Nonstandard (Kikaku-gai)
The battle between Aoi Todo, Yuji, and Hanami continues in episode 20 of Jujutsu Kaisen. The two best friends rush the special grade, cursed spirit. Hanami grabs Todo with one of its roots, flinging him towards a series of spikes it created. Aoi uses his Innate Technique: Boogie Woogie. He switches places with Hanami. Boogie Woogie is a simple technique that allows Aoi to “switch places with another person or object by clapping his hands.” As Yuji and Aoi attack Hanami, Aoi switches himself and Yuji multiple times. They disorient Hanami. The curse cannot tell if they’re being switched or if Aoi is moving Hanami. Suddenly, Yuji hits Hanami with four consecutive Black Flash strikes. With Hanami weakened by the attacks, Aoi prepares to exorcise Hanami.
Hanami uses Cursed Bud to absorb cursed energy from Yuji and Aoi. Todo switches Hanami and Yuji to protect Yuji. He prepared to block the attack with a cursed energy barrier. Aoi is reminded by Takada-chan about what happened to Megumi when he was injured by the Cursed Bud. Jujutsu Kaisen is interesting in that it sometimes answers or introduces issues that most Shonen wouldn’t. What I mean is that normally Aoi wouldn’t make the mistake of using the wrong technique in the first place or he would and suffer the consequences. Jujutsu Kaisen makes its characters feel more realistic by occasionally allowing them to make the wrong decision by correcting themselves quickly. This is even more surprising because Aoi initially seems like a dumb muscle head.
Gojo is untouchable
However, he is more emotionally mature than assumed and is smarter. Pushed to its limits, Hanami converts the nearby plant life into energy, forcing the flower on its shoulder to bud, revealing an eye. However, before Hanami can activate its Domain Expansion, Gojo ends the veil. The fandom is in love with Gojo. He a Bishonen character, who are known for their androgynous looks and “expressive eyes.” Gojo also is too powerful and would end every fight. As a result, he needs to be removed from interfering with a fight in order to make it competitive. It’s not much different from One punch Man. However, everyone knows Gojo is too strong. I’ll be curious how they remove him from now on or if Geto’s plan will actually work.
Regardless, Gojo continues to impress. After severing the limbs of Juzo Kumiya, he destroys the landscape by combining his Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue and Cursed Technique Reversal: Red to create his Hollow Purple technique. Hanami attempts to escape, but it’s unclear that whether it was exorcised or not. I think Hanami escaped, especially because it didn’t get to use its Domain Expansion. Mahito meanwhile stole Cursed Womb: Death Painting 1-3 and a Sukuna finger. The only downside to this episode is that much of the action outside the fight with Hanami feels like an afterthought. The fight between Juzo Kumiya and Gankuganji went nowhere, and Haruta and Utahime’s fight never starts. You can’t do everything, but I think they could have balanced all these fights better. The Kyoto Goodwill Event ends without a victor, except for Mahito.
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