Manga 113138 Jujutsu Kaisen Reviews

I gave this series a very high rating and probably one of the best new series, there with chainsaw man. First off, who would like this series?

The series are for those who love hard magic systems, good world building and are willing to wait for stories to pick up. That's as spoiler free as I can give you. I would say the first few chapters of the series are very generic and is not as interesting as chainsawman. But it picks up, alot.

Escalations mainly occured in chapter 14, as we deeper look into power systems. chapter 40ish, with great chemistry between characters, and then chapter ... 70ish as we learn more about the things that went about. Additionally, the side story Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical School is also a good read and helps you understand the world more.

The world seems not yet vastly explored, we've only seen two schools so far and have not seen the head of different jujutsu families yet. We are not yet exposed to many potential story lines, and neither do we completely grasp the magic system (whcih definitely has hard rules) yet. Read it now, and enjoy the ride.

For those who are always on the lookout for the next big hit from Shonen Jump, they've probably been hearing about Jujutsu Kaisen, due to it selling fairly well for its early volumes and making it alive out of its first year of publishing, managing to avoid the early cancelation that kills most Jump series in half a year. But is it any good?

Story: 6.
Honestly nothing you havnt seen before. The setup feels as though its a bit cobbled together from other popular series, featuring a society dedicated to getting rid of evil spirits (Bleach), a school of talented young combatants (Boku no Hero), along ... with some generous dashes of Yu Yu Hakusho. The lack of originality is unfortunate, but the story does better when dealing with character to character interactions. It also has a good long term conflict between main character Yuuji and the demon that possesses him Sukuno, but for now, the series feels lacking in direction. It also has a very fast start, which I am always put off by in Shonen (people feel like they need to rush to exciting parts in order to avoid cancelation, but it reallyy just makes everything mean less when it happens so fast).

Art: 6.
Probably dest described as functional. You can always tell whats happening, but its just not that eye-catching or impressive. I think in a series that relies on feeling stylish, the mediocre art really hurts it. Its also damaged by running at the same time as some Jump series with much better art (Boku no Hero, Dr Stone, etc). The art is probably at its best when drawing freaky monsters This is the first serialization of the artist, so hopefully it gets better with time.

Character: 5.
Pretty glaringly a big weakness of the series. The cast is a bit smaller than most Jump series, but no one is really that interesting. Yuuji is likable, Gorou is cool, but the author has'nt done enough to really make me emotionally invest in either of them, despite them having the most screen time of any characters. The other characters are even more 2D. Mahito the villain is alright, Getou seems like he could get better over time.

Enjoyment: 6.
It was'nt bad, but it wasnt very good either. I'm honestly a little surprised it made it out of the first year, since it certainly is nowhere near the quality of the other popular long running series in Jump. There is some potential on display, but the early chapters are just not that impressive.

Overall: 6
I'm happy I read it, since I suspect it might get better over time, but the current run is mediocre.

This manga is Shounen Jump's newest supernatural story promise, after great names like Yuu Yuu Hakusho, Shaman King and Bleach you would expect that JJK would be on pair with those great stories, newsflash: it isn't.

The story starts of okay, the author seems to be holding a bit info though, he could have shared more about the world as the arcs were passing, however, on the current arc, Shibuya Incident the author starts vomiting information on you, worldbuilding, characters (their names and faces), techniques, it is just too much, it is even worst when it tries to explain how a technique works and it makes ... you feel even more confused. On the other hand, since the beginning of the story is too slow, the protagonist progression is too fast, we are shown a ranking where either sorcerers or curses are placed, you would expect that our protagonist would be of a low grade, technically he is, but he progressed so fast that he already feels too strong and to countermeasure this the author already made entry-level enemies too strong.

Character-wise they have okay personality, same old from the shounen genre, but I personally found their names hard to remember and their faces look the same to me, sometimes I rely on their hairstyles to know who is who, but when they say a name my mind becomes blank.

The art style is alright, crude and rough, the "sketchy" details makes the roughness of the art. As I said before, drawing the characters' faces don't seem to be the author strongest suit.

I started off enjoying this manga, but the current arc and the decision to pour too much information now for worldbuilding seems like a bad idea. It is rushed writting, thus bad writting, ideas are all over the place, too much info, some things mentioned once only to be remembered months later and the author expects us to be with the material fresh on our minds.

So compared to previous supernatural stories Shounen Jump had release, JJK is a huge let down because it has bad writing, rushed worldbuilding and indistinguishable character's art.

