Jujutsu Kaisen 0

I was quite blown away by Jujutsu Kaisen when this series came out, but it's been a while since it aired and other better shows have come out since then, so I no longer find it so amazing and extraordinary. Even the best thing about the series – the beautiful and technically, choreographically, dynamically, and aesthetically excellent fights – has been surpassed by Demon Slayer. But I was looking forward to this prequel anyway, and I am far from disappointed. It's got a simple and straightforward plot. Admittedly, it would have benefited from a longer running time. Yuuta's transformation into an incredibly powerful character feels very rushed, and it lacks a bit more character build-up and training to make it more believable. Then again, it would have probably slowed down the pace. Just like in the series, I noticed a lot of clichés and things that feel like they've been ripped off from elsewhere. But it works, so who cares? Plus, the last third of the film is incredibly awesome and full of great fights that are a joy to watch. Who cares that Rika looks like a rip-off of Alien and Predator, or that the relationship between Satoru and Suguru smacks of Dumbledore and Grindenwald (that is, if they were really just friends), or that Suguru has exactly the same agenda and motivation this time around as Grindenwald. It's nicely portrayed, it works, and I do enjoy it... There's even space in the movie for a convincing build-up of the relationship between Yuta and his classmates, so even saying something like "I don't know if your intentions are good or bad, but I want to kill you - because you hurt my friends" makes sense. Whether it's better than the series, as some claim, I'm not entirely sure. For me, both the series and the movie have a good storyline that is easy to follow. It's equally amazing animation-wise and decent music-wise. I'm looking forward to seeing when and how Yuuta appears in the series. Hopefully, it will happen in the second season next year. 8/10 (21/09/2022)