“Jujutsu Kaisen” follows the life of high school student Yuji Itadori, who rather suddenly becomes entwined with numerous Jujutsu Sorcerers and curses as a result of eating a certain cursed object. The anime successfully takes the Shōnen genre to create a show that always keeps the audience wanting to watch more.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s pacing is one that many other shows should follow in the footsteps of, as it ensures that the balance between battles and character representation is perfected. Every episode stacks upon the other, building a momentum that is consistent and rarely feels pointlessly dragged out. This gives the viewers time to start forming connections to different characters whilst advancing the plot - I’m personally very invested in Panda.
The character development in “Jujutsu Kaisen” is definitely one of the strongest aspects of the show. Itadori is the show’s main protagonist, and steadily advances from a regular student to a developing Jujutsu Sorcerer, along with his new friends Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki. Fushiguro’s storyline and depths in his character contrast against Itadori’s energetic presentation - which acts as a form of comedic relief. Kugisaki is written with a balance of strength and femininity, presenting her as a strong female protagonist instead of a damsel-in-distress roles - something many young women can look up to. Their mentor, Satoru Gojo, is an insanely overpowered Sorcerer, who is used both as a saviour, sometimes, and a comedic break from the story. The show uses side characters, such as Maki and Panda, in a way that can only be seen as nothing short of perfection - where you only grow closer to them in smaller parts of the story, such as the Exchange Event.
“Jujutsu Kaisen’s” animation quality is perfect, where MAPPA’s attention to detail is a beacon of light for the show. Each character has their own unique design that makes them unforgettable to the viewer, whether it’s that they are an animal, have brightly coloured hair, or use certain weapons whilst fighting. The animation style during fight scenes flows smoothly, only adding to the action. The sound design and soundtrack is wonderfully performed and executed, increasing the tension and drama in scenes that already feel tense to watch - especially in the finale episode.
One issue with “Jujutsu Kaisen’s” first season is that the fight scenes create very high expectations thanks to the beautiful animation and tension behind them. This later creates the feeling that the story can sometimes feel empty when they are doing other things, such as some character progression. Another issue is that smaller story arcs towards the end of the show feel somewhat rushed due to the episode count, and feel like they could be expanded on further.
Overall, “Jujutsu Kaisen’s” first season is standout in Shōnen anime, mixing together well-thought-out pacing, wonderful character development and character design, and a gripping soundtrack.
TLDR; wonderful plot and animation, but a few too little semi-big fights.
