REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen,’ Episode 20 – “Nonstandard”

Jujutsu Kaisen is a horror-action anime produced by MAPPA. With Itadori and Toudou’s fight against the special grade curse at a standstill, Toudou prepares to utilize a new technique in the hopes of giving them the edge they need. While they continue their confrontation, the two schools’ various faculty members have not been idle as they strive to aid their besieged students in Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 20.

Throughout this series, there has been no shortage of surprising reveals. This is particularly true where new fighting techniques are concerned. Every character delivers new and exciting potential to the world’s vividly animated fight sequences. And while the techniques themselves have been impressive, the aspect of them I’ve loved the most is in how the show delivers them.

Generally, new abilities are introduced when a character first appears. This establishes the core of the fighter’s techniques and style. This is important to do. Since otherwise, far-out powers appearing in a moment of convenience begin to feel like opportune plot armor. Unfortunately, Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 20 begins straying into this realm with its delivery of not one but numerous new abilities by Toudou as the battle with the special grade curse continues.

Ever since his first appearance, Toudou has been established as arguably the most powerful of the student characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. This episode sees him expand his already impressive arsenal with a bevy of new tricks. These tricks take him from being the fast and powerful fighter he was previously presented as and adds some potent support abilities that greatly escalate his already high combat potential.

Armed with these never-before-seen techniques, the duo push their new advantage against their opponent. And while the special grade curse spends most of the episode on the back foot, he has a few tricks of his own to challenge Toudou’s expanding arsenal.

In the back half of Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 20, the show also takes some time to catch up with the various faculty members we saw moving to save the students two episodes ago. While these moments don’t amount to much, we learn a bit more about a couple of their personalities. While I would’ve loved to see more of what these characters bring to the battlefield, these moments provide a well-timed break from the episode’s main battle.

As another combat-heavy episode, Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 20 revels in the amazing fight choreography and animation style that MAPPA always brings to this series. While everything here is both designed and executed with the utmost skill, there is a standout moment that blew me away. At one point during their battle, the special grade curse conjures up a huge blossom made up of dozens of the little teeth-filled buds he has wielded previously. A close-up of these terrifying blossoms utilizes a slightly different art style from the rest of the episode. This makes the moment pop so much.

When taken all together, Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 20 delivers loads of stylish action and cool moments. While the experience is mildly tainted by the all too convenient appearance of heretofore unseen abilities, it is still a fun ride to enjoy.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 20 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.