Watching Jujutsu Kaisen As the World Burns
You are my special.
Welcome back to Klaudia's Corner, where I bring you 1 piece of media that has captivated my heart and soul lately, and break apart why it is wonderful, why it is (or could be) popular, and why you will love it, too.
Since my last issue, I've watched a lot and read a lot, and didn't really have anything new to share for some time. I wasn't initially going to write about today's subject because, well, it's already very popular, and I'm no expert. I just like it a lot, and didn't have much else to say.
But after I turned 29 this fall, I started doing a lot of end of my 20s reflecting. And while I enjoyed this manga/anime before, I wasn't sure why it was connecting with me so much at this moment - until recently. So this issue is a little different than normal, where I'll talk a bit more about what it means to me rather than a full pitch to you all. I've kept it as spoiler free as possible, though, so even if you don't know much about it you can still read on.
Yes, it's another manga/anime, but bear with me - the extremely popular horror battle shonen, Jujutsu Kaisen.
The first time I watched it through, I wasn't sure if I liked it. The power system is so complex that even the writer (the mangaka, Gege Akutami), barely understands it, and the plot CLIPS along with 0 filler, so if you're not paying attention you'll miss a LOT of key information. It's also heartbreakingly sad, and I couldn't handle the unending suffering with seemingly no point to it in sight.
But looking back now, I think I just wasn't in the right frame of mind at the time. I had just mainlined a ton of classic and currently popular manga and anime after a devastating job loss. But then I started to read the JJK manga, and season 2 started airing (which includes a short flashback arc, and then continues the story in the present day), and something clicked.
Yes, JJK is a story about battling curses with special powers, that has inspiration from almost every battle shonen animanga (and many other genres) before it. It takes place firmly in the modern day, with exact dates in the 21st century. The kids are Gen Z, and the teachers are millennials like myself (with some older).
Like many popular stories right now, it's a story about generational reckoning, and the questioning of crumbling institutions. It's about how we fail those who are gifted, those who are twice exceptional, and children in general. It's about how love is the greatest curse, and if it's possible to turn the curses of life into blessings. It's about how when life is terrible, whether through the drudgery of capitalism in adult life, or patriarchy, or terrible loss, we still keep trying, because it's always worth it. (Which are often my favorite kinds of stories).
The arcs that just aired in the anime, the Hidden Inventory/Premature Death, and the infamous Shibuya Incident, are about being in your late 20s and looking back on your youth. What would you have done differently? What could you not have changed no matter what? What have you lost that you can't get back? What happened to you at 17 that made you into who you are today? Who could've helped you that didn't, or that couldn't? What time did you waste in reaction to your teen experiences? They're about how even when you're still relatively young, your past can haunt you, and it can be a curse full of regrets, but also a blessing for the world. They're about how even when you're young, life can be short - and what have you done with it so far?
The story in these arcs centers around Satoru Gojo: the protagonist Yuji Itadori's mentor, the strongest jujutsu sorcerer in the world, and the loss that haunts him so deeply it leads to his, and many others', downfall. His story of unending loneliness is a part of the larger theme of loneliness and isolation that pervades JJK and haunts its characters, both in a societal and structural sense, and a personal one.
There's a joke amongst JJK fans, that its real name is "Jumpjutsu Kaisen," because unlike many battle shonen with huge 1v1 battles, this animanga will just have 2 or more people JUMP someone for a beat down. But it has a specific thematic meaning to it - despite many sorcerers, including Gojo himself, saying jujutsu is an isolating profession, where people die alone and with regrets, Gojo dedicates his life to changing that. So while he and his colleagues might fight alone with powerful cursed techniques, he taught and encouraged his students to fight together, learn and play off each other's strengths, and look out for each other. Maybe the real domain expansion and cursed techniques were the friends we made along the way, etc, etc. Only through collective action can we win battles against monsters, but also change the system that puts us in cycles of abuse and exploitation over and over. It's even in the name - a rough translation of the title is the CYCLE of sorcery, a cycle of perpetual battle.
These themes of individualism vs. collectivism aren't new in fiction, and especially not in Japanese media, and especially in modern times with struggles between traditionally collectivist vs. Western-influenced individualism pervading Japanese society. But it's a universally relateable idea, especially for those of a certain age (millennials and Gen Z, and maybe even younger) in a world falling apart at the seams, where in the face of globalized decay, we all keep having to be reminded of the history and power of collective action.
