Jutsu Kaisen” is serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, creating a massive boom in recent years. The anime series released during the Corona disaster created a big buzz and became a hit in Japan and worldwide.

This film is a theatrical release of the prequel to “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “Jujutsu Kaisen 0: Tokyo Metropolitan College of Jujutsu”. The movie itself is highly acclaimed and has been a great success, grossing over 26 billion yen worldwide and ranking 19th in Japan’s all-time box office rankings.

Prequel to Jutsu Kaisen

Unlike the main story of “Jujutsu Kaisen,” this film is a prequel to the main story of “Jujutsu Kaisen,” so the main character is Yuta Otokotsu instead of Yujin Torajo, the main character of the main story. The reason is that this work is based on a series of works that were drawn before the serialization of “Jujutsu Kaisen” began. The title of this work is also plainly written as “0,” indicating that it is a work before the main series. Therefore, this work can be enjoyed even by those unfamiliar with “Jutsu Kaisen” and can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone work. In addition to the explanation of the worldview at the beginning of the film, there are episodes in the timeline that are more enjoyable after watching this film, making it an introductory cinema as well.

In the action scenes at the climax of the story, parts not depicted in the manga are visualized, so even those who have already enjoyed the manga can enjoy the story anew, making this an unforgettable work for fans.

“Spellbound” and “Pure Love.”

The central themes of this work are love and curses. The setting in which the main character, Otokone, is possessed by the spirit of his childhood friend, Rika Prayer, who died in an accident, is novel and draws great attention from the beginning. Rika’s spirit is potent, and her too great love and obsession to eliminate anyone who could be an obstacle to Otokone binds him. It is often said that there is a fine line between love and madness, and this is a setting in which this saying is vividly felt. This curse has caused Okkotsuke to distance herself from people, and her relationships are limited.

Perhaps because she was initially a cute little girl, Satoka is portrayed as somewhat young and very pure, although she is a terrifying grudge spirit. The gap between the girl’s cute voice and the grotesque-looking grudge spirit is so significant that I did a double-take at first. Rika’s use of her power, motivated by her desire to be liked by Otokotsu and not to be disliked by Otokotsu, is gradually becoming more and more amusing.

Ultimately, it turns out that it was not Satoka but Otokotsu holding on to her. Still, the experience of losing one’s fiancée in front of one’s eyes at a young age is a traumatic one that is natural and easy to understand for everyone. The shock of her death and the guilt that binds him to her is also quite understandable, and it is easy for anyone to sympathize with and accept these feelings. Although the story’s setting, such as grudge spirits and witchcraft, is generally challenging to take, it seems to have gained a great deal of support from people worldwide by placing universal feelings at the center of the story that everyone can understand.

A sad story of friendship

Although it can be said that the main focus of this work is the love between Otokotone and Rika, the story of their sad friendship also has a strong appeal. The tale of Gojo Satoru, Otokotsu’s teacher, and Xiaoyu Jie, the antagonist of this work. Although not much is said about this story, the development of two former best friends becoming enemies is a prevalent and royal plot that has been told in many past and present stories. Although it was only a few scenes, the depiction of such a past bond between the two evoked great potential for the story to expand in the future. Since the story was produced in anime form after the release of this film, it was an excellent way to bridge the gap between the two.

It is again made clear when you watch the second TV anime season, Kaigyoku and Gyokuseki.

A great lineup of splendid voice actors

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this work is that it brings together a cast of gorgeous and famous voice actors. Even those who are not familiar with anime will recognize many of the voice actors once they hear their voices. Since I watched this film with almost no prior information, I was surprised to listen to the voices of famous voice actors appearing one after another as I watched the movie, and I kept thinking, “Oh, this person is in the film? I was surprised from beginning to end. Since the film was released between the first and second seasons of the anime series, some of the characters had yet to appear, so even those familiar with the series may have been in for a surprise.

The famous voice actors are well-known for their abilities, and their outstanding voice acting drew me into the story’s world at once. The voices of the two main characters, Otokotsu and Rika, must have been difficult. In the case of Otokotsuki, the voice had to express a frail young man growing solid and challenging, which must have been a difficult task. Rika also had to keep her cute, girlish voice, but at the same time, she also had to produce a terrifying voice like a vengeful spirit, and it must have been complicated to express the gap between these two voices.

This work can be enjoyed by a wide range of people, from beginners to fans of the original work, so we encourage anyone interested to take a look.

Jutsu Kaisen – A little appearance in the 2nd Shibuya Incident

Yuta Okkotsu also briefly appeared at the end of the animated TV series “Jyutsu Kaisen, 2nd season: Kaiyoku Tamenori/ Shibuya Jiken,” aired from September to December 2023.

In the “Shimeitsukaiyu” version of the series that follows, Torajo and Okkotsukotsu are the two main characters. If you learn about them before the new series airs, you will be able to enjoy the battle of Jutsukai more in the future.