Season 1 had the best "Anime Director", "Storyboard" and "Soundtrack". Maybe not the best animation. But it feels like Season 1 tries to add more into "Jujutsu Kaisen Manga" with small bits of extra story/dialogue and time.
tripleaamin2026-01-27 15:49
There is definitely an interesting debate of JJK S1 & JJK 0 vs. JJK S2 & JJK S3.
The consistency of JJK S1 is something truly remarkable. While S2 & S3 (more than likely) will have higher highs than S1, the consistency that S1 had was so outstanding.
Riskany12042026-01-27 16:01
I thought everything animated in season 1 was amazing, there was never a moment I thought "Oh, the Manga did this better than the Anime".
Season 1 + 0 did everything faithfully and elevated the whole series. I think Season 2 did it too.
SiIic0n2026-01-27 18:04
It's always funny reading things like this because coming from reading the manga when season 1 released I was constantly surprised by how much people were eating up the adaptation. Things like mediocre to bad compositing that were present the entire show went completely ignored. People forgave the absolutely butchered portrayal of Hollow Purple vs Hanami for reasons I don't think I'll ever understand.
I think a lot of people mistakenly conflate animation and art direction and because Park values staying on-model as much as possible, they're more willing to forgive bad animation. There are some genuinely terrible cuts in fights like Nanami's first encounter w/ Mahito and even midway through Todo and Yuji vs Hanami (the start of Hironori Tanaka's cut) but it isn't because the animators don't do good work, it's because they had to work with the ugly and overly detailed S1 character designs.
This became even more apparent once S2 aired because with the simpler designs artists like Tanaka were actually able to thrive and put out stunning work.
I say all this to say I think some of you should explore taking a more objective look at S1. DO NOT GET ME WRONG: I loved S1, but just like with S2 and now S3 it's got its pros and cons. People might be soft on it cause it was their intro to the series as a whole but it got a decent amount wrong too. Just getting a *little* tired of the amount of blind praise I'm seeing.
Riskany12042026-01-27 18:25
>I think a lot of people mistakenly conflate animation and art direction and because Park values staying on-model as much as possible, they're more willing to forgive bad animation.
Well we hold different value in a Anime. I don't actually care for animation to be as good as Season 2-3 or even better. Season 1 animation wise was perfect, and season 2-3 animation wise could/is 10x 100x times better. It change nothing for me.
I hold how the Anime convey the story. How they expand the story or cut unnecessary bits. How the music elevate the scene and so on.
>I say all this to say I think some of you should explore taking a more objective look at S1.....
Just getting a *little* tired of the amount of blind praise I'm seeing.
Objectively and subjectively Season 1 is still the best season so far... No matter how much, "Chainsaw Man Season 1" kinda of reddit praise JJK Season 3 get. I cant change what I like and dont like.
SiIic0n2026-01-27 18:39
> I cant change what I like and dont like.
It's a good thing that's not what I was trying to do!
My literal only point is that S1 is not only not perfect, but also wrong in numerous spots you purportedly place value in.
> Well we hold different value in a Anime. I don't actually care for animation...
I only brought up animation because you yourself mentioned it and again, I'm not arguing "mine is better than yours" or whatever it is you're reacting to. I'm merely pointing out you should be aware of the very real flaws of your media of choice.
Overall strange response I won't lie
Riskany12042026-01-27 19:01
My bad bro, You are actually right, you not arguing "mine is better than yours". I honestly don't know what I responded too. My mind must be on glaze Season 1 agenda no matter what. Sorry.
SiIic0n2026-01-27 19:22
All good homie, appreciate it.
1000-MAT2026-01-27 16:02
>The consistency of JJK S1 is something truly remarkable. While S2 & S3 (more than likely) will have higher highs than S1, the consistency that S1 had was so outstanding.
If this director had hired JJK from the beginning, it probably would have been a flop.
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 16:22
>While S2 & S3 (more than likely) will have higher highs than S1, the consistency that S1 had was so outstanding.
Pretty sure S3 is also gonna incredibly consistent since this time around there arent any major production issues going on.
The series director Shota Gosozhono is rumored to storyboard 11 out of 12 episodes all by himself.
1000-MAT2026-01-27 17:09
>The series director Shota Gosozhono is rumored to storyboard 11 out of 12 episodes all by himself.
Action anime ❌
An abstract work of art ✅
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 17:19
I'm not seeing what's soo abstract bout the fights in s3 lmao. Yeah the music is unorthodox at times but other than that it's pretty much the same as s2 where artist are allowed to show their creativity with different animation styles and aren't limited to one style of direction/animation.
If anything this soo called "abstract art direction" makes the non-action scenes far more interesting than what an otherwise standard adaptation would've made me feel.
1000-MAT2026-01-27 17:32
>Yeah the music is unorthodox at times
Almost always, and this is a big problem in my opinion, replace the boss fight music from Elden Ring with la la la, then you'll understand.
>but other than that it's pretty much the same as s2 where artist are allowed to show their creativity with different animation styles and aren't limited to one style of direction/animation.
I also don't like the change in animation styles from season 2. I rewatched the fights, paying attention to the surrounding characters; they're deformed, headless, and I'm not talking about just one frame, I'm talking about long scenes; if you like that, that's fine, but I don't.
lalindu1232026-01-27 18:23
Yea,the gosso elevates the non action parts so much compared to s1.
