#Toji-Geto-Maki for example

[goatyuuji]

JJK CHAPTER 261 AND MY THOUGHTS:

Soooooo this chapter was not for everyone lmao but if you ask me personally I am enjoying the direction in which the story is finally moving..261 has so many themes that just hit so hard bro, but I would be breaking them down into just 3 parts (because I would yap for another 3k words otherwise):

1. Breaking the cycle (remains unbroken):

Let’s start with the first person who tried to break the cycle: Toji. Toji, a man blessed with no cursed energy, born in a clan that probably abused him for that fact, tried to break the cycle of curse energy = strength mentality by killing Gojo even when he didn’t have to, he did not have to kill Gojo at all his mission was over, money was paid, he could have left he could have run but no he fights because he wants to prove to the world, to himself, and to the zenin clan that hated his very existence that “look a monkey like me with no cursed energy can take down the pinnacle of jujutsu look”…and we all know how it ends and the cycle continues with the zenin clan still being obsessed with the 10 shadows and Maki (and Mai) being treated like shit.

The second person who tried to break the cycle was: Geto. Geto realized after a failed mission, how little value a sorcerer’s life has in the eyes of a non-sorcerer even when those sorcerers dedicate their entire lives to saving them. He envisioned a world without curses where his fellow companions wouldn’t have to sacrifice their lives to save lives of people that don’t give two fucks about them. He realised how fucked up the jujutsu society really is, how fucked up the higher ups are and how they have no qualms about sending young sorcerers to their deaths. He also starts struggling with the ugliness of humanity and non-sorcerers and their ignorance. And so he tried to change that, he tried to make the world a better place for his friends and fellow sorcerers but he lost his ideals, his mortality and his humanity following the path he chose and in the end lost to a person who was soooo similar to him, who just wanted to save his friends too and prove to himself he deserved to live. And so the cycle continues with the higher ups using and abusing the young sorcerers, and the ones in power not giving a shit about what happens as long as they are comfortable (putting a kill order on Yuuji, making binding vow with Yuuta to kill Yuuji, suspending Hakari and Kirara, killing Yaga, etc).

The third person who tries to break the cycle is: Gojo. Gojo who saw his best friend leave him behind, not just physically but in terms of ideology, who saw his best friend become a monster in order to create a world where his friends and companions can live to their fullest and laugh from the bottom of their hearts, follow an idea so insane that even he couldn’t make sense of, he couldn’t catch up to him, couldn’t catch up to his ideas…so what does he do, he becomes a teacher. He guides young minds and fosters strong people that can overturn the way jjk society works and creates a group of people so strong that they can never be left behind, that will never feel what he felt. But all this crumbs when he comes back after his sealing, Gojo knows he still doesn’t possess the power to change the society the way he wants and if he is gone there is a vacuum in the jjk society that the higher ups can easily use to exploit…and so he kills them, kills them so that the Shibuya incident aftermath (read: Yuuji almost dying, Yaga being dead, Gojo getting framed as a traitor) can not be created again looping back to Geto’s departure and the way he killed an entire village (and for me personally it even loops back to when Gojo expressed his desire to kill the cult members clapping for Riko’s death).

2. Exploitation of the strongest:

Nanami, Higuruma, Junpei all of them are few examples that show themes of exploitation in jjk but there is this cycle of exploitation of the strongest that literally just…it’s too delicious okay:

Geto and Kenjaku - Every single Kenjaku victim deserves their own exploitation post but Geto was probably one of his best hosts since firstly, Geto was a special grade sorcerer and in Kenjaku’s own words “Special Grade rank signifies the ability to single-handedly overthrow nations, that obviously true for Gojo Satoru but Suguru Geto can also wield a Grotesque army through his cursed manipulation (ch. 203)”, and secondly his curse technique can literally allow him to claim any unclaimed curse which is just bonkers. But not only that, oh no no no the ultimate trump card that Kenjaku uses Geto for was to exploit Gojo emotionally. He made a six eyes user doubt his own technique and the funny part is: he was right. Gojo’s six eyes told him that it was Geto Suguru but his soul, HIS SOUL knew otherwise. And that emotional trump card was bigger than what any other host could provide.

Megumi and Sukuna- From the very start of his show, we have seen Sukuna obsess about Megumi and his curse technique. He has even admitted that Megumi, as he grows stronger, can literally defeat him and kill him. For more than 200 chapters we have seen Sukuna devise a plan to make Megumi as his vessel, so that he can get the 10 shadows/Mahoraga. He even exploits Megumi’s curse technique after the body possession to kill off Megumi’s sister and totally submerge his soul into the abyss.

Gojo and Yuuta- The chapter was so good that we looped back to the themes of exploiting the strongest but only this time not one, BUT TWO STRONGEST SORCERERS getting exploited at the same time. On one hand we have Gojo Satoru, who has always been seen as a weapon since the day he was born, been used as a tool by the higher ups, been used and seen as nothing but strength incarnate till the day he took his last breath and getting his body used as a tool again even after his death. He even got emotionally exploited by Kenjaku and his mind games during Shibuya. On the other hand we have Okkotsu Yuta, a kid who didn’t even know he comes from a great dynasty of Jujutsu sorcerers until he accidentally cursed his friend, who meets a guy that saved his life and helped him get back onto his feet almost a year ago…sees the loneliness and isolation that man subjects himself to and wants to help him in return too, he wants him to share the burden and not suffer alone but the man is dead now and there is no one to fill the space he left, no one that can be used as a weapon anymore, no one that can be the monster the sorcerers need to win this fight, so he steps up, he becomes the monster for the story, because he can not let it all go to waste now. Ah the tragedy of not seeing yourself as a human but just a means.

3. Love is the greatest curse of them all:

Yuuta’s story started with him cursing his friend, Rika, because he could not accept her death. He loved Rika, he could not let her go because he loved. He fought Geto Suguru, even tried to sacrifice himself in the end so that his friends could live because he loved and cherished his friends. Love, love, love…In this chapter we see him worry about Gojo because isn’t Gojo doing everything all by his own, even going as far as to stain his hands in blood so that when he is not needed (dead) the rest of the cast does not have to suffer, and so he fills in the shoes of his sensei, a man he respected and loved a lot, he sacrifices himself, his humanity and becomes almost a curse for his sensei because in the end, love is the greatest curse of them all.

[embarrassinglastwords]

THIS IS LITERALLY SO COOL AND IM TIRED OF THE HATE. WHO CARES ABOUT A CORNY ASS NAME IT FITS YUTAS CHARACTER SO WELL.

a rant about love in jjk:

the entirety of yuta's character is based around love. his place in jujutsu society all started started because of love. he loved rika so much he begged her not to really be gone which created the rika he has now. him defeating geto with “the power of friendship” is funny yes but geto was fueled by his hate towards non sorcerers while yuta was and still is the embodiment of love.

love has always been a running theme in jjk. gojo’s love for geto is basically why shibuya and onward happened. megumi and yuji love each other and sukuna used that to get to megumi and now yuji honestly seems to be the only one who’s really focusing on saving megumi. (not making this a ship thing btw i mean this platonically but take it as a ship thing if you’d like lmao) megumi's love for his sister was his driving force, he wanted to save her and now that she's gone he has seemingly given up fighting back. maki and mai’s love is what led to the maki we have now. mai sacrificed herself for maki and now maki wields a sword essentially crafted out of love. hakari's technique is called "private pure love train"

and going back to our mc yuji, he has so much love for everyone. he cares so much about every single person he has come in contact with. megumi, nobara, gojo, junpei, and so on. he is a physical representation of love.

but also you have the villains love for absolute chaos.

jogo loved being a curse and all his curse pals so he wanted the world to be for them. (i hate him but) tojis love for his wife who passed caused him to be who he was, and is the reason he didn’t kill megumi in shibuya. mahito just loved to kill. he loved the fight with yuji. sukuna loves to hate.

sukuna is a lonely and hateful curse who’s now being attacked inside of a domain based on love with two characters working together. yuta's whole “defeating sukuna with the power of true love” is not some random corny thing gege just made up. it’s been here and planted into the plot of the manga since the beginning.

there are many more examples i could've included like hana with megumi, yorozu with sukuna, mechamaru and miwa, miminana and geto, choso and his brothers, yuji and yutas love for gojo, nanami and gojo's love for their students, geto's love of his sorcerer family, etc etc. i just wanted to talk about some of the more important cases but like i said jjk is full of love.

[violetken]

what if megumi's mom never died?

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR JUJUTSU KAISEN MANGA!!!!!!!

(I’ve been thinking about Toji x Megumi’s mama so much and I decided to make a long rant about an AU where she lived! I’m not Gege, so take this with a grain of salt.)

