Warning: This article contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 3.
Adapting manga into anime is a task that sounds simple, but in practice can be hit or miss. The challenge is something that can define how a show is received, and in the case of Jujutsu Kaisen, MAPPA is hitting all of the marks.
Season 2 of the hit Shonen series is in full swing, and its third episode has shown that animation studio MAPPA understood the assignment. This episode isn’t just full of action, but also has plenty of emotional moments perfectly brought from page to screen.
Often the change in medium from manga to anime can encounter issues with pacing. Given that manga is read a lot faster than viewers can watch, some adaptions wind up filling space with long pauses, breaks in the action, or god forbid… filler content. This is one of the biggest issues with adapting a show frame-for-frame, but Jujutsu Kaisen’s ability to embellish the source material is proving to be the perfect solution to this problem.
In episode three of Jujutsu Kaisen’s second season, we finally get the confrontation between Satoru Gojo and the sorcerer killer Toji Fushiguro. In the manga, this altercation goes from 0 to 100 within frames. Gojo quickly gets into motion launching his powerful techniques, and while we see their full effects on the page, in the anime, these moves come to life in unmatched fashion.
The way that key points of the battle are highlighted in motion as everything unfolds shows true mastery of animation from MAPPA that leads to one of the most satisfying moments in any anime for some time. But it’s not just the battling that looks good.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s second season has done an exceptional job of getting viewers invested in its characters. Riko Amanai is someone that nobody knew three episodes ago, but now thanks to Gojo, Geto, and the sensational voice talent behind the show, we’re all invested. This makes that shocking twist at the end all the more heartbreaking.
The way that the ending theme music ramps during the scene suggest to viewers that things are going to be okay for Riko. As those who have seen the episode will know, this serenity is tragically silenced by the sound of a bullet from Toji’s gun, marking another incredible moment that Jujutsu Kaisen has managed to enhance with its anime.
While we’re barely getting started in season two of Jujutsu Kaisen, which will include the manga’s most important arc; the Shibuya Incident, the stage has been set for more magical anime moments to land in the coming weeks.
Put simply, Jujutsu Kaisen fans are eating good in 2023.