Jujutsu Kaisen
Have you wondered why Satoru Gojo is considered the greatest Jujutsu sorcerer? Well be prepared to find out. Let's get to it.
"Assault"
Satoru Gojo: "To observe, I've brought Yuji Itadori."
Yuji Itadori: [pointing at Jogo] "Mt. Fuji! His head is Mt. Fuji!"
Manga Chapters: 13 (p. 16-19), 14, 15 & 16 (p. 2-14)
Arc: Fearsome Womb
Jogo confronts Satoru Gojo on a deserted highway and the two engage in battle with Jogo determined to prove that Gojo isn't that powerful. Will Gojo prove his title of world's greatest jujutus sorcerer with Yuji Itadori looking on or will Jogo take Gojo down with help from Hanami?
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| This man is too pretty. |
As a fan of "Jujutsu Kaisen," you are going to experience episodes that are protracted battles. You would think that would be boring and perhaps on other anime it is, but with JJK, usually the battles are thrilling and gorgeously animated. And I think that this is the first really amazing battle in the history of the series.
There has been a ton of talk in the series so far about how powerful Satoru Gojo is and if he actually lives up to the legend that he has become in the jujutsu sorcery community. It's clear that Jogo isn't convinced that this legend is legit and when he first attacks Gojo on the abandoned highway. Jogo hits him with a blast of lava from his head and stupidly thinks that he has taken Gojo out.
I love how Gojo toys with Jogo. He has him touch the force field that he's created only to wallop him. He laments about how all these unregistered special grade curses showing up is making the term "special grade" mean less. And then he uses his Cursed Technique Reversal: Red. The action here is so good. You can almost feel every hit that Gojo gets on Jogo. It is kinetic and thrilling.
Then, in the midst of the battle Gojo leaves and brings back Yuji Itadori. We get a brief interlude of Gojo observing Itadori funneling cursed energy into the doll while he's watching movies and Gojo is impressed. He muses that he will need to amp up Yuji's training so he can show off Sukuna's vessel at the upcoming training event. One of the many things that I love about JJK is the character work and how it's on display even in more action focused episodes like this one. The show never forgets that Yuji is a teenager thrust into this world. So, his reaction to seeing Jogo for the first time is hilarious and feels really natural.
We see more of Yuji being a typical teen when he likens how domain expansions work to video games and character's special abilities. Speaking of domain expansions, I loved the dichotomy between Jogo's domain expansion and then Gojo's. They are just the polar opposite of each other. And holy crap, when Gojo takes that blindfold off and you see those beautiful eyes. Honestly, he has no right to be so pretty. It's not fair. Gojo tears off Jogo's head to be merciful and is going to interrogate him. Suguru Geto and Hanami are watching and Geto says that Hanami can rescue Jogo if they choose to do so.
MAPPA gives us more stunningly beautiful animation when Hanami springs into action. When Hanami produces that field of flowers, it is breathtaking. This is not me being hyperbolic. It really is one of the prettiest things that I've seen in an anime. Hanami gets away with Jogo and the curses meet back up in their hideout which is a beach like domain that is hidden behind an apartment door. Geto lets Jogo know that he encouraged him to go after Gojo to teach him a lesson and show that the only way to stop him was to seal him. Another curse, a patchwork man called Mahito is there as well. Geto tells them that D-Day for Gojo will be October 31st in Shibuya.
In this episode's Juju Stroll, they play soccer with Jogo's head. Check it out.
Grade: A
"Boredom"
Aoi Todo: "Mai, why do you always have to stir things up? I'm only here for one thing. To see if these guys are fit to take Okkotsu's place. That's all I want to know. Fushiguro, was it? What kind of woman's your type?!"
[Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki look at him dumbfounded]
Aoi Todo: "If I don't like your answer, I might beat you half to death right here." [Todo rips his shirt off] "And after that? Drag Okkotsu or at least the third years out to the exchange event suspended or not. Oh and by the way, my type of woman is a tall one with a gorgeous ass!"
