“Won’t it get lonely all by yourself?”

After six years, Shonen Jump’s mega-popular sorcery-fighting manga, Jujutsu Kaisen, will publish its final chapter on September 30th. So what better way to send it off with the movie which kicks off exactly where it all began.

Produced by MAPPA (Yuri!!! on Ice, Chainsaw Man) The film follows Yuta Okkotsu, a young student who joins Tokyo Jujutsu Technical High to become a sorcerer to control the Cursed Spirit of his childhood friend Rika Orimoto. Along the way Yuta meets fellow students Maki Zen’in, Toge Inumaki, and Panda, all with distinct abilities of their own… 

To say Jujutsu Kaisen has performed well in Japan is to undersell it. According to Guiness World Records it was 2023’s most in-demand anime series based on global viewership and engagement metrics surpassing such favourites such as One Piece and Attack on Titan.

Set in a world where humans emanate Cursed Energy that can create eldritch creatures known as Curses, the Jujutsu Kaisen anime focuses on Yuji Itadori, a high-schooler who becomes a vessel for Ryomen Sukuna, one of the most powerful Curses in existence.

This prequel is similar, but focuses on a different protagonist, that of Yuta Okkotsu. Yuta is a world away from Yuji — the former starts out as a timid, gloomy, bullied kid, while the latter is a hyper-energetic extrovert with the kind of strength and stamina that would make the MCU roster jealous.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 earns its success by doing something many prequels fail at: telling am encapsulated standalone story that connects to the main series and enhances its story, while also welcoming newcomers to the franchise.

Allowing us to see the world of JJK via new protagontist Yuta, someone only previously mentioned in the anime gives something for both newcomers who’re interested in dipping their toe into the Jujutsu Kaisen,  and allows fans of the anime to dive deeper into the lore, seeing backstory of some of their favourite characters. All through a brand new story.

When the prequel Jujutsu Kaisen 0 opened in Japan in December 2022, it sold more than 1 million tickets and earned more than 1 billion yen. The movie received the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best Film, as well as being nominated for awards from the Japanese Academy and the Anime Trending Awards. Boasting impressive 98% audience and critics’ Rotten Tomatoes scores, it is abundantly clear that Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a movie worth watching.