Episode 14, “Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event”
Jujutsu Kaisen returns after a brief break. Episode 14, “Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event – Team Battle, Part 0” begins the Kyoto Goodwill Event arc. Jojo, Geto, and Mahito discuss their plans after failing. Mahito realizes that Sukuna is “valuable,” and believes that they should focus on winning him over. Jojo is willing to everything possible, even if they die. Geto already sets a plan in motion. Elsewhere, Gojo and Yuji decided on a plan to reintroduce Yuji to his friends. At the Tokyo school, Nobara arrives with luggage. She falsely believes that they were going to the Kyoto school. Jujutsu Kaisen once again mentions Yuta Okkotsu. The buildup for this character makes me want to see his skills. So it’s working.
The Kyoto jujutsu students arrive and we get formal introductions. The student group comprises Ultimate Mechamaru, Nishimiya Momo, Kamo Noritoshi, Zenin Mai, and Toudou Aoi. All are second or third years, giving them the advantage over the Tokyo team. Gojo arrives late and makes a big deal about Yuji’s return. Megumi and Nobara aren’t moved. The Kyoto students don’t care, but it pisses Principal Gakuganji Yoshinobu off. Gojo loves antagonising him. If my knowledge with anime is any sign, old people are usually badasses. Gojo may be stronger than him, but I still wouldn’t mess with him. Anyway, Yuji reunites with his friends.
Principal Masamichi Yaga explains the rules of the team battle: “The first team to exorcise the grade 2 curse lurking around the battlefield wins. Its also populated with many grade 3 and lower curses. If the grade 2 isn’t exorcised by sunset, the team with the most exorcisms win.” The students must reframe from killing or severally wounding each other. However, during the Kyoto team meeting, principal Gakuganji orders them to kill Yuji. He considers Yuji to be Sukuna’s vessel and nothing more. The Kyoto team plans on ganging up on him. Jujutsu Kaisen is making the case for Kyoto, being the source of mole. We have learned little about Geto’s past, but I think he was a student at Kyoto.
What is Megumi capable of
A common theme of this episode was: the hyping of characters whose abilities haven’t been seen. This was the case for Gojo and now Megumi, Okkotsu, and Toge. At this point in the series, I feel like we know little about most of the characters’ abilities. This isn’t a criticism, but more of an observation. Regardless, we get some information on Toge’s abilities. He uses cursed speech. This ability allows him to “infuse his words with Cursed Energy to improve the spirit of his commands, forcing all those who hear it to obey.”
This ability has downsides. If he uses it against a target with more cursed energy, it will take a toll on his body. While we have seen some of Megumi’s abilities, Sukuna has pointed out that he has a special ability. Kamo Noritoshi warns against Zenin underestimating him, pointing out that Megumi is “the most talented in the Zenin Family.” Hopefully, Jujutsu Kaisen will stop teasing us in the next episode.
I see that scene where Yuji posed like they were a team getting ready for a fight made it in the anime. I always found that scene funny. It’s like “We’re gettin’ ready for a fight-” and then he gets undercut with a joke. It’s always funny when stories make fun of their own tropes.
I like that Jujutsu Kaisen makes fun of Shonen tropes. It will definitely help set it apart.