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Twin Star Exorcist
The review is quite spoiler-free, I talk about some events, but they are often at the beginning or not understandable without much context.
Intro
I have always been a sucker for battle shounen manga and “Exorcist” type stories were always a blessing for me. Luckily, I randomly scrolled through the Manga Plus catalogue where this one title piqued my interest and to this day, I’m still happy that I experienced itStory
The Story revolves around Rokuro Enmado, a boy who was always praised for his skills in being an exorcist and who wanted to exorcise every sin but suddenly stopped after a vital incident occurred. One ... day the boy meets Benio Adashino as she is falling from the sky, about to drop into a river.
After they meet its revealed that Benio and Rokuro are the Twin Star Exorcist who are destined to give birth to the “Miko” who will cleanse all the impurity (Kegare) of the world and end the war. The so called Kegare live in a parallel world called Magano which is portrayed as dark and devastated. To fit the shounen trope there are several Basara who are high level Kegare that absorbed enough curses that they manifest a more human like form and develop intelligence.

The story doesn’t seem like something new; it's again a story about a boy killing demons which are called “Kegare” in this case. But TSE does several things different in contrast to its competitors. Unlike many other shounen TSE focuses much on the romance and goddamn I adore it. The relationship between Benio and Rokuro feels so fleshed out meanwhile the slow progress really fits the setting. Both come closer to each other every time they experience the dreadful life of an exorcist and with every memory, they share together their bond strengthens. But it’s not limited to these two, sometimes Rokuro almost builds a pseudo harem which often funny but also develops Benio as she realizes how much she evaluates Rokuro.

And have I talked about the strong worldbuilding? Besides the parallel world where Kegare house there is also an island called “Tsuchimikado Island” where the twelve heavenly commanders live who fight in an even stronger Magano. Due to the introduction of this island, we were able to see a stellar tournament arc which presents us with the politics of the Island and the new different Exorcists. It also allows the author to make the Main Duo stronger without making it seem like an asspull. Even the powerups which occur quite often won’t come off as ass pulls because there are plot threads clearly foreshadowing them.

Don’t expect it to be just a happy shounen without any stakes, it starts out dark from the beginning and just gets darker, there are several mysteries which yet have to be solved and there are so many unexpected twists that enrichen the world and left my mind blown.

I love good power-systems in shounen and that’s why I was hoping for a good powersystem here but at the end of the day I was kind of underwhelmed. It’s based on spiritual energy from each exorcist spiritual guardian and there is also Yin and Yang energy meaning there’s bad and good energy, but everything feels wacky. The system’s explanations felt uncompleted, and I had to research a lot of stuff because otherwise I wouldn’t understand much. The fact that the wiki is small and has a bad layout doesn’t help much. And the worst thing is that nothing is really defined, people have just random powers which can become annoying. Dang these names for the different spells are so fucking long, I couldn’t remember anything and after a while I just didn’t read them out anymore. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t that bad, watching these different powers was really entertaining and nothing has really gone beyond the scope.




Twin Star Exorcist introduces us to a vast cast of characters who are colorful and unique, and I could easily elaborate my thoughts on them. But I want to focus on the main duo consisting of Rokuro and Benio.

Rokuro can come off as childish and cringe but the deeper you go into the story the more you can sympathize with him and understand his actions. He was a child who was always praised for his skills but one day he lost everything that was him precious resulting in a trauma and ever since that, he gave up being an exorcist. Following that he tried to compensate that by finding other activities, but he failed tremendously. But despite him swearing himself to never be an exorcist, he has the urge to help the people in need. His character arc is excellent as he grows as a person, maturing and finding loved ones. But even now Rokuro is a mystery that I hope will be revealed.

Next on is Benio who is one of my favorite females leads in shounen manga. She comes off as cold and quiet, but later you find out the reason for that and even in the early chapters you see what a cute girl she is. I wouldn’t say she is a tsundere but to be honest I can’t even find a dere-type for her, she is just a mix of personalities blended into one character making a sufficient female lead. And it does not stop with her cuteness, she has multiple story arcs where she gets tested and must find and accept herself. And I will repeat it again their dynamic is so good, and they complement each other perfectly.

