English Dub Review: Jujutsu Kaisen 0

Overview:

Yuta Okkotsu has spent most of his sequestered teenage life living in fear over the dangerous and unpredictable curse that’s connected to him. Yuta’s constant fear is replaced with empathy and understanding for the first time as he’s indoctrinated into Jujutsu High as a special student with unprecedented powers. Satoru Gojo attempts to help Yuta better understand his potential as well as tame the powerful curse that accompanies him. Yuta and the rest of Satoru’s prospective Jujutsu protégés grow stronger as individuals, and as a team, as they’re forced to defend their lives in battle. A dangerous curse user with ties to Satoru’s past threatens to wipe out the normal “monkeys” of the world so that Jujutsu sorcery and cursed spirits can reign supreme. 

Our Take:

Every year introduces plenty of new anime series that become the next big hit and the rotating shonen spotlight has currently landed on Jujutsu Kaisen, a cold blend of action and horror storytelling tropes. Jujutsu Kaisen only has a single season under its belt, but this cinematic prequel to the anime’s story has broken box office records in Japan, which further speaks to the rabid excitement that surrounds the Jujutsu Kaisen property. This all culminates into a film that’s both satisfying for the existing fans as well as an effective entry point for Jujutsu Kaisen virgins. However, the film’s tendency to hedge its bets occasionally hurts it. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a lot of fun and thoroughly entertaining, but it’s a level of excitement that ultimately comes across as disposable and is easy to forget about once it’s over, even if it’s thoroughly thrilling in the moment.

A common complaint that’s lodged at anime movies is that they frequently feel like one long episode, or even worse, multiple episodes that are shoddily stitched together. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 looks absolutely gorgeous and MAPPA outdoes themselves in the animation department. Simple environments and set dressing drip with style, but this is a story that first and foremost feels cinematic and is presented in such a manner. The introduction of established characters from the Jujutsu Kaisen universe, such as Satoru Gojo, are passionately presented. This is a movie where every frame feels grandiose, but not in a self-important way. Jujutsu Kaisen is still a very new anime property and this prequel film is surprisingly humble, while simultaneously celebratory, of the world that it creates. It’s the right combination that plays with the many contrasting extremes that fill the series where newcomers will be charmed and want to dig deeper into this universe rather than feel like they’re not in on the joke.

One of the strongest aspects of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is that the horror elements that are prevalent in the anime series are in full force here. The movie’s introduction is genuinely disturbing and up there with any pure horror anime efforts. Satoru Gojo casually reduces Yuta’s plight with the understatement, “That’s dark,” but this throwaway line also effectively warns the audience that the story that they’re about to watch unfold is going to frequently dip into morbid and disturbing territory. This is a story where the death of children and cursed youthful spirits becomes so common that such tragedies feel normalized. This isn’t a Dragon Ball or One Piece movie. This is Jujutsu Kaisen and this film doesn’t shy away from how dark material is integral to this universe. It’s a very effective assault to the senses for newcomers. Rika, the cursed companion that’s tethered to Yuta, has a highly unsettling appearance that’s like a more frightening version of Death Note’s Ryuk. The audience spends the entire movie with this cursed spirit and it’s still a jarring sight by the time the credits roll.

Yuta enters Jujutsu High as an anomaly due to his cursed status, but it doesn’t take long for him to find his people. Yuta’s origins aren’t that extraordinary by anime standards and it’s a history that intentionally runs parallel to that of Yuji Itadori in Jujutsu Kaisen. That being said, it’s an effective starting point for this tale that still manages to subvert expectations and not get lost in irrelevant backstory and exposition. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 tells a familiar story, but one that respects the audience’s intelligence and never patronizes them with its plot. On that note, the story to Jujutsu Kaisen 0 breezily moves along, but it feels like the standard Jujutsu Kaisen anime, only with a fresh coat of paint over new characters in familiar situations. Yuta’s ailments aren’t that dissimilar from most shonen series or other stories that examine a tug of war between friends once one of them becomes the host for some malevolent force, whether that’s Akira, Devilman Crybaby, or any of the material that falls in between these two extremes. 

Jujutsu Kaisen 0’s story works, but it’s still hindered by the fact that many variations of this basic narrative have been told before. In the end, it feels more like a showcase for animation, action choreography, and incredible demonstrations of supernatural energy than a revelatory story that transcends the medium. It’s unlikely that Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is going to turn any newcomers into permanent anime fans, whereas similar cinematic endeavors like Demon Slayer: Mugen Train or even My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission might. 