To start off, it is canon that megumama was the only woman that Toji ever ‘truly gave himself to’. She made him a better person, and her death highly influenced him to do the actions we see in canon. That being said, if she was alive, ‘hidden inventory’ would be pretty boring. Toji wouldn’t assassinate Riko, and would ideally be working a random job in an office to provide for his family. However, Haibara’s death would still occur, and unfortunately, Geto would turn to the dark side. Geto was born cursed to begin with, and there are so many other factors besides Riko’s assassination that drove him insane.

Gojo’s personality had a significant change after Toji attacked him in canon. Since Toji never attacks him in this AU, I like to think his personality would be slightly different than we see now. Probably more annoying/immature. He also might not always keep his limitless technique on 24/7. 

Megumi’s cursed technique would still be here in this AU, and therefore he still is Toji’s winning card against the Zenin clan. Toji likely would have more children with megumama as well, so there is a possibility of having other children with powerful cursed techniques. However, Tsumiki and Megumi would have no knowledge of one another, since Toji wouldn’t have married her mother. 

Speaking of Megumi, he’d be a happier teen, and have a good childhood since he has both parents, siblings & an overall stable family life. His personality would be very different! I like to think he’d be a little bit more like Yuuji or even Gojo. In canon, he thinks his parents left him, and he had no one to rely on, which is why he behaves the way we see. In this AU, it is the opposite. 

I believe Toji would allow Satoru Gojo to mentor and train Megumi. Megumi and Gojo would likely get along very well. Toji would form some what of an alliance with Gojo. Additionally, Toji would definitely train Maki & help her reach her highest potential. Toji & megumama might even take care of both Mai & Maki, knowing how cruel the Zenin clan was to them, and they all bond over their hatred of their clan. If Toji chooses to take both the girls under his wing, the relationship between the sisters would have been much much much stronger, and Mai likely wouldn’t have died. 

In this AU, Sukuna and Kenjaku are still lurking and scheming. Therefore, Shibuya & the culling games & everything after would still occur, but certain things would just be a tad bit different. For example, Granny Ogami wouldn’t bring Toji’s soul back from the dead, and he wouldn’t wreck havoc. There is a 50/50 chance of Gojo being sealed. It doesn’t matter much though, because he will eventually be unsealed anyway. 

If Toji interferes in the Shibuya battles that take place, there is a slight chance that deaths could’ve been avoided, such as Nanami & Nobara. However, the deaths of some characters seem unavoidable, such as Principal Yaga, Mechamaru & Grandpa Zenin. There is always the possibility of Toji dying in Shibuya too, but let's say that he survives Shibuya. Characters would still be heavily injured from Shibuya: Inumaki losing his arm, Maki & Nanami getting burns, Nobara & Nanami both losing an eye. 

Since Mai is alive in this AU, the Zenin clan massacre likely would not have occurred. Megumi & Naoya would still fight over the position of the new clan head. With Megumi having support from Choso, Toji, his siblings, Maki, Mai, Yuuji, and literally so many more people, Naoya wouldn’t even be a problem & Megumi would win in a landslide….Therefore, the Zenin clan would go through vast changes, now that Megumi is in control, and has the help of Toji/Maki/Mai.

Sukuna likely would not have been able to possess Megumi. Instead, it likely would’ve been Yuuji’s body or maybe one of Megumi’s siblings (if they have special cursed techniques) bodies that Gojo is fighting in the current arc. Without Megumi/Sukuna’s shikigami, Gojo would have a much easier time defeating Sukuna. It won’t be easy to save the vessel while defeating Sukuna (we don’t even know currently in the manga what is going to happen…), so the chances of Sukuna’s vessel dying are 50/50. 

After defeating Sukuna, the group likely would go after Kenjaku, and most likely return victorious. Gojo would put Geto’s body to rest once and for all. 

Overall, Jujutsu Kaisen would be a bit less dark and would have a somewhat happy ending with most of the characters being alive (although some of them are not in good shape, but who gives af at least they are alive).

That’s it for now, let me know what you guys think!

[dustbunnylair]

Jujutsu Kaisen And It's Popularity Giving The Fanbase a Bad Reputation (JJK Spoilers)

Jujutsu Kaisen has currently become extremely popular not just in Japan, but also in Western Countries. At first, I wasn’t too concerned about it gaining popularity, I’ve been a fan since the first season was animated so I was quite glad it was gaining a fanbase. I really didn’t care if Gojo was getting popular, that’s fine, but it started to concern me when I realized people are debating over what ships are and aren’t canon.

First off, let’s go over the definition of shipping. Shipping is when people in a fandom or fanbase of fictional media start shipping fictional characters within that fictional media. But within shipping, it is EXTREMELY important to note that shipping characters are only valid when it is fictional characters, legal, and nontoxic. This means pedophilia, incest, abusive, etc. relationships are invalid within shipping.

In Japan, the top ships are mostly illegal. Shipping minors with adults, eg; Gojo x Yuji, Gojo x Megumi, Sukuna x Megumi, Choso x Yuji (also incestual), etc. But in my opinion, specifically within the US, the top ships are probably SatoSugu (Gojo x Geto), NobaMaki (Nobara x Maki), ItaFushi (Megumi x Yuji), along with less popular ships that are more likely to be canon such as HaKira (Hakari X Kirara), and a very wholesome and canon one, ToMema (Toji x his wife)

Honestly like I said I don’t care if Gojo is popular or not, I think the only problem is that almost if not all of everyone likes him because he’s strong, which is also literally the reason people like him in JJK. I don’t really care if people sexualize him or say SOMEWHAT sexual things, I do think people take it too far within comments, but if it’s only somewhat sexual there’s really nothing you can do about it because he is 28 years old.

Gojo and Geto are very well-written characters, lore-wise. Technically they are platonic soulmates. I think the only excuse I’ve seen for people not liking SatoSugu is that Gojo is confirmed to show attraction to women, which isn’t a lie. He is attracted to an actual celebrity, Waka Inoue, or I guess, was, because he was 16-17 during his past arc. But following up that “theory” of him showing attraction to women, is that people can be attracted to both men and women, hence bisexuals, pansexuals, etc. Gojo is ALSO confirmed to be a womanizer because he is NOT loyal.

Another thing anti-SatoSugu shippers say to claim Gojo isn’t lgbtq+ or whatever, is that best friends exist.

…Because we didn’t already know that. Honestly, I think people forget headcanons exist. Headcanons are when someone believes or interprets something about a character, for example: thinking they are trans, gay, lgbtq+, neurodivergent, etc. It doesn’t mean that it is genuinely true and/or confirmed by the creator. 

And to follow up with people hating on SatoSugu, that the season 2 Gojo Past Arc argument scene, aka Geto’s last goodbye to Gojo, aka KFC break up/dumping scene. it is a real location in Shinjuku, Japan:

Not to mention that the day that they both died, December 24th, is Japan’s Valentines' Day and KFC is a meal that couples get on that day. During the afterlife scene in the Manga, chapter 236, Gojo says to Geto, “Satisfied? If you were among those patting my back... then I might've been satisfied,”. Some songs that are played and directed at Gojo and/or Geto, have very meaningful lyrics:

“Shame On Me” by Avicii (One of the two Gojo’s theme songs named by Gege)

Shame on me for lovin’ you

That’s what I get for lovin’ you;

You know I can’t live without you;

And all the things you put me through

are you baptized and born again? 

I’ma raise hell for the bitter end;

I’m a crazy little bitch in the first degree, 

shame on you for loving me.

Come Back Home by Two Door Cinema Club (One of Geto’s themes that Gege said was)

I know this isn't it

You'll hit your target someday

So now you're on your own

Won't you come back home

To see you're not that kind

And find the strength, to find the strength

To find another way

Alone Tonight by Munrai (a song specifically written for an official Geto + Gojo promotional video)

If I came to your place tonight, would you let me in?

Sakayume by King Gnu (A song played in Jujutsu Kaisen 0 portrayed towards Rika and Yuta’s relationship but also how Geto feels toward Gojo)

I'll dive into the sea of memories

And pick up the pieces of my love

And keep them in you forever.

