2/5 stars
Anime compilation films are far from a new phenomenon. Since the 1970s, feature-length re-edits of animated television series have been a mainstay in Japanese cinemas.
Offering diehard fans the opportunity of a big-screen refresher, while giving franchise newcomers a crash course that is all killer no filler, every self-respecting series from Space Battleship Yamato to Mobile Suit Gundam has swung for a splashy theatrical cash grab.
Now comes Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon, 80 minutes of distilled footage from the first season of the science-fiction coming-of-age series adapted from Naoya Matsumotoโs digital manga of 2020.
In addition to seeing the best moments cherry-picked from its 12 episodes, audiences are rewarded with the bonus episode โHoshinaโs Day Offโ, a frivolous digression of little substance.