Oct 8, 2021
I wanted to love Jujutsu Kaisen - and I got close! Despite the exceptional animation, the (few) lovable characters (looking at you, Gojo Satoru), and the delightful sound design and soundtrack, the story and characters were ultimately so disappointing to me that these strengths couldn't quite compensate for them.
What I loved about this show I've already listed above. The best thing about this show is definitely the animation. From the start it is obvious that the animation quality of this show is on another level, and it only gets better as the show progresses (thinking of Itadori & Todo vs Hanami, specifically). While I found
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most of the cursed spirits designs to be a bit awkward, that didn't necessarily detract from the experience. And, besides, these are cursed spirits after all.
And I did mention that there were a few lovable characters. Gojo Satoru is delightful for reasons that I struggle to elucidate. He is charming and mysterious, but also kind in a way that could be surprising for one with his power. I also adored the character of Itadori Yuji, though I understand the complaint that he is just another of your generic, thick headed shonen protagonists. I still found him delightful, and I found his relationship with his grandfather and how that experience motivated him and inspired his path and his relationships to be refreshing. It was also interesting to see how that initial seed of motivation was challenged and evolved over the show, and by the end of the season we see him motivated to not only protect and care for those he loves, but also to do those things for himself. Though the growth might have at times felt awkward, it was always intersting.
But really, that's about it. The rest of the characters, however entertaining, felt mostly hollow. The moments where they did explore more of the backstories of several of the characters felt really awkward and out of place (I'm thinking specifically of the School Exchange arc). Todo was the rare example in the show where the comedy landed for me, but I found the rest of the Kyoto school cast to be dull and uninteresting (with the exception of Miwa, maybe).
The story and the "internal logic," if you will, of the show also frustrated me. I was never quite sure what the direction of the story was. Were we trying to get all of Sukuna's fingers to feed them to Itadori? But then what would happen? Wouldn't that just allow Sukuna to overpower Itadori? Why would Gojo want that? Of course, maybe with his power and knowledge Gojo knows something that we don't, but I found it hard to invest in the story without a better understanding of what the objective was. And maybe that's fine - you invest for the characters and for them fighting for each other. I also found the motivations of the cursed spirits shallow. Their motivations basically come down to cursed spirits being better than humans so all humans should die, and that's it. It creates a really black and white dynamic that is tired and boring.
I also was exhausted by all of the explanations of how cursed energy/power/spirits work and the various grading of sorcerers and spirits. Not because I didn't care to try to understand, but because it kept being presented in such an inconsistent and incoherent manner that I had to give up trying to keep track. I felt like Itadori after Gojo explained how cursed energy works - I didn't catch any of it.
And maybe it doesn't matter. If nothing else, the animation was beautiful, the soundtrack was great, and the few characters I did enjoy made it an entertaining ride. Despite my complaints, I'm eagerly looking forward to more Jujutsu Kaisen, though I worry how the fragile foundation of the story will hold up for future seasons/movies. But, regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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