REVIEW: Jujutsu Kaisen 0: Feature Film (anime movie)

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a movie prequel to the Jujutsu Kaisen anime TV series. I bought my copy brand new.

Review:

Several years ago, an accident took the life of Yuta's childhood friend, a girl named Rika. Since then, he's been followed around by her cursed spirit, which comes out at unpredictable times to destroy anyone and anything that means Yuta harm, whether he wishes it or not. An incident with a group of bullies brings Yuta to the attention of the world of jujutsu sorcerers. Gojo takes Yuta on as one of his students, alongside Maki, Toge, and Panda.

Unfortunately for Yuta, he has also attracted the attention of Geto, a man whose goal is to create a society of only jujutsu sorcerers. Geto plans to take Rika from Yuta and use her massive power to get his way.

I can remember the last movie I saw in theaters right at/before the start of the pandemic: Parasite. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is the only movie I've seen in theaters since the pandemic began. I enjoyed it so much I decided to buy it when it finally came out on Blu-ray/DVD, and I'm happy to report that it was just as good the second (and third) time around as it was the first.

I'm iffy about the Jujutsu Kaisen series itself. The flow is weird and sometimes it skips large gaps of time that I'd have preferred to see on-screen. I wasn't sure how I'd like this movie, but the fact that it starred a completely different character, one who was only briefly mentioned in the TV series, was encouraging. Maybe I'd be able to enjoy it even though I only got through half of the TV series.

One thing I look for in anime movies connected to anime TV series I've watched is how they make me feel. TV shows can be cool and fun, but there should be something about a movie release that fills me with excitement. This movie definitely managed it. The visuals were amazing, the story was good and stood on its own surprisingly well, and many of the characters I enjoyed in the TV series made appearances in the movie, even if only for brief moments during the final big battle.

My one regret is that I shelled out a few extra dollars for the "lenticular cover edition," which featured absolutely nothing that the cheaper edition didn't already have except different cover artwork and a cardboard slip with plastic on it designed to make the artwork look like it had a bit more depth. I'd have saved a few bucks and been just as happy with the regular edition.