Where Our Blue Is by Tatsuya Kitani (The first opening of Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen, is written from Gojo’s perspective, confirmed here: https://x.com/skanaaa_/status/1690104150045184000?s=20)

Even now, blue resides

Even now, blue remains clear

No matter the prayers or words

Though they draw near, they never reach

It's like a quiet love

In the summer-like colors running down my cheeks

The words that curse you are stuck in the back of my throat

Akari by Soushi Sakiyama (first ending for Season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen, the lyrics “Show me your blushing face once more” is confirmed to be Gojo speaking to Geto from an interview, the interview is here

Realizing that something seemingly everywhere

Exists only here

Even trivial conversations are fine

Show me your blushing face once more

SPECIALZ by King Gnu, The letters used in the lyrics “I love you 6a6y” are speculated to likely represent Gojo and Geto, hinting at Gojo’s six eyes. the lyrics "get 1○st iπ 31" can be related to Geto and 31st October when the Shibuya Incident took place. Daiki Tsuneta later confirmed in a TV show called 日曜日の初耳学 that the lyrics were indeed intentional; in this specific manner: "get 1○＝夏油/Geto, st＝悟/Satoru, 1○ 31＝10月31日/October 31st, get 1○st iπ 31＝get lost in me(我に返る)"

n short, people think that because the fandom and/or fanbase of Jujutsu Kaisen are shipping illegal ships, over-sexualizing characters, arguing over legal/non-problematic ships, arguing what is and isn't canon, or arguing about who is and isn't gay, the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom/fanbase is slowly turning into the My Hero Academia Fandom. Honestly, it isn’t too far off, and it’s unfortunate that Jujutsu Kaisen is getting a bad reputation. Unfortunately, anything that gets popular on social media, especially TikTok, will have bad sides of the fanbase/fandom. 

All things aside the over-sexualization of adult characters, shipping illegal ships, people arguing over simple legal ships, and arguing what is and isn't canon or who is and isn't gay. Shipping legal ships and having non-offensive headcanons, isn’t wrong, and it shouldn’t always be looked down upon. If someone is shipping characters way too far and telling someone to harm themselves because they don’t agree with a ship, then yes, that is something we should look down upon. Shipping can also be platonic, hence why people call Geto and Gojo both soulmates AND platonic soulmates. 

To be honest, I think the only people I’ve seen hate on SatoSugu are straight cismen or straight people in general, people who can't handle that gay ships will exist at times, and/or SuguShoko (Geto x Shoko) Shippers and GojoHime (Gojo x Utahime) Shippers. It’s fine if you disagree with it and still continue to respect other people for their opinion on the ship, but if you are just gonna talk about what is and isn’t canon I will believe you live in a world of delusion. If you wanna talk about what is and isn't canon Utahime despises Gojo, she would never get with him and Gege said Shoko would rather die than get with Geto and/or Gojo.

Thanks for listening to my yapping. Please respect others’ ships as long as it isn't a pro/comship, and just respect people in general, unfortunately, the world doesn’t do that enough, especially on social media.

[tatertotcosmonaut]

A really common take is that JJK is a story about the good guys never winning, about good people (or people trying to be good) failing no matter what— and Imma be real, I kinda disagree with this take!

Obviously you can interpret this story however you want and I see how people would come to that conclusion. But I don’t think Gege is passively nihilistic, or making a story like that. I think that Gege is just someone who is pretty critical of modern society and has just personified those critiques in the form of curses and a grimey setting.

Heavy stories or dark stories like JJK kinda fall prone to this “ah it’s just a nihilistic all hope is lost” story viewpoint, and while that can be true sometimes these stories usually are about holding onto hope, brutal but steady change, inner or societal reflection, fostering new generations, or persevering through it. Horrible things happen in these manga, at times it really does seem like a pointless endeavor— but there are always characters that move forward and hold onto hope. Always a flourishing forest after the large fire.

And I think JJK is definitely one of these stories, a story where after that storm there will be new life afterwards. Not everyone will be alive, but it will be bittersweet.

Gege is an author that has never really been afraid to critique Japanese society. Maki and Mai and the result of the Ze’nin are critiques of sexism and heavy traditionalism. Toji, Maki, and Mechmaru could definitely be seen as a critique on ableism and how disabled people are treated in society. Nanami is a critique on the brutal work system in Japan. Higuruma is a critique on the justice system in Japan. Hell, a lot of our main characters are the social outcasts of society (due to physical traits or just philosophical outlooks). And the recent critiques of racism, especially anti-blackness, in Japanese society with Miguel.

The higher ups of the Jujutsu Society are definitely a way of dissecting the disconnect older politicians or generations often have with younger generations, passing laws that will not better future generations and being stuck in conservative ways (hell Gojo blatantly calls them idiot conservatives).

Suguru Geto is an example of how lost youth without any support systems can get lost in the cracks. He gets so consumed by his depression, the tragedy he witnessed around him, and his anger that no one is doing anything about the fact that youth are dying that he turns to cults and extremist ideology.

While these events seem fantastical due to the existence of curses and people causing city wide destruction via cool martial arts combat, these situations of societal collapse and failing do indeed happen, and are happening and becoming worse at an alarming rate.

Even the nature of curses themselves can be seen as a personification of the anxiety and fears literally consuming and killing humanity, most notably the younger generation. Snuffing out hopes, or any motivation that the world will become better. Curses are literal manifestations of people’s fears and negative emotions, whose strength depends on the amount of fear humanity has of the concept. This literal and emotional consumption of the youth is even seen in the entities from the Heian Era.

Tengen, Kenjaku, and Sukuna all continue to live depending on the body of someone else, erasing who this person was and would have been. Tengen needs plasma star vessels so she does not evolve beyond the form she has now, Kenjaku puts their brain in the body of another, Sukuna needs a vessel to consume his fingers and when they do he immediately subjugates their soul.

All of this to say, I don’t think that JJK is a story about good people failing. It’s about society failing good people, it’s about broken customs and rules sucking the youth out of younger generations, it’s about cycles that need to be broken that CAN be broken. It’s about society that continues to slap bandaids on a knife wound and doesn’t address the fact that it’s still slowly bleeding out—

Yuki was on the right track, finding a way to nip the problem at the root. But look at how she was treated by others, about the rumors that spread of her. She was seen as useless, a dead weight, chasing after naive endeavors. But why is it naive? Shouldn’t resources also be spent on finding a way to stop the problem at the root? Or is the power, the control, the prestige (in the eyes of the higher ups and big three clans) of being a Jujutsu Sorcerer too much to lose if they were able to find a way to stop curses at the root?

This is not a hopeless world. Gojo tried to not make it such a hopeless world, Nanami bet on the future and admitted that was odd for him, love still exists even if it can hurt. People are able to overcome their demons, Maki did, Takaba did. While Maki’s development wasn’t one without hardship, without loss, she quite literally struck down most of the Zenin in her anger and a grief, a final wish from Mai to "destroy everything sister". Everything that abused them, everyone so stuck in their ways, everything that made the Zenin a bloated snake of corruption eating its own tail. And when Naoya came back she struck him down once again, with some struggle, but she overcame a past demon with help from two random ass guys that just happened to be there and happened to be nice enough to want to help.

Maki didn't lose her drive or her will, she didn't "become another Toji" that lost faith in the world and started drifting around with no meaning or consumed with apathy. She still loves her friends, she still cares for them, she still fights for them and goes through hardship for them.

There is still community in this world. There is still love, even if it hurts and it's love that makes us flawed. There's still a chance and a choice to hope and bet on the future. A better future in this world is worth fighting for, SHOULD be fought for. It is just unfortunate now that the youth themselves have to do it alone now.

There’s an interesting meta aspect to this, to the way readers have let the hopelessness convince them that there can be no happy ending. No one will come back to life, the ending will be bittersweet, there will be more death- but that does not mean it is the end. Maybe we, like Yuuji, have become jaded. Maybe we have also let this pain convince us that all the characters are destined to be is cogs in a machine. If that was the case, even if Sukuna were to die— if the characters were to fulfill their role as cogs and kill the evil of all evil— it would all be for naught. The cycle would still continue churning and churning.

Systems can be changed, one just has to have the stubbornness to change it. Yuuji just has to realize that once again.

————

Articles to read down below about the issues I mentioned in my yapfest:

Youth Issues in Japan:

- https://online.ucpress.edu/currenthistory/article/120/827/240/118342/Japan-s-Younger-Generations-Look-for-a-New-Way-of

- https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/d00800/

- https://www.npr.org/2021/10/29/1050620562/low-turnout-among-young-voters-in-japan-may-mean-the-ruling-party-stays-in-power

Work Culture in Japan:

- https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/karoshi-deep-look-japans-unforgiving-working-culture

Radicalization into Extremist Ideals:

- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sdr.1749#:~:text=The%20root%20of%20violent%20radicalization,72). (Root Causes of Radicalization: the Terror Contagion Hypothesis)

- https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/why-south-korea-s-young-men-are-turning-conservative.amp

- https://nuts2406.medium.com/why-we-should-worry-about-the-growing-radicalization-of-young-men-8cd6babb8bb8

Cults:

-https://encompass.eku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1905&context=honors_theses#:~:text=In%20contrast%2C%20cult%20leaders%20develop,disorder%20(Goldberg%2C%20n.d). (The Making of Cults: The Factors that Contribute to Membership and the Leaders’ Influence).

- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8234595/#:~:text=These%20variables%20include%20(a)%20generalized,abuse%20or%20neglect%2C%20(f)

Japanese Court System:

- https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/05/25/japans-hostage-justice-system/denial-bail-coerced-confessions-and-lack-access

[noname-nonartist]

thank you for making takaken real here too 🙏🙏🙏🙌👏 which form of kenjaku is present in this au? :3

i believe i read somewhere on this blog that choso's working with the ootoris. is he doing well?

gojos behavior here is really interesting.. it's rare to see an antagonistic approach to him so it's a breath of fresh air! hopefully he'll watch a concert one day and warm up to the leoni girls lol. is his cocky and more unforgiving nature as an adult due to the lack of moral direction in his past? did he meet geto in this world? congrats to tsumiki on winning the legal battle :)

and i have similar thoughts with yuuta's actions and heightened confidence in this world. is he without his tragic history with rika? was he born into affluence here? for a cuter question to balance things out what's each member of the cooking unit's favorite vbs member/friend?

sorry for the question spam again, especially with question after question bringing up new characters from the jujutsu cast. i just keep finding more things i want to know about ajdjfjsj... you're seriously thorough with this au!! thank you for putting the time into answering all these pesters too,,

WAHHHHHHHHHH!!! Thank you again for being so interested in my AU!!! >///<

And Yasss TakaKen be realll~

Kenjaku’s Form within this AU is the one that they had during the heian era in jjk! :Dc

I choose this version of Kenjaku since Geto is still alive and kicking in my AU, and Kaori is herself in my AU too! (Although she too passed away on the same day as Jin sadly, I’ll explain one day lol).

And I was tempted to use Kenjaku Kamo form too, but ngl… it would look too similar to Emu’s dad (since Kenny wouldn’t have their iconic stitches) so I scratched that design. =v=

Ahem! For the Choso question… Yes! Choso is doing great!

Or like. Way better in comparison to the jjk version (then again it’s not a high bar lmaooo). Basically Choso works at the Otori as a personal chef for their house!

(Explanation + the rest of the answers under the cut! :3c)

Choso Backstory

So basically his backstory is that Choso’s mother unfortunately died when he was extremely young (whoa, lots of parents deaths within this AU lol), so because of this he was sent into the foster care system.

Even though he did not have a good time there, he was able to make some deep bonds with a few of the younger orphans in there. Those he calls his younger brothers.

Of course, those brothers would later be in adopted into different families or with different foster families. But they all vow that they will still be forever brothers no matter what.

Due to this. Choso grew up with a strong sense of family.

So like as he grows up, he decided to make it his personal mission to reunite with all his siblings. Both his he bonded with in foster care, and any other siblings that are blood relatives too. (Hence why he took Yuuji in as his new guardian after Wasuke’s death)

How did he got hired as the Otori’s personal home chef?

… Uhhh… That’s still in a work in progress ngl. =3=;

Like I got a vague idea that invokes Emu’s grandfather, but nothing is completely set in stones yet.

(And yes. Choso does view Emu as a sort of younger sister as well too. They have a wholesome bond)

Gojo’s Behavior/Backstory

Ngl. I’ve always sort of view Gojo as a bit antagonistic. I mean. I’m not saying he’s a villain in jjk. But he does have similarities in both attitudes and mindset of the antagonists within jjk. Such as Sukuna and Toji in a sense. :oc

Like Gojo always has the “Might = Right” mindset. Where he only really care about the strong. Like. Gojo only really helped Megumi, Maki, Yuuta, and Yuuji due to them being strong. And he is actively demeaning and insulting anyone he deems as weak. Yes, he is protecting them and does seem to care and trust them. However, just because he cares does not mean his behavior is justified. For he does low key harassed them. A good example is how he treats Ijichi. Like Ijichi has low deprecating self esteem, and it’s all due to how Gojo has treated him all that time.

Hence why I sort of wanna explore more within my AU. But rather than caring about “the strong”, Gojo instead cares about those he views have “Innate Talent”.

Of course, this is just my personal interpretation and take on Gojo! I completely understand if ya disagree! ^w^/

Anywayyyy.

Gojo does meet Geto in my AU! However, I’m unfortunately not gonna have a flashback arc focusing on them. For like. They are not the focus of the story. Yes their backstory will be mentioned and even hinted at. But I don’t want them to actually take away from the actual pjsk main characters (+the jjk kiddos too).

But I will give ya the basic run down/speedrun on what happened between Gojo and Geto in the past.

Gojo and Geto meet in High School -> formed a band together with Riko, Utahime, and Haibara -> Geto and Gojo get picked up by a large record label company -> Geto get intense burnout and believe the music his makes is pointless -> Geto quitting due to him wanting to make more “meaningful” actions to “improve” Japan

Andddd yeah! That’s pretty much the run down!

Oh! Also to note. The hugest reason why Geto has that burn out was because he saw how absolutely devastated Riko was for she can no longer make music with all of them again. Sooo… Good news! Riko is still alive in my AU! Yayyyy!

Yuuta’s backstory

Yes. Yuuta being having that rich family moneyyyy. Like basically, the Gojo, the Kamo and the Zenin family be old money rich. And Yuuta is still a cousin to Gojo. Soooo… yeeee

Yuuta’s backstory is actually gonna be pretty different. Since like jjk never really go into depth what he’s relationships with his parents and his younger sisters were.

So like. I sort of want to make Yuuta’s relationship with his family members be like the opposite of Tsukasa’s. What do I mean by that? Well. Yuuta’s younger sister would have a chronic illness too. And due to this, Yuuta’s parents unfortunately neglected Yuuta in order to care for his sister. And like Yuuta wasn’t really strong enough to handle the loneliness. So Yuuta, basically subconsciously rejected them. Of course he doesn’t mean too. But in a way (similar to Megumi in the beginning), Yuuta pushed them away and never really tried to reach out or really get to know them.

The reason why Yuuta in my AU is so loyal to Gojo was because Gojo was there to help mend away his loneliness when his parents and sisters cannot. Hence Yuuta’s flaws of not actually really caring about others that much, and only care about those that showed him affection and attention that he craves.

Anywayyy, Rika. So like. It’s actually gonna be less traumatic, but I do still want their relationship to be a reflection of Yuuta’s flaws too. So like there will still be that iconic scene where Rika promised Yuuta that they will marry each other when they grow older. But like, a few months later, Rika moved.

And like Yuuta hasn’t seen Rika in forever.

And like I actually want a scene where when Yuuta does finally meet Rika again. It like not what he expected.

Like Rika is still kind and such. But she’d grown. She actually doesn’t love Yuuta. For even though she does care deeply for him as kids, they were also. Ya know. Kids. So when she made that marriage promise, she actually wasn’t committed to it for she didn’t understand/fully comprehend what marriage meant yet.

And while Rika does care and cherish the memories she has with Yuuta. Rika unfortunately does not feel any romantic feelings towards Yuuta. And like. It would show how Yuuta’s love more one-sided than he lets on.

Of course, Yuuta’s arc/growth is about him growing past this, and actually like. Start thinking about other people rather than himself lol

But yeah! Once again, those are my interpretations of Yuuta! ^w^/

Flaming V 음식 + VIVID BAD SQUAD

The cooking unit group, which I named as Flaming V 음식 (Flaming V Eumsig), are very closely associated with VBS but in general as Viivid Street as a whole.

Since I want the group theme and focus being about culture, community, and connection through foods.

Flaming, as a reference to the fire used for cooking but also to represent the groups passion too.

V is a reference to Vivid Street, due to how important the town is to them (especially with Kasumi, Toge, and Maki).

음식 (Eumsig), which means food In Korea, is a reference to how the group is gonna focus on the important of other cultures (since I do headcannon Vivid Street being a very diverse community). But it also a reference to Toge’s personal arc of reconnecting with his Korean side of his family history again.

Anyway! Enough about that! On to ya actually question!

Maki’s favorite VBS member is definitely An Shiraishi. Not only is it because An was the first one to helped Maki out when she was at her lowest, but it’s also because Maki admires An’s dedication and passion for singing. Maki even sees An as a sort of spunky little energetic sister.

Plus Maki and An have that similarities of trying to put up a front of being cool/strong and hides the more vulnerable and that’s been slowly eating them up and-

Even though Kasumi knows An longer than Maki. Kasumi’s favorite is actually Kohane. This is sort of due to the fact that, even though she does see An as a friend. She also sees her as like. Ya know. Her Boss’s daughter too.

So there’s that unfortunate distance between them at the start of the story.