I just changed my plan; I will expand a little on the side cast. As I said there is a group of elite exorcists called the heavenly commanders and damn, I love them. They are so fun to watch and Sukeno was able to give most of them little arcs which were handled subpar. My favorites are Shimon and Tenma who both seem reckless at the start but are quite complex. And even minor characters like Kankuro had a whole personality arc in just a few chapters.

And don’t get me started on the villains/antagonists, we were presented to Yuuto and Kamui who are two of my favorite villains in battle shounen. Yuuto is a nihilistic and psychopathic boy who just wants to grow stronger. He shows no remorse and doesn’t care if he has to kill several people to achieve his goal. He doesn’t hesitate to kill anyone but as you read more and more chapters you slowly begin to like him more and after a certain point in the manga he quickly jumped into my favorites. Besides Yuuto we have Kamui, the youngest Basara who gets introduced quite early on. He has the urge to fight strong opponents, wherefore he even helps them, so he can fight them again. But he clearly shines in the Benio arc, but I don’t want to enter spoiler territory. And it just gets better considering that both villains have a deep connection to our both protagonist and aren’t just bad because they’re bad.


Art
While the art at the beginning might look a bit mediocre, it does not stay like that for long. Sukeno kept improving with every chapter he drew, and it just got more detailed over time until it was just eye-candy. The pinnacle of each chapter are the gorgeous spreads which are often even more detailed and are breathtaking. The art perfectly compliments the fights, because without the detailed art the flashy powersystem which is integrated in the fights would not work as good as it does. Along with the gore-ratio which is also not too high or too low, the artist isn’t afraid to draw something gorier, but he doesn’t overdo it so its still a shock and not normality. Plus, the good art can show the different emotions and mental states wonderfully leading to characters which won’t look bland. In addition, the character designs are lovely, everyone looks unique and has their own style and there are even some top-notch waifu designs.

Anime?
There is also an anime adaptation for TSE, but it was handled disgustingly bad. Around 90% of the story is filler and diverges from the manga and even the first few episodes which should have adapted the manga are terrible. But what do you expect? It was once again a product of Studio Pierrot who is already known for appalling adaptations. But hey, one thing it does extraordinary well are the Openings which are all bangers, I only the anime had that quality… My last hope is a reboot, but I doubt it will happen anytime soon.

Conclusion
TSE is by no means something new and it most certainly won’t reinvent the wheel, but it does the things it tries to portray exceptionally good. When you are searching for a battle manga with a great story that keeps you captivated, featuring top tier romance, good visually looking fights with a great cast of characters and a hint of mystery, I can assure you that you will enjoy this.

One of the most underrated sports anime

When I was scrolling through the Crunchyroll catalog, Scorching Ping-Pong Girl’s caught my eye, and I'm still glad I started it.

Premise of the show:
Suzumegaha Middle School has a mediocre table tennis team where no player has ever made it past the quarterfinals of the city tournament. One day, a new student named Koyori shows up who loves table tennis and will change the club. On her journey she finds new friends with whom she can play table tennis, but also makes enemies.

Characters:

Koyori Tsumujikaze is the new shy transfer student who joins Suzumegahara Middle School's table tennis club.
She loves table ... tennis and was a prefectural semifinalist at her previous school. Because of her shyness, she has a hard time making new friends, but she is well-received in the Club as she messes up the rankings in the club internally.

Agari Kamiya was the ace of the team prior to Koyori joining the club. Koyori and her become rivals, but as they find out that they are well suited to each other, they play together. She is proud of her achievements and sometimes seems a bit aloof, but after watching more and more episodes you realize that she actually loves her team and enjoys the sport to its fullest.

Hanabi Tenki is an energetic girl with spiky hair who loves to mess with the other players of her team, she is the best friend of Hokuto. You will see her with Hokuto most of the time since they have known each other since their childhoods. Ever since she was a child, she has helped Hokuto in her parents' ping pong store. She possesses an offensive playstyle which involves fast returns.

Hokuto Itsumo is a rather untalkative girl that always covers her mouth. Her cleverness is seen in her calculative playing style that allows her to manipulate her opponents. Another trait of her is that she can also guess the type and color of underwear someone is wearing by touching their paddle. Because her parents own a shop, she knows how to handle money what leads to her greediness.

