JJK: My Thoughts So Far (After Completing Two Seasons)
So, I could do many things for this week's blog but I decided to talk about JJK because I have many thoughts (also yeah I still am struggling with naming the blog!)
Okay, beginning with the good part...
I will not deny this is an entertaining series...I like the complexity of themes, intertwined with some sort of modern techno-spirituality and ancient knowledge systems... Certain character dynamics are interesting and despite being a multi-character franchise, all characters get good screen time...
I like Maki's character and her dynamic with Mai, I also like Utahime (although it doesn't feel like she has been explored enough as a character yet)...Same with Mei Mei and I liked Aoi and Yuji's bonding and also liked Choso's character... Yuki and Toji are also among interesting characters...
I definitely hated Mahito as a character but just like Doma he is a really well-written villain who perfectly captures the depravity and vile nature of its existence...
And if I understood it correctly, Gojo/Geto and their bond remain one of the driving rationales of the story.... Their characters continue to retain interesting convergences despite ending on diametrically opposite sides...I am keen to see how the ultimate showdown between Geto (as a vessel) and Gojo will go down once anime reaches that point (though I kinda know spoilers)...
While Gojo is an interesting and entertaining character, not very impressed with Geto's character given the hype...But yeah, their bond is definitely one of the main highlights of the story....I understand why these two are so popular as a duo, the subtext in this dynamic is layered and mystifying in its own way....There is a burden of history as well as destiny for both of them and no matter how you see it, their story is going to end on a brutally convoluting note...
with respect to above, it remains all in all a good experience...
However....
Err, in terms of logic though, what actually is going on in this series? I am so, so confused...
I feel like the moment I understand the logic, it flails....For instance, half of the deaths weren't even necessary, they were not even serving the plot....
Similarly, I feel like the series tries to make too many points in one go which makes things interesting in the first glance but over time loses steam...I feel like there is a lot of build-up for certain sub-plots but not much of a vent in terms of allowing the anticipation turn into a considerable impact...As a result, execution many a times falls flat...
As far as the main character is concerned, I have watched very few Shonen anime but Yuji kinda disappoints as a MC, even if he manages to humanise the toll of work they do.... However, Yuji hardly impresses in a standalone manner and there is a lot to unearth...It is not that Yuji is not cool, it is just that the other characters introduced so far are much cooler....
Speaking of cool, though not necessarily a criticism but it is quite odd how all the characters in JJK are inexplicably cool, like literally very little is explained as to why a certain character is introduced as something of a big shot only to be taken down in the most basic of ways...In other words, the portrayed strength of characters doesn't align with the showcased one...What the series is trying to do is very hard to comprehend.... What is supposed to be the key takeaway?? I don't know if I am right in saying this but I feel like JJK relies a lot on shock factor in making a point, instead of actually making it!
Moreover, I feel like JJK doesn't actually land the balance between exploring complex themes and humanising them... Humans as a soul (essence) and humans as a body (collective) is another core theme in the story...However, I feel like this somehow instead of being the logic of the story became a dilemma...The story imo somehow got stuck in terms of choosing the right abstraction for themes it tends to explore— to go with humanity as an underlying abstract or human? The series established the negative emotions of humans feeding the entirety of curses at the onset...And later on flirts with the idea of humanity itself being tainted here and there in the series... the nihilistic violence of curses often overlaps with the just violence of sorcerers in terms of symbolism...and yet all these complex themes are mainly hinted at and never showcased where in human could actually reflect within complex... You are supposed to understand something as a core subtext of the story but down the line it doesn't materialise the way one would have wanted it to be, thereby trailing off to become something else entirely...
If I have to summarise my experience, I feel like this series oversells what essentially remains undercooked in the storyline...There is a lot portrayed, quite a fraction actually executed in terms of visible...
I won't try to be 'I am not like you' crowd and pretend I absolutely hate one of the most popular anime series, this isn't true. As I said, it is entertaining and some characters are actually intriguing. Themes are interesting and overall tone of the story is also mature and sombre. But I am struggling with liking the characterisation in toto and story-building (while appreciating its in-universe world-building), the latter is definitely a major weak point of the anime... Characters do get sufficient screen time but very few actually do justice with what they are supposed to be understood as...Too much is being said compared to what is actually happening...
I would not call it bad, it has its strengths and holds ground wherever it can but in terms of expectations, I am a bit underwhelmed....