Kasumi connects more with Kohane because she understands and even connects a bit more with Kohane’s social anxiety and fears. And that initial feeling of not having a drive in life, until one day ya do. And all ya wanna do is to do your absolute best to reach it.

Side note: Toya loves Kasumi’s coffee and would always asked if Kasumi is around so she can make his drink.

Toge favorite is gonna be… probably Toya. Like Toge is friends with everyone at VBS, but he just vibes a bit more with Toya. He especially relates to Toya about the struggles of connecting with others and his emotions. And relates to how he never experienced much as a child (Toya due to his strict father, and Toge use to his albinism).

Yuuta… uhhh. Well at the moment he doesn’t have a favorite. He just sort of see VBS as people that Maki, Kasumi, and Toge deeply care about and nothing else atm.

But that’ll change in the future! You’ll see! >:Dc

Thank you once again for asking me these questions! They always make my day!!! >///<

[thekillingmoonmoon]

Moon's Music Drabbles!

hello hello - it is that time again!

I have writer's block (yay) and to get over it I will be playing another round of my Music Drabbles game!

How it works

pick a song!

pick a character! (see below)

send an ask

Characters I write for:

Hellsing: Alucard and Integra

CSM: Kishibe

JJK: Toji, Choso, Yuki, Nanami, Higuruma, Yuta, Maki, Shoko, Geto, and Gojo*

Feel free to request an AU too if you'd like to get creative! examples include: Yakuza, Bookshop, Band, Biker (you can specifically ask for Roadhouse Blues), Vampire, Everyone Lives, etc

*please note: Moon's Gojo is not very nice. if you want silly and sweet Gojo, may I suggest looking elsewhere?

**As of 10/03/24 I am opening up 5 slots

[turn-my-hollow-purple]

JJK Piercing/Tattoo Headcannons

Yuji- no piercings except MAYBE one stud on his lobe. If he got a tattoo, he’d be the type to get it in another language and it not mean what it’s supposed to. For example he wanted Chinese lettering that says “love everyone” but in reality it says “bacon sucks” or something. 

Megumi- lobe piercings which are hoops, and one of his dogs tattooed on his ankle 

Nobara- cartilage piercing, regular lobes, naval piercing, and nostril piercing, rose tattoos on her forearms duh

Yuta- hear me out, cartilage piercing… lip ring??? I’m less confident about that one but whatever. He has finger tattoos on his hands like little designs 

Maki- eyebrow piercing and I don’t wanna hear anything else about it 😔 also a septum piercing. She would definitely have tattoos, a large array of different drawings/patchwork. She’s not the type to get words tattooed on her 

Inumaki- hear me out… snake bites. And no one knows he has them until he pulls down his sweatshirt to show his mouth and speak. No tattoos besides his cursed speech marks 

Gojo- Prince Albert piercing 🥰 jk… unless… he definitely had a tramp stamp idc what anyone else says 

Geto: honestly I die on the hill that Geto has nipple piercings don’t ask why. Obviously he has his gauges and I’m also not opposed to Geto with a nose piercing…. As for tattoos, he has like three, and one of them is this big design on his bicep/shoulder 

Shoko: tongue piercing, cartilage, industrial, septum, etc. etc. She has all the piercings and a crap tone of tattoos, but they don’t show when she’s in her uniform. Her favorite tattoo is her under boob tattoo which is a cigarette smoke pattern 

Nanami: no piercings, but definitely tattoos. They’re really subtle and not notable unless you really know his body

Toji- nipple piercings, tongue piercing, a massive sleeve tattoo and little small ones here and there

[koishiro]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓾𝓭𝓲𝓸 𝒥𝒥𝒦 𝒻𝓁𝓊𝒻𝒻 ℯ𝓋ℯ𝓃𝓉 — CLOSED

— 𝐽𝑢𝑗𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑢 𝐾𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 10/10

hi! thank you so much for 500 followers!! In celebration, I’m hosting this fluff/comedy event. It’s my favourite genre, so there’s no escaping it . . .

After I receive 10 requests, I’ll be closing the event. Better request as fast as you can!!

To send in a request, choose a character and one or two prompts from the list below. Feel free to add any other details as well! (The more detailed the better <3)

Manga spoilers + au’s are welcome

Examples: “suguru geto with dialogue prompt 1”, “toji fushiguro with situation 5”, or “megumi fushiguro with dialogue 3 and situation 4 in enemy!au” (anything like that)

Please note that I might take my time writing but I will get to you as soon as I can!

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉ℯ𝓇𝓈

megumi fushiguro

yuji itadori

gojo satoru

nanami kento

maki zenin

yuta okkotsu

toji fushiguro

nobara kugisaki

toge inumaki

suguru geto

𝒟𝒾𝒶𝓁ℴℊ𝓊ℯ 𝓅𝓇ℴ𝓂𝓅𝓉𝓈

1. “Look I love you and all but you’re about as useful as a knitted condom right now”

2. “we’re not just friends and you fucking know it”

3. “This is manhandling! I’m revoking your feminist card!”

4. “I’m conscious of the fact that you’re a guy! Does this make me a weirdo?! No! You’re the one with the penis!”

5. “apparently everyone has a bet going that we’ll get together”

6. “You’re about as smooth as crunchy peanut butter”

7. “You make the sky look pretty”

8. “You wanna mess with the likes of me?! I’ve got a cracking voice, I’m practically pubescent!”

9. “you’re in love with them”

10. “You can’t tell but I’m winking at you”

11. “how much of that did you hear?”

12. “You couldn’t connect to someone even if they had a usb port!”

13. “I’m (name), I’m (age) and I sucked your dad’s dick just to get a taste of what you’re made of”

14. “You can be my daddy!” “What and leave you like your last one did?”

15. “I’ve loved you for years”

16. “I-…um, can I hold your hand?”

17. “Your cuteness is making everyone stare. Stop it”

18. “I’m bad at texting first, so I always end up hoping you will”

19. “I can’t get over how a few months ago I wanted to learn your name and now you’re having breakfast with me in my sweater”

20. “No, mom, don’t tell them I said that about them!”

𝒮𝒾𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓉𝒾ℴ𝓃 𝓅𝓇ℴ𝓂𝓅𝓉𝓈

1. enemies to lovers

2. secret admirer

3. shy x confident

4. shy x shy

5. your own personal prompt <3

𝒜𝓊 𝓅𝓇ℴ𝓂𝓅𝓉𝓈

1. soulmate au

2. college au

3. bodyguard au

4. CEO/boss au

5. coffee shop au

6. doctor au

7. teacher au

© KOISHIRO 2023 do not repost/edit/copy/plagiarise/ translate my works.

[dud5tiny]

Toji Fushiguro - Analysis

"Do whatever you want" seems to convey "I'm entrusting it to you now."

Firstly, I want to say that I've never done a critical and deep analysis of any character, but I have well-elaborated monologues in my head about some, and perhaps putting them into words will help me find the right ways to describe these thoughts and develop my critical sense.

Why did I start with Toji Fushiguro? I believe I had to start with someone. I could talk about characters I think about a lot, like Mikey or Karma, but even my brain isn't sure what to write about them. So, to begin, I remembered the phrase that started this note.

(English is not my first language, sorry if anything is incorrect)

My thoughts on Toji are conflicting, partly because I believe, and it's a fact, that people are the way they are because of their childhood, literally the most important point, and I know I'll touch on this for several chapters, but it's a subject I really want to learn and am deeply interested in.

Childhood influences our formation as human beings immensely. We have nothing about Toji's childhood, but the basis of my arguments will be entirely based on what was shown about Maki, as these two characters are similar. So, using the foundation of how Maki was raised and how her clan treated her from childhood, just for being born without cursed energy, seems right here.

Toji should have had a tumultuous childhood, where the Zenin clan would undoubtedly have the worst attitudes towards even a child, as we saw with Maki, and that undoubtedly happened earlier with Toji.

His hatred for his clan stems from this; without any support from his family, he had to find another way to live, becoming a mercenary. Not that I excuse what Toji did, but it's the way he found to survive in the world and Jujutsu society, a society that was always against him.

And he, without any trace of cursed energy, had to exert much more effort than others. He is effort incarnate.

The impact the author developed in the second season, showing the past of Satoru and Suguru, is incredible. Satoru, who was born privileged by the universe and never truly had to exert himself for anything, was defeated by a man who always had to exert himself more than others.

Effort triumphed over talent in that scene. Because we know that in the second battle, talent (Satoru) ultimately won.

And I can't move on to the next topic without saying the most important thing in the work: Toji Fushiguro was the catalyst for all the misfortunes in the story.

He had a huge influence on the creation of Geto as a villain (which I want to analyze dedicatedly later), in a summarized way, as if the development of Geto as a villain were a tree, and Toji planted the seed.