KrzyDankus2026-01-27 17:17
i heard that Gosso will sb the 12th episode, but only the first half due to it being a double length episode if the rumors are true.
Rombolian2026-01-27 17:19
S3 been plenty consistent.
lalindu1232026-01-27 18:19
S3 already has higher highs than s1 and it will be consistent
1000-MAT2026-01-27 16:00
I agree, this director has bad taste in music, he's not good at action choreography either, and as for the animation, I also dislike his inconsistent art style.
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 16:23
Idk how yall can watch Choso vs Naoya and Maki ep and say he's not good at action storyboard lmaoo.
The dude also did the best ep of Osamu ranking and the best ep of Chainsaw man Season 1, both eps having some of the best action highlights of the series.
1000-MAT2026-01-27 17:07
>Choso vs Naoya
He clung to the strange things here.
>Maki
Lots of cuts at odd moments.
>The dude also did the best ep of Osamu ranking and the best ep of Chainsaw man Season 1, both eps having some of the best action highlights of the series
It's different if an episode director is also a series director; how can you not understand that? He can't change the style of the anime if he's directing an episode, The problem is when he overdoes the creativity and it just ends up looking bizarre.
[This is a good fight with choreography in my opinion.](https://youtu.be/KdT2eR4vGYg?si=iiZtqsY7af80td--)
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 16:21
Ironic you say that considering this clip that you just posted was from the episode that was directed by the director of Season 2 and current Season 3
Riskany12042026-01-27 16:27
Than he did an amazing job directing this episode, it feels consistent with all the other episode of Season 1, Yuji/Nanami vs Mahito -> Yuji/Kugasaki vs curse Wombs -> To Gojo and so on.
I have no idea what he doing with Season 3 tho.
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 16:30
Idk, he seems to be doing far better imo. He seems to have developed his own styles, his directional flair and seems to elevating source material to another level.
Like S3 Ep 3 was pure info dump that didnt need any effort from production standpoint but even in that ep he went above and beyond with the visual presentation that was not present in the manga. That's what i love about his direction, he goes extra hard in every single scene, he tries to make everything interesting, even talking scenes have great direction and animation.
Riskany12042026-01-27 16:39
I will admit, I actually really love how he directed S3-E3 too. Like he cooked there. Made it 1000% better than the Manga.
But Episode 1-2 and 4 (still great) makes me feels something is off about the direction. Get the same feeling like Chainsaw Man Season 1. in the end will the Japanese fans support "season 3" if the director divert and change the "feeling" too much.
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 16:45
I doubt any future ep is gonna have much different vibe than what was in the manga. It was obvious latest ep was a homage to kill bill, just like how it was in the manga, so that's why it took that direction.
In future there isn't any fight or event that's gonna have a different vibe like that.
conye-west2026-01-27 17:58
Rest assured tho there will always be some minor detail that diverges from the manga so that way people can continue to complain till the end of time, like how with Yuji vs Yuta it was such a crime to not have Yuji flip a car lol
well_thats_puntastic2026-01-27 18:19
> Get the same feeling like Chainsaw Man Season 1
That's a great feeling
hanr102026-01-28 02:13
> I have no idea what he doing with Season 3 tho.
He's cooking
Archy382026-01-27 17:37
I kind of agree, I like all the seasons but the pacing and "shit hit the fan" moments drastically spike after season 1, as my first watch of season 2 left me with this angry feeling as it started well with the Geto/Gojou backstory and then after that everything went crazy and I did not know how to process the events as they were so over the top.
On my second watch of the show up until now I appreciate it all much more and find it interesting how each character is a good, deep representation of each mechanic/rule, etc works in the world.
S3 is almost like it's humans vs humans, actual justice happening to everyone, a real sign that shit is about to get even more ugly before the world improves
CordobezEverdeen2026-01-27 17:48
> Season 1 had the best "Soundtrack"
Coldest take of all time. And I say that despite the fact that S3 barely started. JJK S1 basically jumpstarted my love and appreciation for anime OST.
Riskany12042026-01-27 17:54
REMEMBER (Coldrain) - Hollow Purple - Megumi Fushiguro (theme) - Put It in This Fist - Impatience - 7 to 3 - Fight Again - Be Prepared ----> Like the list goes on and on. truly incredible soundtrack for season 1.
"Season 1 ED 2" Is beautiful too, the whole ending look like a phone recording with friends.
S0phon2026-01-27 21:02
>Hot take incoming, please don't crucify me.
Nobody who has to write this before hot takes can be taken seriously.
Riskany12042026-01-28 02:19
People who complain about "Chainsaw Man Season 1"under its air time did get crucify too.
And we saw what happened there. when reddit critics do not match with Japanese support critic. And all reddit fans were doing was trying to silence another group of people opinion. All theres left are deluded people who can't support the anime.
S0phon2026-01-28 03:09
Grow some balls and take it.
And it's not like that note does anything to prevent crucifixion.
Riskany12042026-01-28 03:25
Yes it did. You are wrong.
Eraxius2026-01-27 15:22
Man it been awhile since I watched this, puts last chapter in even more focus
GlitterDoomsday2026-01-27 16:16
Yeah it's interesting how Maki essentially made the same mistake with both MSI and Ogi but her Heavenly Pact was enough to save her ass from what should have been "death" (Mai shot wasn't lethal, but still).
drunkencow2026-01-27 16:19
Definitely rewatching this made last episode hit harder
Objective-Recover9242026-01-27 18:21
Rewatching their dynamic in S1 after reading the manga feels like a punch in the gut. Knowing where their path leads makes every interaction here feel ten times heavier.