Mune Oomune is a third year high school student and the vice-captain of the club, due to her large breast her nickname is munemune (ムネムネ). She plays aggressively, but due to her breast she runs out of stamina fast. She’s a rather minor character who doesn’t get as much screen time as the others. You often see her being teased by Kiruka Ushirode.

Kiruka Ushirode is another third-year high school student and the captain of the team. She plays fast which often leads to confusion for the opponents. When she isn’t playing Table Tennis, she is teasing her teammates. She likes imposing penalties on her teammates, such as wearing cat ears.

Kururi Futamaru She is the main antagonist this season, she is obsessed with her captain and wants to be praised by her all the time. During her match with Koyori she has great character development which you don't see this often in "cute girls do cute things" shows. Her playing style is quite unique as she spins the balls. character development which you don't see this often in "cute girls do cute things" shows. Her playing style is quite unique as she spins the balls. Overall she's a great antagonist.

There is a constant Yuri bait throughout this anime, you can see it as bad or good. In my opinion it helps this anime a lot to get the characters across. It also adds a certain spiciness that is very desirable.

Art/Animation:
The character designs are beautiful and look super cute, every character has their own traits, and they don't look forgettable rather unique. The animations are great you sense the power in the hits and feel the effort involved in the match. You can still how much physical effort is involved in a game of table tennis because they are literally drenched in sweat. The anime also uses a lot of symbolism while showing the different traits of the characters and how they play.

Sound:
The opening is catchy, with a great climax. The animations look well, while showcasing each character's strengths. One of my favorite things about this anime are the soundtracks. They are well-chosen EDM tracks that just bang. They lift the mood enormously, but don't overdramatize it either. You feel how hard each girl tries while hitting the balls
Overall:
Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume is a cute series with many interesting characters and a solid story for a moe series. I recommend this anime to anyone who enjoys the sports or slice of life genre

Thanks for reading this review

I've always wanted a sports manga that doesn't take the generic high school boys playing a sport as a team route. And I think I've found it. Blue Lock is a refreshing entry in the sports genre that stands out above its predecessors.


Story

Blue Lock is about Yoichi Isagi, your everyday striker. One day, like 299 other guys, he gets an invitation to Blue Lock, a facility where the best striker in Japan will be trained to take Japan to its first world title.

The Blue Lock is divided into 5 different strata with 5 teams in each of them. The 25 teams range from B to ... Z with B being the best and Z the worst. Every player was assigned a rank reaching from 1 to 300. Isagi is the second worst Player in Blue Lock and was assigned the rank 299, but even though he was supposed to be just a step stone for the other competitors, he develops a more assertive presence on and off the field.

To train the best striker in Japan, players must complete various tasks, these are creatively designed and have unpredictable twist.
We first see the selfishness of the various selections when Team Z, consisting of 12 players, must play a 136-second tag game. Since there are only 11 players in a team, one must go out, this person will be the one who touched the ball last. This game is the first time we see the real figure of Isagi Yoichi.
With the 11 players now selected, the first selection begins, it is a tournament in which the five teams from the stratum play against each other, but only the two best teams will advance. The second rule is that the top scorers from each team will also progress. I think the concept is so good because the selfishness of the Blue Locks stands out again. But this selection also has some flaws which I will explain later.

I would also like to use the Second Selection as an example: The first stage of this Selection starts with an individual match between a striker and a holographic goalkeeper. You must score 100 goals within 90 minutes, but after every 30th goal the difficulty increases; after the first 30 goals there are now stationary obstacles which are blocking your shot. After the next 30 goals these obstacles begin moving and the balls are sent faster and spinning. This stage purpose is filtering out the people with no future in the Blue Lock, but it gets harder in the next stages. After clearing this stage, you are sent to the third stage where you must compete as a team of 3 against another team (whoever scores 5 goals wins), when your team wins you can choose one player of the opposing team and move on to the next stage, but the loser of the match has to go to the second stage where the 2 player who are left have to play a 2 vs 2 against a team who also lost in the third stage. The winner chooses one player of the other team and moves on to the 3rd stage again but the one player who lost and was not chosen gets expelled. Since the team constellations always switch after each game, you see various constellations and are introduced to new players. Since there is no longer a division of the teams, today's friends may be tomorrow's opponents.

The best thing about this Selection is that it’s so multilayered, on the one hand you can choose to play against a weak team, but then you are only able to choose a new weak partner and who says that you can even win with a weak partner, but on the other hand you can take the risky way and choose a strong opponent which can result in having the option to choose a strong new partner who will help you in later matches or in having your best player getting stolen.


Characters

In Blue Lock we are introduced to 14 different characters right at the beginning. Among them are the 12 comrades of Isagi but also the two head-coaches of Blue Lock.I must admit that I really like the cast of Blue Lock, everyone has their own reason to participate in this prison like institution. These reasons are often mirrored in their personality and in the way they interact. And the later introduced strikers from the other strata, are no exception and I wouldn’t be lying if I said that most of them are often even better written.
And the later introduced strikers from the other strata, are no exception and I wouldn’t be lying if I said that most of them are often even better written.. The character designs are also very well done. Everybody looks different and as befits a sport anime/manga there are also some outstanding designs. All of Isagi's comrades and opponents have their own personalities and abilities. I could write essays on most of these characters why they are so great, but I think I have already wrote too much for the story.

These abilities are called Weapons, they are characteristics that this player is particularly good at. Weapons vary greatly, there are people who have an exceptionally good shooting technique, but also the understanding of the football field can be a weapon. The artist Yuusuke Nomura makes the Weapons even more visible with symbolism. One criticism could be that the characters often come across as edgy, which they are, sometimes things are overdramatized, and the speeches are occasionally cringe worthy.


Art

The Art is simply amazing, the character designs are sharp, and the dark theme really fits the narrative. The emotions of the characters are perfectly implemented, and you easily see the fear, despair, and joy every time you see the face of a character. One aspect I love about the art is that you can easily follow what’s happening. The way its drawn like its moving is simply amazing, and due to the fact that it is pretty exaggerated every match feels alive.
Every chapter features phenomenal panels and often amazing spreads and there was never any kind of quality drop.


My Issues with Blue Lock

Personally, I don’t like how the First Selection was executed. My main problem is that every opposing team had only 1-3 actual good players despite having tone of players in their team which were placed before Team Z. Team X had Baro, Team Y had Nikki and Okawa, Team W had the two Twin Brothers and Team V Had Nagi, Reo and Zantetsu. Meanwhile, Team Z (apparently the worst team) had a tone of good players with different abilities who all contributed something to the match. The matches were still hype, but the opposing teams were kinda overlooked. It went so far that some match decisions did not make sense because they could have just passed the ball to another player instead of the same 2 players. Luckily, this problem was resolved in the following Selections because they didn’t just play 11v11 matches.


Conclusion

Blue Lock takes an unconventional approach to the sports manga genre. It stands out for its psychological aspects and is something every shounen fan should read. The unique story and twist will leave you wanting more. I really hope that we receive an anime adaptation soon which makes the manga justice.

Jujutsu Kaisen, the shounen which gained popularity after receiving a successful anime adaptation. Many people argue whether it’s just overrated and only popular due to the stunning animation, but would you believe me that its actually the one new gen shounen that really reminds me of the absolute goat Hunter x Hunter?

Premise

I’ll just go ahead and start with the premise, Yuji Itadori an athletic student with zero interest in sport lives a happy live while participating in the Occult Research Club. But one day, real curses appear at that school. His life takes a sudden turn because the sorcerer Megumi Fushiguro tries to retrieve ... a special grade cursed object which happens to be found by Itadori’s club members. After the seal is released from the cursed object, the attracted cursed spirits attack them, luckily Fushiguro and Itadori defeat them, and Yuji swallows the cursed object that unfortunately was one of the 20 fingers from Ryomen Sukuna. The pure evil that existed for thousands of years and was considered the “King of Curses” and who ravaged the time where sorcery was at its peak, the Golden Age. As a result, Yuji who is now the vessel of Sukuna, has the mission to swallow all 20 undestroyable fingers, so he can get eliminated and end the era of Ryomen Sukuna. As the story follows Itadori gets dragged into the world of sorcery, where sorcerers fight against the cursed spirits.



