Jujutsu Kaisen – 22 [The Origin of Blind Obedience]

Welcome back to Jujutsu Kaisen! Last week was a contentious one going by the comments. And by contentious I mean people thought I was a tad harsh and may have missed the point of the episode. Well for those people I have good news, because I actually quite enjoyed this one! Surprising considering its 90% setup but it’s setup done well. So without further ado lets jump into Jujutsu Kaisen!

Like I said, this week is primarily setup for what is to come. It’s a lot of talking, wandering around and basically no fighting until the very last second. So the question becomes: Why do I think this is good setup compared to most anime? And the answer I have come up with is this: We still had interesting and meaningful character interaction, with history about Fushiguro specifically, that made it worth our time. Whether it be Fushiguro’s time in middle school or his more serious inner conflict about his sister, we learned more about who Fushiguro is. And these weren’t just random tidbits, info dumping his backstory for us. They were directly involved in the random B-plot of the episode and that made them feel… important. Even if they probably aren’t in the long run. It’s this sense of importance that makes this episode work for me.

Moving on to the main plot of the episode, the best way I can describe it is… irrelevant? Perhaps unimportant is a better fit. I say this not because the plot with the bridge is bad but rather because it could be anything. The bridge is an excuse for Fushiguro’s story, an excuse to take us to his middle school and let us into his life. In that way it’s similar to the curse from Episode 3 when Nobara was introduced. Irrelevant and purpose built to let her show off. And that’s fine! Jujutsu Kaisen knew the curse wasn’t important, it’s why the episode focuses on our cast more than anything else, and it succeeds. Whether it be the old man, the punks in the middle school or some playful banter. For all that I don’t like how Jujutsu Kaisen handled their reunion, seeing them back together is nice.

That said there is one thing that fits into the main plot this week: The 2nd curse. Clearly it’s important, it’s one of the 3 Special Grades that Mahito stole during the raid. But its design feels very… monster of the week-ish. Nothing about it really stands out to me. Beyond the extra detail put into the line work, and its expressions, it doesn’t have the same visual presence as Jogo, Mahito or Hanami. I suspect it’s the lack of color since the entire thing is one solid hue for it’s skin. Making the whole design feel same-y and uniform compared to the other Special Grades more varied palettes. Because of that, I honestly don’t expect it to survive until the end of the season, most likely dying next week. As for why it’s there in the first place? I have a few ideas.

The most obvious assumption is that it’s here for the bridge curse. Maybe to recruit it, maybe to eat it and “gain power” in some way. If you ask me though the most likely scenario is a bit of both. The bridge curse, for all that it lacks a name and presence, is still probably a Special Grade. These thing don’t just appear out of nowhere, something had to give it power, whether it be time or a Finger. Between that and how Mahito is hunting Fingers to tempt Sukuna, it feels likely that the bridge curse has one itself. So here’s what I suspect is going to happen: The 2nd curse came here to get the finger, eats it, gets more powerful and transforms thus shedding is less unique design and BOOM! A cliffhanger fight to end the season on. It’s not a bad plan if you ask me.

All in all for what was basically a setup and introduction for a 2 episode arc, Jujutsu Kaisen did well. Focusing on the cast, where they are now and just letting them breathe for a bit. And rather than try to flavor the cast dynamics with an out of place sports skit instead it let them speak for themselves. For the gags and interactions to naturally come about from normal day to day scenario’s and their own chemistry. Maybe that seems like a small difference to some people and I don’t totally disagree with the comments on last weeks post. But for me the difference was staggering in just how much enjoyment I got from these two episodes. Between the river crossing, the back and forth and the return to darker curses, it feels like Jujutsu Kaisen has come home after the tournament arc. I’m thankful for that.