Jujutsu Kaisen Isn’t Worth the Hype

Now, I’m not one to hate a show just because it’s popular. I love series like Demon Slayer, One Piece, and Bleach. But Jujutsu Kaisen didn’t do it for me. I think part of the problem, and what happens with a lot of very popular shows, is that it was overhyped.

People tend to exaggerate how good it is, and when you go into the series with high expectations, you are only let down.

This is how I felt about Jujutsu Kaisen upon watching it for the first time. On the surface, there’s nothing particularly wrong with the anime. It’s mostly fast-paced, has good fight scenes and animation, and has a pretty decent plot, though I feel the writing of characters and dialogue is weak at times.

What it doesn’t have, though, is something that makes it so much better than other Shonen anime. It has a few new ideas and fighting styles, but there’s no big twist or detail from the anime that breaks out of the classic Shonen mold.

An argument I hear often about why I should continue the series is that most of the first cour of Jujutsu Kaisen is just the introduction of the show, setting, and characters. After those first 12 episodes, everything starts to finally be explained, the plot becomes more intricate, and the characters start to develop.

I have a problem with these sorts of things. Whether TV shows, movies, or books, I am not a fan of wading through the first part of a series in the hopes that it gets better.

If the series is showing some promise that it’s got a solid plan in the following seasons or if I feel there’s something quite amazing being set up behind the surface of the show, I don’t mind giving it a shot.

But when I found nothing particularly interesting about the first cour of Jujutsu Kaisen, I was not eager to give the second a try.

There are arguments for the show I agree with. The animation style, for one, is clean and fits the show quite well. While the fight scenes are simple, they are done crisply and cleanly, showing off the skills of the animating team.

However, as I’ve said in other reviews, while animation style can draw someone into watching an anime, it can’t carry the viewer through the series. There has to be something deserving of such stunning graphics, such as an epic plotline or characters.

I didn’t feel that Jujutsu Kaisen had that. Sure, it had a decent story and characters, but not enough for it to be considered a great anime, and especially not one of the best.

As I mentioned, I only watched the first cour, as the first dozen episodes didn’t entice me to keep watching, so my ranking is based on what I saw. My rating of Jujutsu Kaisen is a 2. If I had gone into it blind, it would have been a perfectly average show closer to 3 stars, but the hype around it ruined my expectations.

It’s one of those series that I consider junk food. It’s not particularly good or entertaining, but when I’m looking for something quick and easily digestible, it does the trick.

However, this is my opinion only. Based on all of the reviews and awards Jujutsu Kaisen has won, I am on the minority side. On My Anime List, the series has an 8.61 for the average score. It’s also ranked #84 of all anime, with a popularity ranking of #14.