Story

The story might sound simple because in recent years there have been many other anime that have the same “human vs supernatural being” concept, good examples being Fire Force, Kimetsu no Yaiba or even Blue Exorcist. But personally, I think Jujutsu Kaisen stands above them by learning from its predecessors and having a solid story structure and a great cast.
After reading the first few chapters your impression could be that it’s going to another generic formulaic battle shounen comparable to all the other stuff you read before. It could have followed the normal structure where the loud protagonist gets stronger and someday forms a contract with its inner demon, so they can become the ultimate tag-team. But Jujutsu Kaisen is strictly against it by introducing the inner demon as an actual character and not just as a power battery. That mechanic leads to Yuji not being an overpowered protagonist who slowly shifts away and outclasses the whole side cast, that becomes irrelevant later.
And in contrast to other representative of the urban-fantasy subgenre, Jujutsu Kaisen even gives you an explanation why it’s so focused on Japan, which is in my book a welcomed information. And in terms of pacing JJK is rather fast, what make the story more enjoyable and fun.

Gege really likes to reference Buddhism and Japanese folk lore’s, examples being the Gojo’s past arc where Sun Wukong and Buddha are heavenly referenced and even Megumi’s shikigamis have patterns which resemble the “Ten Sacred Treasures”, but I think its more fun finding out about them alone.

Topics like the internalized sexism in the jujutsu society wont come short either, and how a scar on a women will be seen as weakness while a scar on a man is a honor. It gives the whole story and world a bit of realism which I think is a great addition.
Another thing I must give Gege Akutami probs for is the fact that they use every plot point they create. There are several plot points which were teased and foreshadowed. Gege won’t write something without taking the future in consideration. Stuff like the two upperclassmen who were introduced in the first few chapters, Yuji’s ability and that the whole Shibuya incident arc was planned from the start are just the little things. I think you get it, Gege writes everything with a purpose and there are still some plot points which could be material they foreshadowed.


Jujutsu Kaisens’ simple but complex power system

Jujutsu Kaisen even has a simple but complex powersystem which gets more complex the further you go into the story, it really reminds me of Nen from Hunter x Hunter, and since it really grew on me, I will give you all a quick explanation that covers the basics.
Cursed energy is born from negative emotions such as sorrow and anger, these emotions can manifest and create curses who are invisible to non-sorcerers (unless their life is in danger). By training your control over cursed energy you can apply your cursed Energy on physical attack which makes them stronger. But since (-) *(-) = +, very skilled sorcerers can use positive energy which can be used widely.
But it’s not limited to only applying it, you can use the cursed energy and power your cursed technique with it. There are two types of techniques; Innate techniques which are congenitally engraved in a sorcerer and inherited techniques that are passed down the blood line.

I like this powersystem so much because it has so many uses but doesn’t go beyond the scope. You have complicated techniques like Gojo’s “Limitless” which is based on the “paradox of Achilles and the tortoise”. This ability allows him to manipulate and distort space, which sounds overpowered but has its downsides. Or Naobito Zenin’s “projection sorcery” which traces movement at twenty-four frames per second and traps anyone who disobeys that rule inside a frame for a second is also a unique ability I have never seen before.

However, techniques do not have to be complicated, with his technique “Boogie Woogie” Aoi Todo is able to interchange his position with someone or something that has a certain amount of cursed energy and he needs nothing more than a single clap for that. This Technique sounds I extremely simple but by using it correctly, Todo was able to make a name for himself. This really shows how many types of jujutsu there are, there are techniques that are complicated and that make you rack your brains, but a technique can also be simple and effective.

Of course, it’s not flawless and there is also a thing that bugs a bit. I don’t like the concept of the “Black Flash”, while it has a half-solid explanation, I just think it doesn’t fit the narrative. It feels like a random Power up and random power ups aren’t things Jujutsu Kaisen normally does. But when someone performs a Black Flash its used to portray that the character is in its own zone and is dedicated to the fight. Also, the fact that Gege explains some things in in the volume extras isn’t a thing many people appreciate.


Characters

The characters in Jujutsu Kaisen are one of my favorites in Shounen, I don’t know the last time I really grew on characters and wanted to know how they interact with each other. The cast is colorful, and fun to watch. Don’t get me started on the female characters, because while we often see female characters in battle-shounen being useless, reduced to fanservice or being a possible love interest for the main character, Gege is purposefully against that and writes them as actual characters with personalities and backstories who don’t need to show skin or fit into a trope. I also think that the cast was perfectly introduced, we got to see the other sorcery school and the second year for the first time in the “Kyoto Goodwill Arc”, an action filled arc where everyone was introduced. The fact that Gege was able to portray every new character characteristic just with fighting and a bit of talk is incredible. But I don’t want to beat around the bush, that’s why I quickly introduce you to the main characters.



