It's kind of weird in a flattering way to find a show that feels very specifically made for me, but that's kind of the only way I can sum up this show.

It's nothing particularly special, hitting some heavily trodden but strong ground of shounen fundamentals, with blood traced from all across the medium. Its characters are round but mostly stagnant, leading up to particular characterization an arc will allot for before being put back to their primary roles. These characters will toy around with themes that have decent range, sometimes going outside the primary scope of the question of "what do you think of your role in this life" but not leading to much exploration at all beyond what the characters care about. Action follows a very stringent formula where a power structure is explained as a fight progresses and/or characters monologue their analysis of the fight. Hell, it even makes an in-universe explanation for narration of character mechanics. This has a worldbuilding edge in that it grounds that narration, but it's still lampshading JJK's comfort in wanting to tell as it shows.

Despite all this that might paint a more bland picture, Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most colorful paintings I've fallen in love with recently, if not one of the few animes that have gotten me back into watching some of the medium at all. The simple explanation, is that I'm a devout lover of a lot of the heart poured into it. The animation is pristine, never skipping a beat with its juxtaposition of cursed-magic lining vs. grounded general human lining, and leading to some absolutely excellent fight choreography and direction. The show in general just has a powerful hand to it, that draws you into the broad strokes of "WEEEEEE THIS IS SO MUCH FUNNNN" into its downtime strokes of "fuckkk that hurt".

It appeals to the things I love, a hogwarts with a cavalcade of memorable personalities, all with powers that not only reflect the user but genuinely reflect their growth. A wonderful throughline of comedy that elevates the chemistry and dialogue, with Nice Pitch being a particular joke I'm never going to get over, but even the Juju Strolls at the end of every episode might as well be the best joke strips I've seen in shounen. The world is 'grounded', in that all the power systems really just service the characters, where the biggest steps a person takes to be stronger has to actively be a force that challenges the way they think about life and their worldview. It's a classic writing style that still makes me squeal.

Jujutsu Kaisen just combines into this throbbing culmination of lovely personality, with attention to tone and detail. If there's one thing that I'm disappointed about right now, it's that the path is extraordinarily unclear with what it's really building up to. The point of the show still really escapes me, and I struggle with whether or not the messages it has given so far will really resonate long after the anime reaches its conclusion after multiple seasons. Even still, this first season is such an exciting path I can't wait to jog down again.

Also Satoru Gojo is really hot I want to FUCK him