English Dub Review: Jujutsu Kaisen: “Sage”; “Black Flash”

Overview: After Megumi (Robbie Daymond) and Maki (Allegra Clark) fend off Hanami (Marie Westbrook) for as long as they can, Yuji (Adam McArthur) and Todo (Xander Mobus) tag in to deliver some monstrous blows. 

Our Take: “Sage” sees the two epic battles take place amongst the Zenin clan and then against that of cursed spirits. Kamo was set up as an intriguing figure not only because he is a Zenin but because he never struck me as the run-of-the-mill antagonist with an inflated ego. He didn’t seem like he wanted to kill Yuji out of spite. While no doubt misplaced, his reasoning stemming from his love for his ostracized mother definitely gives him a more compassionate touch, ironically enough. Also it’s interesting to see the varied types of cursed techniques within the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, especially those of the Zenin bloodline, like Blood Manipulation and the Ten Shadows Technique. That made their fight especially exciting to watch because of this along with amazing MAPPA goodness that fans have come to expect with some fast paced hallway chase scenes and, surprisingly, some similarly close quarters combat. The other half of this episode throws Inumaki abruptly into their battle, as he throws down Hanami, with Mahito and the other cursed spirits/users finally setting their plan into motion. While there are familiar faces, a new addition, Juzo, the one with the coat rack fetish, is fun to watch simply in how deranged and obsessed he is with making stuff out of dead things. While the Inumaki, Megumi, and Kamo briefly fight Hanami, it, at first, is to no avail and doesn’t really begin to heat up until the next episode.

“Black Flash” begins with Inumaki doing what he can against the plant based cursed spirit along with Fushigoro. The show understandably and smartly places restrictions on Inumaki’s cursed speech power so fights and ones in the future will be compelling and with this rule in place helps keep him from being overpowered as all heck. It’s also nice seeing some versatility in his vocal powers especially since the nature of his technique cast such a wide net of possibilities. When Maki eventually joins the fight, it adds a whole different layer to the fight. We’re treated to a cool tag team with her and Fushigoro that focuses more so on quick hand to hand combat. The addition of cursed weapons continues to showcase different aspects of the various styles of fights throughout the series. And holy mackerel does this series have the epic animation to meet those various demands. When Yuji and Todo arrive, Itadori pulls out the lesson Todo has been beating into him, in the Black Flash! What results is an incredible display of streaky black badassery. Also seeing Todo in a mentorship role further shows that he’s more than just the funny buffon and brute that he’s been made out to be by others, mostly his classmates. This is all cemented by a gorgeous performance resembling that of a seasoned, synchronous ice-skating duo gliding across at lightspeed as Itadori and Todo trail across Hanami’s branches. Taking the fight to the ground, we’re left with an epic tease of what Todo’s ability is and just like with cursed weapons, varying techniques and styles, this too completely takes the next fight to a whole other level.