If you’re only hearing about this anime now, you still have time to catch up
Fire Force (Enen no Shoubouten) was, arguably, the most anticipated anime to return in Fall 2020. But there was one title that seems to have overtaken Fire Force in terms of attention. In October, the first episode of an anime called Jujutsu Kaisen aired, and it captured audiences worldwide.
Translated as “Sorcery fight,” Jujutsu Kaisen is originally a shounen manga written and illustrated by Gege Akutami that follows a pretty familiar formula. Young boy becomes a hero after discovering he can see ghosts—er, curses, in this case—and after he teams up with a group of modern-day, curse-fighting shamans.
Oh and there’s even a hero school of some sorts. The difference, perhaps is in how its main character, high school student Itadori Yuuji, is not just a hero. He is a ticking time bomb, serving as a vessel for a very powerful curse.
It is also quite interesting how the underlying premise of the show is an explanation of how curses work.
So Jujutsu Kaisen is easy to love, with the familiar elements common in most shounen anime. But, as the proverbial home TV shopping reminder goes, there’s more. The animation is superbly done, with MAPPA behind the production, the same studio that’s in-charge of the final season of Attack on Titan. Character design is also pretty interesting, although reminiscent of the usual nakama trope—two guys, one girl, one teacher, sounds familiar, right?
Oh, and the soundtrack is fantastic. The opening theme is “Kaikai Kitan” by Eve, who J-pop lovers will recognize because he also sang a theme for Dororo. But more interesting for most is the ending theme, which is “Lost in Paradise” by ALI, featuring AKLO.
Jujutsu Kaisen has already nine episodes out, but worry not. There are 15 more left. Every new episode comes out on MBS and TBS. It is also currently licensed by Crunchyroll for streaming in areas outside of Asia. And, if you don’t like waiting for new episodes every week, you can hold off watching this anime until Dec. 4, when an English dub version will premiere on HBO Max.