Kaiju No. 8 Confirmed for Season 2

The popular Japanese anime series Kaiju No. 8 will be returning for a second season. Crunchyroll announced shortly after the season-one finale that Production I.G is already working on the next story arc. They plan to stream season two in over 200 countries, with exact release details to come later.

Kaiju No. 8 is based on a manga by Naoya Matsumoto. The anime is produced by Production I.G, known for Ghost in the Shell, and features kaiju artwork overseen by Studio Khara, recognized for Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition and Shin Godzilla.

The series is helmed by directors Shigeyuki Miya (known for directing and designing characters in Onihei) and Tomomi Kamiya (from Yotsuiro Biyori). The scriptwriting and overall story composition are handled by Ichiro Okouchi (noted for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury).

The official summary of the show in English: In a world troubled by monstrous creatures called Kaiju, Kafka Hibino dreams of joining The Defense Force. He makes a pact with his childhood friend, Mina Ashiro, to enlist together. However, their paths diverge, and Kafka ends up cleaning up after Kaiju battles. It's during this work that he meets Reno Ichikawa. Reno's strong desire to join The Defense Force reignites Kafka's commitment to fulfill his promise to Mina and defend humanity.

For the second season of Kaiju No. 8, key team members include Tetsuya Nishio handling animation direction and character design (known for Naruto). Mahiro Maeda, known for his work on Mad Max: Fury Road, oversees Kaiju design. Art direction is managed by Shinji Kimura (from Tekkonkinkreet and Blood Blockade Battlefront), while cinematography is handled by Eiji Arai (known for Kuroko’s Basketball and PSYCHO-PASS). Editing is done by Aya Hida (credited for Attack on Titan), and the music is composed by Yuta Bandoh (known for Towako Omameda and Her Three Ex-husbands). The opening song "Abyss" is performed by YUNGBLUD, and the ending song "Nobody" is performed by OneRepublic.

Crunchyroll, a part of Sony Group, has found success in the streaming industry by catering to the diverse tastes of anime fans worldwide. The platform currently has around 13 million subscribers.

In a separate announcement on Sunday, Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment revealed plans to debut Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, concluding the immensely popular anime series, as a trilogy of theatrical movies worldwide. The previous installment, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, notably became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever, earning more than $500 million globally.

SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter