Jujutsu Kaisen
Plot: BEWARE Some Episode 1 Spoilers
We open up in a strange room lit only by candles and Yuji Itadori, our main character, is strapped to a chair in the middle of the room. A man wearing a blindfold tells him something shocking. He's to be executed. Earlier.......Yuji Itadori is a bit of an abnormal high school student he's inhumanly strong and quick. He is also a part of his school's Occult Club, mostly because he doesn't have to show up too often so he can take time to visit his grandpa in the hospital. He lives his day-to-day life until one day his grandpa whispers to him his dying wish: for Yuji to save as many people as he can so that he is surrounded by those who love him when he dies and to die a proper death. Soon after those words are said Yuji's grandfather passes away. While Yuji is leaving the hospital a boy called Megumi Fushiguro walks up to him and starts to question him about something called a cursed object. Which Yuji happened to have found a while back and had given to his friends at the Occult Club to open. Once this is revealed Fushiguro starts to explain in a panic the world of curses (monsters that take form from negative emotions), Jujutsu sorcerers (those who use their own cursed energy to fight these curses), and what the cursed object he found was. A high-level remnant of the king of curses from long ago, whose seal was weakening. If the seal is removed curses from all over, would congregate to try and consume the remnant as doing so would give them unimaginable power. After listening to all this Yuji, who oddly believes Fushiguro, remembers his friend's plan to open the curse that night at their. He tells this to Fushiguro who frantically rushes to the school, with Yuji not far behind, to stop Yuji's classmates from destroying the seal and unintentionally wreaking havoc.
Unfortunately, by the time they get there, it's too late. The seal has been broken. Fushiguro rushes in to recover the cursed object which is revealed to be a single, mummified finger. Not just any finger, the finger of Sukuna, the king of curse, one of the most powerful curses to ever exist, so powerful they couldn't fully destroy him. While Fushiguro is fighting curses who are after the finger, Yuji wrestles with an overwhelming fear of death at the entrance to his school, but as he stands at the entrance shaking in fear, he remembers his grandfather's last words "Save as many as you can" and finds it in himself to rush into the fray. A good thing to as he arrives just in time to save his friends and Sukuna's finger from being eaten by the monster. All was well, Fushiguro soon gets to Yuji, and everyone is finally safe or so we thought. Suddenly a ginormous curse bursts through the celling and viciously attacks them. Fushiguro gets injured and can't fight and in the heat of the moment just when the curse is about to eat Yuji and the finger, Yuji swallows the finger whole in an attempt to stop the curse. Although most normal people would die from consuming a cursed object of such a high level there is a one in a million chance that the one who consumes it will become a vessel for the cursed spirit who is a part of the object. Yuji is that one in a million. Aaannddd that is where I'll leave you in the show. You'll have to find out the rest for yourself! All that is a bit less than the first episode. It's a lot, I mean normally I can sum up the first episode in one paragraph, but not this week! There were some moments that felt that because there was so much that it was rushed or that there were moments where the show could have spent more time. This may be my rose-colored glasses talking but, I didn't think the pacing was too bad, yes, it was fast-paced but it introduced the premise of the story well and didn't waste time getting to the point of the show. The rest of the three episodes go deeper into the world and characters of the Jujutsu realm, but I don't want to spoil too much so I won't say a lot. I will say the show is definitely a bit weird to watch but I don't believe it's weird in a bad way.
Characters:
Moving on the the characters! I'm going to go over the three main characters that we were introduced to in the first 3 episodes: Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki. Even though I thought at the beginning the Occult club members were the main characters, sadly, it seems that in the end, their role was just people for Yuji to save. Which I found a bit disappointing. The principal of a school for jujutsu sorcerers describes a jujutsu sorcerer as "a little crazy and highly motivated". This, I believe, fits most of the characters in this anime, very well. Yuji Itadori is an oddly cheery and trusting sort of person even in moments when you wouldn't expect him to be, and yet you still see him go through mental and emotional struggles, even if he gets past them fairly quickly. He's not only supernaturally strong physically but also mentally, as is shown by his ability not only to be a vessel for Sukuna but to also suppress him. Despite myself, I really like his character. Normally I'm not one for the overpowered protagonist, however, although I truly enjoy Yuji's character. Maybe it's a bias because I've seen the rest of the show and watched him grow as a character, but I think he's a deep and fascinating person.
The next character is Megumi Fushiguro, he's a bit of a mix in-between a moody teenager and a mature adult. Even though he helps Yuji and protects him, he doesn't seem to want to actually get to know him. Although I find him interesting it's hard to describe his character in the three episodes we saw as he doesn't provide much emotion (except anger and annoyance...mostly annoyance) and information on himself. So I'll leave his character description here, if you want to know more well, you'll have to watch the show. Moving on to Nobara Kugisaki! What to say about this character...... she's judgmental, slightly insane, a tad violent, argumentative, and totally awesome. In the third episode, she's prepared to lay down her life for a kid she just met. I think she's crazy but a very fun and interesting character, who creates silly and interesting dynamics between the other characters around her. Before we move on I will mention a character that I and many others love, Satoru Gojo. Gojo is known as the strongest sorcerer (even strong enough to take on Sukuna) and mentor to Yuji, Kugisaki, and Fushiguro. He is also a bit crazy (ladies and gentlemen I'm sensing a theme) and I'd say the most infamous character in the show. You've probably seen or heard of him somewhere if you have ever been a part of anything anime, he's the blindfolded dude with pretty eyes. I just wanted to shout him out as he becomes a very important character later on in the show.
Animation:
Let's talk animation! It was gorgeous, the movements were smooth the character designs were unique, the backgrounds were detailed, and the fight scenes were super cool and dynamic. The curses were properly creepy looking full of eyeballs, distorted bodies, and too many limbs. I'm honestly always blown away by how good the fight scenes can be. Overall, I think the animation was very well done and unique.
Music:
The music in this show will go from electronic, techno sounding to a rock, jazz sort of vibe, that weirdly enough, fits the show perfectly. The intro keeps with the electronic vibe, while the outro of the show takes a turn towards a jazzy style, both are fun and fit the visuals they're paired with very well. It was composed by Hiroaki Tsutsumi, Yoshimasa Terui, and Alisa Okehazama. Tsutsumi has also composed for works like Dr. Stone, Blue Spring Ride, and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. Terui has only worked on JJK's music and he did an amazing for his first project (according to IMDb). Finally, Okehazama has composed for anime like The Apothecary Diaries, The God of High School, and Beast Tamer. With such a big team no wonder the music is so good!
Sub or Dub:
I think that you could do either one and be okay, but I highly recommend the Japanese version way more than the dub. Although some voices in the dub were good, some just feel like they didn't fit quite right and weren't as well done as the sub. If you could go either way I would go for the sub, but if you prefer dub I don't think it takes away too much from the show.
Final Rating:
I love the characters, the animation is amazing, and the plot and world are interesting. Although this may be my personal bias speaking, as this is one of my favorite anime, I would give the first 3 episodes an.... 8/10, however, if I were to score the show as a whole it would be a 9.5/10. Whether you're new to anime or are an anime veteran, I HIGHLY suggest you watch this show as it is already a classic among anime fans.
Ps. As always if you have anything you want me to review, comment it, and I'll be sure to watch it! :)
Thank you so much for doing this one! I always see so much about it everywhere in my circles, and from what I read it looks like I'm gonna have to give it a go! I love the art and the little bit I've seen of the characters, but honestly had no context or clue to what I'd be getting into. I can't wait, thank you again!
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