The anime that took the world by storm last summer was Jujutsu Kaisen. Many had guessed its success due to the encouraging manga sales it was experiencing before the anime came out – 7 million copies had already been sold. However, no one could have predicted the explosion that came to be.

 

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It was a global phenomenon, and manga sales exploded to 70 million by the time the anime had ended! The question is, how has Gege Akutami’s work been so successful? And what can the fans expect from season 2?

 

 

What Do We Know About Season 2 So Far?

 

 

The 2^nd season of Jujutsu Kaisen is expected to premier this winter. MAPPA is returning to animate after enjoying unexpected success from the 1^st season. Much of the same cast from the first season will reprise their roles, whilst the studio is tight-lipped about any additional castings to avoid spoilers. Season 2 will be a monster that will span 6 months without any breaks, covering two arcs: Gojo’s Inventory and Shibuya Incident.

 

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The former will cover Gojo’s past as a student in Jujutsu High Tokyo and the perils of his time (also having one of the mostly godly scenes in anime history). The latter will see Mahito and his pals execute the plan they were talking about in Season 1 and boy will there be carnage.

 

Will Season 2 Live Up To The Hype?

 

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With the movie being a major success, all eyes are now turned to Season 2 of the anime, which airs this December. Jujutsu Kaisen has become MAPPA’s crown jewel, which means they will concentrate their resources on this season to do justice to Akutami’s amazing manga.

 

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Season 2 drops is inevitable. For years, Attack on Titan has dominated Western markets for anime. As the final season premiers this December, the time is ripe for a new anime to take its place and become the most popular show in the West. Jujutsu Kaisen has arrived, and it is here to stay.

 

 

What is the Plot of Jujutsu Kaisen?

 

 

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The story of Jujutsu Kaisen is set in a world of curses, cursed spirits, objects and jujutsu sorcerers. It shows how our fears manifest into curses and how a strong fear leads to a stronger curse with a conscious – much to the detriment of the world. Having said that, what makes Jujutsu Kaisen stand out from the rest of the ongoing stories is the morality and sentience of these curses.

 

 

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The curses do not possess the innate ideology or understanding of the of a human, but they possess one nonetheless. A viewer can empathize with the cursed spirit Hanabi (a curse born from the fear of natural based land disasters) who despises the humans for their insatiable greed for expansion.

 

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Although, their arbitrary killing of humans is repulsively and inexplicably wrong, their characters are not drowned villainy, thus, adding nuance. Even the main conflict of Season 1 between Mahito and Yuji Itadori is highly paradoxical. 

 

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The former is a curse that kills humans with impunity and creativity whilst the latter, though very kind and empathetic to humans, does not miss a beat to pummel curses – even adolescent ones. They are the same people on the different side of spectrum who loathe each other whilst looking into a mirror. 

 

The Extraordinary Characters in Jujutsu Kaisen Is What Makes It So Special 

 

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Rarely does an anime come forth with such an adored group of characters. The character dominating all anime related discourse last fall was no one but Gojo  Satoro.

 

A white-haired, clear blue-eyed, slender man with devastating powers and an arrogance that goes with it. It revealed early that Gojo is the strongest character in the Jujutsu world, and it is because of his presence that many curses remain in hiding. Granted, a strong, handsome, arrogant is not the rarest breed in Shōnen animes. Yet, Gojo stands above all them because of his ideology.

 

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Most powerful anime characters are either the villain, the do-gooders or teachers nourishing the next strongest. Though, Gojo fits into some of those description, but not completely. He does not identify as the messiah this world was waiting for, nor does he lust for power.

 

He only helps those that want to be helped and shows no compunction of killing curses. He detests the higher ups of the Jujutsu World and seeks to bring about a revolution by nurturing the next generation of Jujutsu Sorcerers. It this grey area that Akutami puts him in that makes his character ever so intriguing.

