by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $16.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Intro:
Those familiar with the series will get a kick out of seeing supporting faces fleshed out, while newcomers can safely get lost in a world that is equal parts goofy and darkly heartbreaking, without needing to think too hard about sorcerers who speak only in ingredients for meat bun recipes.
Shōnen shenanigans, where angst-riddled teenagers are pitted against spiritual manifestations of people’s bad vibes in a battle to save the world! What’s more, this is something of a rarity within that anime demographic, as this is a prequel to a larger series that is actually accessible to new viewers. Yes, those who haven’t been introduced to the story of one kid’s quest to find and swallow rotten fingers, can safely enter and only be mildly confused by what’s going on. Although that’s not necessarily because of pre-existing canon, but more a result of the film’s… idiosyncrasies, let’s say.
When Gege Akutami initially wrote and drew the manga that this is based on, his focus was aimed more towards Rule Of Cool than anything all that deep. That M.O. ends up showing through in this adaptation, as it follows a rather loose early-Bleach formula that emphasises the action scenes and creature designs over emotional engagement. What good luck, then, that studio MAPPA manages to keep that intact with fun set pieces. The Curses that main character Yuta Okkotsu and his classmates encounter are suitably grotesque and unnerving, and the acrobatic ways that they are dispatched make for good eye candy.
That, and some supreme mindfrag fuel, where it feels like at least two diametrically opposed emotional reactions are fighting for room in the audience’s heads at any given moment. With its flipping back and forth between twee high school melodrama and edgy dark fantasy material, there are numerous instances where what is shown is somehow cute, disturbing, and second-hand embarrassing all at the same time. Whether it’s the giant sentient stuffed panda trying to play matchmaker, teacher Satoru Gojo and his aloof Captain Hindsight routine, or Yuta’s relationship with his own Curse Rika (a seeming combination of a Death Note Shinigami and Judge Death), there’s a lot of weird going on here.
Digressional and aimless, what holds it all together is the core relationship between Yuta and Rika. It’s where the film’s more morbid sensibilities and capacity for genuine tenderness find a healthy medium, bringing an unerringly personal dimension to an otherwise standard fight against supremacist evil. It’s the kind of messed-up love story, told from a specifically precocious perspective, that resonates on a number of levels, not least of which being his personal mantra about making something positive of his life.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is entertaining both because of and despite its own design, sporadic shifts in mood and narrative focus throughout. Those familiar with the series will get a kick out of seeing supporting faces fleshed out, while newcomers can safely get lost in a world that is equal parts goofy and darkly heartbreaking, without needing to think too hard about sorcerers who speak only in ingredients for meat bun recipes.
