I finally got a chance to check out Jujutsu Kaisen 0, and it lives up to the hype. Today’s review will be going over the prequel that started it all. Keep in mind, there will also be a review for the prequel manga in the near future.
The story began with a nervous high school student named Yuta Okkotsu, who suffered from a serious problem. His childhood friend Rika has become a curse and won’t leave him alone. The problem is that Rika was different from other curses. Yuta’s problem was noticed by a teacher from Jujutsu High named Satoru Gojo. Jujutsu High is a school where exorcists learn how to combat curses. Satoru convinces Okkotsu to enroll at the School. Can he learn enough about curses in time to confront the one that has haunted him?
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is an interesting film with a good premise and serves as a huge, beautifully animated pilot episode. Like another Weekly Shonen Jump property, Demon Slayers- Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train. It serves as a testament to the strength of their productions.
One of the strengths of this film was how accessible it is for newcomers, it explains certain elements when it comes to the premise of the grades and species of Curses, Jujutsu Sorcerers, and finally, the situations they face when pursuing these creatures. It doesn’t explain everything right away and keeps things hazy when introducing characters that other fans are familiar with but it keeps it interesting enough to catch the viewer’s attention.
Instead of Yuji Itadori, our protagonist is Yuta Okkotsu (Megumi Ogata,) who was meek, lonely, and in a situation where it looked dire. Voice actress Megumi Ogata’s performance was another highlight of this movie. The portrayal was pitch-perfect, especially when it came to the moments of Yuta’s righteous passion and when protecting his friends.
Rika was another favorite of mine from this movie, her relationship with her childhood friend Yuta was unique, but it turned into very morbid sweetness. Twenty minutes into the film, we witnessed Yuta’s Psyche. It had a dark tone mixed in with horror, despair, and a hint of kindness. Love is a powerful emotion, in this case, it can be very deadly, hence Rika’s dark presence up until the end of the film.
While it was packed with great fights with well-drawn animation and choreography, there were too many repeats and character-established moments from the main series.
Final Grade:
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