Resident_Bullfrog_692026-01-27 18:39
It really highlights how much Gege planned ahead. The seeds of their fate were planted right here, but we were too distracted by the action to see how tragic the conclusion would actually be.
Anxious-Bath17322026-01-27 19:14
Makes the promise to 'destroy everything' hit so much harder now. From fighting against each other to becoming the foundation for the other... truly poetic and depressing.
agr852026-01-27 15:33
I remembered this fight but I appreciate rewatching it as a refresher, especially after last week. Great context, and just reinforces how heartbreaking these two events were.
1000-MAT2026-01-27 15:57
jjk back when fights were real fights, not abstract art like they are now.
Riskany12042026-01-27 16:05
Imagine the last episode of Season 1, If they were to skip "Kugasaki explanation of how Itadori can resist poison, with that Curse Womb" Season 3 fans would be like "Real fight, fast and Artistic. No time to explain" ☝️🤓.
1000-MAT2026-01-27 16:16
I can only imagine what kind of strange music would be playing.
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 16:26
What are you even talking bout? S3 has skipped zero important explanations. Did you forget how the narrator couldn't shut up bout the Naoya's technique worked in the latest ep?
The only explanations they skipped were the Ogi's and Hei's techniques and those techniques are the most visually self explanatory techniques ever. Anyone with eyes can figure the techniques out themselves. Not everything has to be included in anime, not everything has to be spoonfed.
Riskany12042026-01-27 16:30
>S3 has skipped zero important explanations
Who are you to decide that? the Author himself added those explanations for his reader and fans. And is not up to you or anyone else, to say what other can critic.
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 16:35
Author added it because he was writing a manga and manga has limitations, in manga visually explaining techniques is not possible since there is no motion. He can only draw panels and explain what's happening. Something which is not necessary in the anime, since it's very obvious what Ranta's technique was once you see it in motion.
I'm not deciding anything, it's the series director who's "adaptation" the manga in animated medium is deciding. It's the series director that the author himself loves it to the point he praised him multiple times and even took inspiration from his episodes during the final arc.
globster2222026-01-27 15:57
Thanks for posting this. Great refresher
DugACCat2026-01-27 18:28
Agreed. Been so long since I watched the first season this wasn’t in my mind and would have made that most recent amazing episode hit even harder. (Though it did still get to me, all the same.) Making me think I should rewatch the older episodes again.
Lapiz_lasuli2026-01-27 22:08
I think this is the origin of the curse of the twins. They were doomed from the start. Had Maki listened to Mai, it would become a situation where Maki resented Mai for holding her back. The opposite situation has Mai resenting Maki.
Really ties into the whole curse thing being more than a power system but that the characters are cursed. I mean, Yuji is literally possessed by a demon that overtakes his body to do horrible shit.
m4nicc4t2026-01-27 23:07
never thought of it like this, well said
CometzFly2026-01-28 02:01
Yup, the curse of the twins is such a tragic concept, they're just born and raised into that position. It's like the theme in AoT of the akuma no ko (child of evil), how we all have a little 'evil' inside us just to survive, even towards really close relatives like siblings. JJK really leans into that psychological aspect with these secondary characters!
Staz932026-01-27 16:10
I always thought Mai was a more tragic character then Maki
Vip3r202026-01-27 16:26
Oh by far.
mucklaenthusiast2026-01-27 16:56
I don’t necessarily think that…and to me, their stories are always linked.
Even in terms of character, they are each one half of a whole being.
Medium_Ruri2026-01-27 17:02
They are not tho, that's kinda the whole point. Part of the tragedy is the fact that they suffer because the world, and by extension the society, sees them as two halves of the same being when in reality they are two completely different people that want different things
mucklaenthusiast2026-01-27 17:15
I am not sure how true this is.
That isn’t to say that they shouldn’t have been treated better, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they are complete opposites of one another and imo, Mai‘s monologue at the end shows that them being the same is true to an extent.
And it’s not like they were only mistreated due to being twins.
Medium_Ruri2026-01-27 17:34
>Mai‘s monologue at the end shows that them being the same is true to an extent
Mai's monologue at the end reinforces the fact that despite the fact that Jujutsu (or the world or whatever) sees them as one person, they are not. Mai never wanted to prove herself to the clan, she never wanted to be acknowledged by them, she never wanted to be a sorcerer. She was content with just being with Maki. Mai never changed her mind from when they were kids but Maki grew up and realized that she couldn't have lived that life and be happy. To Maki, just being together with Mai wasn't enough.
>And it’s not like they were only mistreated due to being twins.
Hence why "Part of the tragedy"
InfluenceGullible6952026-01-27 18:15
Absolutely. Maki chose the hard path willingly, but Mai was dragged into a life of sorcery she never wanted just because her sister left. She just wanted a normal life with Maki, that's it.
adds-nothing2026-01-27 18:23
No shit
Successful_Elk51472026-01-27 18:26
I feel like Maki bears the burden of action, while Mai bears the burden of abandonment. Mai staying behind in that toxic household with no one to protect her is a different kind of hell compared to what Maki faced outside.
