Genre: Horror Shonen
Year Release in English: 2019, 2021
Source: Viz Media Shonen Jump Subscription
Note: Volume 0 came out in 2021, while Volume 1 came out in 2019. I’ll be reviewing them in numerical order.
Content warnings: Body horror, loss of a significant other
I recognize this was published a few years after the first volume, but this is where I started with the story of jujutsu sorcerers and the curses they exorcise.
Keeping true to prequel form, this volume follows the older students when they were first years. A new kid, Yuta Okkotsu, enrolls in the academy with some serious baggage: his girlfriend had been brought back in the form of a powerful Queen of Curses.
The monster fights in this one are fun. The demon designs are inventive, with clearly delineated powers. There’s a sense of horror-type fear, rather than just nerves informed strictly by the world-building.
The characters also leaped off the page. I was particularly endeared to Maki and Yuta, but thoroughly creeped out by Toge. I did enjoy the tenderness that developed between them as Yuta grew to trust his classmates.
The resolution was bittersweet, but it was a great introduction to the tone of the series, and I’m fully onboard with this delightful blend of shonen and horror.
Content warnings: Body horror, consumption of body parts, animal death, gore, death of a relative
Volume 1 kicks off the series with Yuji’s occult club being disbanded, which results in a curse haunting him. Then Yuji’s grandfather dies, leaving him with some inspirational words, leading him to consume a cursed object and become possessed with the King of Curses, Sakuna. We’re introduced to the hierarchy of Jujutsu sorcerers and all their quirks. And the volume ends with Sakuna taking over Yuji’s body.
So much happens, and it’s a fun ride from first chapter to cliffhanger. As with Volume 0, I love the creepy and scary monster designs. Building up the relationship between Yuji and Sakuna also works, in a way that pits them as simultaneously enemies and reluctant allies.
The magic just also speaks to me, and it’s presented in a way that doesn’t require too much exposition. My personal favorite is Megumi’s ability to summon shadow monsters, and oh boy, are they useful in a pinch. Though are mains are not overpowered from the get-go, which I appreciate in terms of tone-setting and pacing. I’m concerned and excited to keep reading.
Content warnings: Heart outside of body, death, body horror
I am completely charmed by this series. In this volume, Yuji has a heart-to-heart with Sakuna that ends with a kind of fae agreement that I’m sure will end great later. Gojo trains him via watching movies to control his emotions. There’s a face off between Gojo and a scrub, and we learn what Gojo’s powers are.
The illustrations are so rad from start to finish. I love how Akutami depicts the cursed techniques without too much explaining or dialogue. Getting to see the actions unfold really tickles my brain. Especially with the domain expansion, for which I’m sure the physics is complete bullshit, but the series is convinced and so am I.
I’m also very much enjoying the dynamics between the students, with my current favorite character being Gojo Satoru (I am weak to white-haired lads). He’s so goofy, but not easy to underestimate. It seems a mistake that the villains are committing to, and I wonder how their plan to “defeat” him will go through.
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