Jujutsu Kaisen

Idly indulging in baseless paranormal activities with the Occult Club, high schooler Yuuji Itadori spends his days at either the clubroom or the hospital, where he visits his bedridden grandfather. However, this leisurely lifestyle soon takes a turn for the strange when he unknowingly encounters a cursed item. Triggering a chain of supernatural occurrences, Yuuji finds himself suddenly thrust into the world of Curses—dreadful beings formed from human malice and negativity—after swallowing the said item, revealed to be a finger belonging to the demon Sukuna Ryoumen, the King of Curses.

Yuuji experiences first-hand the threat these Curses pose to society as he discovers his own newfound powers. Introduced to the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School, he begins to walk down a path from which he cannot return—the path of a Jujutsu sorcerer.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Gojou, Satoru Main

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Itadori, Yuuji Main

Enoki, Junya Japanese

Fushiguro, Megumi Main

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Kugisaki, Nobara Main

Seto, Asami Japanese

Nanami, Kento Supporting

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Ryoumen, Sukuna Supporting

Suwabe, Junichi Japanese

Zenin, Maki Supporting

Komatsu, Mikako Japanese

Inumaki, Toge Supporting

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Okkotsu, Yuuta Supporting

Getou, Suguru Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Seshimo, Keisuke Producer, Production Coordination

Maeda, Toshihiro Producer

Kimura, Makoto Producer

Murai, Yuriha Producer

Reviews

Oct 28, 2024

PeterFromRussia

Recommended

It's been a while since I wrote one of these, 4 years since a proper anime review actually, hope I still got it.

\\ I tried to avoid spoilers and hopefully, I didn't spoil anything. I let the "spoiler warning" off, but still be cautious, if you are interested, go give it 2 hours of your time or 6 episodes and you should be able to form your opinion //

Art: 9/10
Jujutsu Kaisen possess a diverse palette. From horror scenes, and demon shrines to vibrant colouring of nature. Fighting scenes with high-level environmental destruction paired with excellent attention to detail. Jujutsu Kaisen is reaching its arm ... at the level of One Punch Man's "attention to destruction". Demon shrines, or Innate Domain specifically, every demon/curse and sorcerer has a unique domain they can invoke and draw their opponent to this "dimension", it is their soul or representation of the soul. What about horror scenes? Strong curses can manipulate the fabric of reality and alter their surroundings. This invites the opportunity for some stunning shots which this anime utilizes to its maximum.


Characters: 9/10
I'll talk about the main four. Yuji Itadori is the main character. An exceptional athlete who is attending his hobby, occultism. When out of school, he visits his grandpa in the hospital. Yuji most definitely breaks some Main Character stereotypes. Average main character... for about two episodes before he suddenly becomes op (hyperbole, sometimes), overtly scared MC, doesn't do anything until the final boss MC, just some examples. I did enjoy the portrayal of Yuji's humanity. Hesitating to kill "cursed humans" and his struggle with Sukuna's personality. Because his mastery of sorcery is low, Yuji utilizes his outstanding strength to defeat his foes but can strategize to outplay stronger opponents, sometimes...

Kugisaki Nobara breaks some heroine stereotypes too. She's not tsundere, she doesn't have a crush on anyone for gag scenes, and she is a useful battle member. Kugisaki hails from a rural area, she moved to a metropolis so she could join the sorcerer high school and find an old friend in the process. Both she and Yuji are more "brute force" characters. "Brute force" in terms of battle, both are confident in their own abilities and prefer brawn to win if possible. Kugisaki uses nails imbued with cursed energy, but she can use straw/voodoo figurines to outplay her opponents. I assume I don't have to explain how voodoo works. Kugisaki is an iron-willed woman who tries to stay true to herself. Very well written heroine.

Megumi Fushigoro gives out the silent OP guy/ silent edgelord OP guy feeling and you'd be correct. Fortunately, not overwhelmingly OP. He is the brains of the fighting wing of the trio. Megumi is above Kugisaki and Yuji in terms of tactics. It is thanks to his ability to use cursed animals/spirits to his advantage. This opens up a whole new dimension for Megumi to outplay his opponents. While Kugisaki has a voodoo doll to surprise her foe, Megumi's cursed animals are an active form of threat to anyone facing him and require the foe to divert its cursed energy to defend against those animals. Personality-wise, Megumi is the least interesting character objectively. Subjectively, it's to each own taste. I know some people will absolutely love his "silent guy" type.

Satoru Gojou is the strongest character in the series by far. He's so powerful the main antagonists opt for a non-lethal elimination. A mentor figure for the trio, especially for Yuji and Megumi. Easy-going personality. Gojou doesn't possess stereotypical gags, like perverted sensei, or a random weakness so stupid nobody would expect. He conflicts with other big names in the high school about the question of Yuji and makes it clear his ideology does not align with theirs. From Gojou's point of view, we see the backstage of the school and learn additional context for some actions being taken.

