Jujutsu Kaisen
So I have watched Jujutsu Kaisen before, and honestly it’s not one of those anime where you think too hard about themes presented. In my eyes it was always one of those fun shounen that you watch mainly for the fights. But going back and rewatching part of it while actually trying to pick out some themes made me appreciate it a bit more. In the hidden inventory arc specifically, there were a couple of ideas/questions presented to the viewer, such as should traditions be followed instead of making progress? How important is one person's life in comparison to the well-being of society? Is being powerful all that matters?
This was definitely one of my favorite arcs in the series, as I got to see younger versions of a lot of my favorite characters. We get to see how Gojo, who is said to be “the strongest,” got to be where he is. One of the big themes in this arc is how important one’s life is, as Riko is set to be the sacrifice for Tengen to ensure the preservation of the Jujutsu society. Throughout the anime she is fine with it because it’s for the greater good, but Geto continues to ask her if she is really okay with it, and she finally admits that she would rather live. We can also see how trauma affects people differently. After Gojo lost to Toji, he used his grief to push himself past his limits in order to become stronger, whereas Geto thought of himself as too weak and instead wanted to get rid of curses by killing all the humans. We can see how their two different approaches to the same problem cause a rift in their friendship.
Overall, rewatching this made me come to love this series even more.
I've also watched Jujutsu Kaisen before. It's one of my top ten anime to enjoy. I also found it to be a fun and easy to watch shonen. I had the same experience as you with my rewatch of JJK. I think it was smart for us to watch the Gojo's Past Arc because it tells the backstory of how Geto converted from sorcerer to villain. However, it puts a deeper lens on things and makes you wonder if Geto really is a villain. I feel that JJK was trying to make us question if the good guys are always right and if the bad guys are always wrong.
I like that you pointed out the question we see exercised in the Gojo's Past arc of how important one person's life is compared to the well-being of society. I think this is the vexing question that Geto had to grapple with when he decided to offer Riko a chance to live instead of becoming Master Tengen's vessel. I also like that you pointed out how Gojo used his frustration from losing to Toji to fuel his growth into the master sorcerer he became. Just like you, rewatching this part of JJK absolutely deepened my appreciation for it.





















