Review of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
Gege Akutami's villain arc has just begun in the eyes of 'anime-only' watchers, and the reason - Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. The second installment of this tale of trauma is certainly highly rated - but what would I say? STORY: 9/10 I'm going to start out by saying that my reviews of Jujutsu Kaisen have almost been entirely flipped. When rating Season 1, I found the story to be a simple amalgam of fights and battles. Yet now, I have seen those battles link an intricate story of death and destruction, where it seems to only get more hopeless as time goes on. Watched your favourite characterdie? Your next one probably will too. So much thought went into the story this time, and everything has built up Season 3, where we finally get to see the villain's plan in full fruition. The story is one that is not necessary to be understood in order to enjoy the fights that are placed everywhere in the story, but it does greatly enhance the experience.
ART: 9/10
One of the things that is still true from my last review: the fight choreography is spectacular. Not only is the animation flowing, but each character truly embodies their personality in how they fight. The construction of each conflict, every punch, every dodge, is put wonderfully together. The art style many say has dropped, and I'm fully aware this is because of the tight schedule of the MAPPA animators. And I am on the team that enjoyed what I believe was an artistic masterpiece - the Mahoraga fight. Jujutsu Kaisen remains a show you CAN watch with your eyes alone - it's as if Demon Slayer was more exaggerated in every way (apart from the actual animation as opposed to the movement, which I say nothing produced so far can top)
SOUND: 8/10
My flaw with Season 1 is gone, far less background music with lyrics. This means the spectacular OST is allowed to thrive along with new additions. This time, both openings are incredible, and each fits the mood of the current arc. The voice acting is brilliant - it shows pain, lust and fear wonderfully. One of the best voices in the show is, in my opinion, the voice of Mahito - Nobunaga Shimaziki - also the voice of Shun Kaidou from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. , one of my favourite animes - showed an incredible amount of emotion in his voice. Another incredible part of this show.
CHARACTER: 7/10
A few great characters were in this show, but apart from that, I find the cast to be quite boring. Despite the amount of character development, especially for MC Yuji, and new backstories, they still couldn't cover the (understandably) large cast of characters for a 50 episode show. Most of the new characters introduced I felt the same about - and so, gaining some extra credit for the stars, I still give it a 7 for average characters.
ENJOYMENT: 8/10
The show was good, yes, but since the delicate story was only revealed in the final act, and I am one for story over intense fights, I still had the 'oasis in a barren desert' feeling I described in my Season 1 review, albeit with larger oases and a less barren desert.
In the end, despite quite a few nines appearing in this review, my total rating is still 8 because the best parts were not always there. However, I think anyone can and most will enjoy Jujutsu Kaisen - so despite my own feelings, knowing most people, I definitely recommend this. If I were to ever rewatch this show, I feel the only reason I would is if the entire story was finished in anime format and I wanted to go back to older episodes before 'the return of the golden age of sorcery' or whatever this show has in store.
And so, this was Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, a rollercoaster of feelings that makes me forget what I disliked about Season 1. Do you want to continue and increase your level of trauma and keep watching this tragedy. Because if you are OK with mild depression - it only gets worse from here, so be prepared! This show is not to be missed!