Yuji Itadori and Sukuna
While on the first glance Itadori seems like your everyday shounen protagonist you realize he kinda is ig. Of course, he has traits which can be seen in other protagonist, such as being good natured and friendly but after he saw pure malice for the first time and realized what curses are capable of, he switches and has a desire to kill for the first time in his life. And due to his grandads last words who wanted him to die surrounded by others, Yuji is willing to sacrifice himself for others. But I adore his moral compass where he glorifies the idea of a “proper death” which just amplifies how much Yuji thinks about “the value of life”.. But one thing he where definitely loses to other protagonist is his drip, he is after Deku probably the most undrippiest shounen protagonist I have ever seen. How dare you Gege smh

Since Sukuna is a part of Itadori I will also cover him here. I personally think that Sukuna is the perfect example on how to use the inner-demon trope. While other inner demons such as Kuruma from Naruto and Astas devil from Black Clover (whose purpose was giving the “underdog” MC a special power, so he doesn’t suck ass) were firstly seen as evil but in the progress of the story became small cotton balls who build a tag team with the MC. Sukuna is the complete opposite. He is one of the main villains of Jujutsu Kaisen, and an actual character. He perfectly imbodies the idea of cursed energy, he is the pure evil who doesn’t cares about anybody, everything he has done and will do is without uncertainty for his own pleasure and fun. He is unpredictable and every time he appears you realize again and again that he’s one of the most powerful beings.
I often see criticism about the fact that Yuji and Sukuna don’t interact that much, but when you think that you completely misunderstood Sukuna (imagine misunderstanding jjk). Due to Sukuna’s arrogance, he doesn’t have any interest in talking with him, he couldn’t care less about his activities and feelings. Even though I described him as a non-caring person for some reason he has interest in non-other than Megumi Fushiguro…

Talking about Megumi Fushiguro, he’s the deuteragonist of Jujutsu Kaisen. Having a black haired, laidback deuteragonist is nothing new in battle-shounen, we saw them in Naruto, Fairy Tail and even today in Black Clover and I really thought he was going to be another copy paste rival. But I was surprised because I realized that Megumi is special, he isn’t edgy neither is he aloof. Megumi wants to protect the good and kind people; he thinks life is unfair and that sorcerers only purpose is to ensure safety for the kind people. On the other hand, he doesn’t think that criminals are worth saving. His ideology resembles a Utopia where only the good exist which is ironic considering he was a delinquent in high school. In fights Megumi has always held back which is due to his low self-esteem but once he gets serious, his personality switches abrupt.


We get now to my favorite from the main trio, Nobara Kugisaki who is the perfect example on how to write proper female characters in battle shounen.
As for her backstory she grew up in a small village and since she wasn’t girlish, she had baggy clothes and beat up boys from her school and was often seen as “different” by the townspeople. As the only girl, who taught her about the balance of being strong and feminine at the same time, the girl who was her mother figure was bullied and moved out, Nobara was once again disappointed and disgusted by the townspeople. She quickly found out that she only had two options, stay in the village and “die„ or live freely in the city.

I simply love her personality, she’s passionate and honest, won’t hide her feelings but keeps her feminine trait. We see her kind and caring personality for the first time in the fifth chapter where Nobara is willing to drop her weapon, only so that the child can be saved. That’s no individual case, in the “Kyoto Goodwill Event arc” Nobara put her cursed energy in a squeaky hammer so she can avoid killing people. That doesn’t stop her from being badass, in the fight with Yuji against Eso and Kechizu she showed a sadistic side and due to her “Straw Doll” Technique she was able to dominate the fight. It is simply refreshing seeing a female character in the main cast who isn’t the typical tsundere who gets reduced to a stereotype and ends up being the love-interest. (b-bakasta >_<)


Finally, Satoru Gojo, even when you didn’t watch the anime adaptation, I’m sure you heard and or seen him at least once, maybe he was on a profile picture, featured in memes or you saw butthurt Naruto fans who cried about the fact that’s it’s a trio and that Gojo has white hair. (I pray for them that they watch their third anime soon). While Gojo seems goofy and playful with his students and friends, he disrespects the higher ups and his enemies. He is confident in his abilities and acts arrogant, when he fights, he falls into a state where he has the urge to proof that he’s the strongest and chosen one. I really want to point out the beautiful father-son relationship Gojo and Itadori have. He knows that Itadori never grew up with a father so Gojo takes that role for him and teaches and jokes with him. I can’t talk much without entering the spoiler territory, but I think he’s a great tutor and deserves the hype he’s receiving.