Formal_Airport50462026-01-27 18:50
Especially when you realize her 'hate' was just a mask for how much she missed her sister. The lengths she went to just to stay at Maki's level creates such a painful dynamic.
TheMerck2026-01-28 01:47
It's why I wish the Kyoto squad were more fleshed out, they really were an entertaining group of characters that had their own issues heck even Momo's call out of the misogyny in the Jujutsu society is valid and I always felt like Nobara's point in that fight is incorrect she simply doesn't experience the scrutiny and pressure that characters like Mai and Momo get within the Jujutsu world.
I don't have problems with Mai's end, I just wished there were more stuff inbetween her and her schoolmates because they had a good dynamic together and as shown in Shibuya they are extremely close knit to the point they want to fight just because Mechamaru got killed and Miwa cries over it.
Truly a close knit squad it's shown on how Momo was gonna pull up on the Zen'ins even if she knows she's gonna most likely die she won't even probably get to the Hei's and even if she reaches one of em she instantly dies but she still goes to try and stop Mai or rescue her, there's some stuff with Kamo later on I can't go into, Mechamaru gets all of em on a fake mission so they aren't in danger, Utahime is adored by all her students, Miwa literally sacrifices her swordsmanship to just attempt to kill one of the strongest sorcerers in history as a grade 3 sorcerer and that includes Mai, Kamo and Momo pulling up to try and beat Kenny as well.
They really should've put more focus on them esp Mai before her death and especially the rest of the Kyoto students post Shibuya they just don't do anything and just exist, they honestly deserve more props in the story they are all much weaker than the main characters but they never falter or even hesitate to help others out especially their own Kyoto schoolmates.
TokiVideogame2026-01-27 16:16
mai needs a finger
c_stall52026-01-27 16:20
I love how they play the eye catch music here
Riskany12042026-01-27 16:23
The "calm guitar" at the flashback and "sad piano" at the end, is so beautiful and fitting.
Able-Nebula44492026-01-27 17:09
Finally someone talks about this
Maikey_2026-01-27 19:43
that ost is straight up called "Jujutsu Kaisen" btw.
when when you have to look it up its "Jujutsu Kaisen Jujutsu Kaisen ost"
asian_hans2026-01-27 16:39
I feel so nostalgic on the artstyle of season 1 and jjk 0. Had its own charm for me
Oscar41842026-01-27 18:32
fr i dont think one is better than the other but i def miss this artstyle
Prince_of_DeaTh2026-01-27 20:07
i remember really hating it, still looks so stiff, they did really good job season 2 forwards to make it feel much smoother
cmszd2026-01-27 16:40
fun fact, episode 17 of s1 was directed by shota goshozono, the same guy who took over as series director for seasons 2 and 3. gosso was also eisode director for episode 8 of season 1, but that one isnt really particularly noteworthy.
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 16:58
He also did Season 2 Ep 1, Ep 18, Ep 23, Ep 5(only storyboard), Ep 9(only storyboard). And He's also storyboarding every single episode of Season 3 except that last one according to rumors/leaks.
Absolutely Insane output this man puts out and still the quality of his storyboards/direction never dips, well except when he was working under tremendous production issues of S2.
cmszd2026-01-27 17:21
gosso vision in an actually somewhat functional schedule is undeniable. in s2, he was hampered by shitty management, yet still managed to produce an incredible season of anime as a debuting seties director. s2 ep5 is one of my favorite episodes of anime ever, and i dont even like jjk that much. now that he's sb'ing every episode (besides the miso one) under better conditions, his vision is really coming to life in the best way possible
a lot of people aren't really enjoying where he's taking the series. the whole uproar over how things were changed in the latest episode is an example of that. many people would like the jjk anime to be a faithful adaptation of the manga, but i personally disagree. imo, theres nothing wrong with an anime just straight up being its own thing, almost unrecognizable from the manga. what gosso is doing is taking jjk, breaking it down, and rebuilding it from the ground up in his own image, and i love it. his vision is so unique and unorthodox- its amazing really
conye-west2026-01-27 18:07
Gosso is a true auteur in a genre where people expect things to be completely by the numbers, that's why there's such backlash. But it seems to me it's just a very loud but small minority, most people love it and recognize he is elevating the source material hard. Gege himself is also a huge fan of the anime and has praised Goshozono, even saying that he actually made JJK good lol (obviously just being humble and joking but still quite a lot of praise)
another_mouse2026-01-27 22:48
Do you have some examples of complaints? Is it story or only set pieces?
cmszd2026-01-28 00:20
if you were on twitter (i know twitter sue me its my fault for using that dogshit platform), you'd see a bunch of people making complaints of "overanimation" and "overdirection". some felt like the way the story was changed to linger less on the emotional scenes and more on the action was a mistake. a LOT of people didnt like the music in the kill bill portion, how jinichi was walking slowly in the hei fight, and how the anime upscaled the characters. there were also complaints about cramming the entire schebang into 1 episode, and of course you got people mad that they changed the camera angles slightly, and didnt adapt the manga 1:1.
to be fair, a lot of it is completely valid, even if i dont really agree
https://x.com/i/status/2014441506959184027
https://x.com/i/status/2014435101099077867
https://x.com/i/status/2015482517575376955
https://x.com/i/status/2014364153813565504
https://x.com/i/status/2014389402446004392
https://x.com/i/status/2014585890430169286
there were def a lot more that i dont feel like going on a scavenger hunt to find, but that sums up a lot of it.
well also the whole schebang caused a stupid drama between overseas anime fans and jp anime fans, but thats a whole other can of worms that i dont feel like getting into
another_mouse2026-01-28 00:43
Sincerely, thank you. Each point is different and valid.