Toji called himself a "monkey" for being a non-sorcerer, and later, that's how Geto called them. He was also very important in changing Satoru's perspective, who used to question why he had to protect the weak, while Geto always believed that was the right thing to do. In the end, it's like a switch is flipped, and beliefs are exchanged.

(I won't delve too much into this issue because, as mentioned earlier, I want to do a whole analysis on Geto and Satoru)

But I believe that, even if it doesn't show much, and I don't even believe it much myself, the most important part is family.

Toji is a truly cold man and doesn't hesitate at all to do what he does for money, like killing teenagers without any remorse, for example. But we can't deny that in his two deathbeds, he remembered his family. Because it's an important part of him, deep down.

In his first death, he died thinking about his wife and son, and I strongly believe in the phrase at the beginning when he talked about Megumi to Satoru, as if he were saying:

"I'm entrusting him to you now."

Because even though Toji is that way, in his second death, he was a father, he killed himself to not hurt his son. Because a part of him loves him. And in the end, he had his "redemption" by doing the right thing.

I believe the author did the right thing in killing him that way, even though we wanted answers and a real interaction between him and Megumi. Perhaps some things should just remain without a period.

Well, all of this was written by a teenager who thinks too much between the lines, but that's what gives value to the work: the countless perspectives on things. And this was my analysis (from the sources in my head) of Toji Fushiguro.

2023 © DUD5TINY — All rights reserved. Plagiarism, copying, translation, modification, editing of my stories, whether within or outside of Tumblr, is strictly prohibited!!

[dysiver]

I'm having fun blocking all the clowns on twitter crying "that's isn't Geto!" because they're in such a deep denial of his negative traits. Love the people mocking your 'lack of reading comprehension" too and saying you're "thinking Geto is Kenjaku" when that's not what you were saying at all and were discussing his behavior before he died and had his body taken over.

Yeah, like I don't even dislike Geto, I like him as a character and I was just trying to explain why some people MIGHT have issues with him after he went rogue and decided to form a cult and fuck with humans. That's all.

This kind of extremist behavior is also ALL OVER JJK. It is part of it, and i'm not saying gege is having fun writing fucking fascist characters and all of them are racist but he very obviously added those toxic traits into his manga to make how glaringly evil some people are or how they skewed from the right path!

The Zenin clan is another HUGE example, with how they only care about members that are born with cursed energy while believing those that don't have it, no matter how extremely talented they are, aren't worth anything. He even added how some of them are extremely misogynistic. Maki and Toji are both victims of this kind of system and both of them managed to break free from it in their own way.

Then we have Gojo, the complete opposite of that, someone that was born with talent beyond anyone else to the point that the balance in the whole world shifted. And yet, he still hates this system. The one that thrives the MOST in this kind of system, in this kind of world, hates it so much he has been wanting to kill the elders for YEARS because he knows is wrong.

This kind of stuff is all over JJK and they all sound so surprise when I'm talking about it like, how did they all not see this??? This is exactly why Geto didn't just became some sort of anti-hero but a straight up villain.

[vamplu]

*This post is going to come before I post the actual announcement, so just ignore this for the time being! It’s for a silly little fall event I’m doing.

NOTES:

-For characters listed under 18, I will NOT write smut/NSFW, anything of that kind. Understandable, ey?

-For characters listed under 17, I will NOT write romance. (There won’t be that many characters under this bracket, but examples would be Kenji from BSD and Ortho from TWST.)

*Exception for 17+ rule can occur, depending on character/context/prompt, but under no circumstance will bend past 15+.

-Scroll to the Bottom for some prompt ideas!

BUNGO STRAY DOGS

-Fyodor Dostoyevsky

-Nikolai Gogol

-Sigma

-Osamu Dazai

-Chuuya Nakahara

-Ryunosuke Akutagawa

-Suehiro Tecchou

-Saigiku Jouno

-Doppo Kunikida

-Michizou Tachihara

-Kenji Miyazawa

-Kyoka Isumi

-Yukichi Fukuzawa

OBEY ME!

-Lucifer

-Mammon

-Leviathan

-Satan

-Asmodeus

-Beelzebub

-Belphegor

-Diavolo

-Barbatos

-Simeon

-Luke

-Solomon

-Thirteen

JUJUTSU KAISEN

-Satoru Gojo

-Suguro Geto

-Toji Fushiguro

-Sukuna

-Yuuji Itadori

-Megumi Fushiguro

-Nobara Kugisaki

-Maki Zen’in

-Toge Inumaki

GENSHIN IMPACT

-Alhaitham

-Kaveh

-Zhongli

-Ayaka

-Yae Miko

-Scaramouche

-Kazuha

-Fischl

-Kokomi

-Itto

-Childe

-Raiden

-Shenhe

-Lyney

-Cyno

-Hu Tao

-Xiao

-Kaeya

-Diluc

-Yelan

-Neuvilette

HONKAI STAR RAIL

-Blade

-Jing Yuan

-Fu Xuan

-Bronya

-Seele

-Kafka

-Silver Wolf

TWISTED WONDERLAND

(To spare myself some time, I’ll be listing the dorms!)

-Pomefiore

-Diasomnia

-Heartslaybul

-Octavinelle

-Savannaclaw

-Ignihyde

-Crowley

TOKYO REVENGERS

-Manjiro Sano (Mikey)

-Ken Ryuguji (Draken)

-Keisuke Baji

-Chifuyu Matsuno

-Kazutora Hanemiya

-Shuji Hanma

-Takashi Mitsuya

-Rindo Hitani

-Ran Hitani

-Hakkai Shiba

-Yuzuha Shiba

BLACK BUTLER

-Sebastain Michealis

-The Undertaker

-Ash Landers

-Ronald Knox

-Grelle Sutcliff

-William T. Spears

SERVAMP

-Kuro/Sleepy Ash

-Lawless

-The Mother/Freya

-Ildio/World End

-Sakuya Watanuki

-Tsubaki

*You can also request OTHER characters not listed, and I’ll do my best to educate myself about them/write them!

PROMPTS

——————

Since this is an Autumn-themed event, here’s a list of the “Top 100 Things to Do in the Autumn”! (link underlined)

-When you submit a request, please describe the prompt you have in mind in your submission!

-I accept NSFW requests as well!

(Note: if there isn’t an age indication of 18+ in your blog, I most likely will not accept your NSFW request!)

-It could be from the list, something original, or a different prompt from another place!

[animehouse-moe]

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 1: A Letdown

Look into Toji's eyes. Take it all in, that the father of all DILFs has been nerfed to this degree speaks to what I'm going to share today. And that's mostly my indescribable disappointment in what this first episode brought viewers. My words may be a bit harsh, but I really do love Jujutsu Kaisen an incredible amount, and the slow descent into concern since we knew Park wasn't returning amounted to broadly gestures, this. Anyways, allow me to get into voicing my frustration as an avid reader of the manga.

So, let's begin with what Mappa seems to love as of late: weird walk cycles.

But really, I think the piece that's more insulting is what follows. Was anybody that's an anime only left confused about what Geto was saying at the beginning of the episode? Don't fault you, because they took an incredibly important monologue for his character from nearly the end of Hidden Inventory/Premature Death and stuffed it right at the beginning of the episode for the entire arc. I don't think there's really words to describe my frustration with this decision, to alienate such a core piece of Geto's character arc just to use it as an introduction. To completely remove any weight or value from his words, and provide a segue to begin our look back at Gojo's past. I'm just sort of blown away.

And this is the tip of the iceberg, I wouldn't say it's an exaggeration either.

Weird posing, weird designs and proportions, the list goes on and on pretty early on as they continue to tease viewers about the end of this entire arc.

Now, I'll stop myself here and say: Goshozono (who is the lead director alongside this episode's director) does have good ideas. I don't mind their very wide and spacious layouts. I think it can add a lot of feel to things like Geto in the alleyway, for example. It's not '100% bad this is terrible it shouldn't exist', it's, 'this episode goes against what JJK is in nearly every way'. It doesn't mean that the direction and execution is inherently terrible in all facets (though in a lot of cases it is), but that there's a massive gulf between what JJK is and what we're being shown.

So let me show you a penchant of Goshozono's: rotation. Yes, rotation, he is after all the person behind the Mai vs Maki episode in S1. I don't really mind it, when used effectively, but Gosso (Goshozono's nickname) doesn't seem to like half measure with their rotation. I really want to stress that the idea of rotation itself isn't bad, or that Gosso's sense of direction is bad because of it. But well, look me (figuratively) in the eyes and tell me that the rotation is something that fits, that the environment looks natural through the rotation of the camera, so on and so forth.

