Jujutsu Kaisen (Episode 3) – Girl of Steel

Jujutsu Kaisen Title

Not long after arriving in Tokyo, Nobara met with Gojou, Fushiguro, and Itadori. Dazzled by the big city, Nobara and Itadori were keen to do something fun. Gojou had a great idea and led them to a cursed, abandoned building.

What happened?

Gojou found Nobara in the streets of Tokyo harassing some guy who was searching for “models”. She demanded that he tell her what he thought of her. He was obviously uncomfortable with the situation and not just because of her harsh manner. Luckily for him, Gojou called to Nobara and introduced her to Itadori and Fushiguro.

After they introduced themselves, Nobara made a snap judgement of both and didn’t like what she saw. She hated that Itadori was a complete newbie to the situation and how high and mighty Fushiguro appeared. Gojou broke the tension by suggesting that they do something fun as Itadori and Nobara are from the country. They both loved the idea. Fushiguro was less than impressed.

Everyone’s opinions changed, however, when Gojou led them to a large abandoned building. Cursed energy poured out of every nook and cranny. Gojou suggested the Nobara and Itadori go inside and show him what they can do. He sat back with Fushiguro and watched with bated breath.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 3 Nobara Kugisaki

Nobara very quickly grew impatient with Itadori and decided they should split up. He thought it was a bad idea, but she was in no mood to debate it. Not long after they separated, a curse dropped through the ceiling and tried to attack Itadori. He stared at him and muttered, asking him if he needed a receipt…

Itadori quickly cut it down with the blade that Gojou had given him. Gojou discussed the situation with Fushiguro outside. They knew that Itadori was crazy. They had seen it. He has absolutely no fear. What he wanted to know was whether Nobara was crazy enough too. Too many Jujutsu sorcerers can’t handle the horrific things they encounter.

Nobara found the curse and quickly dispatched it with her hammer and nails. Moments later, she spotted a kid hiding behind some boxes but before she could do anything, another curse came through the wall and grabbed the child, holding it hostage. Nobara tried to assess the situation logically and then put down her weapons.

The curse laughed, but the Itadori punched through the wall behind it and freed the child. Nobara used a straw doll and one of its severed arms to exorcise it completely as it tried to flee. I guess she is crazy enough!

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 3 Nobara Kugisaki hammering

What did you think?

I felt like I was sitting with Gojou and Fushiguro in this episode, watching as Nobara and Itadori entered the cursed building. So far, I hadn’t completely bought into this series, but this episode did a lot to settle me in. The curses were amazingly creepy especially the one that Itadori fought. The other was less creepy but far more sinister. These are good signs and tell me that I’m going to enjoy this.

There’s still a lot of comedic moments and goofy art styles which don’t seem to fit with the overall tone, but this is a shounen and not a seinen series. I wonder if this will be something that annoys me throughout the series or like Dr Stone, I’ll get used to it. I’m hoping it doesn’t end up having the same impact as Zenitsu did in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. I enjoyed that series, but the tone was all over the place and regularly detracted from the action and horror.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 3 Fushiguro and Gojou

What have you learnt?

I feel like I’m going to be mentioning the other recent shounen series that I’ve been watching as I analyse Jujutsu Kaisen. One thing that I am happy about is the variety of curses. In three episodes we’ve seen quite a range from mindless ones that just try to eat everything to the god-like Sukuna. I love that we have the potential for anything going forward similar to the Demons in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yabia and the Infernals in Fire Force.

Having a wide potential allows for more variety and that really matters in a series that will see the heroes going up against numerous enemies throughout the series. I get the sense that things are going to get really dark at some point and I am here for that. If it can keep the balance between the light and dark without contrasting them too much it should be a great ride. I’m quite optimistic.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 3 Nobara Kugisaki facing a curse with a hostage

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2 Comments

    • It’s hard to argue with that. I do like Maki and Miwa as well though, but Nobara is incredible!

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