Guess as an anime only I can’t appreciate some of the complaints. While others I can understand but also see why the director chose aura farming instead.
My main disagreement is that I’ve never felt JJK’s strong point was the work. Rather I’ve always felt it was carried by Mappa’s animation and retelling (the lamp scene is amazing). But even then I felt the emotional weight of losing her sister and taking it out on everyone.
As far as the ‘work’ goes, I was impressed by the rules discussion but other parts of the story leave me feeling like there is something in JJK which does not translate well.
journalofflashes2026-01-28 02:29
You should give the manga a shot then. Absolutely worth it. Honestly i started as an anime only for JJK but read the manga and now watching this season i'm just not liking the direction it has. Of course this could just be an exception but we'll see as the season goes on.
TheSpartyn2026-01-28 06:02
the first one is worded rudely but this part is so true lmao
>They completely ignore the content and go full brain-dead like "Uooo!! God-tier animation!!" only hyping up the visuals.
ray123702026-01-28 05:16
They basically wanted the Mai revenge scene to be more edgy and serious. That's basically it.
I read the manga and I thought it was an awesome surprise when the scene came out differently than I expected. I was so happy with the episode and I couldn't imagine anyone would complain about it until I looked at social media.
journalofflashes2026-01-28 02:25
Normally agree but gege really has a unique way of conveying emotions and storytelling that i don't think translates well with Gosho's intentions and vision. I think S2 was a good middle-ground for this but S3 is just too much imo. I hope they take the backlash well and find a good middle-ground again. Sometimes too much is less and doing less is more. Japanese people especially understand this. His vision i think fits more to series like Fate and Chainsaw man.
1000-MAT2026-01-27 17:14
It's because the director of the first season wouldn't let him use bizarre music.
CometzFly2026-01-28 02:15
The way the camera follows the bullet is so Hamilton-coded! It's like the time-stop choreography during the final duel in "The World Was Wide Enough," with the ensemble and lighting slowly showing the bullet's path toward the target. I love this type of musical theater staging logic used in high-level anime animation like this.
NationalStrategy2026-01-27 16:43
RIP Mai
LocksRKool2026-01-27 16:53
A lot is being said without it having it be said. What a great series.
SurotaOnishi2026-01-27 17:00
Imagine a creation user with the Six Eyes
SuperTeamRyan2026-01-27 17:39
Everyone gets an inverted spear of heaven.
This-is_CMGRI2026-01-27 18:01
Would Construction still have been possible without it? Or rather, had it been only just Mai, could the Zen'in clan have developed it such that it can create a structure that can house one person?
Lazydusto2026-01-27 20:54
> Would Construction still have been possible without it?
Yes.
Ankrow2026-01-27 21:54
Spoilers for JJK S3E4:[Jujutsu Kaisen]>!I think it is implied that in the same way that Maki was limited by Mai being her twin, Mai was limited by Maki. If Maki had died instead of Mai, her CT would have been more efficient. I don't think she would have been able to beat the entire clan like Maki did, however.!<
RimeSkeem2026-01-28 00:36
It's been one of the biggest questions in the JJK fandom since the manga chapters S3E4 is based on.
BellyDancerUrgot2026-01-27 18:50
Green lantern essentially at that point
OtakuAttacku2026-01-27 21:05
[Create a Railway Cannon perhaps?
](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19mZWD3YxNY)
darksiderevan2026-01-28 03:59
That's just Yaomomo
Able-Nebula44492026-01-27 17:08
Oh man how much I miss the vibes of season 1
Able-Nebula44492026-01-27 17:08
Just so this doesn’t get misunderstood, I like season 2 and 3 as well.
Yeah that was a bit confusing. I like season 2’s OST but season 1 had so much variety
UMP45isnotflat2026-01-27 17:14
Is this the show everyone says has good animation? Because I cant really say it looks that good to me, but I also dont like mappas character artstyle
1000-MAT2026-01-27 17:21
People don't know how to evaluate animation; it has super fluid animation, especially from season 2 onwards, But the character designs are quite simplified in most scenes, and there's practically no consistency in the designs, everything is either crooked or deformed.
"Bastante" means "a lot" on one side of the scale and "little" on the other.
Electrical_Chance9912026-01-27 17:27
>Is this the show everyone says has good animation?
Because I cant really say it looks that good to me
Those are two different things, there is no correlation between good visuals and good animation. Good visuals depends on the composting artist and art director where as good animation depends the director and animators. JJK s1 had bad compositing at times but had great animation throughout to compensate that.
Season 2 and Season 3 looks far more visually pleasing with much more interesting art direction and comp. Every new season of JJk looks far better than previous one.
>I also dont like mappas character artstyle
There is no such thing as Mappa's character artstyles, each of their shows have different art style. It all depends on what the staff working on that show wants.
botman69nice2026-01-27 17:29
Will mai will be stronger if maki and died instead of her (strong than current anime maki)
Dirty_Dragons2026-01-27 18:01
From what I understand, the only reason Maki got stronger was because Mai drained all the cursed energy from her.