I had a friend once say that "Mappa wants to be a CGI studio really badly", and I had brushed them off thinking it wasn't really true. Then Chainsaw Man happened, then this that and the other, and now we arrive at Jujustu Kaisen. Anyways, the point is this. The composition in these environments is really off. Utahime and Meimei stick out like sore thumbs through a great deal. And really, I think it's incredibly apparent throughout the episode. The whole scene have a green tinge to it? Guess what, the characters won't be affected by that.

I honestly didn't think it was going to be so glaring, but it is. Regardless, back in time we go! Goshozono loves being really experimental, and I can appreciate it when the content calls for experimenting. But Jujutsu Kaisen isn't all that experimental. And it's definitely not experimental enough for rotoscoping a la Flowers of Evil (here's the trailer for it, where it does it better than JJK), and it absolutely isn't experimental enough to change the art style about 4 times in the span of 30 seconds.

Now just a quick aside, what makes other series "okay" to experiment with, like say, Heavenly Delusion 10? Well, the answer is rather obvious: understanding and consistency. The idea of freedom in character designs is consistent throughout that episode, and the idea of the shifting art styles is applied directly to the moments. Though this also doesn't mention the fact that Heavenly Delusion is a series purpose built for experimentation with its approach of a sci-fi mystery/horror-thriller.

I've really got to get better at managing my thoughts, but anyways on we go. Let me speed things along a little. Thankfully, this sequence of Utahime and Meimei on a missions covers basically all of the aspects that I feel the need to complain about. Definitely cool moments within, and you can pick them out, but it's vastly outweighed by the bad. I mean, first, look the quality of the borderline pngs that litter the hallway in this scene. Then secondly, look how out of place Utahime appears amidst it.

Picking up the pace I'm jumping right into Geto and Gojo antagonizing one another about an important piece of their characters. I found this a real big let down. Geto's curse looks great still, but I think it's a solid example of how disparate the facial expressions of the pair are to their source. Geto just flat out doesn't have the same aggression, while Gojo's smile is completely misconstrued.

Also, what's going on with Amanai? They have a totally different vibe in the anime to the manga, on a near Toji level mis-tranlsation of character design (though I'll say they did get the super long neck correct).

Alright, let's end this thing on a high note! Really weird/bad CGI and composition coupled with Gosso's rotations. Just for reference, I've included an image of the same/similar area that's shown in the following clip, just so you can see the disparity between the quality of the two.

But yeah, I think the point has been made. It doesn't feel all over the place in a creative way, it doesn't feel strongly tied to the content of the episode. The composition doesn't attempt in the slightest to hide the issues of the 3D used, or how layered the environment and characters feel unless they're in default lighting. The character designs are a mess that gives Geto a pair of ballsack pants, and Gojo a chin that could be classified as a lethal weapon, and absolutely disrespects Toji. It's a massive list of flaws that pile up and completely outweigh the good moments that exist within the episode. As a fan, I don't think there could have been a more disappointing first episode for this season really, so I'm hoping and praying that as we go on it gets better.

Anyways, here's an image of manga Toji to cool off with.

[theclearblue]

Can I ask your top 5 favorite moments each from Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece? And your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from each series?

Ooooh this is going to be difficult for me but I am very happy to! I think I gush about the characters I like a lot on my blog already ajljfljgf so I'll just list the characters, but I'll go more in depth on my top moments for both series. Uhhh major spoilers for both series under the cut.

For JJK, my top five characters are Yuuji, Kenjaku, Yuki, Geto, and Choso (and for a top ten, I would include Gojo, Nobara, Maki, Higuruma, and Mahito).

Ok for JJK, I thought this was gonna be easier but there are really a lot of moments I love, so some honorable mentions: Junpei's death, Yuuji and Nobara vs. Cursed Wombs, Gojo sealed in the prison realm, Yuuji vs. Choso, Nanami's Death, Yuuji vs. Higuruma, Sukuna taking over Megumi (yeah I considered all of these for the list lmao)

Premature Death (Ch. 76-78)

I certainly enjoyed JJK before this point, but Geto's character arc in Hidden Inventory is where I went "Oh, this is something special." In JJK 0, I was definitely intrigued by him and his relationship to Gojo, but without context, he comes off a little corny with how over the top evil he seems. And then we see him in Hidden Inventory, and he's just this...normal and polite kid? He wants to protect non-sorcerers? But then Riko dies. And the jujutsu system fails him, and his fall from grace is so tragic but also realistic to his character. We see him display this black and white thinking from the very beginning, "Jujutsu sorcerers HAVE to protect the weak non-sorcerers" flipped to "We need to protect jujutsu sorcerers from the non-sorcerers." Geto is a victim, but he doesn't identify the cause correctly. I think he's such a tragic character and really reinforces the themes of JJK so wonderfully, the system failed him (and really every young sorcerer), there was no support, and it really gives weight to Gojo's character and mission to become a teacher and raise strong sorcerers that can support each other.

2. Yuuji and Todo vs. Mahito (Ch. 127-132)

This is still probably the best fight in the series and it's a really good example of how fights can push forward the characters and themes in a story. JJK loves it's parallels, and one of my favorite parallels is Geto and Yuuji, both looking down at their dead friend and just, breaking from it. Yuuji's resolve just crumbling after seeing Nobara die is so heartbreaking, he isn't able to beat Choso, or suppress Sukuna from wreaking havoc, or save Nanami or Nobara. And it presents the same question that Geto faced with failing to save Riko or defeat Toji. Why is Yuuji a sorcerer? I think that Todo coming into this fight in a support role was a really good choice, where he reminds Yuuji that he still has things and people to fight for, what has he been entrusted with? And Mahito really proves himself to be the best villain in the series here, he's such a good foil to Yuuji and the way that they push each other's character developments is unlike anything I've seen. SO many good and important moments from this fight, and ending with Yuuji's "I'm you" speech? Maybe the best moment in the whole series.

3. Maki vs. The Zenin Clan (Ch. 148-151)

I'll always stand by the opinion that Mai's death is the best in the entire series and it's not even close. Maki and Mai's story is just so tragic, the way that they grew apart, but then reconciled but only at the end? I think their story is a really good way in how people react differently to oppressive systems, where Maki wants to break free from it and prove that she is strong, while Mai is "happy enough" to live under that system as long as she can have her sister by her side. She doesn't want to face the backlash that standing up for herself will cause. And for their family to turn on them and be willing to kill them in order to uphold the systems of power they have in place? Genuinely evil shit but it's realistic in how they treat Toji, Maki, and Mai, they are all victims of this family. Mai giving her blessing to Maki to "destroy everything" is another contender for top moment in this series, and Maki only being able to gain her full power by losing her sister, the one person she wanted to protect, is so cruel. Maki's character arc is truly one of the best in the series.

4. Yuki and Choso vs. Kenjaku

So this is the entry I definitely have the most mixed feelings on, I don't love everything about this fight (...namely...how it ended..) but I love A LOT about it so it's still on the list. Every interaction between these characters is endlessly interesting to watch, and I could write an essay on this fight. Yuki and Kenjaku as foils to each other, wanting to achieve the same goal of optimizing cursed energy but in completely different ways. Choso and Kenjaku's fucked up relationship where Kenjaku has been so cruel to, and Choso standing up to Kenjaku to fight for his brothers and starting his new life as a human instead of a curse. Yuki and Choso having to reckon with their humanity and their inhuman nature (star plasma vessel and cursed womb), every dynamic is just so amazing. And that's not to even mention Tengen's dynamic with both Yuki and Kenjaku. So many good character moments throughout this fight and I'm so invested in all four of them.

5. Takaba vs. Kenjaku (Ch. 239-243)

Sooo the Gojo vs. Sukuna fight was good fun and all, but undeniably I was getting pretty bored of it by the end. It's an alright fight but I think it was stretched out in order to line up Chapter 236 with Gojo being sealed in the prison realm in the anime. I needed something new, and oh man, Takaba vs. Kenjaku was completely unexpected but it blew me out of the water. This is genuinely one of if not the most unique shonen fights I have ever read, and Gege just really seemed to be in his element writing this. Not only is this one of the funniest parts of the entire series, but it does a lot of favors for both Takaba and Kenjaku as characters. JJK is big on duos, and it truly feels like they found their other half in this fight and push each other in new ways. Was the perfect breather before jumping back to Sukuna, and while I'm also not a huge fan of how it ended, there's too much I like about it to leave it off the list.

Ok, now for the hard part with One Piece lmao. For characters, I'm splitting it into a strawhats and non-strawhats list because I think it would be actually impossible otherwise ajfssdklj. For strawhats, my top five are Zoro, Robin, Sanji, Luffy, and Brook. For non-strawhats, it's Corazon, Law, Pudding, Crocodile, and Vivi.

