I would like to give my opinion on this season of Jujutsu Kaisen. I think I can now give it since there are only 3 episodes left to watch.
This is my first review and English is not my native language, so excuse me in advance if I make a few mistakes.
I would like to talk first of all about the visual aspect over the whole season.
When I learned that Park Seong-Hu would no longer be the director of season 2, I was sort of surprised. I didn't really hate his direction in season 1. It must be said that there was clearly a DA problem
...
that I didn't really appreciate. There was really a problem with this filtered orange tint that I didn't like at all. But its strong point was the fight scenes, which are very impressive to me. However, I find that film 0 really enhanced the manga. It was very well directed.
So when Park left for another project, I was surprised, but not saddened.
When Goshozono was announced as director for season 2, I was really happy. I didn't know him that much, but his work on episode 8 of Chainsaw Man was amazing. I expected a lot from him with this season 2.
Season 2 finally begins after 2 years of waiting without counting the film.
Gojo's arc, in terms of visuals, I don't have much to complain about. Well almost...
All 5 episodes were very good, I would say my favorite is clearly the 5th. I haven't noticed any huge production issues.
However, I don't like the fighting scenes during this flashback. Not in terms of production, but in terms of direction. The worst for me was the first duel between Gojo and Toji. I found it poorly paced and we don't understand much during the fights. It's a shame. But I would still say that production-wise, I much prefer Gojo's flashbacks to Shibuya...
However, I liked the calm and emotional moments. It was very pleasant to watch.
Now let's talk about Shibuya. I don't have much to say about Gojo's flashback, I just think it's the best part of season 2 visually speaking.
What a desappointment. I was so excited to see what Shibuya, this long-awaited big arc, was going to look like.
How can I put it... this arc in terms of production is the ying and the yang. Sometimes it's very well produced, but in the vast majority of cases.... It's bland. And I hate saying that.
I'm not going to talk about the problems at Mappa, we all already know. But this time it's too much. I don't know exactly what happened, but seeing all these animators complaining, it makes me sad for them, and for the animation industry.
I would also like to raise the fact that for this season, Mappa went looking for beginner animators. And when I say beginner, I mean "animators" who don't even know how to properly animate or who don't yet have the basics of animation. I don't say that unkindly, but I just wanted to raise this point to point out how dire the situation is in terms of production for this season.
There are episodes, like that of Yuji against grasshopper which was my first disappointment. Then, there was the episode of Nanami and the others against the octopus, the episode of Nanami's death... which disappointed me enormously. Honestly Shibuya, apart from 3-4 episodes, the others are forgettable.
And frankly, the ghosting and dimming, although I can understand why they put it, it doesn't help me fully appreciate the episodes.
Let's talk about these 3-4 episodes. I am obviously referring to Yuji vs Choso, Sukuna vs Jogo, Sukuna vs Mahoraga and Gojo vs Choso, Jogo and Hanami. (and I also liked the Nobara death episode tbh)
Obviously, they produce the biggest episodes when it comes to big fights (but hey, it's Shibuya, there are only fights anyway..).
I would say my favorite of them is Sukuna vs Jogo. Nope, it's not Sukuna vs Mahoraga. I preferred the DA of Sukuna Vs Jogo and it is much more consistent, for me. This episode is the pinnacle of animation. I was speechless, frankly, what a shame it hasn't been this level for the whole season. And that was also the case for Sukuna vs Mahogara and Yuji vs Choso. I really liked these episodes from an artistic point of view.
I think I've done the trick for the productivity and visuals of this season 2.
Also, a lot of people complained about the OSTs. I kinda liked them.
Rating: Gojo Flashback: 8/10
Shibuya: 5.5/10
Now, let's talk about the scenario, the characters, the plot.
Again, I'm not going to talk for long about Gojo's fb, since it's my favorite arc of the manga. But let's come back a little...
To be honest with you, Gojo and Geto are my two favorite characters from this manga (especially Geto). I sincerely think that there is no character whose writing is close to that of Geto. And it's a shame, because Gege Akutami showed us that he could write great characters, yet, even today in the chapters, no character surpasses Geto Suguru.
The plot with Riko, I found it very good. Although too short for me. I didn't find Riko particularly endearing or interesting, but it must be said that the character is well brought out.
I don't have much to add for this part of Gojo's FB, which once again I find very interesting.
The reason why I like this arc so much is because I think there is an atmosphere and a very good relationship development between Gojo and Geto, which is terribly lacking in Jujutsu Kaisen in general. I would have liked to find this kind of moment in the manga, we don't take enough advantage of the characters created, there is no relationship development (or not enough).