I must admit that I love Jujutsu Kaisen’s comedy, I don’t know the last time I actually had a static grin on my face while reading battle shounen. The characters work together like many toothed wheels, and the simplistic artwork lets the jokes hit better (There are many little details, search for them). Most of the time Jujutsu Kaisen has a swallow sense of humor, that comes off as natural, which I really adore. Characters like Panda and Miwa get a lough out of me every time. But my favorite dynamic is still main trio, everything feels perfectly timed and the way Yuji and Nobara tease Fushiguro is hilarious. But we can’t forget our favorite goofball and comedic genius Satoru Gojo who can allow himself to act all-mighty while fighting special grade curses.



Art and Fights

You can’t deny that the fights are one of the most important things in battle-shounen, and I can assure you that Jujutsu Kaisen has used the full potential of the urban-fantasy subgenre.
While the art isn’t very detailed during the fights, I think the rougher art style perfectly fits the story and enhances the enjoyment during fights by a lot, it has this special thing a detailed manga could never do. One thing where Gege was already ahead of other mangaka was the elegant chorography and paneling every fight has, you can easily follow the fight and every single move the character does is drawn in this beautiful rough look. And every fight gets even more hype due to the powersystem, which is well implemented in the fights.

And don’t get me started on the beautiful, detailed backgrounds. All that again reminds me of Hunter x Hunter. The last thing I want to talk about is the amazing use of the urban fantasy subgenre and how its executed in the fights. Gege uses it perfectly by having the most creatives places for fights. Nanami vs Mahito was in a sewer which restricts your space, the Goodwill Event was placed in a Forest and a later arc takes place in Shibuya, a city with a massive subway system… I think you know what I am alluding to.



Negatives I guess

Of course, nothing comes with negatives, so here are some.
The first thing I want to address is that the manga won’t follow the exorcist route for a very long time which is perfectly fine in my humble opinion, but it’s important to know that. If you’re disappointed about that, I highly recommend you the Blue Exorcist manga which exactly does that and even has a realistic cast. The next thing would be that some panels can be quite dialogue heavy at time which again I don’t see a problem with, because you don’t need visual representation all the time and it can even elevate certain situations, but when you dislike text and rather have brainless fights you might want to read idk… Seven Deadly Sins or the shounen with this screaming guy? And even though I have been praising the female cast it’s by no means perfect, I only praise it because in comparison to other shounen, Jujutsu Kaisen handles them better by not sexualizing them, giving them reductive tropes like “tsundere” and highlighting the oppression of women in the traditional society. The female character come still second in terms of writing and plot significance.

Anime or manga?
We were blessed with an excellent adaptation from Mappa which covered the first 64 chapters and did especially in the opening some major foreshadowing. But even though the adaptation didn’t left anything out I really recommend starting from the start, because when you were watching it weekly you may have forgotten something and I assure you that nobody’s getting hurt by experiencing the first few chapters again.


Conclusion

Jujutsu Kaisen is an excellent example how the older generation of manga can inspire the today’s bestsellers. It got everything you need: a solid cast, good fights featuring an interesting power system, and a great story structure. I think when Gege is holding their level of writing, that it can go down as a modern classic.

Special thanks to the Jujutsu Kaisen wiki and the Discord which both helped me a lot while researching information. It was fun writing about Jujutsu Kaisen, I hope I could aspire some of you to read the manga :)

Premise:
Hello!! Kiniro Mosaic is the continuation of Kiniro Mosaic an adaptation of a popular 4-koma manga about 5 highschool girls, Shinobu, Alice, Karen, Aya and Youko, who live their life and have fun.


