REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen,’ Episode 6 – “After Rain”

Jujutsu Kaisen is a horror-action anime produced by MAPPA. Having gotten his heart ripped out by Sukuna, Itadori must make a deal with the curse if he wishes to have his life restored. But what sort of terms is the curse looking to impose on his captor? Meanwhile, Fushiguro and Kugisaki begin training for the upcoming student competition. Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 6 opens with an internal confrontation between Itadori and Sukuna. Trapped in Itadori’s dying body Sukuna proposes a contract between the two. If Itadori agrees, Sukuna will restore his heart and life will continue.

This scene overall plays out smoothly. The confrontation between the two co-inhabitants goes pretty much the way you would expect. Itadori continues to be out of his depth when dealing with Sukuna, something that is sure to come back around to bite him. and while Itadori played his part more or less as I’d expect, it was Sukuna that proved more surprising.

For a vicious, self-interested manifestation of negative energy, Sukuna actually plays the moment fairly cool and reasonably. I’m sure part of this is simply because he was able to get what he ultimately wants, whether it looks like he compromised or not. All the same, there was a lot more reason on his side of the conversation than I would’ve expected. Especially since, given there are more pieces of him out there, I would presume he wouldn’t fully die if Itadori expires.

Once the negotiations wrap up Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 6 moves forward with a rather somber moment. We see Fushiguro bringing the news to the woman whose son was trapped in the cursed area that they couldn’t save her son. This interaction is delivered well, and it gives us a glimpse into some of Fushiguro’s motivations. As he is clearly hurt by what he sees as a failure on his part to save the man’s life.

For most of the remaining run time of Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 6 we see the various students training. With Kugisaki and Fushiguro getting help from the second-year students, Itadori is trained separately by Gojou. This is largely due to Gojou’s decision to keep Itadori’s resurrection a secret for now.

These training moments are a solid blend of personal growth, world-building, and the off-kilter humor the show has established as the norm. While there is a moment or two that actively annoyed me with Itadori, overall these moments go over well. They break up the heavier tones of the opening sections of the show nicely.

The final element of Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 6 revolves around the mysterious individual who was shown last episode having a negotiation of his own with an unknown curse. This scene delivers the horror element for this episode, completing the standard Jujutsu Kaisen package of themes. The way this scene plays out easily made it the highlight of the episode for me. The stark terror of the random victims in contrast to the nonchalantness of the curse gives the scene an impressive impact. Coupled with the excellent animation MAPPA is known for and the scene really fires on all cylinders.

When all is said and done Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 6 delivers a strong performance. It gets characters going toward their next goals while developing villains, world-building and setting up future plot points. A lot to pack into half an hour. Wrap it all up with a cliff hanger that promises some of that much loved MAPPA fight animation for the next episode and there isn’t too much to complain about here.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 6 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.