- Mangaka : Gege Akutami
- Publisher : VIZ Media
- Genre : Action, Shounen, Supernatural
- Published : January 2021 - Ongoing
Yuta Okkotsu is a nervous high school student who is suffering from a serious problem; he is haunted by his childhood friend Rika who has been turned into a curse. Rika is no ordinary curse, and her actions soon attract attention from Satoru Gojo, a teacher at Jujutsu High. A school where sorcerers learn curses and how to combat them. Gojo convinces Yuta to enroll into said academy so that Yuta can enlist as a sorcerer while understanding the nature of his curse and exorcise it.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
Welcome to Jujutsu High! This is where you will learn every single curse we have to offer, and these are your classmates! Maki, Toge, and Panda! Don’t ask why a panda is here. We don’t discriminate between humans and animals in this academy as long as everyone is interested in being a sorcerer to protect society in the shadow from curses. In the meantime, try not to die during your training and keep your curse in check, got it? Good! Let’s begin!
An important note to everyone reading this article: this manga is done in a one-shot matter and connected to the story manga Jujutsu no Kaisen only to a certain extent. Back to the topic, the story centers around Yuuta Okkotsu who bears the curse of his childhood friend and lover, Rika. Throughout his life, he has been through quite a lot of tough times and tries to think of a way to solve this problem. That is where Goro comes in to help him. The story is fast-paced, filled with action battle scenes, and the characters are interesting, funny, and memorable. The artwork is crispy, and the flow of the battles is executed well.
1. Action
The manga focuses on the battles between sorcerers and curses, which can be thought of as demons. The story introduces Yuta to a training arc phase where he teams up with his classmates who had more experience in exorcising curses to learn their family techniques, fighting style, and how curses function. The flow of the battle feels so smooth and strategically planned to develop the relationship between Yuta and his classmates, including how the sorcerers operate in the middle of the society without hindering human activities.
The manga showcase different kinds of weapons and techniques shown by Yuta’s classmates such as swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and cursed speech. Most importantly, how cursed energy is manifested in day to day life and utilize them to fight against curses. Guess we have to fight curses with curses in this world.
2. Characters
Jujutsu Kaisen emphasizes their characters on “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Yuta’s classmates have their own set of problems from their past. Toge Inumaki possesses a cursed speech technique where he has to be careful with his words verbally. That is why he had to communicate with others through rice ball ingredients. Toge had experienced a similar past as Yuta, and during their first encounter, he continually thinks of a way to cheer and help him up. By the way, Toge will always prioritize his friends’ safety during the battles with curses.
Maki Zenin has been cast out by her family, who is one of the big three jujutsu families since she has to rely on cursed tools to see curses. But her ambition to become a famous sorcerer as an average human to prove her worth to her family is admirable. Maki may be harsh toward Yuta through training, but that approach helped Yuta improved his swordsmanship exponentially. As for Panda, there wasn’t much scene to show much about it. All we know is that Panda is interested in girls and willing to do anything to protect his friends since he is a cursed corpse, to begin with.
3. Artwork
The characters may look simple, but their personalities are the central aspect of this manga. The environment that was drawn in certain scenes, mainly to set up the battle scenes, gives a chilly and maze-like atmosphere. Such an impression is to make us think that the place may be haunted and question whether this place existed in our neighborhood. Gege did a fantastic job of designing the curses that give off an intense aura of hunting their prey along with the emotions of regrets and hatred.
Final Thoughts
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a one-shot manga that ended at just the right moment without ruining the whole experience and leaving a meaningful ending for the Yuta. The action scenes, characters, and artwork are enjoyable. The flow of the battle and world-building are smooth and immersive to explore what the characters had gone through to the point where they are. If you are a fan of Jujutsu Kaisen and interested in characters who are battling against the odds, you might like this manga.
Author: Nobodies17
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