Manga Review: Jijutsu Kaisen

Dont worry. Its spoiler free.

There’s something special about the Jijutsu Kaisen anime. The color palate is dark and fresh. There are interesting characters, well timed jokes, and life or death action sequences. It truly brings everything to the table. At times it feels like a slice-of-life school anime, then an episode later it is a series straight out of the horror genre.

I was hesitant to both watch and read JJK because as stated before, I’m more of a Seinen fan, since they usually have deeper and more complex storylines. Most Shonen are still pretty gentle and work towards the heroes winning and a happy ending for all. (Example- Bungo Stray Dogs vs. My Hero Acedamia. Both shows are about individuals with abilities but have completely opposite tones.)

In any event- I decided to pick up the manga after enjoying the anime, and was curious to see how the story would progress.

First off, a short bjt about Jijutsu Kaisen 0. This is a short side manga, only four chapters long. JJK 0 was my absolute favorite. In this short series, we are introduced to a character that was only previously mentioned before, and he is my favorite character in the JJK universe to date.

I’m thrilled that the JJK 0 movie is scheduled to be released in the US in February, because i know it will be amazing. The manga, of course, is very good. It is set one year before Itadori begins at Jijutsu High and stars the second year students (who at this time were in their first year). It’s worth reading since the characters and situations mentioned come back into play in the “Shibuya Incident” arc- not to mention, its a masterpiece.

Now, on to the Jijutsu Kaisen manga itself.

Immediatly after the anime ends, we hop into the Gojo story arc, “Hidden Inventory.”

I enjoyed this as we finally got to see Gojo and his friends as students. This first arc ties in with JJK 0, so it is best to read the side story around episode 75 (but can be read anytime.) “Hidden Inventory” also introduces one spectacular antagonist that we all have been waiting to see.

After the “Hidden Inventory” arc we swing into the “Shibuyu Incident” arc. This is a spoiler free article so I don’t want to say too much about the upcoming events. However, I will say that when the “Shibuyu Incident” starts, the Manga changes into something completely different. I likened it to the beginning of the “Marley” arc in Attack on Titan. (Not an excellent comparison, but it is unspeably unexpected. It takes everything you thought you knew and completely turns into something else.)

Is this bad? No…that’s really a big part what makes are show great- steering away from tropes and yanking the rug out from under you expectations-wise. In the midst of these changes there is still some sparse humor, and there are some new characters added that are quite heartwarming. Questions are answered, and more are unveiled. The content keeps you on your toes, for sure.

Art: The Manga artwork is great. I especially love the covers for each book- they are bold, interesting and dark. The paneling is easy to follow and seemingly “colorful” even thought it is black and white. Emotions and experiences are so easy to read in this detailed craftsmanship.

Should you read it: Depends on what you’re up for. The story is very well written and one of a kind. I fully recommend the Jijutsu Kaisen 0 manga, but if you loved the anime it may be best to simply wait for the next season instead of digging into the unfinished manga. I’m curious to see what arcs they will cover in season two, since the story is non-stop and there is never a dull moment.

Did you read the Jujutsu Kaisen manga? What did you think?