Impeccably beautiful was the first words I came up with to describe what I saw. During the opening scene, followed by its gorgeous OP, you witness a masterpiece animation. The first episode is where anime studios present their best visuals, yet this show keeps going. The high-level sakuga with flawless CGI use continues with a solid story, gaining more and more momentum.
I already mentioned the cool look of the OP, but Jujutsu-Kaisen’s ED is fairly prepossessing. It’s artistic, groovy, easy on both the eyes and the ears. I visited the MAPPA showcase in Tokyo and saw the behind-the-scenes footage for the ending song, explaining the production process of using real dancers to give a more natural sense of physics. The main characters might remind you of NARUTO because a protagonist possesses a monster in his body, a three-party team formed in the same grade, and a skilled yet nonchalant mentor who is hiding his eyes. Jujutsu-Kaisen is obviously a typical shonen battle show. The original manga’s style is explained as “BLEACH and Hunter x Hunter mashed into one” by its readers. This is probably why it’s building a humongous fanbase at the moment. This show has got all the best pieces from the golden age of Japanimation, the late 90s- early 00s, legends.
What makes Jujutsu-Kaisen unique is each character’s one-liners. Especially when they try to pick fights or talk back. Such as Nobara’s “Haven’t you slept well? Your pores are open” and how Gojo describes his being ambushed by attackers as “getting flyer handouts on the street.” Their wordings are always witty. Jujutsu-Kaisen also takes place in current Japan, even writing the crazy Shibuya Halloween in 2019, taking you on a tour of more recent Tokyo than Persona or Yakuza series.
Since the series started airing, a BL (Boy Love) fandom around the show is growing so rapidly. Whether you like such fanart/zine or not ––FYI, I’m not into BL fanfictions, but I absolutely take great pleasure in original BL shows like Yarichin☆Bitch Club ––, it’s a sign of huge financial success for shows when they gain more female fans including fujoshi. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba comic books have been purchased more by women in Japan, and its dojins are everywhere on their social media, helping the show be viral. For shonen(meaning boy in Japanese) shows to become well-known to the general public, they need to have a non-shonen audience. In fact, Jujutsu Kaisen has even been talked about on Japanese TV as “next Kimetsu,” meaning another big-hit anime, with some similarities like the fact it’s another quintessential shonen genre from the same publication and main characters fight against non-humans. No argument there. I think this is going to be the next mainstream show, and it’s already becoming.
Currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
