One of the most highly anticipated anime series of the Summer 2023 season premiered earlier today in the form of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, much to the joy of series fans everywhere. Despite the first episode’s mellowed-down events, fans have been praising it online in nearly every aspect, from voice acting to animation style to overall production.
In fact, fans seem to be commenting on the first episode specifically for the relatively calm sequence of events that unfolded in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2’s premiere. While this is to be expected with any anime’s pilot, whether it be a series or a season, the way fans have been praising the episode is admittedly perplexing.
In reality, there’s an easy answer as to why fans are so obsessed with Jujutsu Kaisen season 2’s first episode, which is intrinsically linked to the subject material the season will cover early on. Moreover, at the core of this joy and excitement lies two of the series’ biggest fan-favorite characters – Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo.
Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 kicks off Gojo’s Past arc, with a special focus on Geto and Gojo, much to the delight of fans
With Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 set to adapt both the Gojo’s Past and the Shibuya Incident story arcs, fans were unable to decide which one they were more excited to see on the screen. While the latter arc has some of the series’ best action comes into play, the former sees Gojo and Geto’s relationship portrayed in a unique light that remains unseen for majority of the series.
As it is, the premiere episode’s focus on this relationship has seemingly shown fans the answer they knew in their hearts all along. Following the season premiere, Twitter is ablaze with anime and manga fans alike praising MAPPA Studios’ portrayal of the two’s relationship, as well as how they contrast one another in intriguing ways.
That being said, Jujutsu Kaisen season 2’s inaugural outing was far from being a Gojo and Geto-centric arc. The final moments of the episode saw the introduction of Toji Fushiguro, setting him up as one of the central characters to this relatively brief flashback arc. Unsurprisingly, fans who are not discussing Gojo and Geto are tweeting about the anticipation that Toji’s brief introduction builds for the upcoming episodes.
What’s particularly interesting to see in the premiere’s wake is that even manga fans are tuning into the episode and sharing their opinion on the portrayal of Gojo and Geto’s friendship. Shockingly, manga readers seem happier about it than anime-only fans, with a majority of the former group expressing relief that MAPPA is doing the pair justice.
Part of this concern from manga readers likely stems from how integral the Gojo’s Past arc is to understanding the events of the Shibuya Incident arc. With Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 set to adapt both this time, the portrayal of the SatoSugu friendship becomes integral to fully understanding these events.
In any case, fans seem pleased with the final product, regardless of the fandom cloth they’re cut from. This also provides a rare sight of unification between manga readers and anime-only fans in terms of opinions on an adaptation’s quality. All that’s left is for fans to hope that the incredibly high quality of the series remains constant throughout the second season.
Be sure to keep up with all Jujutsu Kaisen anime and manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
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