Anime to Watch: Jujutsu Kaisen

I feel like I’m preaching to a choir writing this one. If you know anime and you haven’t heard of Jujutsu Kaisen at this point…I don’t know what to tell you. It’s super popular right now, and for many good reasons. I’ll get into those in a bit.

Jujutsu Kaisen tells the story of a high schooler, Yuji Itadori, and his accidental journey to becoming a sorcerer who exorcises “curses”, aka demonic beings that threaten everyday people. The fun twist is that he ends up becoming possessed by a curse, Sukuna, who he keeps at bay within his own body. Sukuna isn’t just a curse, however. Sukuna is the curse, the king of the curses, the most powerful curse. And so, poor Yuji finds himself thrust into the world of curses and sorcerers, fighting to protect his friends and innocent people.

I don’t want to go all that much into the plot, because it moves quickly. The less you know, the better. Seriously. By the end of the first episode, I was already spinning with the interesting characters and the situations they’d gotten themselves into. The plot is a ton of fun. It balances the serious nature of life-or-death fights with the goofiness of the protagonists’ personalities. The pacing at times can be a little all over the place, but it never took me out of the story. It’s a compelling plot with a sympathetic group of good guys to root for, so there isn’t much more I could ask for.

Probably my favorite aspect of the show would have to be the characters. It’s jokingly gotten a ton of comparison to Naruto for the similar makeup of the main squad. To be honest, I enjoy these characters a lot more. That's coming from someone who grew up on Naruto. Yuji is a hilarious protagonist just trying his best to learn his new powers. He’s a great fighter who cares deeply for his friends, and he’s always able to lighten the mood or inspire others. Fushiguro is the Sasuke type, moody with a hard exterior. He also cares for his friends, but holds himself to high standards and rarely lets people into his emotional state, instead sacrificing to do what’s best for everyone. Rounding out the trio is Nobara, the badass lady who doesn’t take shit from anyone. However, she has a humorous side also, and she loves shopping as well as fighting off curses with her own unpredictable flare.

And then there’s their teacher, Gojo. He’s insanely powerful, insanely hot, and insanely comedic. He’s the obvious choice for who you’ll have a crush on when you watch this show, hands down. There’s a ton of other characters I love who I can’t even get into right now. We’d be here all day, and most of the day would be me ranting about how wonderful Nanami is and how everyone should love him. Oh yeah, there’s also a talking panda…let that sink in.

What I really want to emphasize is just how fantastic the animation is in this show. Everything from the fighting to simple conversations is flawless. The motions are incredibly fluid, and you get such an incredible sense of the power each character holds. I was so taken with every shot of this anime, and for the animation quality alone I would suggest watching it. If the story doesn’t sell you, the visuals will. After Violet Evergarden, this may be the best-looking anime I’ve ever seen in my life. The fights are captivating, and I’ve rewatched those scenes more than a few times. I would put it up there with Demon Slayer with how fantastic the fight choreography and animation is.

Jujutsu Kaisen is a great anime to watch. It’s easy to digest, fun and emotional. You’re almost guaranteed to have a good time with it. I laughed, I had my heart broken, and I watched it within the span of a week. Happy watching!