Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie Reviews

Jujutsu Kaisen O is the prequel to the highly popular Jujutsu Kaisen manga and anime series. With a running time of 105 minutes, this movie is equally satisfying as a standalone as it is a prequel for fans of the series. It is an excellent introduction to its world whose story is a familiar one. An outcast teenager with extraordinary power finds himself at a school with a group of teens just like him. Together, they attempt to defeat the forces of darkness. However, power can be a curse in this story, and darkness is found within. The characters who train at Jujutsu Kaisen High School are brave, sincere, and sometimes wacky. Our hero is the troubled Yuta (Megumi Ogata), traumatized by the obsessive spirit of his dead girlfriend. Joining him are characters so developed each could helm their own franchise. Panda (Tomokazu Seki), a cursed corpse inside a cute Panda exterior; Toge Inumaki (Koki Uchiyama), who has a power of cursed speech, which makes for a great running gag throughout the movie; and Maki Zen'in (Mikako Komatsu), a sword-wielding fighter.The movie is violent, set on the premise that the hero gains control of a cursed spirit because of a tragic accident. Director Seong-Hu Park, who also helms the series, spares no opportunity to take us on a bloody tour of the insides of ghoulish, sharped-toothed monsters and sad imagery of childhood pain. Visually this movie is stunning. The animation created by Studio MAPPA (Attack on Titan: The Final Season) in 3D and 2D plays with layers and light, drawing the audience into each breathtaking moment. The action is quick, yet every detail is accounted for, whether the shadowing on a monster's face or a dust storm charging through a battlefield, each so layered it rivals the special effects of any movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "Jujutsu Kaisen O" is more than just a quick-witted, action-packed anime. There is a story filled with ethos, and in looking beneath the voluminous animation that can entrance a younger audience, a solemn message is communicated to each parent in the room: "Don't rush growing up. Let children be children." One line in the script written by Hiroshi Seko perfectly sums up this theme that permeates throughout the movie: "It is unforgivable to steal their youth away from kids, no matter who they are." It is a solid takeaway, and the audience will feel better off for seeing this movie.