Hope you are here after Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 episode 16. Minor spoilers ahead
After consistently delivering fast-paced, gritty episodes week after week, Studio MAPPA has knocked it out of the park yet again with season 2 episode 17. So, five out of five stars for yet another epic edition adapted from the panels of manga-master Gege Akutami. It’s a little difficult to put in words just how brilliant this episode was and arguably one of the best yet! And the events are all accompanied by a gritty soundtrack that pulls you right into the middle of the action, as if you are watching Shibuya go up in flames first-hand.
Titled “Thunderclap Part II,” the episode starts with a brief flashback of Yuji in a bright yellow hoodie against a sunny section of a hospital where his grandfather gives him a word of advice: “Yuji, you are very strong, so go help others.” The scene then shifts to the present, cleverly contrasting both the mood and color palette with the dark, devastated Shibuya, with the focus on the black-hooded Yuji being controlled by the evil Sukuna. The intro song rolls in and the attention turns to a fatally injured Megumi, who if you remember, was unscrupulously attacked from the back by Haruta Shigemo, the blonde-haired childish yet psychotic antagonist. Realizing the odds are stacked against him, Megumi summons a practically uncontrollable Shikigami called Mahoraga, which is akin to placing a bet on his own demise.
If you thought the Jogo versus Sukuna face-off was a hell of a fight, wait until you watch this edition, which, like its title, feels like a thunderclap. Things unfold at lightning speed; there’s a lot of blood, blaze, and Shibuya is battered to the core in the new battle that takes place in its precinct. This time around, there’s no time for little jokes or lighter moments throughout the runtime. Instead, there’s only death, disaster, and darkness, with a visceral scene of Yuji Itadori lamenting his body’s exploitation by the Satanic Sukuna. Junichi Suwabe, who lends his voice to Sukuna, makes the character sound like a casual anti-God, and fans are here for it.
For the first time, I strongly felt that maybe I should’ve read the manga series by Gege Akutami because there’s so much happening in such a short span of time. It’s hard to keep track of every little detail. However, the anime, like always, incorporates flashbacks and narration to help non-manga readers understand the gist of what’s happening. We are explained that Mahoraga is the most powerful Shikigami to exist and can only be summoned through the ten shadows technique that has been passed down in the Zenin family.
I plan to watch this episode once again to take in all the details of the animation, which was freakishly good. All the MAPPA animators deserve a break and a raise for consistently raising the bar with their work and keeping viewers hooked to every second.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 17 ends with a revelation/cliffhanger which would be thrilling for those who haven’t already read the Shibuya arc.
You can stream the series on Netflix or CrunchyRoll.
Read Next: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 18 Review
Also Read: ‘The Plague’ by Albert Camus – Book Review (Audio Version Below)