An extremely overhyped manga series, the truth is that its actually just below average at best. The main flaws of the series is its: horrible pacing, nonsensical worldbuilding, and the authors inability to SHOW instead of TELL.

STORY:
If you've seen Bleach, YuYu Hakusho, D Gray Man or just a battle shounen in general then you have basically seen this premise already.

The story starts off as a generic Shonen, boy has a monster inside of him (pause), and he joins a secret society that combats said monsters.

The story gets decent at the Shibuya arc with the dynamic of Yuji vs Mahito, and the character deaths providing ... a great level of tension and stake, but this arc is not without its flaws as the terrible pacing begins to show in this arc.

After this arc, the main character (Yuji) turns into a condom where he gets used once, and is discarded into the dumpster. No seriously, He does absolutely nothing after this but lose agency, and have other people fight his battles.

-Another example of the horrible pacing issue is with Kokichi (Mechamaru), and Miwa. The story wants us to feel bad for Miwa when Kokichi dies, because supposedly the two had a romance between them, but there is no way for the audience to know this dynamic until it was explicitly told to us.

-The story also wants us to care for Maki when her sister dies although they literally never interacted with eachother in the whole series, Maki literally had 0 intimate moments with her until she died. Maki then proceeds to get a power up, and slaughter her entire clan which had a reputation for being powerful.


The story falls off EVEN MORE at the culling games arc where the terrible pacing,and awful world building is at full blast. This arc is filled with a bunch of filler fights, and characters that contribute nothing to the story (Megumi vs Reggie Star, Higuruma, Angel, Yorozu, Sumo guy, Samurai guy, Ishigori, etc).

The story at this point is basically them assembling a crew, and collecting points to combat Sukuna only for them all to collectively job against him when he is unleashed even though they should all be top-tiers. So you basically sat through all those chapters for nothing.

Another example of the terrible world building is the author actively changing how the power system works so that Maki can win against Naoya in their second fight. It was established in Shibuya that people without cursed energy are still affected by domains, that's why they had to break Toji in so that he could fight Dagon, but now with Maki she doesn't count, and is immune to Naoya's domain for absolutely no reason??

Maki also has assistance from two characters that came out of nowhere, and solely exist just to help her beat Naoya, and give her additional power ups.

We can go on all day about how garbage and mediocre this series is, but instead I'll give you a recommendation for you to read. A better series to read instead would be D Gray Man which hits similar plot beats, better pacing, a more appropriate cast size, and much More.

Take for example Allen Walker who has a depression similar to Yuji where he questions his own morals and identity but he never loses his strength to the point of self pity.

I barely read two chapters of this manga and let me tell you, is the most boring, basics shonnen that I´ve ever read.

The art is bad, the enemies are bland, the plot goes nowhere, is like Naruto mixed with Bleach, mixed with Demon Slayer.

The main characters are extremely shallow, the only one that is good is Gojo.

The story is basics and bizarre at the same time.

It doesn´t help the stuff that happens later on, you know, Itadori parents and such, is so ridiculous.

But I guess for teenagers that have never opened a manga in their entire life, I can understand the ... appeal. At least it has "strong female" characters.

I decided to write a review on jujutsu kaisen mainly Because of the potential I see in it and what has been shown to us readers till date. Most people say that they get a early "HunterXHunter" Vibe from reading this, but to me I felt elements from HunterXHunter,Bleach and fullmetal alchemist being combined and put in this one series. Some might consider this a stretch but you will have to read the manga to understand what I'am saying.

Story 7

The story starts of not cliche as most shounen this era do, But as we go on we start to see the impact of the early ... occurrence has on the main Character "Yuji Itadori". The story is still very young and limited mainly due to the manga having 50 chapters as of now. The powers used I the story is nothing new but the way it's being used is quite amazing.

Art 8

The Art is fantastic But sometimes following it can be a bit confusing.

Character 7

The Main Character already has his goal set and The Characters that have been showed so far all seem to be likable and the villains aren't aimlessly being evil for the sake of it, The villains in this story have a reason for being that way and they have some physiological twist to them.

Enjoyment 8

I enjoy reading this manga soo much and I always see my self coming back to re read the whole thing again.