 

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Add Yuji Itadori, an outgoing, friendly boy so selfish in his selflessness that he wishes to save all those he can before his impending execution. He's our main character, and his guts and ability to have control over himself even after consuming Sukuna's fingers is what makes him so exceptional. 

 

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Megumi Fushiguro, a reserved, observant boy who only saves those he deems are worth saving. He's extremely strong, but he is yet to find out what he is truly capable of. Maybe we'll finally get to see more of him in the new season?

 

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Maki, a girl from the Zenin Clan (One of the 3 most powerful clans) who wishes to grow strong enough to become the clan head to change the treatment of girls in the jujutsu world: especially her clan. Maki is considered weak because she cannot even see cursed energy.

 

Yet, she trains herself to become strong enough to fight powerful curses. Honestly, she's probably one of the most inspiring female anime characters. 

 

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Kugisaki Nobara, a confident, bright girl who wants to live her life without the pressures of society or their demands. Honestly, we got tired of seeing characters like Sakura who are just umm, useless. But Nobara doesn't fear anyone or anything and is willing to go to any extent to do fight. She's got to be one of my favourite characters in anime. 

 

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Sukuna: The King of Curse that has reincarnated in Itadori’s body, but lays dormant for the time being. His blood thirst and complete disregard of life makes him a force of destruction seldom seen. 

 

I think I've got a thing for toxic man because despite him being a villain, I can't help but like him. I mean, you've got to admit it, he's pretty cool. 

 

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The release of Jujutsu Kaisen Movie 0 brought in action the character hyped already: Okkustu Yuta, a gloomy looking kid, with a strong cursed attached, who wants to find a reason to live.

 

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It is when all these characters get together and see their ideologies clash with the antagonist that we realize how invested we are in the story and the characters.

 

Season 2 will further introduce us to a few mind-blowing and powerful characters. I choose to keep this article spoiler-free so you'll have to wait a little longer to know more about them. 

 

The Parallels

 

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Fans of Demon Slayer insist that their show eclipses Jujutsu Kaisen due to its compelling story and better animation. Though, there is some merit to these claims, the reason Demon Slayer is slaying (pun intended) is because it provides aesthetic escapism. 

 

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Colorfully animated fights with unique powers to each character and a sympathizing backstory for the demons. It does not delve into anything too serious. What Demon Slayer avoids, in that Jujutsu Kaisen revels.

 

Not only does it mention the corrupt structure and damaging practices that Japan, and by extension the world, it shows the consequences of them.

 

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We see Maki, a girl who has to go through years of abuse and misogyny because of the grave mistake of being born a girl in this world. She faces obstacle after obstacle because of her gender, which leads to her sister – Mai – becoming estranged.

 

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We see Nanami Kento. An individual rocked to the core by the ruthless and cut-throat life of Jujutsu Sorcerers who decides to leave it all behind for the normalcy of the world. Yet, the capitalistic structure of the world outside makes a cog in an enormous machine with an insatiable desire for money.

 

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In this state he begins to question the importance and significance of his existence and what sort of life he wants to lead. This shows how one is losing their individuality in this world where everyone runs for more at the expense of what they have.

 

Themes of bullying, discrimination, apathy and racism are all touched upon in this series. Hence, it is not escapist as much as a reflection of a world we live in, which helps it transcend other animes.

 

The Portrayal of Female Characters

 

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A common critique against Shonen anime is its portrayal of female character. Most of them are reduced to lower-tier characters by the climax of the series.

 

Before that, the main ambition of these characters is to marry, become a love interest or fall in love with a male character with no personal goals set (*cough* Sakura *cough*). Apparently, Akutami is possibly one of those critics because his manga has no weak female characters.

 

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There is this wonderful sense of realism and individuality to each character. They have their own ambition and desires that they are striving for in this world. Even if a romantic relationship is implied, that only becomes a part of their personality, not the entire personality itself.

 

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This is the reason many female readers and viewers are drawn towards this anime. They want to see someone embody their aspiration, and through their struggles and triumphs do they find courage.