and mina GOD.. (spoilers for manga and kn8 bside)
given what hoshina said about his previous division treating him like a burden/parasite just because he can’t handle firearms and specializes in his swords… how tiring must it have been to have to work with those people each mission despite having a common goal?
and how tiring must it have been to be constantly told off by his own father for wanting to continue his family’s tradition, or to be told to give up on being part of the jakdf by his own teacher -
before mina, a high ranking commander personally reached out to him, to recruit him into her team?
the fact that she didn’t see him during joint trainings and think: why bother with that? why bother with blades when bigger kaiju will appear? when she personally deals with bigger kaiju herself.
but she instead saw him and thought: he can help me, he can cover my weaknesses (ashiro not being able to handle a vegetable peeler is hilarious) and he’s someone i can trust
she sees potential in him, she sees how he can excel within her division, she saw hoshina and as captain - has probably heard everyone talk shit about him but she was still certain that he’d be one of her division’s greatest asset
(and even when platoon leader ebina refused to let hoshina help out, mina stood firm on her decision and her claim that hoshina would be useful. when she asked him if he could take down the big kaiju, and he could only promise saving the child within it - she believed him, took his word for it and waited until he carried out his promise.)
and now hoshina is the vice captain, putting faith in a new recruit whom most people wouldn’t have believed in… full fucking cycle..
tldr: it makes me rly fucking emotional to think about how hoshina was given a reason to continue improving with his swords after being told to give up all this time… and how mina had never once thought his abilities were useless 👍
also makes me crazy how protective he is of his position as vice captain, as the person who stands by captain ashiro’s side…