As for the side characters. Thanks to the well-written Jujutsu sorcery, side characters have an impact on the story and the fights. One major criticism many anime face is the fact they write wonderful side characters, but mishandle them to death or forget them for 500 episodes and bring them back as a cameo for a bossfight. That's not the case here. I dare say you will form your own opinion just by watching season 1 and find it worth it to remember the name of that cool side character.


Character Progression: 8/10
The main character I'd like to write about is Yuji, he is the main character after all. I dare say his development is excellent, it's not too prolonged for him to learn new techniques, but it is made clear that he has a hall to improve due to his inexperience with jujutsu sorcery. Throughout season 1, Yuji obtains new skills and in the later stages of season 1, he learns to more effectively utilize jujutsu powers. One unfortunate detail is the lack of training, especially in the villain camp. While Yuji sort of carries the protagonist camp, the villains never train. We often see villains plotting, but they never train at all. Considering Gojou is their target, I find it sad they never try to learn or practice a new technique. Some of them sure try to recruit new members, but they don't last, so you're not getting a pass. As for the main three, Yuji is covered, he has to learn a lot, however, I would love to see Kugisaki and Megumi also train to achieve something, like an ultimate technique or something. Gojou is their mentor, so it would make sense for him to hint to them that a certain aspect of their battle prowess needs improvement or present each one with a strong technique and say "Learn it". That's what character progression would need to hit that 9/10.


Story: 8/10
Yuji Itadori is thrown out of his high school life when his occult club mates find a finger of Sukuna and try to do 'occultic' stuff to it. Yuji eats the finger and becomes a vessel for the king of curses. There are two big storylines, the plot to eliminate Gojou and the ticking timebomb of Sukuna. Both of these stories intertwine. Villains try to secure Sukuna, whilst progressing plan A. Gojou and others throughout Season 1 mentor Yuji to improve his Jujutsu skills. Measures are taken against Yuji from certain groups who fear Sukuna. Side stories also progress along. Overall, the Jujutsu Kaisen storyline has multiple layers, every minute is worth watching. You won't feel like any part of the episode feels detached or "filler-like". Of course, there is goofing around here and now, some funsies here and there, that's called life. However, there are instances of "plot demands" which ultimately lowers the score to 8. Plot demands somebody survives, dies, etc. even though it doesn't make much sense.

To summarize, Jujutsu Kaisen season one knows what it wants to do and what it wants to be. There is a vision and the show follows it perfectly.


Story Progression: 9/10
Nothing feels too short or too prolonged. Jujutsu Kaisen achieved great balance. Events progress smoothly, but not too fast. That is because season 1 has 24 episodes. Unlike 12-episode seasons, you are not pressed to fit important events into 200 minutes while skipping some scenes. You have double the time to project your vision properly. That's it, nothing more to talk about. Pacing is an important aspect of anime series and Jujutsu Kaisen nailed it.


Villains: 8/10
It should be noted this is a rating based on season 1, I've already watched season 2 and definitely will adjust these ratings a bit in the S2 review if I make one.

Sukuna: 10/10 - When 20 fingers of Sukuna are collected, the king of curses will fully regain his powers. Sukuna is a masterfully written sealed villain. The biggest challenges when writing a villain sealed inside the Main Character or characters, in general, are the screen time they get, their actions and any change in their behaviour. Sukuna is featured quite a bit in earlier episodes so you slowly start to understand what type of character he is and how powerful he is. He takes control and demonstrates the terror sealing within Yuji, but he does not overstay his welcome. He does not care about the intricacies of "low-level" curses and Jujutsu sorcerers. He is interested in Megumi's sorcery, this motivates him not to kill Yuji or start murdering everyone. After we get to know him, Sukuna appears only rarely, he has no reason to be a part of school competitions or watching movies. This means his every appearance after the initial episode is impactful and unexpected. The biggest positive is that he does not change, there are instances where evil characters change. This is not the case, he is irredeemably evil and will plot to regain his might.

To summarize, Sukuna does not overstay his welcome. After appearing quite a bit in the first few episodes, later episodes become unnerving to watch as whether he makes an appearance or not, adding an extra thrill. He takes actions, but after a couple of clashes, he stops doing reckless stunts that could motivate someone like Gojou to end him before getting his powers back. Lastly, he makes it clear throughout the entire season that he is the villain.

Getou: 8/10 - He plots a lot. Geto has a connection to the Jujutsu high school. He is the main antagonist in season 1. He operates from shadows and never faces Gojou for obvious reasons. He has a plan and is sticking to it. There is also a backup plan. That's as much as I can tell you about this guy, he's not exceptional. A good "grand battleplan" villain, but nothing outstanding at all.