Overall 8

Am giving it and 8 with soo little information on it?? Yes, This Manga is going to be amazing and there's no doubt in my mind that it wont be. Check It Out and Enjoy

I have an active dislike for shounen genre buuut JJK was something I begrudgingly admitted it was very good initially...that was until the end of Shibuya incident arc. It turned gigabad with the PubG hunger games type Tournament Arc that I can't recommend it anymore.

Without spoiling, the greatest issue by far is Gege's need to revive a character Archetype after the first instances of the archetypes get good opinions from crowd. The result is the "revivals" make new "characters" with 1:1 motivation and make for extrachromosomal plotholes. There's the Tojo type revived twice, Geto type revived once, NobaraxMegumin type revived once just to name the ... main few. It's expected when Gege claims he consulted a sTrInG theory physicist to rebrand the typical chi/mana/yokai fantasy mechanic to the convolutedcolorclusterfk of a system of cUrSes.

The motivations for the tournament arc was dubious. The antagonist sets whatever rules and the protagonist team decides to participate in it instead of focusing on reversing what happened on the Shibuya Arc. But the dumb rules are not all set by the antagonists though. The more one gets to know how "magic" works in the JJK world, the less it makes sense as to why fights have to be like old turn based Final Fantasy-esque. For example, someone "dies" but not really because the battle is not over and the equivalent of a "revive potion" can be applied by team member to resurrect him before the battle ends. Like what??

Somewhere in middle of Shibuya Arc itself, the author seems to have wanted to cash in on the endless carnage trope that titles like CSM, Dandadan etc do. The change is reminiscent of when Yu Yu Hakusho deviated from a proper story into doing tournament arcs because DBZ popularized it. I can't like this anymore because how videogamey it has become, similar to how isekais quantifies experience, whether cyber or fantasy.

The plot hasn't felt like it has moved in the last 3years. If one considers Shabooya arc's intention to enable development of supporting characters, that fix has only created more holes, more complications and more plot armor. It feels so much fillery-ish especially with new characters out of nowhere, going nowhere; that I hope JJK doesn't embrace DBZ, Naruto, Bleach and One Piece's footsteps to become a long running series. The fact how the story has often changed course abruptly tells me that the author never planned far ahead on how to close the story, which could only mean JJK will get stretched and milked down the line.

Jujutsu kaisen is the best modern day example of how any manga with a good premise and beginning can still fail if the author has no long term plan or storytelling skills. Each step the author takes is a misstep that leaves you annoyed and even though the story came in swinging, the author has dutifully shot himself in the foot with every step he takes, until he was left unable to move in any direction at all. Jujutsu kaisen as of the culling game arc has eliminated every single path forward, and is doomed to end in a pathetic and lame finale.

at its ... core, jujutsu kaisen is painfully average. The characters are meh, the magic system is meh, the world is meh, the fights are meh, and that would all be fine if the plot and character writing was meh as well, but that's not the case. The characters are flat cardboard cutouts that cant hold a personality, and the plot is so filled with holes and exposition chapters that I eventually started to ignore it because it was unreadable. It is lame in the worst way possible, it is boring. Even though there is action going on all the time, it's still bad because the character interactions are boring, the art choreography is boring, the art in general is boring, and nothing badass happens. I have read to the current chapter, and I feel like the whole thing is a waste of time, even thought the beginning was promising. It just goes nowhere. I usually don't regret reading manga, even bad or mediocre manga, but I definitely regret reading this because of the wasted potential.

That is the fatal flaw of jujutsu kaisen. The first time I dropped this manga was midway through shubuya incident, because I was bored out of my mind by the lame fights. Something was just not hitting. This is the only reason shonen exists, everyone is here for the hype fights, and jujutsu kaisen can not deliver. I think this is because the author does not understand how to raise stakes or conjure badass moments. I picked up this manga for one reason only. Someone told me about maki's badass moment and I was intrigued, but the chapter that was clearly intended to be a major hype moment fell completely flat. The fight was straight up bad, and the stakes didnt elevate it at all. I was completely emotionless during the whole thing, and nothing clicked. I have heard constantly about how jujutsu kaisen sets the standard for fights and I literally do not understand what they are talking about. The fights are lame and dumb, almost every single well rated battle manga blows this trash out of the water. Look at something like sakamoto days, even though the fights are more dispersed the quality is just so so much better.

Everything about jujutsu kaisen is paper thin derivative garbage. This probably would have flew 10 years ago but manga like chainsaw man jigokuraku, dandadan, sakamoto days, and even kaiju #8 show that the old standard is not passable anymore. There are so many more options for shonen manga, current or past era. Read something else.

