For better or for curse
Sunghoo Park’s prequel ‘Jujutsu Kaisen 0’ is a beautifully animated demonstration of grief and learning to let go
The prequel to the hit series Jujutsu Kaisen, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, beautifully demonstrates how creative anime can be when handling grief.
Crunchyroll Collection You Tube Channel
May 20, 2022
Stories of grief and loss have always been present through many different genres and mediums. From films like the heart-wrenching Manchester by the Sea to Hereditary, parting and moving on are portrayed in countless ways.
The prequel to the hit series Jujutsu Kaisen, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, beautifully demonstrates how creative anime can be when handling grief. The heart of “0” is the relationship between the timid and lonely Yuta Okkotsu (voiced by Megumi Ogata) and his childhood love Rika Orimoto (voiced by Kana Hanazawa), who accidentally died in a car accident. Following her death, Rika was cursed and turned into a vengeful cursed spirit who haunts Yuta.
After Rika shoved four students into a locker for bullying Yuta, he was apprehended by Tokyo Jujutsu High and a jujutsu sorcerer, Satoru Gojo (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura). Instead of executing Yuta, Gojo presents him with an offer of learning how to control Rika’s powers. Rather than die in isolation, Yuta accepts and becomes a jujutsu sorcerer.
As plans to end the age of non-sorcerers become present, the jujutsu world gets flipped upside down as they try to stop the curse users’ attack. Unbeknownst to them, the worst of the curse users, Suguru Geto (voiced by Takahiro Sakurai) decides to confront Yuta directly in hopes to take his curse (Rika).
In the original adaptation of the anime, the villain’s intentions were unclear; “0” does a satisfactory job at fleshing out and establishing these motives, giving a much-needed backstory between Gojo and Geto.
The story particularly excels at expressing Yuta’s journey. He doesn’t know why Rika decided to haunt him, and he blames himself for it. As he learns to control Rika and curse energy, he gains more confidence, and even though he never forgets the promise Rika and he made, his arc ultimately revolves around letting go and moving on. As he comes to terms with everything that happened, their story remains beautifully tragic.
In the world of anime film adaptations, it’s always a question of whether it is actually canon. But back in 2020, Ufotable’s Demon Slayer: Mugen Train introduced its next arc on the big screen, and it was a phenomenal success. It was filled with outstanding visuals and voice acting and was 100% canon.
Of course, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 doesn’t fall short in these areas either, especially with MAPPA running the show. The animation shines during dynamic action scenes and embraces the over-the-top moments with open arms.
Whether you’ve watched the anime or not, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 works as both a standalone introduction into the chaotic world and an outstanding prequel.
Max Davis • May 23, 2022 at 3:56 pm
This has a creative title, I like it.