I am a big fan of anime and Shonen Jump properties, but for some reason, Jujutsu Kaisen was one that I never gave a chance. Well, Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie was released and a good friend of mine practically begged me to go and see it. I was not sure, to be honest as I knew next to nothing about the manga, however, I am glad I did as it is one of the best anime movies I have seen in a long time.
How to Stream or Download Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie
At one point in time, you might be able to watch the movie on Crunchyroll. Click on the Download button to check the current availability. If you like anime movies, check out also Demon Slayer: Mugen Train.
The Movie Review
Before I go into details, I have to tell you one of the coolest aspects of Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie. This is a prequel to the series that was based on the manga comic books, but it has been cleverly made for those who are fans of the series and newcomers alike.
The film goes into pretty good detail explaining who the characters are and what their backstories are. Yet, my buddy said this was not something that bothered him as even though he knew this stuff already, the movie goes into a bit more detail and changes the odd thing here and there. While there is a great deal going on with the plot what grabbed my attention was the relationship between a student called Yuta and his childhood friend, Rika.
Instead of being a fun-loving happy story about a guy trying to get the girl that got away. Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie has many horror tropes and can be pretty brutal, violent, scary, and dark. You see Rika was taken over by a cursed spirit and now she is this monstrous being with a thirst for violence and blood and Yuta is trying to control this cursed spirit to essentially save his friend.
I really liked Yuta as a character, he is kind of angsty, but he has a hero’s heart that I feel does shine through. The creepiest aspect of him wanting to save Rika is that she still talks like a sweet girl, despite her monstrous appearance and the things she says. It is very, very well done and it can send chills up your spine.
Of course, with this being a Shonen Jump property there is a real ensemble cast of characters here and the other students at Yuta’s school who are along for the ride and they are great too. While this does have a lot of horror and action, it does also have splashes of comedy that do not feel overused or forced.
There are other evil spirits in the movie apart from Rika and this is where the movie really shines in terms of how it looks. The creature designs are so twisted that you always wonder what the heck you are going to see next. This is a very, very well-animated movie and just when I think Toho cannot make any better-looking movies, something like this comes along.
I really cannot recommend Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie highly enough. I went into this pretty much blind and was completely blown away. However, I can also tell you that my friend Steven is a massive fan of the series and he thought that it was fantastic as well and it got him even more excited about what this could mean for the show!
