In the world of shōnen anime, few franchises are as popular as Gege Akutami’s beloved brainchild, Jujutsu KaisenTechnically, it debuted in April 2017 as what is now called the prequel manga. Jujutsu Kaisen 0, But just a few months later, the series became one of the best-selling manga in the world. An anime adaptation soon followed, introducing an even wider audience to the adventures of Jujutsu KaisenThe main character, Yuji Itadori, and his allies.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 aired in October 2020, and like its source material, it was immediately well-received by longtime shōnen fans and newcomers alike. This, along with the continued success of its source material, led to the franchise joining what is often referred to as “The Dark Trio” – three beloved new shōnen franchises (The Chainsaw Man, Heaven from Hell And Jujutsu Kaisen) that challenge many of the genre’s clichés and expectations. While it is clear that Jujutsu KaisenThe popularity of has reshaped the landscape of modern anime, but the question remains: How good was his first season?

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 Tells a Familiar Story in a New and Exciting Way

MAPPA’s impressive animation elevates a deliberately formulaic story

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Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 begins as many other anime do: with the introduction of its protagonist. Yuji is an ordinary high school student, and with the exception of some extraordinary physical gifts, he remains relatively unobtrusive. However, after his grandfather dies (a surprisingly dark moment for an introductory episode), Yuji meets Megumi Fushiguro, a young jujutsu witch searching for a cursed object located somewhere in her high school. As dangerous curses begin to flood into their area, Yuji makes a reckless decision that sets in motion the events of Jujutsu Kaisen moving.

Megumi went to Itadori’s school in search of Sukuna’s finger: one of the 20 cursed objects housing the spirit of the most evil wizard of all time, Ryomen Sukuna. With his back to the wall, Yuji eats this finger, making the high school student the host of none other than the King of Curses.who briefly takes control of the boy’s body. However, in the final moments of Jujutsu KaisenIn the first episode, Yuji inexplicably regains control, much to the dismay of the newly reincarnated Sukuna and Megumi’s shock.

In many ways, the opening sequence of Jujutsu Kaisen is similar to other mainstays of shōnen anime. The protagonist, deuteragonist, and main villain of the anime are all introduced at the same time, and as many viewers know, the trope of a villainous monster living inside the hero’s body is nothing new either. For example, the nine-tailed fox Kurama lived inside Naruto Uzumaki in the latter’s namesake shōnen classic, Naruto. However, These familiar elements are not necessarily Jujutsu Kaisento the detriment of the series; in fact, they are part of what makes Season 1 appealing to so many fansRather than deconstructing these familiar and even boring shōnen conventions, the series draws on the most well-known and beloved shōnen tropes to build a solid, digestible foundation for its narrative.

That said, Jujutsu Kaisen quickly demonstrates that he is more than willing to push the boundaries. Although recent seasons of other shōnen anime like The Chainsaw Man And Demon Slayer fans slightly desensitized to high quality animation, that’s for sure Jujutsu Kaisen First action sequence of episode 1 that makes this anime a visual spectacle. This, coupled with the dark tone that characterizes its entire story, was a breath of fresh air when Season 1 launched.. Even today, MAPPA’s stellar animation makes the beginning of Yuji’s story incredibly fun to watch and rewatch. However, it’s the introduction of another character that truly elevates the series to another level.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 quickly sets up its stakes and tension

The anime never slows down from the start

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Moments after Sukuna’s appearance, the strongest hero in the entire series quickly arrives on the scene. Satoru Gojo, the white-haired, blindfolded jujutsu sorcerer who takes Yuji and Megumi under his wing, arrives and briefly exchanges blows with the King of Curses. This gives viewers a glimpse into what the world’s most powerful wizards are capable of.After Gojo and Sukuna’s brief confrontation, the former gives Yuji a shocking choice: be executed now as Sukuna’s unauthorized host, or commit to consuming all 20 of Sukuna’s fingers, thus ending the King of Curses once and for all.

Yuji accepts this task, creating a concrete clock and quickly establishing the stakes. This sense of urgency is one of the story’s greatest strengths. With his goal now clear, Yuji joins Gojo and Megumi as a jujutsu sorcerer and officially begins his journey. At Tokyo Jujutsu High School, Yuji trains alongside other novice sorcerers, including two who will become his two closest friends: Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki. The trio begins with a few fairly innocuous missions, but as the search for Sukuna’s fingers intensifies throughout Season 1, so do the enemies the heroes face. Yuji’s quest to destroy Sukuna leads to near-death experiences, the deaths of friends, and multiple periods of intense self-doubt. making season 1 both exciting and exhausting to watch.

