REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen,’ Episode 12 – “To You, Someday”

Jujutsu Kaisen is a horror-action anime produced by MAPPA. With the death of his mother, Junpei follows the preachings of his curse teacher and goes to kill all he wishes at his High School. Learning of the situation, and against the wishes of Kento, Itadori rushes to confront his new friend and attempts to stem the violence. The entirety of Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 12 is focused on Itadori’s confrontation with Junpei. As Itadori arrives, what he discovers threatens to overwhelm him. This person he has so many recent fond memories with has unleashed so much pain. Rather than asking why though, Itadori launches into his attempt to stop him. This leads to a violent confrontation between the two fledgling friends.

While Itadori’s rashness works against him, as it often seems to, it is also utilized here to give the story a chance to grow his character. This gives Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 12 the opportunity to be more than a cool, episode-long fight sequence. Though it is that too.

Like so many other shonen protagonists, Itadori shares the common trait of compassion. Though in this instance, his compassion leads him into a bitter conflict within himself. While he doesn’t understand why Junpei is lashing out with his abilities, he can see his friend is hurting. The person before him is not the same as the one he spent an evening laughing and making movie references with. He cares, but he must also look to the people who are being threatened by Junpei’s actions. They have not chosen this situation, as Junpei has. No matter what Junpei’s reasons are, he is doing something wrong. Itadori acts on his instincts, though he clearly doesn’t like it.

While Itadori’s conflict is the center of Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 12’s narrative, Junpei’s struggle is equally hard-hitting. As his world shatters around him with the loss of his one stable, positive influence, his confusion and anger are palpable in not only his dialogue but the way he visually presents himself.

This emotional conflict is delivered to its fullest effect throughout the episode. As the situation evolves around the two primary characters the feelings on display only deepen. This creates an ever-growing sense of impact and urgency to the episode’s story.

The fighting in Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 12 hits hard. With Itadori and Junpei both drawing the fuel to fight from places of pain and betrayal, the fight sequence takes on a heavier tone than just pretty aesthetics. Though it has plenty of that too. Seeing Junpei’s combat techniques for the first time was interesting, as he displays more combat prowess than I was expecting.

When it all comes together, Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 12 delivers a high watermark for the show. While I haven’t been as all about this series as many others, this episode definitely goes a long way to pushing it into the place of high honors many anime fans talk about it deserving. I find myself eagerly anticipating what will come next as the events of this episode continue to play out.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 12 is streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll.