Jujutsu Kaisen Shimetsu Kaiyu Zenpen • Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game - Episode 1 discussion

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Op has some scary frames

I can't see the episode on CR. See it now but over an hour after the official release time

Wait wtf Culling Game is up now? Not seeing it in Netflix atm (and tbh I didn't even know it starts this week)

If it's called the Culling Game what happens when there's a chance time?

Where tf is it I don't see it on cr

Why is there 2 discussion thread?

Yuji eating Calorie ~~Mate~~ Friend is a great representation of his character change. Eating good food was one his great joys in life but now he's resorted to eating something so bland just for the efficiency.

Glad to have JJK back. I was watching this when I realized I had seen the first two eps as part of JJK: Execution not too long ago. Pretty solid overall and I enjoyed the action scenes a lot. Really looking forward to the rest of the season.

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I literally watched these two episodes in dub via the movie, why can’t they be released now? It’s obvious they are ready

Oh, double whammy to start off the season - perfect! :D

I would have ran the moment Choso compared Yuta's power levels to Gojo's.

- [God, this is such a *striking* opening scene.](https://i.imgur.com/BQ4eVM8.png) [](#cinema)

- I *love* the new OP. [](#listen)

- [Bleh.](https://i.imgur.com/Df3dnHt.png) [](#sagiri)

- [Welp.](https://i.imgur.com/D4DL0iB.png) [](#worshipme)

- [God, the coloring in this shot is *so* cool.](https://i.imgur.com/xKmxnoO.png) [](#awe)

- [Nice combo attack in the tunnel!](https://i.imgur.com/Ihf9bUg.png) [](#rengehype)

- [Yuta!](https://i.imgur.com/fNZ7JI7.png) [](#grandhype)

- [Hell of a thing to say in this situation, dude.](https://i.imgur.com/JAZ3XMK.png) [](#crazedlaugh)

- [Love how Yuji jumps through that car so cleanly *and* grabs a knife in the process.](https://i.imgur.com/JjarNQx.png)

- [Rika…](https://i.imgur.com/gFFfHXW.png) [](#spooked)

- Oooooh, love the new ED too! [](#pigeonbeats)

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wow I adored the quieter start, it perfectly set the tone for the bleakness of the culling games.

purely visual sequences in anime are part of the ‘point’ of animating a manga, as it allows for moments that could simply never take place in manga form, and they took full advantage of the medium for this.

this already feels several times more artistically creative than the past 2 seasons and I love that 

Did this mfer just play with his hair mid fight??

OP looking awesome. 5 minutes in and I already fucking hate Naoya

I like the way they portray just how much cursed energy Yuta has also he can't stop glazing Gojo whenever he got the chance. Truly Gojo's biggest stan.

It's almost upsetting how well directed this is, holy shit, I wish more anime could get this type of love from the production.

Very good first episode, the stairs scene and the will scene were both top tier.

The sequence at the start, with Itadori fighting the curses, running around the empty city with no dialogue, and just hearing his grunts and the sound of the beat of the OST, was so fresh and exciting. There can, at times, be way too much talking (genre also depends) during fights in anime.

Good luck to anyone trying to analyse the OP visuals

Holy shit what an artistic trip so far. Bravo MAPPA, what an experience bringing this to life with justice.

Wow. Cinematic animation on all levels in this first episode. It’s like the animators threw down the gauntlet to challenge everyone. It’s listen up and pay attention: this is how it’s done.

im confused where is itadori? why are so many things after him? are they cursed spirits? the summons of someones technique? i remember why choso if friends with itadori and the death sentance but im confused as to whats going on aside from that.

two episodes, eh?

well I hope this season keeps my interest in the franchise. the shibuya arc left a bitter taste in my mouth, despite the amazing production values.

I loved how that b*tch Naoya went from 'Zenin Naoya the Future Head of Zenin clan' to 'Zenin Naoya Maki-chan's cousin ' as soon as Yuta appeared 😅😅😅

It all looks great but the editing felt very choppy to me. I get it's done artistically but in middle of fights like Yuta attacking Yuji with sword it breaks the flow. Even the sword play was weak and weightless unlike JJK 0. Is it just me?

This is a visual treat.

