I'll start by saying that I'm writing this review to voice my opinion and not to change anyone's mind or discount anyone else's opinion. That should go without saying but you'd be surprised how many people need the reminder.

I wish I could take the whole series of Jujutsu Kaisen apart then rearrange all of the pieces in a very different configuration and then view it again. I'd bet that version would get a 10 from me. My issue with JJK is not the story, or the characters, or the pacing, or even the animation. All those things are top tier. I do believe, however, that the structure of this anime failed the narrative. Let's talk about it.

Why would any story play a narrative out of sequential order? To build tension. Tension is the magic sauce that makes us want to watch a show from beginning to end. It is what makes is watch at the edge of our seats and exclaim that what we just watched was a "masterpiece." And I am aware that even though I'm about to go on a rant as to why I feel that this season of JJK lacked tension, most people watching the series did not have that same experience. I still feel like I need to vent, so I shall. For JJK S2, it seemed like all the non-linear storytelling did was make stuff completely lack tension (in places where we knew people who were alive and well) or make more confusion (in places where we had forgotten the status of things due to the time shenanigans). There wasn't a single moment in which I felt like there was information suppression that led to more tension... hell, I didn't feel like there was any information suppression period. Isn't that the idea behind non-linear storytelling? You are supposed to withhold some information that then becomes relevant at the point in which you go back into the timeline. But this didn't feel like it was the case for any of JJK's seasons. We knew already that Gojo and Geto had been friends and although we didn't know the details of their fallout (and it was fun to see) that whole plot would have been great as a way to round out Geto's character and have him evolve and regress in the current timeline, but the answer actually is that none of that Geto backstory matters to the current situation AT ALL. If Geto isn't Geto, does it matter why Geto went rogue?

Another serious issue I have with S2 is the poor way that escalation of conflict is handled. I do get that the whole point is trying to bombard the senses, but I do feel that in any kind of narrative that kind of over-stimulation rides on a very fine line that if crossed, results in diminishing returns. I loved everything that had to do with Sukuna and what that would mean for Itadori. I looked forward to seeing the aftermath of that (as it pertains to Itadori's development, I mean) but it was cut short -- not even short, just cut-- due to our main character having to deal with Nanami being in trouble.... okay. Fine. At this point, I still feel like we are in a good place and that I understand everything that is happening, and that hey, maybe we deal with helping Nanami now and the ramifications of Sukuna later.. but after Nanami.... another issue arises and now we haven't dealt with 2 very important situations. And we can't because we have YET ANOTHER situation to take care of with Mahito and our teammates. And here's where I felt like none of the cool concepts that the situations brought up would be addressed in a meaningful way (( I do understand that they might be addressed -- probably WILL be addressed-- in future seasons, but the impact that a more immediate reaction would have had on the viewer cannot be discounted))

If all these impactful situations could have been separate events instead of one big cluster... I think the impact would have been more pronounced and more.... FELT. I didn't feel much. Everything looked good, I understood what they were doing, but I stopped feeling anything past Nanami's "vacation" ((hell, I was already disappointed after Sukuna's visit, let's be honest))

I struggle with my review of this season because I do see where they were trying to do something, and I do appreciate it, but the structure of it all left me feeling more disappointed than energized. Maybe a second watch would be a better viewing experience since you'll be more resigned to what is coming next... but I wish I could review it in a different order and with a lot more time to reflect between earth-shattering events.