I recently brought my close friend to see the new anime movie, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, a prequel to the anime of the same name. I found out the second season was being renewed as we left a Mistki concert, so although she was totally new to anime, she was interested in coming with me!
The movie is perfect for people new to the series, and I would argue is a good introduction to the world of anime as a whole!
One of my favorite things about the series is that the female characters are just as well done as the male characters, in the sense that they aren’t just props or background that the male protagonists ignore or only really notice if they have something to offer, like a special power. The only negative thing I noticed in the movie was when one of the characters, Panda (yes, a talking panda bear) made an objectifying comment about my favorite character, Maki. Unfortunately, these kinds of jokes are rampant in anime, as Japanese culture has a sexist underbelly. There is a lot of pressure on women to get married, although we can see this in many different cultures where men are held up on a pedestal. In this instance, I’m not sure how the joke was even included, as there was no trace of this behavior in the show.
Maki herself was given a lot more screen time in the movie, and I was so happy to see her find a genuine friend in Yuuta. In Yuuta, she has someone who accepts her and her ambitions, which was brand new to her! Within the main storyline, she is a side character, but in this movie, she was essentially the second main character, a big step for anime, particularly anime films which are full of male casts. Maki was born into a family that hated her for not inheriting any power from their bloodline, so she is determined to be recognized by them and eventually become the head of the family, even though she is basically a normal, very strong, human.
Before seeing the movie I had read some of the JJK 0 manga but saved the ending to see animated. There were several incredible scenes in which Nakamura, Gojo’s Japanese voice actor (Kaiji Tang is his English voice actor for the dub!), said MAPPA employees must have sacrificed their hands to animate these incredibly detailed moments. During the interview, he pointed out how punishing schedules are for animators, who must fulfill quotas and work overtime for very little money. He even directly said, “The fact that this is overlooked means the industry is insane.” As much as the actor says he dislikes his character, they are similarly inclined to stand up for what they believe in. The anime industry, in expanding to global audiences through film, has made substantial profits. JJK 0 made thirteen billion yen in Japan alone, equivalent to over 105 million USD. Japanese culture is geared towards giving your life to your job, and relaxation is frowned upon. With long work hours, the practice of Inemuri, or falling asleep in public places, is common. We sometimes see people sleeping in public in America, but there is a dark side to this exhaustion. Karoshi, or death from overworking, claims 10,000 lives a year.
While supporting these movies is the best way to get more content, recognizing the industry’s flaws and the ways it could treat creators better is important as anime becomes more mainstream.