KiritoNarukami

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• Studios: MAPPA
• Source: Manga
• Genres: Action, Supernatural
• Synopsis: “Yuuta Okkotsu is haunted. Ever since his childhood friend Rika died in a traffic accident, her ghost has stuck with him. But her spirit does not appear as the sweet girl Yuuta once knew. Instead, she manifests as a monstrous and powerful entity who fiercely protects him. Unable to control Rika’s violent behavior, Yuuta is helpless to stop the bloodshed that follows from her brutal vengeance. As a result, when apprehended by “Jujutsu” sorcerers—the secret guardians of the world, trained to combat forces like Rika—Yuuta wishes to be completely isolated so that no one else can get hurt.” -MAL Rewrite

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Review:

Jujutsu Kaisen has taken the anime community by storm, with its exhilarating fight scenes and intricate power system revolving around curses with a traditional Japanese twist. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a movie adaptation of the manga of the same name. This prequel focuses on Okkotsu Yuta, a boy who’s cursed by Rika, his deceased childhood friend, and a special grade curse.

Itadori Yuuji takes the backseat for this movie, as the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 highlights Okkotsu Yuta and his journey in becoming a Jujutsu sorcerer. The story goes into depth on Yuta’s training and interactions with other sorcerers at Jujutsu Kaisen High, as well as the dangerous Geto and his merry band of evil sorcerers. It’s intriguing to see how all of the characters were before the introduction of Itadori Yuuji and to think about how far they have come, not only with their strengths and abilities but with their looks as well! When did Gojo switch from the white bandage to the black one?! I need to know!

Speaking of Gojo’s eye covering, the character designs for the movie were great to see colorized on the big screen. The movie also nails the animation on the head, bringing the body movements depicted in the manga to life with a dynamic flair. Maki’s martial arts to Gojo’s Unlimited Void, the fight sequences quite literally pack a punch! The animation studio behind the movie, MAPPA, is known for its strenuous animation, with subtle uses of CGI for fluid background movement and adapting the characters to the backgrounds, creating exhilarating battle scenes.

At first, I wasn’t sure about Ogata Megumi being the voice for Yuta but it didn’t take very long for me to get attached to her voice acting. The fragile nature that she enunciates through her performance makes a perfect fit for Yuta’s personality. From the way, Yuta sounds when confronted with force at the beginning to the confidence in his voice when facing off against Geto towards the end is done phenomenally, as it’s a slow transition starting with the first few lines delivered at the opening scene. Along with the opening scene, there are two vocal tracks that I enjoyed quite a bit, which leads me to talk about the soundtrack. It follows the TV show quite closely, but it does offer some variety. Rika’s theme when she’s summoned by Yuta features a dark glitch hop track that hit home on the power that Rika possesses as well as the darkness that surrounds her as a curse. 

The movie brings the manga panels to life, with some revisions here and there for a better transition or cinematic effect but all in all, a very faithful adaptation with some extra bits for those that have already experienced the manga making this a must-see for all fans of Jujutsu Kaisen!

*If you plan on catching the movie in theaters, remember to stay to the end of the credits for a special scene!*

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