Jujutsu Kaisen is finally back after two years away! The second season, covering the Star Plasma Vessel arc in Part One, premiered on Thursday night. So, how is Mappa’s return to the Jujutsu world after the two-year absence? Have the Mappa animators seen the sun recently?
Gojo and Geto: School Days
This season flashes back to the 90s, first focusing on Utahime and Mei Mei investigating a “haunted” house. Of course, it’s the work of a Curse and just as the two figure out how to escape, Gojo ruins it. He doesn’t even exercise the Curse, he just destroys the house! That’s typical Gojo, though, and everyone immediately throws him to the wolves (and Principal Yaga). Gojo and Geto, as Second Year students, are tasked to escort Tengen’s Star Plasma Vessel for the bimillennial custom.
The typical dumbing down by Gojo using a Digimon joke was a fun little tribute. The episode did a somewhat hard shift, adopting a more horror-based tone for the haunted house before switching to an almost comedic slice-of-life school anime. It’s really hitting both tones of the season, as Gojo is going to learn a hard lesson about his powers.
The Fracture
This first arc of Jujutsu Kaisen season two will explore why Gojo and Geto went on separate paths. There are great moments between the two, especially on the basketball court when discussing how they view their roles. Geto takes it seriously, believing they’re meant to protect the weak. Gojo, meanwhile, doesn’t give a damn about anything, believing he’s above such matters thanks to his abilities.
The dichotomy and shift between, as already witnessed in Jujutsu Kaisen 0, is a massive leap from the brotherhood of this episode. They truly do behave like brothers and best friends, both being called problems by their peers. This pair is in contention with Denji and Power for the Dynamic Duo of Idiots title.
Yet in the present day they’re mortal enemies, Geto already supposedly killed at Gojo’s own hands. Their slow drift and test of friendship over the next few episodes is going to be interesting as it plays out.
Daddy Fushiguro
The end finally gave a good look at this arc’s central antagonist. The cult and enemies of Tengen are both mentioned, but the cult is going all out to make sure things don’t go as planned. Hiring Fushiguro Toji is the exact kind of chaos they need to make it happen.
Toji, Fushiguro Megumi’s father, is unique. No Cursed Energy, no Technique, not even the Zenin family Ten Shadows, yet he’s an assassin capable of killing powerful sorcerers. His part in this arc will have a direct fallout in the following Shibuya Incident, and give some of the best fight scenes yet.
Final Notes
- Mappa’s animation is great as always, extremely fluid. The change in story tone matching the change in animation style was a great touch.
- The Gojo and Geto friendship is set up well, and bound to break a lot of hearts by the end.
- That jazz soundtrack during the rescue of Riko was absolutely perfect. Gave a lot of Cowboy Bebop nostalgia, too.
- Opening and closing animations were great, but not quite hitting the same bar as the Lost In Paradise closing song from season one. It’s a high bar to reach.
Overall, Jujutsu Kaisen season two starts off on the right foot with some great pacing and animation. There’s still a lot to explore, but the character work and interactions at the heart of this season are very well executed. Hopefully, Mappa can keep up the amazing quality record as the season goes on, especially with everything currently on their plate.