Story: You can't say much about the story because Kinmoza doesn't have a profound story, and it doesn’t want to make anyone think critically or deliver deep themes, it's just a "cute girls do cute things" show, therefore are the characters the most important aspect. But there are slight changes to the predecessor because our main cast is now in their second year of high school which means that they are all in ... different classes now than before, that's why we see new character interactions which are the driving force of the anime. We follow the main cast going through different situations such as going to the beach, being in school or even going to the pool. Every time they do something, they end up in funny situations which are filled with jokes.
On closer inspection, it is (like its predecessor) a lot of repetition in terms of jokes, gags and general comedy. Ultimately, the situations boil down to who is currently in the spotlight. The events have no meaning. Instead of the characters and what they do being a byproduct of the situations they find themselves in, the only purpose is for Shino and the gang to be as cute as possible.


Characters: So what makes the girls so cute? It has already been established that the narrative does nothing for them and their individual quirks are not too convincing. The answer lies in something briefly mentioned earlier: character interactions. The anime stands out for not using the characters alone, but in unison with each other, giving them the opportunity to be charming through the relationships they share. It's important to see the girls having fun with each other and not just being who they are alone, but providing the experience that the show wants. For example, Shino loves blonde hair, but it's her inseparable bond with Alice that brings joy to everyone who sees it. There's Ayaya's clearly romantic feelings and embarrassment towards Yoko that you can't help but hope for her. And Karen seems to be on the same wavelength with every girl at the same time. She's sporty with Yoko, serious with Ayaya, innocent with Alice, and supportive with Shino. This is just the tip of the iceberg; each girl interacts with the other main (and secondary) characters in ways that not only match their own characteristics, but also feel unique in the anime.

Such relative and different relationships give the series the opportunity to branch out into as many cute areas as possible, resulting in a perpetual bombardment of excitement. It is for this reason - the interactions and relationships between characters that are so important - that Kuzehashi-sensei is arguably the best character of the entire cast, even though she was only introduced this season. She is someone who seeks those very relationships. Due to her outwardly misjudged shyness, she's not the best at connecting with the surrounding people, but she tries to understand her students (especially Karen) as best she can. But there's a little more to it than that. Kuzehashi-sensei occupies a special position compared to everyone else: she is the "mediator" between teachers and students. With her, the audience gets a new perspective on the interactions being carried out, as she is not quite seen as a teacher by her colleagues. Instead, she is less of a colleague and mentor and more of a really good friend to the people she meets.

The same reasoning can be applied to the other new character, Honoka. She was drawn as a sort of Shino clone, but for Karen, not Alice. This was probably done to complete the "Yuri triumvirate" - Ayaya and Yoko, Shino and Alice, and now Karen and Honoka. But again, it's not her love of blonde hair and broken Japanese-speaking girl that makes her a welcome addition. It is her determination to build relationships with Karen and the other girls that give her character more power. She also has a special position: she is an "outsider" who wants to make friends with the others. Watching her and Kuzehashi-sensei try to make and maintain connections with everyone else gives them their own kind of cuteness. Development which is triggered by Karen who is always trying to be friends with her until she gives in.

Art: The artwork itself is very soft in its presentation. The colors don't seem intrusive or distracting to the eye, the shots are surrounded by a soft white hue, and the locations visited provide the appropriate setting - the school, Shino's room, the local hangout, etc. - without being too intrusive. In short, the show gently invites the audience to relax and simply enjoy the characters and their antics. At the same time, the show incorporates "chibi" techniques to make the characters less detailed, often smaller, and therefore cuter.

Looking at the character designs, it's once again easy to see how much emphasis has been placed on making the girls look as cute as possible. The characters that have already been introduced return with their characteristic looks. Newcomers Kuzehashi-sensei and Honoka also stick to the cuteness factor. The actual animation, however, remains average. The anime mostly moves from one shot to the next to keep up with the fast pace of the comedy. Reactions are mostly comical expressions, actual movement is usually not too strong aside from the occasional jumping, skipping, or hugging, and even then the characters are usually just standing around. There are some particularly high-quality animation sequences, but they are so rare that they aren't really worth mentioning.

Music: We see various variations of the opening with each character singing it at least once, it really fits the vibe of the show, and it sounds wonderful. Especially the beginning of the ending is just a blessing for the ears and I have never skipped it even once.


Conclusion: I recommend this second season to everyone who has watched the first and when you haven't watched the first yet, do yourself a favor and watch it.