The weapon made used all of Mai's power and the little bit that Maki had. The Heavenly Restriction on Maki gets stronger with the less cursed energy. Zero energy = God.
Zonca2026-01-27 21:32
I think she would simply have more cursed energy, Creation seems like pretty busted technique if Mai could make more than one bullet's worth a day.
She would be nowhere near latest episode Maki level though, and definitely not instantly. The problem is Mai doesn't have that drive to improve and train her technique, she couldnt really train it much with so little to work with too, Creation sounds like something that takes many years to master, meanwhile Maki already trained a lot in martial arts and stuff, so she could utilize her new power instantly.
YYappy2692026-01-28 04:25
\[Jujutsu Kaisen manga spoilers\]>!There's a character who's introduced later on who has the exact same Curse Technique as Mai, but has way more versatility because she has a bigger Cursed Energy pool. She's actually really strong (tho she lost her only fight because it was against Sukuna). If Maki had died instead, Mai would at least have the potential to be at that level. !<
CordobezEverdeen2026-01-27 17:40
Season 1 OST are on ANOTHER level.
S3 hasn't ended yet but I feel like the hopes of topping S1 OST are going to go towards S4
PrinceZero19942026-01-27 17:51
>All this effort, pain, and fear. I've had enough!
bandannadann2026-01-27 17:54
Damn, I miss when JJK was this good
Most-Two48472026-01-27 18:04
Miss this clear and defined animation style
Neat-Football1802026-01-27 18:27
God, the choreography in this fight was so clean. I feel like people sleep on this scene because of the Todo/Yuji boogie woogie stuff later, but watching Maki dismantle Mai is satisfying every single time. MAPPA really went off on the weapon weight distribution.
Riskany12042026-01-27 18:30
The intro fight is amazing too, Maki vs Miwa
AcceptAnimosity2026-01-27 21:05
This is one where you can really see how it's adapting manga panels as basically every big moment is a slow motion freeze frame. Not a bad thing just very different to the fluid, constantly moving fights of boogie woogie or much of season 2.
Azenji2026-01-27 18:30
Watching scenes from the first season is like watching a whole different anime. Season 1 still felt very Shounen-like but you can see the creativity in the camerawork and framing plus the amount of effort that goes into the character shading should not be underestimated. I still like Season 2 and 3 but the first season is easily the most digestible.
Confident_Boot_88472026-01-27 18:48
The moment Maki caught the bullet with her bare hand was the exact second she became my favorite character. No cursed energy, just pure hands and spite. Mai really thought she had it in the bag too lmao.
the_Athereon2026-01-27 18:50
Google god S2 and 3 look ass compared to 1.
Aggressive_Joke_27262026-01-27 18:56
It cost mais life
LegitimateProblem9072026-01-27 19:01
So she does not kill her sister?
Sorey912026-01-27 19:02
Now that Twitter "what if Mai lived instead" makes better sense, I legit had forgotten her CT ngl
PalpitationBoth12012026-01-27 19:14
Imagine bringing a gun to a knife fight and *still* losing. Classic Mai L.
(Also, seeing how far Maki has come in the manga makes this look like a tutorial level now.)
seorin6662026-01-27 19:22
can't wait for next episode:3
MyraBannerTatlock2026-01-27 19:36
I still miss the look of the first season
DumbUsername_Dos2026-01-27 20:05
It's kinda funny when Mai says that she never told Maki her first crush, given one of the interviews by Gege he says that Maki was one of the possible first crushes on Mai
GreenLeaf_Fr2026-01-27 20:06
JJK is peak.
Illustrious_Camp_5212026-01-27 20:14
Poor Maki 😔
Suitable_Split_59022026-01-27 20:35
I really felt bad for Mai, not because she died but because at that time only Mai was the source of life for Maki
Unknown_Scythe2026-01-27 21:05
The gift that keeps on giving
TheBigIdiotSalami2026-01-27 21:08
It's hilarious how it's almost like these are two different shows. The new season looks nothing like this
Jay_Tibs2026-01-27 21:22
Great seeing this again after the most recent episode
Aristotle_Wasp2026-01-27 23:26
And people say they prefer season 2 and 3 art styles. Lmao
Calm-Seaweed-55512026-01-28 00:13
i miss s1 art style 🥲
Big_Daddy_Ehsan2026-01-28 00:26
Damn
slowdruh2026-01-28 00:27
So did she think Maki could tank a bullet to the head or she was ready to kill her there?
Abe_Bob_Nasrul2026-01-28 02:01
So , in the end did she die or survive???
Non reader and watcher of either the manga nor animated version here
CometzFly2026-01-28 02:09
That bullet-time motion gives me such big Matrix vibes
TapPurple17632026-01-28 02:42
😍😍
YYappy2692026-01-28 04:24
Mai's words really pull at the hard strings, especially considering the latest episode
ChampionshipIll61712026-01-28 04:57
This fight was painful af. What did you feel the first time you saw this scene?
Commentaires
Season 1 had the best "Anime Director", "Storyboard" and "Soundtrack". Maybe not the best animation. But it feels like Season 1 tries to add more into "Jujutsu Kaisen Manga" with small bits of extra story/dialogue and time.
The consistency of JJK S1 is something truly remarkable. While S2 & S3 (more than likely) will have higher highs than S1, the consistency that S1 had was so outstanding.
Season 1 + 0 did everything faithfully and elevated the whole series. I think Season 2 did it too.
