REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen,’ Episode 21 – “Jujutsu Koshien”

Jujutsu Kaisen is a horror-action anime produced by MAPPA. As the Jujutsu schools find their bearings after the recent attack on Jujutsu Tech, the faculty decide to continue the Exchange Event. But while the students are distracted by their friendly baseball game, the teachers take stock of what happened during the battle. Plus, we learn more about the objectives of the cursed spirits in Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 21.

After a string of high-octane, combat-filled episodes, it’s nice to take a break with a humor-filled filler episode. And while I’ve often been critical of Jujutsu Kaisen for having awkwardly placed humor in its narratives, everything here runs smoothly as the show takes some time to have fun with the many oddities among its cast.

The bulk of Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 21 is its semi-competitive baseball game. Almost every student has their moment on the field, with some genuinely fun results. And for once, my favorite moment of the episode actually focused on Toudou. However, that may be because Maika beans him when he’s up to bat. And everyone’s reaction to the moment is truly priceless.

I also want to give a special shout-out to Mechamaru’s newly revealed “body.” Its reveal is a perfect comedic moment that is made even better by Kugisaki’s reaction to it.

While most of the student-focused time in this episode is centered on the fun, the show lets them have some emotional moments as well. There is one moment where Itadori and Kugisaki visit Fushiguro as he recovers from injuries sustained during the attack. This moment between the big three of this series is a highlight of the episode. There is a natural flow to the conversation. The way the scene is written does a good job of delivering the awkward, though heartfelt, sentimentality of its characters.

While the students have their fun, the faculty have some serious problems they struggle to address. It seems the attack on Jujutsu Tech was more than it seems. But the faculty aren’t the only ones taking stock of the situation, as the school’s recent assailants also spend the episode regrouping and measuring the success of their raid.

Seeing that the assault on Jujutsu Tech was more than just a mindless attack was a happy turn of events for me. I like the multilayered plot the curses appear to have. The plot within a plot approach makes me curious to see what the final few episodes will bring as we move closer and closer to the season finale.

While Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 21 doesn’t provide any opportunities for MAPPA to show off its trademark gorgeous fight animation, it utilizes its vast skill with visuals to make the humor throughout the Exchange Event baseball game land with extra effectiveness.

When all is said and done, Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 21 delivers an excellent lighthearted episode after the non-stop action of the previous arc. With just a dash of story and emotion, all the humor makes this episode a moment to catch our breath before we enter the final run to the finale.

Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 21 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.