Jujutsu Kaisen The accelerated pace of Season 1 is a microcosm of shōnen fiction’s transition away from the bloated, slow-moving narratives seen in Bleach Or Dragon Ball Z. Season 1 contains virtually no filler and is succinct with its already tight narrative. In terms of pacing and execution, Jujutsu Kaisen has much more in common with other contemporary successful shōnen anime such as Demon Slayer, The Chainsaw Man And Kaiju #8It should be noted that this is a positive effect of the anime industry’s shift towards more flexible episode orders and release schedules. Likewise, much of its writing is a departure from the black-and-white morality of previous generations. Even heroes like Yuji and Gojo aren’t safe from being placed under surveillance. The result is a fantastic first season that embraces the best of classic shōnen tropes and modern anime, ensuring Jujutsu Kaisen‘s place as a timeless success.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 Doesn’t Need to Subvert Expectations to Succeed

The anime is a throwback to classic Shōnen anime in the best possible way.

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Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 pushes Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara to their limits on several occasions, leaving them much stronger and more mature at its conclusion than they were at the start of the series. However, they are far from the only characters to shine in the spotlight during Season 1. Jujutsu Kaisen as a whole does not have as large a cast as a series like My Hero Academy Or One piece, It makes the most of the vast majority of the supporting characters it introduces, particularly in its first 24 episodes..

Between the hardworking Nanami, the reserved Junpei Yoshino, the eccentric Aoi Todo, and the cheerful special-category cursed spirit known only as Mahito, there are a variety of fantastic supporting characters featured in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 that either challenges or aids Yuji’s journey to becoming a hero. Likewise, the series makes excellent use of strong female characters like Nobara and Maki Zenin — an element that sets it apart from the vast majority of shōnen media, past and present. Overall, The supporting cast featured throughout Season 1 is a major asset to its narrative.even though they play a relatively minor role in the grand scheme of things.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 is a stellar addition to the shōnen landscape, representing the potential that a healthy dose of modernity could add to the tried-and-true shōnen fighting genre. In just a few short years, the anime adaptation of Akutami’s most famous work has significantly influenced other series. Much of its far-reaching impact can be attributed to what is arguably one of the best-received first seasons of any anime in recent memory. The worst that can be said about the anime is that Jujutsu Kaisen doesn’t really offer much in the way of intrigue for viewers who aren’t already fans of shonen fiction.

Jujutsu Kaisen is firmly committed to old-school action and power scaling. The characters are modern remixes of aging heroic and villainous archetypes. In general, its narrative explores a limited range of themes and concepts that are more than familiar to mainstream anime watchers. This shouldn’t be too surprising, given Akutami’s adoration for shōnen classics like Yoshihiro Togashi’s turn Yu Yu Hakusho And Hunter X Hunter. Akutami proudly wears his influences on his sleeves, and it shows.. That said, Jujutsu Kaisen He never intended to reinvent the wheel, and he doesn’t need to. When it comes to shōnen storytelling, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 checks all the boxes fans want to see from a modern shōnen series.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 is now available to watch and purchase physically and digitally.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1

A boy swallows a cursed talisman – a demon’s finger – and becomes cursed himself. He enters a shaman’s school so that he can locate the demon’s other body parts and exorcise himself.

Release date

October 2, 2020

Casting

Junya Enoki, Yuma Uchida, Yuichi Nakamura, Adam McArthur, Asami Seto

Seasons

3

Studio

MAP

Creator

Gege Akutami

Main characters

Yuji Itadori, Satoru Gojo, Ryomen Sukuna

Production company

Map, TOHO animation

Number of episodes

47 episodes

Benefits

• Season 1 exemplifies the mature themes and storytelling that define the modern shonen genre.
• MAPPA’s animation brings even the most mundane scenes to life.
• Yuji Itadori and the rest of the series’ cast are all well utilized throughout Season 1

The inconvenients

• The English dub isn’t as appealing as some popular anime.

Develop