After six years, Shonen Bounce’s mega-popular sorcery-fighting manga, Jujutsu Kaisen, will publish its ultimate chapter on September 30. Within the years because it started syndication, it was nominated for (and received) just a few literary awards, and each seasons of its anime collection introduced house Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Yr. However as a weekly reader, my “in memoriam” to the manga is that it hasn’t been excellent for some time, and its finish couldn’t come quickly sufficient.
In the beginning, I’m not a Jujutsu Kaisen hater; I’m far worse. I used to be an enormous anime fan and skim forward within the manga. And who may blame me? Its first season launched a magic system that begged to be explored, its ensemble solid was charming, and manufacturing studio Mappa’s motion sequences delivered with out fail. Whereas the primary half of season 2 undoubtedly has the collection’ strongest writing, its latter half is marred by a barely-there story and shock-value character deaths that fail to function connective tissue for its raucous motion sequences. Like Jimmy Fallon and genuine laughter, its story by no means really comes collectively. If something, Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 is an empty spectacle that does a major disservice to the groundwork of its first season.
If season 2’s Shibuya Incident arc was the wheels coming off the bus, the anime’s upcoming Culling Recreation dying event is Jujutsu Kaisen barreling down the road rolling on tire belts as a substitute of rubber. Realizing that its manga will conclude in simply 5 extra chapters is extra of a mercy for readers than one thing to lament.
Learn Extra: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Will Kick Off A Bloody Event Arc
The expertise of studying Jujutsu Kaisen began as the primary weekly up to date Shonen Bounce manga I’d eagerly dive into earlier than shifting into the one I saved for final out of frustration with its monotony. It reached a degree the place studying Jujutsu Kaisen felt similar to studying Hire-A-Girlfriend’s going nowhere quick trashy romantic drivel—a misfortune I wouldn’t want on my worst enemy. To speak round manga spoilers for anime-only viewers, the issue with Jujutsu Kaisen’s manga is as follows:
- Arduous-to-follow motion sequences
- Mid-fight exposition dumps that may put Bleach to disgrace
- An overcomplicated magic system that seemingly retcons itself with every passing week
- Shock worth character deaths and weaponized postpartum flashbacks
Every passing chapter felt like cracking open an SAT prep pocket book of energy techniques with the intention to maintain monitor of Jujutsu Kaisen’s exposition-heavy battles that seemingly improvise and alter up how assaults and counter-attacks work each week. As an alternative of feeling engaged by the kaleidoscope-esque reveals of the manga, I routinely threw my fingers up in frustration and mentioned, “Positive, no matter,” at each convoluted plot improvement.
If something, the goodwill Jujutsu Kaisen’s motion has earned from its fandom is as a result of heavy lifting of Mappa’s overworked animation division, which articulates motion with readability, weight, and immaculate imagery—regardless of the manufacturing meltdown its animators withstood to make it occur. The manga’s portrayal of motion, then again, is uneven at finest. Whereas lots of its two-page spreads are excellent, the majority of its motion choreography made me squint to attempt to parse out the hardly legible anatomy of battle scenes. That is additional confirmed within the manga’s ultimate battle(s), which see every part and the kitchen sink thrown at its titular villain, just for him to “Nuh-uh” his means out of insurmountable odds.
Not like My Hero Academia’s manga, which concluded a month prior with a serviceable epilogue that tied most of its narrative unfastened threads collectively, Jujutsu Kaisen’s conclusion in simply 5 chapters all however assures a rushed ending to a narrative that–-if we’re being trustworthy—by no means felt really realized within the first place. If something, Jujutsu Kaisen’s ineffectual story serves merely as a automobile to ferry viewers to the following battle scene.
All this to say, there’s nonetheless hope that season 3 received’t be as monotonous as its manga counterpart, seeing as how Mappa turned the narrative ship round with Assault on Titan’s controversial finale. However as issues stand, 5 chapters received’t be sufficient to show Jujutsu Kaisen into an emotionally resonant manga with absolutely realized characters. It is going to, nonetheless, nonetheless make for good out-of-context AMV battle sequence fodder for TikTok, if that’s any comfort.
.