Despite its promising start, “Jujutsu Kaisen” ultimately looses its footing in the latter half of the series and is plagued with being rushed for the sake of ending it. It never fully delves into full on horror and tends to have convoluted explanations on characters special moves during fights.

The art isn’t the best of quality and unfortunately suffers from feeling rushed in the later chapters much like the story. Characters faces begin to look exactly the same and fight scenes melt into what can only be described as a rorschach test. Every couple of chapters the reader may be treated to a pleasant panel of ... a cool fighting pose or a truly horrific depiction of a monster but they’re far, few, and in between.

The story started off simple: Yuji must consume all of Sukana’s fingers while Gojo finds a way to either save or destroy Yuji in the process. At least that’s how it originally seemed. Over time the story introduces so many characters with individual stories that it eventually loses track of the main character and what the goal even was. Some storylines are either never resolved or completely rushed over by explaining it in one speech bubble. Yuji was even absent for SEVERAL chapters. He’s the main character and the reader is never given any info about his whereabouts till he randomly shows up again.

As far as characters go, they’re likable… or marketable may be a better fitting term. Each character fits a particular Shonen trope that people tend to gravitate toward. Only a very small amount of characters feel unique, but they’re either never around or killed off for the sake of shock and awe. Some characters have meaningful sacrifices where others seem to be killed for the sake of “pulling heart strings”.

Readers should enter “Jujutsu Kaisen” with caution. Be aware of fan hype. This manga does a solid job in delivering an average, fun yet convoluted story. Many may be mislead by fans who are overly excited about this manga and may end up disliking an otherwise fine Shonen manga. It’s an entertaining manga but it’s far from being a great story and continues to suffer from being rushed.

The jujutsu kaisen series is enjoyable. I could reread it and not get bored, but it is a series that feels like its not matching up to its potential. Every chapter feels like its lacking something define to it.

Story: 7

The story line is pretty good. They have a lot set up for future chapters, but it isn't something never seen. If you have read the synopsis, you could tell. Very similar to blue exorcist, but it has its own sparks that make it more enjoyable. For a series with around 100 chapters thus far though, it feels like its one big rush and sometimes ... the storyline becomes vague. They timeskip in unexpected places and you feel like you missed a chapter or two. You would also expect some of those "set up for future chapters" to come in, but its just plot holes after plot holes. However, the series has so much to give if the plot thickens. The timeskips bother me, but its not enough reason for me to stop reading.

Character: 7

There wasn't enough character interactions. One minute you meet a new character, and they time skip and become best friends. The characters are quite hollow as of now and I feel like they could all be likable characters if we could see them interact more.There is not enough insight of the mc's thoughts either. I would say the author might be focusing more on the action thriller aspect of the story, but gives up on showing the characters actually just chilling with each other. Though it would definitely benefit the story telling if we had some insight on the personal turmoil's in the characters.

Art: 9

The art is perfect for deciphering the characters emotions and the author knows how to angle the scene in a way that pulls readers into the world. I can't say its beautiful, but I like the sketchy and simple style it has as it fits the vibe of the manga.

Enjoyment: 8

It is a really enjoyable series so far. It certainly kept me reading despite all that its missing. The mc is a likable character as well. You will find that the story doesn't really revolve around just the mc either, the same way that Gon is to hunterxhutner actually.

Conclusion

There is just so much the series could become, but it hasn't gotten there yet. It will be an action packed, interesting read for you to pass the time for sure though, so don't skip out!

The thing about Jujutsu Kaiisen is that it's too convoluted for its good. The author adds unnecessary complications to drive the narrative forward—too many rules, rules that are incredibly inconsistent at worst or far-reaching at their best. What's the appeal, you may ask? It's obviously the action. People want to see characters ripping each other in halves in a cool, brutal, and deranged fashion. That's also where the edginess comes from. It is incredibly phony and on the surface, because the reasons for everything happening are extremely lackluster and one-dimensional. Some characters and moments are okay, but most of them are hollow and exist only ... so the fight can happen. This manga is very disappointing.

-- This review has no spoilers --

The manga is very good ... I recommend it a lot, it has incredible fights and well explained and creative powers, besides having an AMAZING art. One of the only negative points of the manga is the relationship of the characters ... idk, there could be a little romance and develop the characters' friendship more, it's not so bad but I think it could be better. Other than that, it's one of the best manga I've ever read, it's still being released, but it's very good, I think the anime will be great

-- Thanks for your feedback! --

To understand why I perceive this anime as a 4 or actually 3.5 we should first look into the story telling and characters, since they kind of come together.