Mahiro&the gang: 6/10 - Example of when you overstay your welcome. Mahiro should not be living after episode 25, however, he will. Defeat after defeat and somehow, he survives and always the magnitude of damage sustained/mana consumption is raised quite significantly. I understand he has something to him for many watchers. Objectively, he's a nutjob, an entertaining nutjob. When you have a popular character or villain, you try to keep them alive for milking. I use the "&gang" because there are characters that should not have been able to survive certain battles. It is lazy, I understand it takes time to think of new characters, but that's how horror shows should always go. People you liked die and new characters or villains appear, or the show ends. Mahiro is a main antagonist because of his screentime, but does he strike you as a worthy major villain? No, he's an entertaining nutjob, that's all.

If it wasn't for Sukuna, I say the villains of Jujutsu Kaisen are quite underwhelming. No one is standing out in season 1.


Sound: 8/10
Let's start with the opening and ending themes. They are weak and don't fit with the theme of Jujutsu Kaisen much. The best one would be "Lost In The Paradise". During episodes, the soundtracks pick up the pace and battles are decently sounded. In the end, opening and ending themes don't play a role in this case as the mark would not go above or below 8 in either case. The sounding is good, but not great enough for a 9 and definitely not a 7 out of 10.

So, Jujutsu Kaisen, season 1 scores an 8,43/10, which is 8/10. In my subjective feeling, I would go much closer to a 9, that's how much I liked it. However, there are unused opportunities and some small red flags, like villains sometimes not dying that I will not ignore. In the end, I can recommend this show to you, it is quite unique and there's a decent chance you might like it too.




Or not :)

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Oct 28, 2024

sollys

Mixed Feelings

Fun and unserious at times which I liked, but that's mostly it. The pacing is terrible, there's too much rushing forward and being told about the characters rather than observing and getting to know them over time. Shounen anime usually drags on for way too long, so I appreciate that JJK doesn't do that. But there is a reason why they spend so much time on their characters, show so much of their training and focus on even small details of their world. A lot of the characters here are one-dimensional and uninteresting, though there are some redeeming characters. The world building is underdeveloped and ... I hope that improves in future seasons. Not a series for those that are impatient and want something a bit more substance. I would normally drop something like this halfway through, but I will keep watching because Gojo has pretty eyelashes.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Nov 20, 2024

numankhan2013

Not Recommended

Here’s the thing: I went into Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 hoping for something exciting—something that would genuinely stand out in the sea of shonen anime. Instead, what I got was a show that’s just… fine. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not great either. If anything, it’s the textbook definition of average.

The story kicks off with Yuji Itadori, your typical kind-hearted protagonist, whose life takes a sharp turn after his grandfather’s death. His grandpa’s last words about helping others set the tone for Yuji’s overly simplistic moral compass. He ends up swallowing a cursed object (long story) and becomes the host for Sukuna, a ridiculously ... powerful demon. Cue the standard shonen setup: Yuji is spared from execution because someone has a "genius plan" to have him consume all of Sukuna’s cursed fingers, only to kill him later and eradicate Sukuna completely. It’s a decent premise, sure, but it feels like something we’ve seen a dozen times before in other series.

The middle part of the show is basically a loop: Yuji and his squad encounter curses, fight them, and move on. The fights? They’re good. Some of the choreography is downright impressive, and MAPPA does a solid job with the animation. But let’s be real—most of the time, the animation and visuals are just above average. It’s not jaw-dropping or groundbreaking, despite what the hype might lead you to believe.

Now, the characters… oh boy. Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi are fine, but that’s the problem—they’re just fine. Nobara has her moments, sure, but none of them have the kind of depth or originality that makes you think about them long after the episode ends. Even Gojo, who’s supposed to be the scene-stealer, feels like a trope: the overpowered, carefree mentor we’ve seen a million times before.

Let’s talk about the villains in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 because, honestly, they’re just… there. They’re supposed to be these creepy, mysterious curses with a "high boss" pulling the strings behind the scenes, but it all comes across as so childish. Like, sure, they try to give them this air of superiority, acting like they’re above humans and all, but at the end of the day, they’re just monsters pretending to be deep.

And then there’s the big attack during the school tournament. Seriously? Of all times, that’s when the villains decide to strike? It’s such a stereotypical move, and it doesn’t even have much of an impact. They show up, they get their butts kicked, and that’s it. No nuance, no layers, no sense of danger that sticks with you. They’re mid-tier villains at best, trying to be more than they are and failing miserably.


Ultimately, Jujutsu Kaisen is watchable. It’s entertaining enough, and the fight scenes will keep you engaged, but there’s nothing here that screams “special.” It’s a decent distraction, but if you’re looking for a shonen that breaks the mold, this isn’t it. For me, it’s a 5/10—average, mid, forgettable. If you’ve seen one shonen, you’ve pretty much seen this one too.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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