Now Shibuya.
I often hear people say that Shibuya is the best arc of all new gen combined (???).
Firstly, the term "new gen" means absolutely nothing.
Secondly, while I can "see" what this means, I completely disagree.
To be quick, Shibuya is just a fight sequence. Nothing else. Which I find very unfortunate.
The beginning of the arc starts slowly. There is really a problem with the rhythm at the beginning of the arc. There are fights and scenes that are not necessary.
Then the “real” fighting begins.
How can I say... apart from Yuji vs Mahito, there is no interesting dialogue or interesting subject discussed. Only fighting and super stylish techniques.
And obviously, I can understand that the majority of people love it. But that's not the case for me.
The only time we have "character development" is with Yuji.
“That’s normal, he’s the MC!” Yes I agree. But what about Kenjaku, Sukuna, Megumi, Nobara...? I mean, the cast in Shibuya is so diverse, there are so many characters portrayed.... But only Yuji? Seriously?
Let's talk about the antagonists first.
I don't have much to say since the antagonists themselves, except perhaps Jogo when he dies, don't offer anything interesting.
People like Sukuna because he's mean, destroys entire maps, and has a mechiavelous laugh.
Kenjaku........ This character offers nothing.
That's all. I'm only talking about these two, because they are presented as major antagonists for Shibuya.
It's disappointing.
Fortunately, Mahito raises the level a little.
I really like what he's proposing when talking about rivalry with Yuji. The fact that he's like Yuji, and Yuji is like him, because they're both selfish murderous beings. I liked it, I must admit.
Unfortunately, Mahito didn't appear enough during Shibuya, I would have liked to see more of him, and anyway I know how it will end.
Now let's talk about the secondary characters.
Meimei, Nanami, Maki, Panda, Inumaki (?) etc.
Ugh. Except for Nanami who had his ending moment, the others are almost useless. I'm not even going to dwell on them (and even less on Meimei, what a disaster).
I'm not going to talk about the Kyoto students, because there's no point in doing that, even if we're going to see them again in 2 episodes. But that doesn't change the fact that they are very uninteresting and useless (and not just Miwa).
Now, the protagonists.
For Megumi, I know that we won't see him again this season, but that he will make his return in season 3.
To put it simply, even though he didn't have a huge amount of screen time, I liked his performance against his father. It didn't last long, but Toji's final words made me feel a few things.
I can't wait to see him again, since he is one of my favorite characters in the work.
As for Nobara... I don't even want to talk about it. Such a waste. You need to explain to me why killing her is a good choice. There's nothing good about killing her except making me feel like Gege didn't know what to do with her. Like... I felt absolutely nothing and that's normal, I didn't have enough time to get attached to her. And to be honest, I found her fb very boring both in the manga and in the anime. There's no point in doing that, I'm not going to get attached to her thanks to a fb that lasts a few minutes. Gege handled this very badly.
Her performance against Mahito was pretty good, but I really think her death is a huge waste, and Nanami's death was enough for Yuji's development.
Ultimately, the character didn't say much...
Itadori.
Well, I liked his treatment during Shibuya, there was a lot of focus on him, his view of the world and excorcism completely changed. I loved his treatment, his moments of doubt and his suffering. It was well transcribed into anime.
Too bad for the future, we're no longer going to focus on that (the death of Nanami and of Nobara, apart from a few small moments).
This character is very touching, especially in the anime.
But that doesn't change the fact that he was put aside a lot because of Gojo, unfortunately.
I could go on, but I think that's enough, I said what I had to say while minimizing it as much as possible, because there is still a lot I would like to say about Shibuya, but it would take me some time.
People love Shibuya because of the shock value and the huge fights between very strong characters. That's all. There is no great character writing, nor great development, that's what I criticize about JJK in general.
I still think I had a little fun watching this arc. Sometimes it's good to put your brain down and watch something just for fun. What really drives the note up is clearly Gojo's flashback part.
Rating: Gojo's FB: 8/10
Shibuya: 5/10
Overall: 6/10
Dec 9, 2023
Jujutsu Kaisen 2nd Season
(Anime)
add
Mixed Feelings Funny  Preliminary
(20/23 eps)
I would like to give my opinion on this season of Jujutsu Kaisen. I think I can now give it since there are only 3 episodes left to watch.
This is my first review and English is not my native language, so excuse me in advance if I make a few mistakes. I would like to talk first of all about the visual aspect over the whole season. When I learned that Park Seong-Hu would no longer be the director of season 2, I was sort of surprised. I didn't really hate his direction in season 1. It must be said that there was clearly a DA problem ... |
