Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 episode 22 ended on a high note after Yuki Tsukumo swooped in to save the day. With some very interesting contrast in this episode with, yet again, wonderful action courtesy of Choso, this week’s episode kept the ball rolling. Some stuff stood out for better or worse but with the season finale set to air next week, I guess it’s best to look forward to something that can wrap this phenomenal season up the right way.
For Better, For Worse
Choso was undoubtedly a center focus of the episode but it’s hard to get serious about a fight when we can just tell that Geto, or “Kamo,” is just toying with him. In comparison, his fight with Itadori had a much more thrilling tone to it because it was a fight between two people that could lead to one ending another. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case for this. You just knew Choso wasn’t going to defeat the guy who planned out the entire Shibuya incident but I’d be damned if I still wasn’t rooting for him.
Even at a couple of moments during Choso’s fight, there was humor thrown into it that made the fight even more unserious than it already was. For a season that made its buzz off of serious fights, it just didn’t feel the same way to me this time around. That’s nothing against Choso’s character or his abilities. It was entertaining to watch him back in action given he has one of my personal favorite abilities of the entire series. But the lack of seriousness from the characters themselves and the jokes that were thrown in there made this more of a chill episode with great animation to me.
Nothing special happened to anyone worth a thought in this episode. A lot happened with little to no results other than Yuki coming in to save the day, or in this case, at the end of the episode. We got to learn a little more about Kamo though, and the episode leaves off with some of the characters trapped in the ice in a dangerous situation so without a doubt, there’s something to hold on to for next week. However, there are some “for worse” parts in this episode that trended online for one reason or another.
Mei Mei’s entire situation is unacceptable no matter how you look at it. Whether it’s the side of her laying in bed nude with her kid brother and manipulating him, or the side of her that ran away from Shibuya as soon as she could and now basically living the dream that Nanami hoped to have — it just left an extremely bad taste in my mouth. At this point, Mei Mei couldn’t care less about what happens to the others, so why should we care about what happens to her?
That being said, her contrast with Yuki was fantastic. Mei presented everything to hate and Yuki presented everything to love. Not only did Yuki join the fight at the right time, but she stepped into the ring with confidence and swagger. Her history with Geto and the old question about what type of girls he’s into was the perfect cliffhanger for the episode.
All in all, I do love the fact that Choso has taken an older brother role to Itadori. I couldn’t care less whether it stems from personal trauma or from him just flat-out being a weird guy. Itadori has faced traumatic event after traumatic event so it’s nice to finally see him alongside a bunch of his colleagues who are there to help him take on Geto. So the “better” undoubtedly outweighs any “worse” from this episode.
Production
There’s nothing left for me to say at this point about the animation for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. At this point, I’m just going to run out of ways to describe everything with proper emotions. Geto’s Uzumaki animation was jaw-dropping. Miwa looked like she was looking into death itself and even though her entrance was cut short without much effort, it still looked incredible. Yooto is becoming a personal favorite animator of mine and the Uzumaki scene in this episode further proved why.
Also read:
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 21 – Itadori Goes Off on Mahito
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 20 – The Dynamic Duo Is Back, Miwa’s Emotional Goodbye Steals the Show
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 22 Wrap-Up
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 had some hiccups at the beginning of the Shibuya Incident arc and the consistent, week-to-week ousting of studio MAPPA from staff is undoubtedly a stain on this season that nobody can simply wipe away. That being said, there’s no denying that this season has delivered cinematic-quality moments, time and time again, without hitting many bumps in the road. Episode 22 was no different. It really feels like I’m watching a long-running movie in an episode format and I absolutely love it. At this point, there’s just not much left to be said. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 has my vote for the “Anime of the Season” for plenty of reasons.
Episode 22 rating: 9/10
The season finale of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 will be released on Thursday, December 28. Make sure to vote for episode 22 in our weekly poll! The series is streaming on Crunchyroll with English subtitles.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
©Gege Akutami/Shueisha/JUJUTSU KAISEN Project
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