Title: Jujutsu Kaisen
Author: Gege Akutami
Demographic: Shonen
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Published: 2018 – present
English-translated Volumes: 26 and ongoing
MyAnimeList Rating: 8.23
Rating: 6/10
Yuji Itadori is a normal high schooler living a normal life trying to avoid joining the school’s track and field club. That is, until he finds a cursed item. Suddenly, he is thrust into a world of curses and sorcerers fighting an age-old conflict. What will Yuji have to become in order to survive?
Pros:
Diverse, unique characters
Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK) has a diverse cast of characters with unique personalities and backgrounds. The main protagonist, Yuji Itadori, is a courageous, friendly, and kind person with a moral code that routinely struggles against the Jujutsu Sorcerer way of life. His friend, Megumi, is a serious and earnest character who struggles to reach his full potential. Yuji’s mentor, Gojo, is a complex person who alternates between a goofy, laid back personality and a calculating, cold personality. Alongside these three, there are many other characters with their own internal battles and dispositions. The author even crafts interesting villains and I ended up liking quite a few of them.
Some cursed techniques
In JJK, Jujutsu Sorcerers are humans who are trained to battle cursed spirits and most sorcerers have a cursed technique that they use to fight. Throughout the story, we are introduced to a tremendous amount of unique cursed techniques. Some of them are intuitive and easy to understand while others seem to be intentionally confusing. But more on that later. For now, let’s look at some of the more interesting and understandable abilities.
- Cursed Speech: the ability to put cursed energy into vocal commands to make what you say a reality
- Black Bird Manipulation: the ability to control crows so you can use them for surveillance and attacks
- Ten Shadows Technique: the ability to use your shadow to summon shikigami who fight alongside you
- Reversed Cursed Technique: the ability to heal yourself
- Copy Technique: the ability to replicate another sorcerer’s technique
Jujutsu Kaisen 0
JJK 0 is an extremely well done prologue. There are fewer characters involved so each one gets a bit more TLC and character development. The prologue also goes through a compact timeline that allows for more plot development. I wish that this slower pace with more plot and character development was used in the main story. Instead, the main story can feel like a mad dash from battle arc to battle arc.
Anime adaptation
Simply put, the anime is better than the manga. Because of complex cursed techniques, it is often hard to follow along in the manga during a battle scene. The anime did a superb job of bringing these abilities and battles to life.
Cons:
Complicated, confusing cursed techniques
Let’s continue what I started earlier. If the reader has to go to Youtube in the hopes of finding a video to explain what is happening, then the author has failed. Gege Akutami even admits that some techniques can be confusing and “barely passed scrutiny”. Sometimes, the cursed technique itself is confusing like with Gojo’s abilities. Other times, you think you understand what someone can do until they use an entirely new ability that does not align with their technique at all. It felt like the author was just winging it. JJK would have benefitted from an overview at the start of each volume like in Blue Exorcist.
Plot Holes
With fantasy, I understand that some imagination and flexibility are needed. But there’s a line in the sand that JJK just steps right over without any explanation. In JJK, the average human can’t see curses. So what happens after a building gets destroyed because of a cursed spirit fight? What does a non-sorcerer think when they are dragged into a situation where a sorcerer and cursed spirit are fighting? Why does a sorcerer or spirit suddenly use a new ability with no rationale? I wish the author put a little more effort into these foundational details and world-building elements.
Overview…
Am I enjoying JJK? I’m not sure if that’s the word I would use. I am intrigued by the story and I want to learn more. The author’s execution on certain arcs, characters, and techniques can be lackluster or annoying. But I am bought in on some of the characters and I want to know how the story will progress. So for now, I’ll keep reading! But sometimes I do wish that a different author could have had this idea and written this story because it feels like it’s too much for Gege Akutami to handle.
Caroline’s Library 