Anime Review: Jujutsu Kaisen
There are numerous genres when it comes to anime, each having its quirks and things to like about them. One of the more popular genres of anime is Shonen. Shonen is defined as an action-filled genre aimed at young male audiences. Most of the time, the main protagonist of these shows is also a young boy. In 2020, a Shonen anime installment titled Jujutsu Kaisen was released. Adapted from a manga with the same name, it quickly rose in popularity, and rightfully so. The series was written by Gege Akutami and was produced and animated by Studio MAPPA.
Jujutsu Kaisen is set in a world inhabited by Cursed Spirits. These spirits are beings that feed on humans and sometimes rely on human emotions to do so. The story follows school student Yuji Itadori who joins an occult club only to discover the existence of Cursed Spirits. He learns about a cursed talisman that is in the possession of the occult club members, the finger of legendary demon Ryomen Sukuna. To protect his friends from an attacking Cursed Spirit, Yuji takes a one in a million chance and eats the finger, in hopes of absorbing its power. He succeeds, but in doing so, Sukuna gets revived and is now inhabiting Yuji’s body. In response to this, Yuji gets taken in by a school of exorcists named Jujutsu Technical College. One of the professors, Gojo Satoru, has a plan for Yuji, in which they will find and have Yuji eat the rest of Sukuna’s fingers. That way, they can perform an exorcism to get rid of the demon once and for all.
When it comes to Shonen anime, shows like Dragon Ball or Naruto usually come to mind. These shows have similar formulas to them, one of which being the main character gets stronger as new threats appear. Also, not to mention the absurd length of a good amount of popular Shonen anime (most of it being filler). But trust me when I say that Jujutsu Kaisen is a gem in the rubble. Going at 24 episodes, the show is completely devoid of filler. Even the sillier episodes provide something to the plot or development of the character(s). This gem quality goes for the characters themselves as well. Whether it be personality-wise or ability-wise, each of them has its quirks that make them all unique and interesting. Certain characters get more spotlight than others, and the ones the show focuses on are absolute joys to watch on screen. The main character, Yuji Itadori, plays the role of ‘not knowing what is going on at all and being dragged into the end of the world’ well, and his development across the season is genuinely nice, as well as the relationships he makes with the other characters making him a very likable protagonist.
As for the other focused characters, there is Megumi Fushiguro, a devoted student who takes his job as an exorcist seriously, Nobara Kugisaki, a serious, almost tomboyish girl who does not play around, Gojo Satoru, a professor and a high-ranking member of Jujutsu Tech, and many other side characters who all play significant roles. Megumi and Gojo specifically are some of the most interesting characters the show has to offer. From the moment Sukuna encounters Megumi in the first episode, it is hinted that Megumi has greater potential than he realizes. While we do not exactly know the limits of his potential now, he does pull off some great feats as the show goes on that just give us a taste of how powerful he can be. Gojo on the other hand is similar but WAY more apparent. His overconfident personality makes him very entertaining to watch and there are many times throughout the show that highlight how overpowered he is, so much so that any time he has a fight scene, it is not really a fight. It is more him completely overpowering his opponent to the point where they cannot even do anything. In short, Gojo is awesome.
Speaking of fights, Jujutsu Kaisen’s fight sequences are phenomenal. Comparing it with something like Demon Slayer with its heavy focus on visual effects with sword fights (which is nowhere near a bad thing. I’ll point that out if and when I do a Demon Slayer review), Studio MAPPA does an amazing job with hand-to-hand combat. With a combination of different abilities and fighting styles, every fight in this show feels great and like there are things at stake, for both the heroes and the villains.
To put it simply, Jujutsu Kaisen is an amazing show. With an intriguing story and awesome characters to back it up, the show provides an entertaining and awesome experience that will leave you wanting more. With the prequel movie out (review on that coming soon), and hints to a Season 2 in the works, we might just get that more we want.
