REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen,’ Episode 7 – “Assault”

Jujutsu Kaisen is a horror-action anime produced by MAPPA. As Gojou is heading for a meeting with Jujutsu Tech’s principal he inexplicably gets out of the vehicle that was transporting him to his meeting. Turns out, there is a curse waiting to attack. And it’s none other than the mysterious fiery curse that torched all those people last episode. With Gojou being isolated on a lonely mountainside road can he handle what will come next?

Up until this point Jujutsu Kaisen has taken a very tell, don’t show approach to Gojou’s jujutsu abilities. However, this week’s episode is dedicated almost exclusively to showcasing just how devastatingly powerful the jujutsu master is. And to be frank, it’s pretty impressive.

While the visual spectacle throughout Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 7 is eye-catching, the story also uses the conflict to delve further into the intricacies of how jujutsu works. In particular, it’s high-level combat. Specifically, it explores a concept called Domain Expansion. These techniques involve warping reality around the combatants, giving the user a noticeable advantage in the battle. We see a couple of examples of these domains, and in classic MAPPA execution, they are presented through sleek visual transformations and cool effects.

While the battle focused on by Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 7 is extremely cool, it does lack any weight. It is quickly established that the curse who has sought out Gojou has bitten off substantially more than he can chew. With Gojou being so nonchalant about the fight that midway through their confrontation he warps out to pick up Itadori and returns, deciding to use the moment as a training session.

While this lack of weight may be mildly detrimental for some in this moment, I think it overall helps the story in the long run. Fully establishing Gojou as a force to be reckoned with is something worth dedicating a full episode too. And the way they reference other moments in the show, comparing how the curse in this episode and some of the techniques the combatants utilize here stack up to previously seen encounters further cements who is where on the power rankings. I appreciate the bit of clarity. Especially as concepts of who is stronger than who in many of these shows can be left frustratingly vague.

As previously mentioned, the visuals for Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 7 are fantastic. The combat is easily the best we’ve got from the series to date, and MAPPA clearly wanted to go all out to wow its audience. Given the high bar the company has set in the series up to this point, it’s no small task. But happily, they manage to nail it.  Along with sheer style, the other strength this sequence has is its uniqueness.

The last major fight scene that Jujutsu Kaisen delivered was between Sukuna and the special level curse confronted in episode 4. And that fight was fairly lacking in anything other than two opponents wailing, rather unoriginally on each other. Happily, this fight scene delivers way more variety in its action.

When all is said and done Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 7 delivers a lot of cool visuals while further establishing the place of one of its key characters. It’s a fun ride, even if there doesn’t feel like there are any stakes in the visually stunning combat it delivers.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 7 is streaming now exclusively on Crunchyroll.