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Jujutsu Kaisen (Episode 1) – Ryomen Sukuna

Jujutsu Kaisen Title

Yuuji Itadori is athletic and strong, but he lives his life the way he wants. When he’s not at school or with the occult research club, he’s visiting his grandfather in the hospital. Everything changed the day his grandfather died!

What happened?

With his dying words, Itadori’s grandfather told him to protect the ones he could and ensure that he doesn’t die alone too. He passed not long after. Itadori was pretty shaken up by it, but he wasn’t sure why. It would appear that his grandfather was the only family left in his life and now he’s alone. Without a chance to grieve a guy approached him and asked to speak to him.

This guy, Megumi Fushiguro is a curse hunter and he’s tracked a particularly strong one to Itadori. It would appear that curses can form anywhere that emotions are strongest – schools and hospitals are particularly vulnerable. To stop these curses, a stronger cursed object is planted in these locations. Itadori and his friends in the occult research club found one.

Unfortunately, Itadori only had the case on him. His friends had the cursed object and planned on opening it tonight at the school Fushiguro and Itadori raced to the school to try to stop them, but as soon as they arrived it was clear that not everything was going to go to plan.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 1 Megumi Fushiguro

Fushiguro told Itadori to wait outside while he goes in and stops the cursed object from falling into the wrong hands. He finds Itadori’s friends as curses attempt to eat them and the cursed object. Itadori looks up from the school gates, questioning his decision. His grandfather’s final words echoed around his head. He had to protect those that he could.

Itadori charged into action, leaping through a window and kicking the curses. He grabbed his friends and the cursed object and dived to safety. Fushiguro had his spirit dog finish off the curses. He was surprised to see that Itadori could see his dogs and even more surprised when a bigger and much stronger curse came through the ceiling.

Fushiguro tried to fight it, but it was too strong. Then, Itadori attacked and claimed the cursed object – an ancient severed finger. The curse tried to eat him and the finger, however, Itadori made a choice. If he ate the object he would gain cursed powers and only cursed powers could hurt a curse. Fushiguro tried to stop him, but it was too late.

He watched in horror as a one in a million chance occurred and Itadori gained the powers of Ryomen Sukuna. However, Sukana then took over his body and marvelled at the world he had been reborn into. Itadori, however, had no desire to give up his body and managed to get Sukana under control. That wasn’t enough for Fushiguro who declared that he would have to execute Itadori!

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 1 A curse trying to eat a cursed object and students

What did you think?

The first fifteen to twenty minutes of this episode were not at all what I was expecting. It felt like a goofy slice of life show, but thankfully, it changed pretty quickly and the end of the episode was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the art style with a lot of more grainy effects. It worked particularly well with the curses and the darker moments.

After seeing the hype for Jujutsu Kaisen explode over the winter period, I thought I should get in on the action. If I was to compare this first episode to the first episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, I’d say Demon Slayer has the edge at the moment, but it’s all still to play for as I have another twenty-three episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen to get through.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 1 Yuuji Itadori eating Cursed Object

What have you learnt?

One of the things that I’m working on with my writing is taking more time with the setup and not dropping the reader straight into the action. However, I feel like you also need to ensure that the tone isn’t going to shift quite as much as this episode managed. I’m all for the dark and violent monster hunter format, I even enjoy the more comedic series, however, it’s tough to get the two to work together.

I feel like we could have had the introductions and prepared the audience for the dark shift. After all, it’s the darkness that we’re all here for. We want to see monsters and fights and other wonderful shounen delights. I just hope that the series doesn’t use all the not so wonderful tropes like the insanely long and overdrawn flashbacks. Give me the horror and the action. Let’s do this!

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 1 Yuuji Itadori or Sukuna Ryomen

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2 Comments

  1. “…you also need to ensure that the tone isn’t going to shift quite as much as this episode managed.”

    I’ve the exact agreement on this for too much tonal shift can make the serious stuff be ridiculed & overshadowed by stupid, unnecessary gag comedy like what Plunderer badly-adapted anime did. Then again, heard the latest manga chapters are a stupid joke for the Ace Heroes are too late & too dumb to figure out who’s missing from their past. 🤦‍♀️

    Yes, serious dark stuff need to have suspension of disbelief at its minimum. Glad this episode has one situation to not make you be upset too much. And yes, why was the finger in a spottable place bugs me but with a nonchalantly feeling.

    Been trying to reorganise my serious dark stuff in my WN, but I know that I mustn’t ruin the mood with a sudden tonal shift. There’s a future scene that’s traumatising to Plank that I hope whatever comedic timing comes after that won’t overshadowed that said trumatic experience. This scene will be my first to write a very serious Trigger Warning note above the chapter it’s in.

    • It can work as long as you’re gentle. You have to ease people into these shifts. It was the same with Dr Stone even. You get used to it over time so it’s best not to do anything too sudden to begin with. Best not to give people a reason to walk away before it starts to get good.

      I’d really get into this series and by the end I was loving it (finished watching it last weekend).

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