Problem 1: Antagonists' overwhelming power
Although the story portrayed and built up Gojo Satoru as the strongest since the start of the story, (and sorry if you feel like you have been spoiled), he was so easily captured. And that doesn't make sense. Many readers genuinely loved Gojo's characters, and he is hardly in the manga in the Shibuya Arc. This effectively make audience empathize with protagonists, but also make it increasingly frustrating. Everytime the protagonist was going ... to be defeated, they are not. And that works for 1 or 2 times, but the amount of times that happened in this manga is just frustrating. Makes people lose patience and forget the point of the whole story sometimes. Hence, this is the largest downfall of this manga.

Also, when the reader's concentration and patience is gone with a character, they usually might just drop the series. (You know, how many times you wish Mahito gone)

Problem 2: Incomplete and messy instructions on the nature of the superpower systems
The author definitely did try, but still many things happened during Shibuya arc that were not really explained very well. For example, people returning from death, how Fushiguro released something next level. Without very clear explanation, its increasingly hard for audience to connect the dots and relate to the story, which brings me to my next point.

Problem 3: Difficult to relate to
Characters are shallowly crafted. Like all their motivations seems like plastic. In the end, the story just feels like a newer version of Bleach (albeit Bleach's beginning was so much better).

Overall, quite a waste of time. The arcs are not fantastic, one felt like Naruto's jyuunin shiken, the other felt like something in Bleach. Even though their art is more or less great, and Gojo is a very good looking character, Not gonna return to read.

The first 40-50 chapters of Jujutsu Kaisen sucked balls to me. I hated almost everything about it. It was generic, cliched, and even confusing at times. But then the next 60 chapters made me go like "yeah, its alright". At times it's very fun to read, at others I'd rather listen to Asta scream.

The characters are boring. MC haha so strong naruto style. Fuck that guy. Most boring MC in the world. Kirito was more fun to watch. Sukuna better take over his body fast. The side MCs aka Megumi and the other girl. ... They're setting up a lot of mysteries around Megumi and his powers. His family is more interesting than his character. The other girl hasn't been developed enough as a character but I guess she has a distinct personality. Now the best characters. Every side character and villain is great. Geto, Satoru, Touji, and Nanami all interesting characters. Why the mangaka can make all these interesting characters, but his main characters are absolute ass, I will never know.

The story is pretty generic for the first 50 chapters. In fact, I would say the first 50 chapters are the worst thing I have ever read. I had never been so bored in my entire life. If my life had been any less sad, I would have never read it. After the kyoto/tokyo training arc thing, the story picks up. It goes from trash to treasure. From berserk anime to berserk manga. I'm overexaggerating it but it does get immensely better. We get a ton more interesting characters with much better stories than whatever happens in the first half. The flashback arc or whatever its called is definitely the best arc so far and maybe by the time the current arc ends It may be on par or better.

The art is good. There isn't anything too special about it. Sometimes it looks nice. Sometimes I have no idea what I'm looking at. The mangaka seems to have some problems with clarity sometimes but most of the time it looks good.

The power system is fucking stupid. It makes no sense to me. I probably read too fast in the beginning and missed out on how exactly it works or the specifics because the battles although nice too read, get kinda retarded sometimes. The only power that I can even understand is the one who has none and is just strong. All the of the curse powers are just garbage to me.

Overall, I would recommend the read. If you have the will to get past the first 40-50 chapters, or you may even end up liking it, then the story and characters will be dramatically better. The only thing that holds it back is the MC and his gang, the first few small arcs, and its predictability.

Going to keep it quick, this series started off great the story, art and characters were all great, then the Shibuya arc happened.
To say things are a mess would be an understatement. Characters were dumbed down to make the plot work, the art for the action has steadily gotten worse each chapter and so many plot conveniences that it's laughable. I lost count how at how many Deus ex machinas their were in the Shibuya arc.
I think the author has bitten more than he can chew, I'm dropping this for now maybe down the line I might pick it back up. Hopefully the author ... can salvage the ending to this but seeing where it's heading I have my doubts.

