The prequel to Jujutsu Kaisen has it all: an introduction for newcomers, satisfying action for fans
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 packs gore and philosophy in equal measure and is the perfect setup for the series
This Jujutsu Kaisen 0 review originally ran in conjunction with the film's theatrical debut in Japan. It has been updated and re-released to coincide with its wide release in American theaters.
When Jujutsu Kaisen 0 opened in Japan in December 2022, it sold over 1 million tickets and grossed over ¥1 billion. The prequel to the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen, based on the manga by Gege Akutami, nearly tripled its attendance during its opening weekend, allowing the record-breaking movie Demon Slayer to take off. It was no Christmas miracle. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 achieves its success by doing something that many prequels fail to do: tell a satisfying standalone story that ties into and enhances
Set in a world where people emit cursed energy that can create black creatures known as curses or cursed spirits, Jujutsu Kaisen anime focuses on Yuji Itadori, a high school student who becomes a vessel for Ryomen Sukuna, one of the most powerful curses in existence . . Following this, a group of Jujutsu wizards – people who can control their cursed energy to fight evil spirits – enroll Yuji at the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School to help him control his power while keeping an eye on him. This 2020 series core synopsis is also the synopsis for Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which puts another high schooler through the same induction process.
The main character, Yuta Okkotsu, is very different from Yuji - the former starts off as a shy, sullen, bullied kid, while the latter is a hyper-energetic extrovert with the kind of strength and stamina that would make Batman jealous. Still, the similarities between the setting of the TV series and Jujutsu Kaisen 0 can't be overlooked. It's almost as if the movie is both a prequel and a remake. Premade? Requel? Whatever you want to call it, this 105-minute film hits many of the same notes as the show by using an outsider character with a living weapon to introduce viewers to the world of Jujutsu spells and Cursed Spirits, etc.
There's plenty to enjoy for longtime fans. First off, Yuta Okkotsu isn't a new character - he's been mentioned a few times in the series, but this is his first on-screen appearance. It has a beautifully tragic backstory as the powerful curse that has taken hold of Yuta is revealed to be his childhood sweetheart Rika. After dying in a car accident, a gentle and caring girl is transformed into a snake-haired, fanged monstrosity who may not have the most disturbing looks, but she makes up for it with her actions. When Cursed Rika talks to Yuta in a childish voice about how much she loves him, or kills people who bully him without seeming to feel bad about it, the combination of her terrifying appearance with her sweet, but sometimes capricious, childish demeanor results in doesn't matter. of the most memorable Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Spirits ever.
The film also gives more screen time to its villain, Suguru Geta, who is a constant presence at Jujutsu Kaisen, though he mostly rides in the backseat to resident Big Bad Mahito. However, in Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Geto gets the spotlight, which he relishes. Geto is an extremely entertaining antagonist with a larger-than-life personality that finally comes to its full potential in the film. It's obvious why Curses and other wizards gravitate towards him, and how his happy-go-lucky attitude while attempting to commit atrocities would infuriate the film's main characters.
This results in a big fight between him and Yuta. The camera movement, which tries to replicate the feeling of a normal-sized character moving at lightning speed against Geta's gigantic curses - including a Blob kaiju made up of fat demon children - is further enhanced by Yuta's sudden rage, which adds an extra layer. to the experience. But that's to be expected from the fight scenes overseen by director Sunghoo Park, memorable for the God of High School anime series and its spectacular battles. It's more than enough to keep Jujutsu heads satisfied during the film's 105 minute run time.
But novices will get the most out of Jujutsu Kaisen 0. The prequel is essentially the essence of Jujutsu Kaisen stripped down to its most accessible elements, which isn't surprising given that the film is based on a manga that actually predates the Jujutsu Kaisen comics. First released as Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School in 2017, this standalone short series about Curses and Jujutsu Sorcerers was set to close after just four chapters. However, it soon gained enough popularity for Gege Akutami to expand on the premise and world he only hinted at in the original comic, eventually culminating in the creation of Yuji Itadori and a story that took the world by storm.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is very simple and focuses mainly on Yuta, his teachers Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto and the second year students of Tokyo Jujutsu High School that fans know from the TV series: Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki and Panda. Most of them are given enough explanation to allow complete newbies to follow the story and may convince them to dive into the deep waters of anime later on. For those less familiar, Jujutsu Kaisen deals with Yuji trying to give people a "right death". To first determine what a proper death is, the anime spends a lot of time figuring out what a proper life means. Through Kenta Nanami's characters, the show explores the value of helping others for money, while Maki's arc is a story of going against the grain and the comfort of being part of a group or family and doing your own thing. Even the cursed wombs of the final episode of the TV series explore the "right" way to live, as the characters are actually poignant examples of the importance of family.
There are traces of this theme in the film; Yuta's arc is probably a lesson about letting go and moving on. His choices around Rika are exciting, but longtime fans will likely find a lot of satisfaction in the way the film sticks to a compact and streamlined version of the franchise's ideas, where the anime series goes much deeper into its philosophical messages. And by keeping things simple, the movie invites fans to want more and gently leads them to the TV show. It's that rare kind of movie that has something (awesome) for everyone.
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