Spoilers Ahead!
This episode starts with the backstory of Hiromi Higuruma, a defense lawyer. Beginning the episode with this is such a great move, and it really heightens the emotion of the coming battle. The way that this is animated is just breathtaking. There is one shot of someone’s eye that has so much attention and care put into it, it is incredible.
While the first half of the episode focuses on the backstory, the second half is focused on Yuji and Megumi. Megumi realizes he has been tricked and is brought to Reggie, a sorcerer working with Kenjaku. The former arrives at Higuruma’s hideout and attempts to get him to change the rules of the culling game, so fewer people die.
When Higuruma refuses, Yuji gets trapped in his domain expansion. I really didn’t want this episode to ever end, but when it did, I was so excited to see the fight between Yuji and Higuruma finally begin.
If you are not watching Jujutsu Kaisen, you are missing out on some of the best animated storytelling I have ever seen. Each episode continues to excel, and this one in particular blew me away. The animation is unlike anything in anime right now; the quality and production feel like they belong in a movie theater, not something you watch at home.
From the way that shots are composed to the level of detail in someone walking across the street, it is just breathtaking, moving art. The care and love put into this show are not something you see much from big companies, and it is such a breath of fresh air in a market that can have some really stale and boring adaptations. I find it especially refreshing how they are not scared to make it so it is not a one-to-one adaptation of the more famous manga panels.
The way that MAPPA has handled this season is phenomenal, and when it is all said and done, people will look back at this episode in particular. While it may be dialogue-heavy and lacking action, I think that’s what makes it so good. The way it can be so engaging, so uniquely animated, without any fights, is special.
10/10