Jujutsu Kaisen is your typical cookie cutter shounen manga, your tropes are all present here. The character designs are cool and all but you won't really get an attachment to them. Characters die way too fast before you even have some sort of emotional connection to them, the battles are mindless and features lots of asspulls. The storytelling is whack, it's all over the place without any sense of direction at all. The power gap also isn't fun, characters just get stronger and stronger without any good reason, there's just no build up for everything on this manga, everything comes in a whim.

[TRIGGER WARNING: this series contains a lot of body horror, and explores the subject of death. - If anybody is triggered by this, then take caution when reading / watching the series.]





BEST THINGS ABOUT THIS SERIES:


(1. SUBJECT MATTER: Surprisingly mature for a standard action shonen; - that being confronting death, valuing the life of others as well as your own, and even facing your own demise.
...
This also brings with it a lot of tension and fear that characters you like could die at any moment. And some very well might.

HOWEVER, this is later completely dropped in favour of straight up action and lots of body horror with little repercussion, which ain't necessarily bad, it's just a bit whiplash inducing if you don't expect it.)



(2. WORLD BUILDING: Nearly every arc expands on the world of Curses and Shamans, bringing in a new faction and memorable characters.

It's a dreary and depressing line of work being a shaman, but the comedic elements of the main cast act as a nice contrast to the dark background.

HOWEVER, the magic system, though unique and lot of fun to see in action, gets far too much explanation to the point of tedium, you could skip half the pages of power explanation and it wouldn't matter.)




(3. ACTION: If you want cool characters doing badass things, fight scenes that feel like they have proper weight behind each punch and kick, then you will love this series.

This manga is able to make you really feel the speed and ferocity in the movements, it's honestly a lot of fun. Nearly every fight leaves marks in the environment, and the wind up and payoffs can be extremely satisfying to watch.

HOWEVER, there is very little strategy beyond punching something really, really, really, really, hard. Despite some of the characters having unique powers of their own, they will most likely resort to the good ol' fist-to-face method. - This wasn't so much a problem for me but it might be for others.)





WORST THINGS ABOUT THIS SERIES:


(1. VILLAINS: While the monster designs are cool and creepy, showing off some truly disturbing body horror, a lot of them fall into the trap of "human-like blob monster". Fans of body horror have most likely seen a lot scarier. Its nothing special.

But worst of all, is the fact that nearly every villain, except for one, has the same role; - that being "Wacky Magic Serial Killer". Which gets extremely annoying after a while!

This can get so bad to the point where you're cheering for them to die, just because you want them to shut the hell up. Some are utterly pointless and die straight away. Don't get me wrong, it's super satisfying to see their comeuppance, but theres not much going for some of them beyond that.)




(2. TONE: For the first few arcs the series is legitimately tense as the death of close characters, and even the main character, is at a constant threat.

But, this changes to a tone in which many characters get stabbed, have their bones broken, blood poisoned, flesh burnt, head smashed and throat slit... and they just walk it off! I don't know what that plot armour is made of but it's strong stuff!

Also, unless you are a regular for horror movies and gore, then the tone can really tire you out sometimes. The fast pace has few moments where it slows down so fare warning when binge reading.)

Look, take every review on here with a grain of salt because while I absolutely love this manga it is still ongoing so it can both get better or get worse.

Moving on from that, like the majority of stories that this technically sound, how much you like this depends upon personal taste. I really enjoy the art, the characters are interesting and likeable, everyone has believable motivations and no one falls into annoying stereotypes.

The pacing is great and the writing is snappy. The mangaka really cuts down on anything that is even slightly filler, its really efficient storytelling, it doesn't skimp on character ... interaction for that but may seem too fast for some.

Like I said once a story covers all its bases on skill, it depends on the reader's preference. Because I can see some people who come to shonen jump looking for fresh new crazy series being disappointed on finding a new fresh series that unfortunately (for them) is still very much a shonen series.

Most of the complaints I see seem to me that they just don't like this type of story. I mean I liked this more than any of the other action shounen series I've been following. For me personally, I did not have a single complaint with this series, 170 chapters in, it is going strong.

This is personally a 10 for me. If you are a fan of shounen titles give it a try, who knows maybe you might enjoy it as much as I do.

Yuji Itadori become the curse that the shaman seeks to exorcise in order to save his friend. To save himself from being executed, he becomes one of the shamans and goes on a journey to fulfil his grandfather’s last wish.