I think a lot of people mistakenly conflate animation and art direction and because Park values staying on-model as much as possible, they're more willing to forgive bad animation. There are some genuinely terrible cuts in fights like Nanami's first encounter w/ Mahito and even midway through Todo and Yuji vs Hanami (the start of Hironori Tanaka's cut) but it isn't because the animators don't do good work, it's because they had to work with the ugly and overly detailed S1 character designs.
This became even more apparent once S2 aired because with the simpler designs artists like Tanaka were actually able to thrive and put out stunning work.
I say all this to say I think some of you should explore taking a more objective look at S1. DO NOT GET ME WRONG: I loved S1, but just like with S2 and now S3 it's got its pros and cons. People might be soft on it cause it was their intro to the series as a whole but it got a decent amount wrong too. Just getting a *little* tired of the amount of blind praise I'm seeing.
Well we hold different value in a Anime. I don't actually care for animation to be as good as Season 2-3 or even better. Season 1 animation wise was perfect, and season 2-3 animation wise could/is 10x 100x times better. It change nothing for me.
I hold how the Anime convey the story. How they expand the story or cut unnecessary bits. How the music elevate the scene and so on.
>I say all this to say I think some of you should explore taking a more objective look at S1.....
Just getting a *little* tired of the amount of blind praise I'm seeing.
Objectively and subjectively Season 1 is still the best season so far... No matter how much, "Chainsaw Man Season 1" kinda of reddit praise JJK Season 3 get. I cant change what I like and dont like.
It's a good thing that's not what I was trying to do!
My literal only point is that S1 is not only not perfect, but also wrong in numerous spots you purportedly place value in.
> Well we hold different value in a Anime. I don't actually care for animation...
I only brought up animation because you yourself mentioned it and again, I'm not arguing "mine is better than yours" or whatever it is you're reacting to. I'm merely pointing out you should be aware of the very real flaws of your media of choice.
Overall strange response I won't lie
If this director had hired JJK from the beginning, it probably would have been a flop.
Pretty sure S3 is also gonna incredibly consistent since this time around there arent any major production issues going on.
The series director Shota Gosozhono is rumored to storyboard 11 out of 12 episodes all by himself.
Action anime ❌
An abstract work of art ✅
If anything this soo called "abstract art direction" makes the non-action scenes far more interesting than what an otherwise standard adaptation would've made me feel.
Almost always, and this is a big problem in my opinion, replace the boss fight music from Elden Ring with la la la, then you'll understand.
>but other than that it's pretty much the same as s2 where artist are allowed to show their creativity with different animation styles and aren't limited to one style of direction/animation.
I also don't like the change in animation styles from season 2. I rewatched the fights, paying attention to the surrounding characters; they're deformed, headless, and I'm not talking about just one frame, I'm talking about long scenes; if you like that, that's fine, but I don't.
The dude also did the best ep of Osamu ranking and the best ep of Chainsaw man Season 1, both eps having some of the best action highlights of the series.
He clung to the strange things here.
>Maki
Lots of cuts at odd moments.
>The dude also did the best ep of Osamu ranking and the best ep of Chainsaw man Season 1, both eps having some of the best action highlights of the series
It's different if an episode director is also a series director; how can you not understand that? He can't change the style of the anime if he's directing an episode, The problem is when he overdoes the creativity and it just ends up looking bizarre.
[This is a good fight with choreography in my opinion.](https://youtu.be/KdT2eR4vGYg?si=iiZtqsY7af80td--)
I have no idea what he doing with Season 3 tho.
Like S3 Ep 3 was pure info dump that didnt need any effort from production standpoint but even in that ep he went above and beyond with the visual presentation that was not present in the manga. That's what i love about his direction, he goes extra hard in every single scene, he tries to make everything interesting, even talking scenes have great direction and animation.
But Episode 1-2 and 4 (still great) makes me feels something is off about the direction. Get the same feeling like Chainsaw Man Season 1. in the end will the Japanese fans support "season 3" if the director divert and change the "feeling" too much.
In future there isn't any fight or event that's gonna have a different vibe like that.
That's a great feeling
He's cooking
On my second watch of the show up until now I appreciate it all much more and find it interesting how each character is a good, deep representation of each mechanic/rule, etc works in the world.
S3 is almost like it's humans vs humans, actual justice happening to everyone, a real sign that shit is about to get even more ugly before the world improves
Coldest take of all time. And I say that despite the fact that S3 barely started. JJK S1 basically jumpstarted my love and appreciation for anime OST.
"Season 1 ED 2" Is beautiful too, the whole ending look like a phone recording with friends.
Nobody who has to write this before hot takes can be taken seriously.
And we saw what happened there. when reddit critics do not match with Japanese support critic. And all reddit fans were doing was trying to silence another group of people opinion. All theres left are deluded people who can't support the anime.
And it's not like that note does anything to prevent crucifixion.
The only explanations they skipped were the Ogi's and Hei's techniques and those techniques are the most visually self explanatory techniques ever. Anyone with eyes can figure the techniques out themselves. Not everything has to be included in anime, not everything has to be spoonfed.
Who are you to decide that? the Author himself added those explanations for his reader and fans. And is not up to you or anyone else, to say what other can critic.
I'm not deciding anything, it's the series director who's "adaptation" the manga in animated medium is deciding. It's the series director that the author himself loves it to the point he praised him multiple times and even took inspiration from his episodes during the final arc.
