Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2

Episode 33

Thank goodness. After last week's disappointing beginning to this Shibuya Incident Arc, I was beginning to get just a little bit worried that all of that hype was going to lead to disappointment, after all. “Shibuya Incident - Gate, Open” is an episode that fires on all cylinders, though, giving MAPPA ample opportunities to once again prove why they're one of the best studios in the business when it comes to an all-out action spectacle. There's still a lot that's up in the air regarding whether or not the story of this arc is going to pay off as much as the fighting clearly will, but for now, I'm perfectly satisfied to revel in the glorious blood and guts while the plot kicks into gear.

If you need any proof that this was a particularly excellent battle by Jujutsu Kaisen's standards, then let it be known that I didn't even mind the expositional dialogue all that much, here. It still isn't great, mind you, but it does the job of adequately filling the viewer in on Gojo's back-and-forth with Hanami and Jogo, even when the amazing animation and choreography are doing plenty of heavy lifting on its own. Besides, it's all in service of the legitimately gasp-inducing moment where Gojo actually activates his Infinite Domain in a subway system crowded with people, only to slaughter a full thousand cursed humans in the span of a mere 0.2 seconds, so as to spare the survivors of the massacre any long-term effects (or, you know, a gruesome and horrifyingly incomprehensible death).

Beyond being an awesome technical showcase, “Shibuya Incident - Gate, Open” is also another opportunity for the show to let Gojo run wild at his most unbridled and almost deranged self. It is his Gojo-est self, which, as the Flashback Arc proved, is never a good thing for the bad guys. The episode starts off with a faux-documentary series of interviews with all of the other Jujutsu Sorcerers, who all evaluate Gojo as generally being two things: Very dumb, and obscenely strong. The jury might still be out on the former accusation — Gojo may be arrogant, reckless, rude, and lackadaisical, but I don't know if he's dumb, per se — though nobody can argue that the motherfucker is just unreasonably powerful. This, of course, plays perfectly into the episode's big third-act twist, which sees Gojo getting sealed and taken off the board by Geto, leaving everyone else in Shibuya at the Curse Users' mercy.

To be honest, I'm not actually all that crazy about this part of the story. Taking Gojo out is a perfectly fine development; it's the stuff with Not-Geto the Slimy Brain-Curse-Thing that I'm iffy on. It's not a very shocking twist, for one, and while seeing Gojo taken completely aback by his dead friend's apparent return is quite affecting, I just don't care about this weird-ass Brain Guy compared to the complex, tragic, and resonant villain that the real Geto was.

Then again, the strengths of Jujutsu Kaisen have always been rooted less in its ability to tell an emotionally satisfying story and more in its ability to just absolutely nail the vibes it is going for. This episode is a gore-drenched horror show with the kind of sick action beats that other anime would kill for, and for that, I am more than satisfied.

Rating:

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.