Two Boys Meet World in a Thrilling Return to Jujutsu Society
On October 2nd, 2020, the world was first introduced to Jujutsu Society in the hit anime Jujutsu Kaisen, written by Gege Akutami which began in 2018. After Studio Mappa, the project’s animators, finished the first season, they were met with massive success. Stunning visuals and electrifying action paired with a complex cast of characters and a gripping narrative left audiences hungry for more. Later the following year, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 was released on December 24th, 2021, giving viewers a glimpse into the past while following faces old and new in a movie occurring one year before the plot of the main series. A box-office hit, the film collected a total gross of $196 million worldwide, ranking as the ninth most popular anime film of all time. After accruing a massive audience and worldwide acclaim, fans waited anxiously to see what would come next.
Returning a year and a half later, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 began airing on July 6th, 2023 with its newest arc, Hidden Inventory/Premature Death. Following the lives of Satoru Gojo, one of the series’ most beloved characters, and Suguru Geto, his best friend, eleven years before the events of the main series. With the illustrious Studio Mappa continuing their work, the arc opens Season 2 with an exciting and poignant bang. As Gojo and Geto undertake a mission to preserve the very balance of jujutsu society, we see how their lives change as they unearth the cruel realities of the world they’re meant to protect.
Jujutsu Kaisen is a show largely supported by its fantastic cast of characters, with each addition further enriching the world as a whole. As such, these characters are masterfully paired with an appropriate voice actor to portray them. Like its predecessor, the newest season continues to thrive in this regard, with Yuichi Nakamura (Hawks in My Hero Academia, Bruno Bucciarati in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) and Kaiji Tang (Sanemi Shinazugawa in Demon Slayer, Osamu Dazai in Bungo Stray Dogs) delivering thrilling performances as Satoru Gojo in the Japanese and English dubs, respectively. Takahiro Sakurai (Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII Remake, Reigen Arataka in Mob Psycho 100) and Lex Lang (Dr. Neo Cortex in Crash Bandicoot, Marechiyo Omaeda in Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War) give a moving performance as Suguru Geto. Finally, Takehito Koyasu (Dio Brando in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Zeke in Attack on Titan) and Nicolas Roye (Tetta Kisaki in Tokyo Revengers, Octane in Apex Legends) bring thrilling life to Toji Fushiguro.
Across the arc, Satoru Gojo continuously steals the show, despite sharing the protagonist role with Suguru Geto. Being eleven years younger than we see him in Season 1, young Gojo captures the type of egocentric arrogance one would expect of a 16-year-old, let alone one blessed with the immense power to manipulate the fabric of space. Given his overwhelming strength, he develops a disconnect from the world around him, renouncing the responsibilities that come with his status as “The Strongest”. Despite this rift, Gojo shares his title with his dearest friend Geto, with them both declaring how “We’re the strongest”. As the bitter truths of Jujutsu Society begin to weigh on the duo, Gojo’s power only continues to grow, becoming a force of nature after touching the “core of cursed energy” and mastering Cursed Technique Reversal: Red, an orb of concentrated cursed energy capable of repelling anything that comes in contact with it. These final steps set his isolation in stone, as he thinks: “Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one”, with only Geto holding him to the expectations and duties that come with his strength. I believe the complexities of Gojo’s character are often terribly unrecognized, as so often his feats of strength overshadow the nuances of who he is beyond his abilities.
Despite Gojo’s overwhelming presence in the arc, I found myself all the more drawn to Suguru Geto, who receives the bulk of his development in the latter half of the arc. In the beginning, Geto’s beliefs stand diametrically opposed to Gojo’s, believing Jujutsu Society as a whole exists to protect the weak. Despite how tightly he holds to his values, his character begins to change as his truth is slowly crushed under the unbearable weight of reality. After being confronted with tragedy after tragedy, Geto begins to slip while Gojo continues to soar ever higher. As the suffocating pressure of his crisis closes in on him, he comes to an epiphany: why should he be obligated to protect a world that scorns him and every other sorcerer? This revelation pushes him to act drastically, abandoning the ideals he once held in order to live as he sees as right. Geto’s cathartic conflict with the very world around him, the very same world his dearest friend thrives in, is what makes his story so utterly enrapturing to me.
Beyond just characters, Hidden Inventory/Premature Death offers some of the most visually stunning animation one can ask for in the modern era. From brutally intense battles like Gojo vs. Toji to tranquil moments of everyday high school life to even boat racing, Studio Mappa delivers in every regard. These stunning scenes are accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack, orchestrated by Hiroaki Tsustumi. Between his diverse usage of the piano on tracks like “Hidden Inventory” and “If I Am With You” and his masterful composition in pieces like “Limitless Cursed Technique” and “No Hesitation”, Tsutsumi delivers a full comprehensive range of emotions and tones in one soundtrack. Whether interpreting the vastness of infinity in the mind of an adolescent boy or another’s descent into darkness, Hiroaki Tsutsumi captures it all.
Conclusions
In their introduction to Season 2, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Hidden Inventory/Premature Death arc offers a fresh new perspective into a familiar world through the acutely beautiful and ultimately tragic tale of two beloved characters, giving them and their world ample space to grow and flourish. To conclude, the Hidden Inventory/Premature Death arc presents a visually stunning, tensely thrilling, and emotionally moving story in just five episodes, paving the way for a riveting Season 2 to come.
