Review: ‘Kaiju Kamui’ Vol 1

Kaiju Kamui Volume One by Shintaro Arima is what I think might be a much-needed and refreshing manga for fans of the giant monster genre. Well-illustrated with familiar but welcomed story beats bring to life a narrative that could stand out in the rising interest of daikaiju manga.

Shindou Yamato is an ace in a group of pilots who can link with their tech via implanted technologies in the neck, allowing them to take control of their aircraft through digital thoughts rather than analog devices. This ground breaking tech is believed to be the edge the world very much needs as giant monsters begin to challenge the planet. After a disastrous mission against a new monster leads to Shidou being the only survivor, he is brought in to be an experimental pilot for a secret weapon: Kaiju Kamui, the braindead offspring of a monster brought down a few years prior. Now with a neural link to the comatose creature, Shidou flips the script as he pilots not a machine, but a monster against the rising tide of dangerous daikaiju.

Kaiju Kamui takes beats from classic manga stories and blends them together to produce a unique take on the genre. Revenge driven mains, mysterious and otherworldly monsters and secretive government officials are all seen here in a page turning spectacle. Fantastic art and stylization by Shintaro Armia also brings to life some truly fantastic monsters, and I personally enjoy the standout design that blends dinosaurian and insectoid features in our titular monster Kamui.

What I also appreciate about this first volume that it not only sets up that Shindou will be piloting Kamui, but it also gives the reader awareness that there is a “goal” of sorts that Shindou must be able to overcome, with three mega-organisms that are currently active around the globe. The first is Ouyou, a daikaiju that oddly looks and behaves very similar to the MonsterVerse’s Tiamat but with powerful water attacks that is currently rampaging around the oceans of the world. Then there is Hitogata, a bipedal monster whose humanoid opinion makes for a grotesque monster that I feel will be a challenge for Kamui to handle, especially as the narrative stresses that this monster can use tools. Finally, there is airborne
monster Haten, which has a jet-like appearance that dominates the sky with hyper-sonic flight abilities. These three daikaiju each present their own challenges and I’m curious to see how Kamui and Shindou will adapt to those situations.

Kaiju Kamui is a truly stellar first volume; I’m excited to see what is in store in future volumes of this story where one could say, “Get in the god damn Kaiju, Shidou” goes! With such an original plot paired with stellar art, this is an absolute must read for old and new fans alike.