Sunghoo Park directs yet another masterpiece!
If you are unfamiliar with his work, Sunghoo has directed animes such as Tower of God and Jujutsu Kaisen. Jujutsu Kaisen quickly became a notable name in the anime fandom for its unique animation and fast paced story arcs. Now Sunghoo Park is back to direct the prequel to his popular series with Jujutsu Kaisen 0. This film keeps all the great elements of the show and makes them better. While there are some callbacks to the anime series, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 presents itself as a strong stand alone film. In addition to this, the callbacks would only be noticeable to fans of the series, and do not disrupt the flow of this prequel.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 follows Yuta Okkotsu. Yuta is a young boy living in Japan. As the film opens we see Yuta bullied by his fellow classmates. As the bullying progresses to violence, the audience learns that Yuta is not a normal 16 year old boy. Yuta is cursed by the vicious and murderous spirit called Rika Orimoto. In this series humans can be cursed or fall victim to curses which present themselves as monsters.
As Yuta is being beaten by his bullies, Rika appears. By the time any teachers arrive on the scene all that remains is the pulverized bodies of the bullies in a school locker.
From this point Yuta is asked to switch schools. Yuta is offered a spot at Tokyo Jujutsu High. A teacher, Satoru Gojo, at Jujutsu High offers Yuta the chance to control his curse. However, this presents a problem as the other students at Jujutsu High have been trained to fear and exorcize (kill) curses.
The cast of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is rounded out by the other first year students. The first year students at Jujutsu High School are familiar faces if you watch the anime. This list includes Maki Zenin, a cursed tools user, Toge Inumaki, a cursed speech user, and Panda, a talking panda bear. Together the four learn to harness cursed energy. Those who are able to harness this energy are labeled “Jujutsu Sorcerers”. Those who use this energy for evil are labeled “Curse Users.”
Jujutsu Kaisen clocks in at a runtime of 1 hour and 45 minutes. However none of this runtime is wasted. The film spends its time fleshing out exciting stories for every character while also delivering laughs and excellent fight sequences. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 also does not shy away from telling the tragic backstories of its main characters. A majority of the story explores friendship and the manipulation of power. This story element is often showcased both literally and figuratively throughout Jujutsu Kaisen 0.
Those who frequently watch animated films may notice how highly detailed this film’s animation is. After leaving my viewing, many discussed how clearly different the animation style is. Details such as a brake light changing are noticeable. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 also creates amazing landscapes for each scene. Whether it is inside the belly of a beast, or a Tokyo cityscape, the film delivers on the imagery.
With that, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 also delivers on gore. While it is rated PG-13, some of the imagery is on par with what you would see in an R rated horror movie. While this matches the tone for the anime it may be jarring or unexpected to a new viewer. As the story progresses viewers will learn how high stakes this universe is. The plot begins to heighten from dangerous missions to life threatening battles against “Curse Users.”
The things I enjoyed most about this movie was that none of the characters felt 100% safe. It can get boring to view a movie where a character is overpowered or always safe due to plot armor. Jujitsu Kaisen 0 does away with this, putting every character at risk and even some permanently to rest.
Aside from the plot many viewers will have an amazing score to look forward to. The score samples various music genres such as J-Pop, Indie Rock, and Jazz. Popular artist “King Gnu” performs the film’s opening and closing theme song.
While I do think this movie is very strong, I would say it would be best enjoyed only if you are a fan of darker anime. For those new to the scene I would suggest starting with the Jujutsu Kaisen show first. The show’s first season can be found on HBO Max and CrunchyRoll.
While the film’s content may not be for everyone I do strongly recommend Jujutsu Kaisen 0. The film’s directed audience seems to be those 16 and older and those who enjoy anime.
