The first two episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 have come and gone making it one step closer to the highly anticipated Shibuya Incident arc. While some of our favorite characters haven’t changed themselves, primarily Gojo, the new season has a completely different feel to it than the previous. Whether you want to point out that Director Shouta Goshozono taking over for Sung Hoo Park is the primary reason for this or the fact it’s just the arc itself, either way, it’s a completely different kind of Jujutsu Kaisen in its current state than what we’re all used to.
After watching the first two episodes it’s clear that a lot of experimenting is going on with this new season. Characters’ facial expressions are more cartoonish. The humor is more in the forefront rather than any seriousness of any situation. And the constant mix between 2D animation and 3D environments is also much more discernible. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but rather it throws some people off that wouldn’t expect it from a series that exemplifies dark cinematics and themes.
The first episode of the new season, after re-watching it a few times, became rather stale and there were a lot of questionable moments as well. While some of the animation in the episode was downright stellar, along with the creativity behind a lot of the framing, there were some decisions I couldn’t quite put my finger on as to why those choices were made in the first place — Gojo preparing to fight with freeform jazz music blaring in the background that’d you here from something like Cowboy Bebop.
It was harder to take Gojo seriously preparing to fight Bayer because of that soundtrack choice alone. But in the second episode when he begins to fight the assailant going after Amanai, a much more fitting track for the fight is playing and it amplifies the situation and Gojo’s power in a proper way. Everything is during the day in these two episodes and the course of events, despite being urgent, is way more upbeat so having a soundtrack that fits that mood, especially in battle, elevates the episode drastically.
Besides the Digimon references, nothing really eventful happened in the first episode making the season start off on a weird foot rather than something extraordinary. Episode 2 was undoubtedly a step up and gave us a taste of that extraordinary towards the end while a lot of the episode was still filled to the brim with Geto’s calming maturity and Gojo’s colorful personality. Not to mention it included a lot more of Touji Fushigiro and symbolism. But overall the series has yet to take that extra step we all know it’s going to.
While some of the exposition has been great, and explaining the entire situation surrounding Amanai and Tengen is easily understandable, I don’t think Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 has given a lot of anime-only fans what they really expected. The tone and directing choices are completely different to start the season and it’s understandably a little odd to some. That being said, the episodes weren’t necessarily bad by any means. In fact, they showcased what Director Goshozono can really bring to the table for such a great series.
While the fight between the old man and Geto was completely random, especially the unnecessary, short-lived backstory on the old man, Goshozono really showcased just the type of directing he can bring to the Jujutsu Kaisen anime. With wonderful work by a talented group of animators, his directing creativity flourished in their fight without a doubt. If there’s one thing Jujutsu Kaisen fans love, it’s the fights. So making the fights look as good as possible is a tall task that Goshozono completed with emphasis.
Honestly, I wish there was more I could say about the first two episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. Some of the animation production is absolutely stellar and Goshozono has shown us the series is in good hands. While the second season has been great so far, I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s been exemplary. But perhaps that could just be chalked up to the story and what’s taking place.
With Touji coming more into play now and drawing closer to something potentially big happening, the season is only going to get better. While we have to practically wait a month until the Shibuya Incident arc, there’s still plenty of amazing Jujutsu Kaisen on the way.
Episodes 1 and 2 rating: 8/10
If you enjoyed the first two episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 then make sure to vote for the series in our weekly poll! The next episode will air on Thursday, July 20. The series is streaming on Crunchyroll with English subtitles.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
©Gege Akutami/Shueisha/JUJUTSU KAISEN Project