Composite Score: 81.57

Starring: Kana Hanazawa, Mikako Komatsu, Yûichi Nakamura, Megumi Ogata, Takahiro Sakurai, Tomokazu Seki, and Koki Uchiyama

Director: Seong-Hu Park

Writer: Hiroshi Seko

Genres: Animation, Action, Fantasy, Thriller

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, language, thematic material, and some suggestive references

Box Office: $166.75 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is the film adaptation of Gege Akutami’s manga of the same name, also known as Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School. It follows the story of Yuta Okkotsku, a high schooler who carries the violent cursed spirit of his childhood friend Rika Orimoto with him, leaving a trail of injured and dead in his wake, as he seeks to break the curse on himself through attendance at the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School with the help of his sensei, Satoru Gojo, and classmates, Maki Zen’in, Panda, and Toge Inumaki. Although the manga was published before the Jujutsu Kaisen stories, the film serves as a prequel to the Jujutsu Kaisen anime, which began airing before the film was released. Yuta’s endeavors to break the curse tying him to the deceased Rika open the door for deeper character studies on his sensei and classmates as they fight other curses and eventually face off against a powerful sorcerer (and friend of Gojo’s), Suguru Geto, who wants to rid the world of all non-sorcerers by unleashing an army of curses upon normal humans. The film’s action, drama, comedy, and animation help it stand out among the many manga adaptations of the last few years, helping it achieve greatness.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                As a manga adaptation, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 struggles to make its four chapters feel like one cohesive film and not four (really three) distinct episodes that happen to be airing in succession. Time jumps and off-screen power development can make the narrative feel a bit disjointed at times, with more focus given to the action than to the development of characters and their relationships. Indeed, Yuta counts Panda, Maki, and Toge among his friends having never actually interacted on a deep level with Panda at all (they do have a comedic side conversation about Yuta’s aesthetic preferences in women, but that’s not really friendship worth dying for in my opinion). By abbreviating some of the written medium’s storytelling, the film asks its audience to accept certain things that may or may not seem reasonable to the viewer. If you can accept the jumps in time and ability, your enjoyment of the film will be fairly high. If you can’t, there’s a chance you’ll find yourself frustrated by the film’s story.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                As someone who hasn’t watched a ton of manga film adaptations, I don’t know how respected my opinion on this will be, but I loved so much of this film. It keeps its themes refreshingly simple and delivers high levels of character drama and fantasy action in addition, so what’s not to love? Unlike the more widely-known science fiction anime films (Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, even Akira), Jujutsu Kaisen 0 embraces its fantastical nature, exploring themes not of existence but of friendship and love, similar in some ways to A Silent Voice or even some of the works of Miyazaki. It looks at the ways people crave connection and how that connection can manifest in healthy friendships or unhealthy codependency. This simplicity of scope allows for its characters and situations to connect with the audience on a very real level even though what is actually taking place on screen might be entirely unbelievable in real life. It lends a sense of realism and intimacy to the story, giving it a relatable emotional backbone to build off of.

                It’s not just Jujutsu Kaisen 0’s themes that make it so great though. At the end of the day, it is a fantasy action film, and it delivers on that front beautifully. Small encounters with curses are sprinkled throughout the first half of the film, drawing on a blend of horror and ninja visuals to give its fights a unique feel from anything else. These culminate in a final battle at the school and in Tokyo between large groups of sorcerers that lasts for nearly forty-five minutes of runtime. The Tokyo battle serves mostly as a reminder of the stakes and to showcase more unique sorcerer abilities with cool action sequences. The fight at the school between Yuta and Geto serves as the true climax of the film, blending action and suspense with emotion and intimacy in ways that only anime showdowns can. Every combat delivers on what the audience is probably looking for in the genre’s fights, and it’s a great time from start to finish.

                Jujutsu Kaisen 0 sets itself apart with some truly phenomenal action sequences that blend fantasy, horror, and martial arts elements beautifully on screen, supplemented by themes of friendship and love that bring personal connection to the film’s story and characters, making it one of the Greatest Films of All Time. It is currently available to stream via Crunchyroll premium subscription or DirecTV subscription or to buy on most streaming platforms if you’re looking for a place to watch it.