That OP is weird (a ton of gorgeous frames!) but at the same time I have to give it massive credits for not spoiling everything unlike other shonen OPs.

The entire episode feels so polished and beautiful. Goshozono and his team are cooking hard. It's great to have JJK back.

Yuji is burdened by the guilt of the lives Sukuna took. I feel sad for the lad. Gege, please have mercy on my boy.

Yuta is back in the story and is already aura farming on everyone. Special grades are insane. If he was present during the incident, we might not be dealing with the culling games at all.

This arc also brings Captain Misogynist himself Naoya Zenin into the story as well. It's always a good day when Naoya gets his ass kicked.

Can't wait for the next episode.

They did Yuta dirty with that pose

[Oh wow. I fucking hate Naoya already.](https://i.imgur.com/2leV91F.jpeg) I'm hoping he gets got later on. Like, seriously! [Did this guy start fixing his hair mid-fight?!](https://i.imgur.com/dALkfi8.jpeg) With that kind of smugness, I'm looking forward to seeing him get punched in the face later on.

[Welp, that was quick.](https://i.imgur.com/EOVjjfH.jpeg) I mean I know there's a huge power gap between Yuta and Yuuji but I didn't think it would end that quickly. I'm guessing this is where Sukuna takes over?

So, what's Yuji Itadori been up to since last season? Well, nothing much, just surviving in a city infested with Curses, wiping the blood off his hands, and oh surviving being attacked by the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

The OP is yet another Jujutsu Kaisen Banger! Welcome to the Culling Game, as Yuji, Megumi, Choso, Yuta, Tsukumo, Maki, and even more colorful characters go head-to-head while Kamo is having the time of his life. Also, dancing Maki.

Naoya (Koji Yusa!) is yet another sterling example of the Zen'in family! Not only is he an elitist, sexist, scumbag who only sees value in Mai and Maki for their chests and whether they can play subservient servant women, but he looks down on his brothers Ogi (the sisters' father) and Jinichi. RIP to Naohito Zen'in, who passes away leaving Naoya the keys to the kingdom outside what his brothers get...at least until Gojo's absence means Megumi is going to be "reclaimed" by the Zen'in clan and become their new head. So obviously the only solution is killing Megumi and Yuji, right?

Obviously Yuji is still feeling the massive emotional trauma that was the Shibuya arc, but at least he and Choso have become an effective sibling team (whether Yuji is willing to cop to it or not) exorcising as many Curses as they can. Yuji can't return to Jujutsu High, so this is all he has left while wracked with all the guilt he feels.

And then Naoya comes in and starts wailing on the two of them with speed neither of them can completely match and such casual arrogance...and then Yuta shows up as Yuji's angel of death to carry out his execution. Good thing Choso is a dedicated big brother willing to sacrifice himself to protect his little bro. Not that it helps that much with Yuta.

Honestly that Yuji was able to survive and dodge Yuta as much as he has is a testament to his ability. If you asked Choso, he's finally reached his physical peak. Yuta even compares him to Maki, which is high praise. But we're talking about a guy who is radiating so much Cursed energy he might come close to Gojo's level. Is there any way Yuji can win this?

Yuji has too much left to live for...or make up for, so he can't go down. Even if it means bringing a knife to a sword fight, he actually manages to break Yuta's blade. Maybe he would have been able to really turn this around if "Rika" hadn't grabbed him and held him in place for Yuta to finish. HanaKana jump scare for the win! BUT YUJI NOOOOO!

The ED really captures Yuji's mental state and all the stuff he's gone through in the past season. Also...Nobara?

Damn what an intense episode to start with, so much is happening, the heavy darkness and gloominess are palpable, this season feels like it'll be a tough one to get through. But I do like how Itadori is doing the best he can with what he's got, trying to lessen the number of cursed spirits as much as he can.

It doesn't seem like there's been a big time skip, but in this time it feels like Itadori has matured a lot, he looks so much older but I'm sure he's aged up visually because of the stress he's been through rather than naturally. It was sad to see him take on the guilt for what Sukuna did.

I'm not happy to see Megumi also being targeted, Naoya is clearly crazy powerful so I'm concerned by how Megumi will defend himself once he is found by Naoya. I don't even see Chousou coming out of this unscathed.

