Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Director: Sunghoo Park
Writers: Gege Akutami, Hiroshi Seko
The very first thing you’ll notice about “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” the movie, is the difference between the animation style and musical score from season one of the anime series – it’s better. Based on the manga series by Gege Akutami, the 2021 film is a prequel and follows the story of Yuta Okkotsu, a high-school student who is in possession of a powerful cursed spirit and is asked to join the Jujutsu High School in Tokyo by Satoru Gojo. However, there are others who are interested in gaining control of the young Yuta.
If you’ve seen season one of “Jujutsu Kaisen”, you’d remember the Annual Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event that takes place in the second-half, where the second year students mention their classmate Yuta missing in action. Aoi Todo from the Kyoto School, who makes Yuji Itadori his “best friend” also inquires about Yuta before the competition begins. After dropping subtle hints at the importance of the character in the first season, “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” charts Yuta’s journey from being a small kid bound by a cursed spirit, to a teenager on the path of becoming a formidable jujutsu sorcerer. He starts his journey by becoming a first year student, along with Maki Zenin, Panda and Toge Inumaki.
Yuta’s origin story is dark, tragic, and, to those with a twisted sense of humor, ironically hilarious. His initiation into the jujutsu world is quite similar to that of Yuji Itadori (the primary character in season one). Both Yuji and Yuta are considered dangerous by the older order, courtesy their association with powerful cursed spirits, and both young men find themselves under the patronage of Satoru Gojo, the strongest sorcerer. But unlike Yuji’s rather random entry into the spirit world (he eats Sukuna’s finger out of curiosity and becomes a cursed vessel), Yuta has a longer and more personal connection to Rika – the fierce spirit attached to him.
“Jujutsu Kaisen 0” serves as a fantastic bridge between “Jujutsu Kaisen” season one and two. Watching the film will help viewers better understand the context of events that take place during the Shibuya Arc. Apart from exploring Yuta’s story, it also sheds further light on antagonist Suguru Geto’s motives, and his fraught relationship with Satoru Gojo. The climax is emotionally charged, with major revelations about the primary characters. It lays some solid groundwork and strongly foreshadows future events that will diabolically divide the Jujutsu Kaisen universe.
You can watch “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” on Prime Video.
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