Review of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
Jujutsu Kaisen as a show is the definition of "As soon as I think I'm out, they pull me back in." It started strong and every time I thought it was winding down, it just kept going, relentlessly. Finally, this beloved manga lives up to the very high standards it has set for itself. Jujutsu Kaisen Second Season is NOT perfect, but it ranges from solid to amazing in almost all regards. The peak of this season, and probably the entire series, were the first five episodes of season two. A flashback to 2006, with secondary protagonist Gojo and secondary antagonist Geto in school together asbest friends. Honestly, it's hard to tell if Jujutsu Kaisen as a piece of media means anything or if it just sort of exists to be fucking cool, but it feels like there's a lot more care in this part than any other. This part specifically is 10/10. Blew me away.
After the flashback, it cuts back to modern day, with Gojo giving the main character title back to Yuji Itadori, who I didn't care for at all in the first season, but we'll get to that later. My expectations were a lot lower.
The plot of the rest of the season is essentially if "Avengers Endgame" was released right after "Iron Man 3." Or if the One Piece Marineford arc came after episode 60. That is to say, it feels like a massive conclusion to the current plot while also showing a glimpse of the other half/future of the story. Just about every important character in the entire series shows up this season. The only difference is that those arcs happened about 10 years after their series' inception, whereas this is season two. That isn't necessarily a problem; although it's only the second season and has so many important characters, a lot of them are going to be shallow.
Character writing in Jujutsu Kaisen was never award-winning, but I suppose it takes a step up in some ways. Yuji Itadori specifically has a lot of development and is much improved. Gojo and Geto were very good. There were a few disappointing characters, disappointing from how little they were used. That's going to happen with so many characters that all need development, I suppose. Even the characters that did get some development beyond a few lines during fight scenes were often uninteresting. There were definite bright spots, though.
In general, I'd say the plot is conceptually kind of interesting, but it didn't grip me at the beginning. but as time went on, I got gradually more into it until I was completely bought in. It definitely strayed away from the Marineford formula as time went on, which made it more unpredictable. Unpredictability is a constant this season. You're constantly being hit with twists and turns. Although it doesn't feel like things are just happening to happen most of the time, For the most part.
Onto visuals, it goes without saying that the unfair treatment of the talented staff at Studio Mappa should not be celebrated; however, it should be noted and appreciated how great of a job they did on this project under unfair circumstances. In so many parts, it looks absolutely stunning. The fight scenes in this show are some of the best I've ever seen. It is, however, inconsistent; sometimes (especially in the beginning), it looks like one of the most beautiful anime I've ever seen. But other times, it looks unfinished. Which is what it is. One episode with a big fight scene even hurt my eyes, and I had to step away for a bit. I doubt this is a common occurrence, definitely worth mentioning, though. I don't like giving credit to such gross working environments, but the oh-so-talented staff must be appreciated for all they do. Shame it couldn't be a complete product because of the greed of their bosses.
Additional small rant about visuals. This isn't just a Jujutsu Kaisen thing; you'll see this in shows like Demon Slayer as well, but I fucking HATE it when characters become Chibi during serious moments. It's a complete me issue but God DAMN it pisses me off every time. Rant over.
The post-flashback portion of this season is a 9/10; it definitely has its issues, and most of the visual problems are in this part, but it is still very good. The ending was very strong as well. Additionally, it's worth mentioning that the music is very good, and the openings and endings are fantastic. The first opening specifically is so unbelievably good. One of the best I've ever seen.
In conclusion, Jujutsu Kaisen Second Season made me feel a lot of things. It has visual issues, underwhelming characters at times, damn chibis, a whole slew of issues. So, is 8 a good number? Maybe 9 if you're feeling generous? Maybe. If I had to attribute this to one other piece of media in terms of quality, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 fits. There are definitely valid issues with these things that could totally lower the score, but I personally believe all the positives are so strong they drown out the negatives. That is why I am giving Jujutsu Kaisen Second Season a "Fuck you it's a 10".