Jujutsu Kaisen 0

As the Oscars approach, I find myself trying to schedule a few nominees into my schedule. Today's film is too recent for this year's Oscars. I now find myself having to sum up a manga and anime franchise that I've never read or watched other than some plot synopses. 

But as indicated by the title, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is actually a prequel to Gege Akutami's main manga storyline. It debuted in manga form as Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School in 2017, the year before the main manga debuted. Let's see what I can do:

Yuta Okkotsu is a bully magnet protected by the ghost of his dead girlfriend, Rika Orimoto. Said ghost is actually a demonic Curse, one of many born from bad karma, and Yuta can't really control her. The eccentric blindfolded Satoru Gojo offers Yuta a place at Tokyo Jujutsu Technical High, a school for aspiring "Jujutsu" exorcists. Yuta reluctantly accepts and is introduced to weapon expert Maki Zenin, the deadly voiced Toge Inumaki ... and Panda the Panda.

Gojo's former classmate Suguru Geto wants to kill all muggles. So, he and his followers decide to unleash a thousand Curses on Christmas Eve. He dares the good guys to stop him. It's part of a plot to get Rika, who happens to be a really powerful Curse, for himself. The Jujutsu elites threaten to kill Yuta if he lets Rika loose. Gojo's teachings help Yuta focus her power. Yuta will have to hurry when Geto comes for him. 

The first twenty or so minutes feel like two condensed anime episodes. Yuta gets to Jujutsu High, has some interactions with his classmates, and is ready to put his life on the line for Maki (complete with flashbacks and climactic music) against a giant Curse in that span. A few concepts, namely Panda's nature as a "Cursed Corpse" and Yuta's mysterious ancestor, can fly over a few newbies' heads. That aside, a lot of the franchise's lore is discernable to newcomers. Its episodic plot is compact, and its 105 minutes are rarely boring. What tested my patience were moments when I thought the screening was, or about to have, technical difficulties.

What helped my patience is the characterization. Yuta has good chemistry with his classmates whether in battle or school. We get to learn about Maki's family history, Toge's killer voice and revel in Panda's antics. Yuta's bond with Rika makes for an interesting dynamic. Curse Rika is creepy looking, but her childish personality makes her weirdly eccentric. We get to see Yuta go from wimp to warrior in due time. Their strongest moments are in the finale, when they defeat Geto, and she gets to rest in peace. Gojo's eccentric personality is sure to make him an audience favorite (if the show hasn't already). Geto's affableness heavily contrasts with his smug superiority complex, which results in a memorably vile villain. His henchmen and a few bit Jujutsu exorcists stand out with their eclectic personalities.

There's a lot to talk about on the technical front. The Curses are suitably repulsive creatures, and the Jujutsu exorcists have plenty of stellar superpowers. The fight scenes involving them are a visual delight. The production design and cinematography sell the franchise's horror aesthetics pretty well. My screening sounded unusually quiet, but I still heard a perfectly unnerving score (by Hiroaki Tsutsumi, et al) and a strong sound design for the Curses. 

Big Screen Transplants of Anime shows usually have stories meaningless to the main narrative. I'd like to think that they are distilled self-contained essences of their franchise. That's what Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is and more. Its story suitably introduces its characters & lore to the uninitiated through a compelling main duo. You won't be that lost if you haven't watched the first season. There's plenty of setup for the second season, which will debut next year. There's plenty of time to catchup if you haven't and this movie piques your interest. I think it did that for me and it might do the same for you.