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is consistently entertaining, but a sense of danger doesn’t kick in until nearly halfway through the movie, which feels a little egregious. Some simple editing where Geto Suguru is teased during the film’s introduction would improve the first act, which gets lost in introductions and having fun with these characters. It takes too long to figure out what’s really driving the story forward and what needs to be accomplished. However, what’s lost in the simplicity of the movie’s narrative is more than made up for by the rich tapestry of emotions that are present in its characters as well as inform every single scene. Oddly, at its core, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, is a beautiful love story once all of the death and cursed spirit combat is pushed aside. This typically isn’t the case in a shonen movie and if nothing else Jujutsu Kaisen 0 connects because it puts just as much weight into the characters’ feelings as it does the animation and fight sequences. It’s extremely easy to picture a decade’s worth of cosplay that’s inspired by Yuta and Rika’s tragic romance.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 really hammers in Yuta’s inherent loneliness and the material during the film’s first act effectively conveys his insulated existence. So many sequences present Yuta in wide shots where the environment is filled with empty space that he struggles to fill. It makes Yuta’s reluctant friendships after he enters Jujutsu High stand out more and there’s an inherent anxiety to them as Yuta copes with this new normal and a busier lifestyle. Yuta receives the most attention, but his fellow cursed energy users are all amusing, especially Toge who exclusively speaks through rice ball recipe ingredients that are imbued with extreme emotion. 

The absurdist nature of these cursed skills helps expand the boundaries of Jujutsu Kaisen, but they’re also largely meant to function as the comic relief in a film that has its share of grim moments. Some of these characters, such as Panda and Toge are more one-note in nature, but Maki’s story is actually one of the better arcs of the movie. Her development is as emotional and powerful as what Yuta experiences. Yuta’s possible return in the Jujutsu Kaisen anime seems inevitable, but it’d be just as exciting to return to a more mature version of Maki in the future. Alternatively, the movie’s central antagonist, Geto Suguru, isn’t overly complicated. However, Suguru is still effectively terrifying due to how he’s  so persuasive and confident in everything that he does. He never loses the aura of a charismatic cult leader.

Most of the movie’s exciting elements down down to the intricate battle sequences and the meticulous detail that’s applied to all of the diverse curses. All of the group battles are exceptional, but Maki and Yuta’s battle tactics make the biggest impression. Fights are effortlessly choreographed and feature fluidly animated sequences where action barrels forward at an overwhelming tempo that’s a masterful sight to behold. It’s truly magical when the music and visuals come together during the apex of combat, especially if the audience has the luxury of watching this action play out on a movie theater’s gigantic screen. All of the cursed spirits are not only unique, but pure nightmare fuel. These monsters feel like creations from Silent Hill who have been given makeovers by David Cronenberg and H.R. Giger. The animation in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 makes these curses feel visceral and like there’s a real evil behind them. 

The visuals and aesthetics that drive Jujutsu Kaisen 0 forward are gorgeous, but the vocal performances in the movie’s English dub also deserve serious accolades. Anairis Quiñones and Kayleigh McKee do a lot of the heavy lifting here as the film’s respective leads, Rika Orimoto and Yuta Okkotsu. The vocal performances for these characters in the Japanese Jujutsu Kaisen 0 received high praise, but despite having big shoes to fill both Quiñones and McKee do excellent work with these characters. Kayleigh McKee navigates through a maze of emotions as she brings out the many sides of Rika. Allegra Clark, Xander Mobus, and Lex Lang, who play Maki, Toge, and Suguru Geto, round out the rest of the movie’s major characters. Naturally, Kaiji Tang is back as Satoru Gojo and he’s honestly never been better in the role. This might be a slightly younger version of the character, but there’s not much markedly different in Tang’s performance. He makes sure that Satoru commands authority with every line.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is an anime movie that’s fast-paced, aesthetically beautiful, and steadily entertaining. It’s not a film that functions as a greater allegory for the human condition or an essential story about the fragility of life, but it doesn’t need to be. At the end of the day, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is an above-average action movie, which is all that anybody expects from it. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 accomplishes its goals in a thoughtful and artistic manner, but this isn’t an arthouse film that’s likely to make it on many “Best Of” lists despite its mainstream success. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a rewarding expansion to the popular anime series as well as a dark and moody action epic that’s confident enough to stand on its own. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but there are also much worse ways to spend an hour and forty-five minutes.

‘Jujutsu Kaisen 0’ will be in select theaters across North America on March 18th