Story: 7.5
Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK) may have the common troupe found in shonen yet the story weaved by Gege Akutami is complex and not as simple as you’d think because the world of JJK is a grim one and doesn’t shy away from the hideousness and grittiness of human nature. As such, don’t go reading this with a mindset or expectation you have on Naruto or ... Demon Slayer because you’ll be disappointed. JJK is the complete opposite of that.

The pacing is not too fast or too slow, but the story may feel a bit scattered and disconnected. When it comes to this, you need to be patient because it was done intentionally and as you progress further, what confuses you in the beginning slowly start to make sense in future chapters. The fight is brilliant because there is tactic and strategy used by characters. Despite the serious tone, the comedic part hits at the right moment and there are light-hearted chapters. Power system is great but the explanation for the individual technique can be difficult to understand.

Art: 8
The art is among the best in WSJ series currently. The sketchy and bold style emphasize the harshness of Jujutsu world and fit the overall tone of the story. The detailed human movement drawn in fight choreography makes it so fascinating to read and amazing panelling technique further enhance the fight scene. Though at times it can be confusing, paying extra attention to the details in panel really helps. The character designs, whilst may not be as fancy as One Piece, are distinguishable from one another despite looking almost ordinary (by shonen manga standard).

Character: 9
The character's writing is the biggest strength of this series. Each of one them is driven by personal reason and most of the time it’s not a heroic or noble motive because they all live in a cruel world. Some of the character’s writing covers from an entire story arc to spanning across multiple arcs that once you can piece together the information scattered by Gege, the more humane and understandable they become. I personally enjoy reading the progression of these character’s psyche and some of their characteristic or action is relatable at a certain point.

Overall: 8
JJK can truly be enjoyed if you take the time to understand the characters, their belief and the world itself which mean this is not a series for everyone. However, you can still enjoy the series at its face value. I highly recommend that at least read it two times to be able to make sense of the stuff that confuse you during your first read.

TL;DR: If you like Hunter x Hunter, go and read Jujutsu Kaisen.

Given the numerous critiques of this series of late I feel I should provide a defense for anyone conflicted or swayed as I often am by the negative. It is often the case the more mainstream these Shōnen series become the more contrarian voices arise. Their feedback can be both valid but all too overblown in their appraisal.

What Jujutsu Kaisen presents is a story unafraid to tread into the darker spaces that its themes and subject matter indicate. Those of similar ilk in the Shōnen category will approach death with but a toe but Jujutsu Kaisen dives right in like Yuji into a domain. ... The consequence of death is not by itself indicative of a great series but signifies the maturity in its handling of its story and themes. In this world the suffering that our cast of characters experience registers with us as readers as we connect them to the place in which they exist. And its impact is as wide ranging as it is in our world and the responses to it develop as the characters do. The story from its early chapters has never wavered in this regard.

Battle manga run the risk of inconsistent pacing, rushed story beats and action over substance. I won’t pretend Jujutsu Kaisen doesn’t commit these in its storytelling, but even in its imperfections there is a consistent commitment to entertainment and character. Pacing doesn’t swing too much in either direction and the benefit of the doubt has already been established by the time it comes into any question. By the conclusion of the Shibuya Incident Arc there should be no doubt to the quality that this series can produce. You may have heard of these chapters as the peak of the manga and they are testament to the author’s skill in delivering an arc emotionally resonant while faithful to the weekly format that confines its storytelling.

Even in its most convoluted of moments the series never forgets what it is and that is to its credit. It can at times border the edges of being too smart for its own good with panels of exposition, but never goes over into territory of Dark Continent Hunter x Hunter, and doesn’t drag the story to a snails pace. The stakes are raised in each subsequent arc, the battles more consequential and the development of its characters is more and more profound along the spectrum of despairing and hopeful. Complaints toward the story’s direction are but the incendiary speech of backseat drivers to the navigational capabilities of the driver behind the wheel. A lot may be ironed out with the anime but it could very well be that the situation that our current cast is faced mirrors the nature of its storytelling. I’m not prepared to reduce the series as a whole to the heap for an arguable decline from the heights it established with the previous arc.

No matter your background and experience with stories along the same vein, Jujutsu Kaisen deserves the respect it’s earned. It exists in a space of sameness and offers enough differentiation to be viewed as one of the eminent series of the current age. Its assorted cast feature relatable traits to appeal in some way, no matter how small, to the reader, the story is focused enough that interest is sustained even along its bumpy detours, and its world and system has depth that fuels debate amongst its readers. There is more than enough juice left in this series that new readers can get on board and be hopeful in the journey that this series will take you.