Really ties into the whole curse thing being more than a power system but that the characters are cursed. I mean, Yuji is literally possessed by a demon that overtakes his body to do horrible shit.
Even in terms of character, they are each one half of a whole being.
That isn’t to say that they shouldn’t have been treated better, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they are complete opposites of one another and imo, Mai‘s monologue at the end shows that them being the same is true to an extent.
And it’s not like they were only mistreated due to being twins.
Mai's monologue at the end reinforces the fact that despite the fact that Jujutsu (or the world or whatever) sees them as one person, they are not. Mai never wanted to prove herself to the clan, she never wanted to be acknowledged by them, she never wanted to be a sorcerer. She was content with just being with Maki. Mai never changed her mind from when they were kids but Maki grew up and realized that she couldn't have lived that life and be happy. To Maki, just being together with Mai wasn't enough.
>And it’s not like they were only mistreated due to being twins.
Hence why "Part of the tragedy"
I don't have problems with Mai's end, I just wished there were more stuff inbetween her and her schoolmates because they had a good dynamic together and as shown in Shibuya they are extremely close knit to the point they want to fight just because Mechamaru got killed and Miwa cries over it.
Truly a close knit squad it's shown on how Momo was gonna pull up on the Zen'ins even if she knows she's gonna most likely die she won't even probably get to the Hei's and even if she reaches one of em she instantly dies but she still goes to try and stop Mai or rescue her, there's some stuff with Kamo later on I can't go into, Mechamaru gets all of em on a fake mission so they aren't in danger, Utahime is adored by all her students, Miwa literally sacrifices her swordsmanship to just attempt to kill one of the strongest sorcerers in history as a grade 3 sorcerer and that includes Mai, Kamo and Momo pulling up to try and beat Kenny as well.
They really should've put more focus on them esp Mai before her death and especially the rest of the Kyoto students post Shibuya they just don't do anything and just exist, they honestly deserve more props in the story they are all much weaker than the main characters but they never falter or even hesitate to help others out especially their own Kyoto schoolmates.
when when you have to look it up its "Jujutsu Kaisen Jujutsu Kaisen ost"
Absolutely Insane output this man puts out and still the quality of his storyboards/direction never dips, well except when he was working under tremendous production issues of S2.
a lot of people aren't really enjoying where he's taking the series. the whole uproar over how things were changed in the latest episode is an example of that. many people would like the jjk anime to be a faithful adaptation of the manga, but i personally disagree. imo, theres nothing wrong with an anime just straight up being its own thing, almost unrecognizable from the manga. what gosso is doing is taking jjk, breaking it down, and rebuilding it from the ground up in his own image, and i love it. his vision is so unique and unorthodox- its amazing really
to be fair, a lot of it is completely valid, even if i dont really agree
https://x.com/i/status/2014441506959184027
https://x.com/i/status/2014435101099077867
https://x.com/i/status/2015482517575376955
https://x.com/i/status/2014364153813565504
https://x.com/i/status/2014389402446004392
https://x.com/i/status/2014585890430169286
there were def a lot more that i dont feel like going on a scavenger hunt to find, but that sums up a lot of it.
well also the whole schebang caused a stupid drama between overseas anime fans and jp anime fans, but thats a whole other can of worms that i dont feel like getting into
Guess as an anime only I can’t appreciate some of the complaints. While others I can understand but also see why the director chose aura farming instead.
My main disagreement is that I’ve never felt JJK’s strong point was the work. Rather I’ve always felt it was carried by Mappa’s animation and retelling (the lamp scene is amazing). But even then I felt the emotional weight of losing her sister and taking it out on everyone.
As far as the ‘work’ goes, I was impressed by the rules discussion but other parts of the story leave me feeling like there is something in JJK which does not translate well.
>They completely ignore the content and go full brain-dead like "Uooo!! God-tier animation!!" only hyping up the visuals.
I read the manga and I thought it was an awesome surprise when the scene came out differently than I expected. I was so happy with the episode and I couldn't imagine anyone would complain about it until I looked at social media.
Yes.
](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19mZWD3YxNY)
"Bastante" means "a lot" on one side of the scale and "little" on the other.
Because I cant really say it looks that good to me
Those are two different things, there is no correlation between good visuals and good animation. Good visuals depends on the composting artist and art director where as good animation depends the director and animators. JJK s1 had bad compositing at times but had great animation throughout to compensate that.
Season 2 and Season 3 looks far more visually pleasing with much more interesting art direction and comp. Every new season of JJk looks far better than previous one.
>I also dont like mappas character artstyle
There is no such thing as Mappa's character artstyles, each of their shows have different art style. It all depends on what the staff working on that show wants.
The weapon made used all of Mai's power and the little bit that Maki had. The Heavenly Restriction on Maki gets stronger with the less cursed energy. Zero energy = God.
She would be nowhere near latest episode Maki level though, and definitely not instantly. The problem is Mai doesn't have that drive to improve and train her technique, she couldnt really train it much with so little to work with too, Creation sounds like something that takes many years to master, meanwhile Maki already trained a lot in martial arts and stuff, so she could utilize her new power instantly.
S3 hasn't ended yet but I feel like the hopes of topping S1 OST are going to go towards S4
(Also, seeing how far Maki has come in the manga makes this look like a tutorial level now.)
Non reader and watcher of either the manga nor animated version here