The end got me surprised seeing Itadori impaled like that, I'm left wondering if Okkotsu knows it won't actually kill him but needs to actually "kill him" to report it or if Itadori's body will be left to recover without Okkotsu knowing.

The number of references in this OP may surpass even CSM S1, so many little details to be found. Definitely one of the more unique ones I've seen. Glad that cinema is back on the menu this season.

Naoya in anime form is even more punchable than I thought. Can't wait to see him on the ground. Him messing with his hair while fisting Choso was disrespectful af lol.



Yuta just appearing and changing the color of the city was epic though idk why they made him pose kinda zesty like lol. This ep we really see the how strong Yuji has gotten, but then a special grade like Yuta still completely dominates him if they want to.



Also yeah Yuji died again.



I also accidentally watched the next ep before this so was like wtf did they just offscreen Yuta vs Yuji.

Can someone explain the release schedule to me? Are they airing episode 3 tomorrow? Episode 1? 1+2?

gosso doesn't have to deal with a production disaster this time, so he immediately goes as idiosyncratic as possible lmao

just really cool to have this type of director work on a mainstream battle shounen

is it fine to start this after 2nd season or is there a movie in between?

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So happy the streaming version is not dimmed this time around

I took so many screenshots. So many panels in the op are wallpaper worthy.

God this looks amazing

First two fights of the season and they're already elevating the source material, I can't wait to see how the rest are handled.

it looks amazing

The anime that all the cool weebs hate returns!

This show has better horror direction than most horror anime. Some of the curses in the episode arguably looked better than Mahito's true form

The parkour segment was insane (finally something that surpasses the Panda parkour in the first OP). Since Demon Slayer S2, action anime have been outdoing one another. Infinity Castle, the Chainsaw Man movie and now this. Action anime have gone up a level

That opening sequence of Yuji killing the curses was worth watching this in theaters last month. God that was incredible

MAPPA clearly has Naoya fans cause I never saw a person slick back their hair mid fight while punching someone with the other hand **WHILE** not looking at them with his eyes closed lol.

So happy that JJK is back, the vibes, direction, music, etc were all amazing. I’m also, glad that they decided to do a double episode cause the wait for the next one would have made me go crazy.

Finally FINALLY its back. fortunately this time around it wasn't hard to remember what went down the last season...

basically "everything went to shit".

getting giddy that we might spend like half of this year with JJK if both part 1 and 2 are this year

Bruh, consecutively punching someone with one hand while fixing your hair with the other is downright disrespectful 😂

I've never been the biggest fan of Jujutsu Kaisen, but I have to admit, watching it is a pure visual pleasure! It looks so good, the action is amazing, and the direction is top-notch. It looks like MAPPA will deliver another great season.

[The OP is also great!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr032EhUDPw) Both the song and the visuals are amazing! I can't wait for the full version of the song to release.

Naoya seems like a great antagonist, considering how hateable he is from the very first scene he appears in. I'm definitely looking forward to his death in the future.

Also, it was also nice to see Yuta and Rika again! Although maybe not for Yuji xD

I'll later update this comment with my screenshot albums from the episode, but it will probably be tomorrow.

For me, I like S1 and JJK 0 animation more than JJK S2 and S3. The animation was more solid and clear for me.I don't understand why they changed the art style. For smoother action sequences?Sure but I mean what's the point of smooth and fast fight sequences if you can't really see what the hell is going on? May be I am just too old for this kind of animation.

Gonna steer clear of all of these threads with all these JJK source readers LARPing as anime-only.

Swear this fandom gives the SL/MHA/OP fandoms a run for their money for the amount of toxic source readers it has that love to inject themselves in anime threads to seem smart by 'guessing' potential plot points.

This episode reminded me why I hate Naoya.

Not enough people are talking about the ending, what a fantastic treat, I'll actually be watching it every week

bro stroked his hair mid fight LMFAO

“The current protagonist fighting the protagonist of the last game and getting his ass kicked” is one of my favorite tropes.

One thing JJK always excels at are the OSTs. I need the name of that somber piano music that plays during Itadori sad scenes.