Honorable Mentions: Shank's saving Luffy/strawhat passoff, Zoro vs. Mihawk, Nami's "Help Me", Luffy climbing up Drum Island with Nami and Sanji, Alabasta goodbye, Ringing the Golden Bell in Skypeia, Luffy vs. Usopp, CP9 Reveal, Sanji and Sogeking on the Water Train, Franky backstory, Sogeking shooting down the world gov. flag, Robin's "I want to live", Going Merry funeral, Brook's backstory, Luffy punches the celestial dragon, Boa Hancock's backstory, Ace's death, Luffy "I still have my friends", Fisher Tiger backstory, Kyro's backstory, "Raizo is safe", Brook vs. Big Mom, Pedro's death, Luffy vs. Katakuri, Yasuie's death, Hiyori standing up to Orochi, Oden/Roger backstory, Kanjuro reveal, Sanji asking Robin to save him from Black Maria, Robin vs. Black Maria, Sanji vs. Queen, Gear 5, Kuma and Bonney backstory (this is truly an evil task you've given me I love all of these moments and so many more lmao).

Robin's backstory (Enies Lobby)

If Water 7 and Enies Lobby counted as a "moment" I would, but unfortunately those are two full arcs lmao so I decided to choose just one aspect to include here. What can I even say that hasn't been said. Robin's backstory just perfectly explains where she comes from, her strengths and her flaws, and makes her character journey and development so special. No wonder she's had a hard time accepting the strawhats help, her entire life she's been an outcast and even branded as a demon just for the knowledge she carries. Her goodbye to her mother and to Saul are heartbreaking, and to see how she spends 20 years running away and not trusting anyone? It makes it so special when the strawhats tell her "You deserve to live, we won't abandon you, we are your friends no matter what and we will help you." Such a good backstory that not only cements Robin as one of the best characters in the series, but is so important from a world building and thematic perspective for the series as a whole.

2. Zoro's "Nothing Happened" (Thriller Bark)

This moment really cemented Zoro as one of my favorite characters, and is just a moment that has so many layers you can explore (you should check out melonteees recent video "Reframing Nothing Happened" she puts my feelings better than I probably can here lmao). I ultimately find this scene really tragic and scary, but wow does it just highlight Zoro's character development and how much he loves and respects Luffy and the rest of the crew. At the beginning of the series, this is a character who tells Luffy that if he gets in the way of his dream, he'll kill him. We see right before this that Zoro survives a near death experience and is really glad to still be alive, this isn't someone who wants to die. Yet when Kuma comes around, and he realizes he's outmatched, he starts bargaining with Kuma to save Luffy's life. He's not even giving up his dream here, telling Kuma you'll have the head of someone who would have been the best swordsman in the world someday. Him taking out Sanji and protecting him as well, just in this almost quiet anger when Sanji says "you'll have to find a new cook", it's such a good moment as well. Him accepting the pain bubble, it almost killing him, and him saying "nothing happened" because he doesn't want to upset Luffy with the sacrifice? Gahhh I could talk about this moment forever, and it's such a turning point for both Zoro and all of the strawhats I think.

3. Kuma separates the Strawhats (Sabaody Archipelago)

Contender for one of the most evil things Oda has ever done. This arc is full of so many amazing moments, and it just builds up to this terrifying climax where it feels like the strawhats are just getting hunted down, and each strawhat disappearing one by one just made my jaw drop, I stopped watching One Piece for like five days after this lmao. Luffy's desperation to help his crew and breaking down after, Zoro having this trauma response to Kuma, Sanji noticing and trying to protect Zoro, Brook trying to divert Kuma away, the bubbles popping one by one as each strawhat is sent away? Jesus Christ, I was a mess. And the decision to send away Zoro first, the protector and really just the rock of the crew that everyone can rely on, and Robin last, after going through SO much to try and protect her and to reassure her that she's safe with them? Wow. This moment and the Nothing Happened scene just got even more depth with Kuma's backstory, it's just seared into my brain.

4. Law's backstory (Dressrosa)

Anon I want you to know just looking at this picture and thinking about Law's backstory INSTANTLY made me tear up lmao, nothing has affected me quite like this in One Piece. Corazon's story and his personality and his just, absolute and unconditional love for Law made me fall in love with this character. He's been through SO much and instead of turning out like his brother because of it, he just becomes this very kind and caring person that wants to protect people from the ruin that Doflamingo brings. And just how Law is this very angry and hurt kid that gets taken in by Doflamingo because he sees Law's anger and is reminded of himself, and Corazon just is able to divert him from taking this path by just genuinely caring for Law, trying to find ANY doctor that will treat Law's illness and then being willing to steal the Op Op fruit in order to save his life? And just...at the end trying to not let Law that he got hurt, hiding Law away and telling him he loves him before facing Doffy, him CLINGING onto life in order to keep the silencing on Law so that he can cry and grieve for Law as he runs away? When I tell you I was SOBBING when Corazon died that's not an exaggeration. Just the pure unconditional love and the found family between them is so beautiful, and the way Law dedicates his entire life to Corazon and carries on his legacy? It just gives me chills.

5. Sanji in Whole Cake Island (...Whole Cake Island)

Ummm I'm going to cheat here because I'm including Sanji's entire character arc in this entry, but it's impossible to choose just one moment from it. From his backstory, to Sanji vs. Luffy, to finding out about Pudding's betrayal, to him returning to Luffy, to him saving the day with making a cake, everything about Sanji in this arc is such perfection. There are so many layers to this character and similar to Robin, seeing his second backstory really answers a lot of questions about him and where so many of his strengths and his flaws come from, and how Luffy is able to make him realize "We are your family, no matter what we will help you and you matter so much to us." I think the themes in Whole Cake Island about family are so powerful, and exploring them through Sanji was such a brilliant move that really did his character lot of favors, and made him one of the most interesting and dynamic strawhats.

This was a lot of fun for me anon so thank you so much for asking!! I don't know if you were expecting like, and entire essay on jjk and one piece but I'm always happy to provide alkfjslj

[guiltycorp]

What do you think of Toji Fushiguro?

Like in general? I think he was a very good character who had big plot relevance and even bigger booba :^) Like, he did serve the story and its themes well on so many levels, I especially appreciate how he's both a non-sorcerer, being a clear outlier to what Gojo and Geto perceived as 'weak', and an example of how masculinity and strength in this manga easily turn on undeserving victims (apparently nobody involved learned from this). He was also great for deepening both Maki's and Megumi's characters since his own story explained a lot of things about both of them. And what I dislike about him is that most of this story was kinda off-screen like usual, but more than that it truly does tick me off that not only a large portion of the fandom but also clearly the author himself have reeeeally bought into the whole like... Oh, sad violent man doing bad things, but he does it in SUCH A COOL WAY. Man power yayy. His overwhelming intensity etc. This isn't Toji's fault, just a little tired of those kinds of narratives in fiction honestly... To me the most attractive things about Toji aside from his body are that he is a depressed loser who manages to hold on to a modicum of affection for his son even when actively trying to reject that, and he was also cool about conveniently killing himself, very nice move. Would have been ruined it if Megumi knew tf he was, but as it is just yea 10/10 looking forward to it in the anime. I bet Geto wishes he could have gone out the same way in the Gojo sealing scene...

[runabout-river]

I would like to know if a person who dies in jujutsu kaisen can come back to life again, is this possible? example geto died he can come back in another life with his memories but he only changes his body is this possible?

Up until now there is no Cursed Technique that could do that except for Granny Ogami's Seance Technique.

(If you're asking about Buddhist reincarnation, if Gege goes into that direction, then Geto won't have any memories of his previous life but some impressions might remain because manga logic like the ending of Demon Slayer)

Ogami's seance technique can bring a person from the dead back when the medium (Ogami herself or her grandson) consumes a piece of the dead person plus a chant is performed. She can bring back someone completely or only their body without the soul (maybe the reverse is also possible)

The limit of this CT is the cursed energy reserves of the medium. When they reach zero the technique dissolves. Additionally, Ogami makes sure that the soul doesn't get reincarnated, so that the medium has complete control over the body.

Toji and Maki are the only exceptions to this. In Shibuya Toji had been completely reincarnated with the CT never dissolving on his own again.

That's because Toji's body doesn't use CE so the reserves of the grandson would never run out. Unfortunately for Toji his soul was missing and his body alone couldn't keep his higher brain functions afloat. That was why he fell into a feral state and nearly killed his son.

Ogami is now dead, so that should've been the last of that CT... but Ino!

He also uses a Seance Technique and while he summons beasts, there is the possibility that he could summon dead people as well. He might bring back Nanami (or someone else) for a short while until his CE is gone. His talk with Gojo and the others might be a hint of that happening in the future.