**This article is spoiler-free!**
Hi friends!
If you’re into anime or if you’re trying to get into anime, you may have heard about the popular manga and anime series, Jujutsu Kaisen, created by Gege Akutami. In short summary, the series focuses on high schooler, Yuji Itadori. After swallowing a cursed object that causes him to become the host vessel for Ryomen Sukuna (the infamous King of Curses), Yuji transfers to Tokyo Jujutsu High in order to control his newfound powers and to suspend his incoming execution, as being the vessel of Sukuna presents a high danger not just for jujutsu sorcerers, but for all of humanity. The manga series, first published in 2018, is still ongoing and the anime adaptation premiered in October 2020. The first season of the anime ended in March 2021, and in February of this year, it was revealed that the second season would premiere in 2023.
The series has attracted a mass following not only in Japan but around the world. So when international audiences found out in February of this year that the first official movie for the series would be released in their home countries, it was only natural that so many audiences would flock to theaters. In the United States and Canada, the film was released on Friday, March 18th, 2022.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie, is based on the Jujutsu Kaisen 0: Jujutsu High manga that Akutami created in 2017, a year before the official series was released. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 focuses on sixteen-year-old high school student Yuta Okkotsu, who is cursed by his childhood friend and first love Rika Orimoto after she dies in a tragic car accident. Rika becomes a powerful cursed spirit (the Queen of Curses), which causes Yuta to transfer to Tokyo Jujutsu High and learn to control Rika’s powers. However, Yuta’s problems just scratch the surface as a more dastardly plan comes to light as the movie progresses.
Overall, I give the movie a nine-and-a-half out of ten! I read the manga before watching the movie, so I already knew the plot. I think MAPPA (the animation studio that produced the movie) did a phenomenal job in depicting the manga’s events, but I think there was a slow start in getting things in motion. It wasn’t until 30 minutes into the movie that the main conflict was introduced, which I felt could’ve happened a lot faster. However, it does allow more worldbuilding to occur, which means those who haven’t or don’t plan to read the manga can still understand what’s going on and not be drastically confused while watching.
MAPPA is well-known for its high-quality animation, and Jujutsu Kaisen 0 was no exception. The fight scenes were beautifully choreographed and the effects provide a visual aesthetic that only MAPPA can provide. If for some reason your eyes left the screen, if a fight scene came after that, it immediately caught your attention.
Another thing I loved was the focus on the first-year students who we saw in season one of the anime (Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki, and Panda respectfully). Unlike the movie, I didn’t read the manga before watching the anime series, so I didn’t know any of the characters beforehand. In season one, Maki, Toge, and Panda are introduced to new fans of Jujutsu Kaisen as second-year students. While I came to love them throughout the series, I felt as if I still didn’t know much about them. However, the movie gives more background to each of the three – their personalities, their abilities, and how the three friends were already a family even though they had only known each other for a few months. It’s also so endearing to see Yuta welcomed into this friendship and to be respected by everyone else.
I would definitely recommend seeing Jujutsu Kaisen 0 if you’re a veteran anime fan or a newbie! It has just the right balance of everything: drama, emotion, angst, action, comedy – there’s something for everyone. Not only did Jujutsu Kaisen 0 exceed expectations, but it will also definitely leave you on the edge of your seat – excitedly waiting for next year and how the story will move forward, now with Yuta as a forefront character.