Manga Chapters: 16 (p. 15-21), 17 & 18
Arc: Fearsome Womb
Back at Jujutsu High, Panda is worried because the Kyoto Principal is coming to meet with Principal Yaga and Panda thinks Gojo might do something since the Kyoto Principal helped set up Yuji to be killed. Maki is less worried, but neither realize that some Kyoto High students have tagged along to size up their competition. Aoi Todo and Maki's twin, Mai Zenin, confront Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki.
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| This idiot... |
This episode introduces one of my favorite characters in "Jujusu Kaisen" to the series: Aoi Todo. And introduces him with his classic question: what kind of woman is your type? Todo is the type of character that I love in an anime. Completely over the top and ridiculous. And completely unhinged. He claims that he can tell the type of person someone is by the type of woman they are attracted to. Which is why he's ready to beat Fushiguro half to death if he doesn't like his answer. Fushiguro is the total wrong person to ask this question. There is no way that our resident sad boy is going to tell a total stranger about the physical attributes he likes in a woman. And of course, he doesn't. Fushiguro tells Todo that he is more concerned with the strength of a woman's character which makes Todo sad but impresses Nobara. She probably would have beat him to death if he said big boobs. Todo clotheslines Fushiguro while crying over his answer.
This leaves Nobara at the hands of Mai Zenin, who is Maki's awful twin sister. Mai approaches Nobara from behind, but Nobara knows just what to do to get under Mai's skin. This is one of the things that I love about Nobara. She's so cutting and she's such a bitch. I say this with love. But she's also pretty loyal. It's clear that she likes Maki and doesn't appreciate Mai shitting on her. So she tells Mai that Maki is pretty than Mai and that Mai has big pores. It's hilarious and it has the desired effect that Nobara is looking for. And it lends some emotional weight to the conversation that Maki and Nobara have when Maki shows up to lend Nobara a hand. Maki doesn't have any cursed energy which is why she uses cursed weapons. She wears glasses so she can see curses. Mai and the rest of her family thinks she's useless so she trains hard to spite them. This is something that Nobara Kugisaki can definitely respect. I love the playful shoulder nudge that Nobara gives Maki.
The brief scuffle between Fushiguro and Todo is great and is a nice little tease for what's to come at the Exchange Event. Todo is extremely powerful and Fushiguro muses on this while he fights him. Fushiguro remembers hearing that Todo took down a special grade on his own during Geto's Rebellion or the Night of 1,000 curses. Keep that in the back of your mind because there might be a movie that flashes back to that night at some point. Panda, Inumaki and Maki show up to break things up and Todo realizes he's going to be late for a meet and greet which includes a handshake with his favorite idol, Takada.
While all this is going on, Gojo meets with and threatens Gaukuganji, the principal of the Kyoto school. He lets him know that he believes that Gakuganji is the head of the consortium that plotted to have Yuji killed. He knows they are fighting to protect their society but Gojo believes that jujutsu society is changing. That special grades are evolving and there isn't anything they'll be able to do to stop it. I just love the balls that Gojo has and I love how's he this pseudo celebrity in the jujutsu world. He literally gives no fucks about this old dude who's supposed to be his elder and tells him that straight to his face. Even the student from Kyoto, Kasumi Miwa, is a Gojo fan girl, forgetting Gakuganji's request for tea to go get a selfie with him.
The episode ends with a flash forward. It's a month later and three high school boys are found horribly disfigured in a movie theater. Mahito is leaving the scene and is confronted by a young man who asks if he did that. Mahito is surprised that the boy can see him. Yuji and another jujutsu sorcerer show up to investigate.
In this episode's Juju Stroll, Mai meets Takada. Check it out.
Grade: A-
Next up, Yuji and Kento Nanami investigate and Yuji meets Junpei Yushino.
What did you all think? Did the fight between Gojo and Jogo blow you away? Are there any other Todo fans out there? Let me know in the comments.
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