The new season of critically acclaimed anime Jujutsu Kaisen, adapted from the manga of the same name by author Gege Akutami, began airing in July 2023, and as of now has been dubbed by many one of the most beautifully animated and directed anime series. The positive reception is due mostly to some major changes in the show’s art style and choreography. Jujutsu Kaisen is a shonen series, a term which describes a series directed towards young boys and male teenagers, and like a typical shonen, it incorporates battles, a magic system, and a diverse cast of characters with varying powers. Battles in Jujutsu Kaisen are predominantly fought with cursed energy, a sort of aura that each character can harness and fight with in different ways. The system is too complicated to succinctly explain in a paragraph or even several.
Season one of Jujutsu Kaisen was vastly liked by fans, but the shading and line art techniques were not very distinct. It had an incredible amount of detail, and colors were used to contrast each other very well; however, it can be said that there was too much shading or too many oversaturated colors in the first season. Many fans have also stated that the intricate detail overcomplicates the fight scenes in the show, since it is hard to keep up with events when details are so prominent, such as in “domain expansion” sequences that make up an integral part of the battle system in the universe. This is natural, however, since the first season had the goal of adapting the manga into an animated format and creating fights and scenes that were as visually appealing as possible. It can also be said that this indicates that the anime had not yet found its footing,
In comparison, season two has a very different tone, both in its story and its visuals. The first season had a rather dark atmosphere, with the main characters fighting curses and spirits almost every episode, whilst the second season starts with a flashback in which one of the most popular characters in the series, Satoru Gojo, is back in high school. This contrasts the first season with simpler details and brighter, more vibrant colors that evoke a feeling of summer and joy. It overall feels lighter than the first season, and the lack of intense details in the art has allowed fans to enjoy the fights much more. For instance, episode three of season two impressed so many fans that it received a score of 9.7 on IMDb, with an additional two thousand users giving it a ten out of ten score. This episode included an incredibly important fight between the characters of Satoru Gojo and Toji Fushiguro, and the cursed techniques and fight choreography between the two characters felt stellar to watch.
The lack of intricacy in the new art style makes the series seem much more like the manga it originated from, with action lines enveloping characters as they swing their weapons or dash toward each other. As previously said, adapting a manga into an animated format is quite easy, but elevating it beyond just visually appealing is essential. Season two of Jujutsu Kaisen elevates the source material by trying something completely different, thereby making the style resemble the erratic sketches of artist Gege Akutami. It also created a different atmosphere and lightness to the anime that impressed long time fans, as well as attracting newer ones.