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Regardless of your status as a fan or a non-fan of anime or manga, Jujutsu Kaisen‘s omnipresent hype and buzz are unmissable. Even Guinness World Records has caught notice of this anime that first premiered in 2020, bringing mangaka Geke Akutami’s vision to life. The MAPPA Studios project’s smashing success is beyond question, and the franchise already has two seasons and a movie reserved in its name.
With the third season reportedly on its way to charmingly scare the bejesus out of the audience, the shonen series has been coined the world’s most popular anime by Guinness World Records, as of April 4. Surpassing the wondrous spell cast by phenomenal series, such as Attack on Titan and One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen is officially at the top of the world.
Moreover, its second season led the award-winning streak at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Not only was it hailed the Best Action series, but it also clinched the Anime of the Year 2024 title in addition to several other laurels – Best Character Design, Best Director, Best Ending Sequence, Best Opening Sequence, Best Supporting Character and more.
But, why does Gen Z hold this supernatural anime so dearly close to its heart?
Reasons why Jujutsu Kaisen is so loved
Engrossing world-building and storytelling
JJK’s bewitching qualities lie in its potential to serve a credible vision of its supernatural world. Despite branching out of a violent fantasy, the series infuses elements of Japanese folklore centred around the yokai. Its evocative storytelling is also tied to ancient Japanese traditions, adding profound layers to make the character arcs believable and easy to root for.
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Despite tapping conventional shonen archetypes to power through, its contemporary modern-day charms are reflected in how the narrative is pulled together. From the word go, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 engages you in an edge-of-the-seat experience with a mature and darker outlook fuelled by a complex psychological framework designing each character’s motivations.
By introducing a one-of-a-kind power system that hinges on one’s negative emotions, the show establishes a greyness instead of overtly segregating its characters into the Good vs Evil divide.
A commonly appreciated world-building element is the show’s pacing. Unlike other long-running series stretched out into vast numbers of seasons, Jujutsu Kaisen’s writing retains its gritty crispness and avoids filler redundancy. Even if the show is built on the basic foundation of the olden shonen tropes, it subverts them from a modern perspective, allowing viewers to analyse the blueprint and question its repetitiveness critically.
Impeccable animation and visuality
The MAPPA Studios’ hit series sports a nearly flawless animation design. Its dynamically vibrant art style bears exhilarating aesthetics, and the mind can’t help but boggle at the spectacle. Its captivating fluidity somehow grants the same stature to the sinister outlook and flamboyant radiance in other scenes.
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Hard-hitting action scenes
Two seasons in a row have taken home the award for the Best Action at Crunchyroll Awards – the honours are a testament to the show’s high-octane display. Plus, with cursed energy in the palm of their hands, it’s inevitable for Jujutsu Kaisen characters to burst into epic showdowns.
Profound characters
Even though the majority is aware of his fate, Satoru Gojo owns the fandom. Even beyond that, each character possesses an unbeatable brand image. Their uniquely eccentric personalities push for each of them to stand out as their own person.
Furthermore, with their cursed energies essentially channelling their negative emotions, it all comes with heavy emotional baggage and backstories. Despite the overt hilarity and lighthearted banter some major characters dive into, they carry some of the heaviest sorrows and origins.
On top of that, female characters are neither sidekicks nor expendable members of the lot. Despite Mai, Maki and Nobara’s initial weak treatment and presence reserved for the subplots, their potential is unmatched, and their male counterparts do not overshadow them.
Stakes are immensely high
Jujutsu Kaisen proves that good writing doesn’t involve invincible protagonists to strengthen its popularity. Instead, it switches the power hierarchy and tests the MCs’ limits. Each character’s vulnerability is foregrounded from the show’s inception, emphasising that none of them is untouchable.
This uncertainty pushes the envelope and makes for a riveting narrative because each time the hero goes out to face off against the big bad, the audience equally fears for the main character’s well-being like it’s the end of the world. Ruthless deaths await even the greatest of heroes in the show, which somehow humanises the context, too, despite them all being Jujutsu sorcerers.
The first two seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen are streaming on Crunchyroll.
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