At its core, JJK is a story about a millennial unionizing his workplace to change a system that victimized and isolated him and his friends for others' gain. Its a story about a group of millennials who see really no future for themselves, and who sometimes need to joke through the pain and get a little treat to get through the day, trying to improve things for those who will replace them. It is both nihilistic and endlessly hopeful. It is a story about people who don't have a lot of hope for the future, but try anyway, because what else is there to do with what little time we have on this earth.
As I watch and read JJK, I still truly do not know how it will end. Things just keep getting worse, over and over, for all our characters, just like they are in the real world. I don't know how I'll feel if it ends in a truly nihilistic, bleak way for our characters left alive, or what sort of "happy" ending would satisfy me. But it seems to capture perfectly what it's like to endure day to day right now.
Like Gojo, I am lucky for what I have, despite so many around me suffering. Late stage capitalism keeps me and everyone around me isolated, just like he is by both jujutsu society and his literal powers.
Like Yuji, I am both complicit in and forced to bear witness to atrocities almost daily, as those close to me struggle as well.
Like Nanami, capitalism has robbed me of simple dreams and pleasures in life, and I live in fear of dying before being able to enjoy so many things.
Like Shoko, the people I know and love are being broken down or dying around me, and the only role I am left with is that of a caretaker.
Like Maki, I am both disabled and gifted.
Spoiling as little as I can about the current story in the manga, the story centers if Yuji and his beloved Megumi will break the systemic problems that befell their teacher Gojo and his tragic love, Geto. The parallels between them are at the center of the story - a strong kid who has to swallow curses to gain power, and the kid born with an ancient, inherited power who loves him. The story begins with them saving each other, in a way that Gojo and Geto were never able to. They parallel each other every step of the way, and the curses of previous generation's baggage keep being shoved on them, begging the question - will they break the eponymous "cycle of sorcery", of literal generational curses?
This story has become so popular and so beloved, I keep wondering what the effects will be if Megumi and Yuji succeed, and if they don't. If we cannot imagine breaking cycles of violence in fiction, what hope is there in real life? If Megumi and Yuji can't break their curses, can we?
A story doesn't need a moral or a happy ending to be good, or to be worthwhile. But it both influences and reflects those who consume it. What happens if a generation of young people watch and read this story and are told there is no hope, and every effort is in vain? It scares me. But I read on anyway.
I spend every day fearing a premature death and watching the world crumble around me, like Yuji does, so at least I have company. Maybe that's all Jujutsu Kaisen has to be. A companion on our rapid descent. A friend, like Yuji's friends, who cannot fix it or give you hope, but who can share the load. What are stories if not a kind of friend, who entertain us and distract us and make us think and make life just a little more interesting? A friend going through similar struggles, who you can commiserate with, that makes you feel a little less crazy. Yuji knows we cannot avoid tragedy, but strives to at least give people a good death. I think, if the world is ending, sharing a good story with so many people around the world, even if it's devastating, is a good way to go out.
If I haven't depressed you enough with my nihilistic essay, and you still haven't read or watched JJK and would like to, I have one quick suggestion about the order in which to watch it for maximum effect:
Season 1 (don’t miss the post-credits Jujutsu Stroll scenes!)
Season 2 Eps 1-7 (The prequel Hidden Inventory arc + the setup for the Shibuya arc)
JJK 0, the movie (make sure you watch the post credits scene!)
Season 2 Eps. 8-onwards (The Shibuya Arc)
Read the manga, starting with volume 0. (The best way is to catch up is by checking out the volumes electronically or physically from your library, and then reading for free in the Shonen Jump app each week once you're caught up).
I made two playlists, one of songs about Gojo & Geto that I need someone to make horrifyingly sad edits to, and one about the brother-like relationship between Gojo and Megumi. You can listen to them while reading the manga and fall into deeper despair with me.
Both the dub and the sub for the anime are really good, and frankly the dub has better translations than the subtitles that overworked Crunchyroll translators had to spit out with almost 0 turnaround time. If you'd like to read more lost in translation analysis that led me to love this series even more, you should follow @papikaychan and @societyhater_ on TikTok.
Once again, thanks for reading my very irregular newsletter, and as always if you liked the thing I talked about and want to message me about it, please do!