REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ Episode 29 — “Premature Death”

With Toji Fushiguro (Takehito Koyasu) defeated, life returns to normal for the students of Jujutsu Tech. But as the battles continue to wear on, Suguru Geto (Takahiro Sakurai) feels himself being dragged down by the unending nature of it all. Is there a better way to handle the curse situation once and for all? And even if there was, would Geto be willing to do what has to be done to bring a conclusion to the endless fight in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 5, “Premature Death.”

This week’s entry opens sometime after last week’s episode concluded. Satoru Gojo (Yûichi Nakamura) continues to refine his cursed techniques, as we see him becoming the unstoppable force he is in the present day. His progress is already impressive, as he has grown to the point where some of his best techniques are now automatic, exponentially increasing their usefulness. 

While on the face of it, Gojo’s improvements are impressive, their biggest impact on Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 5 is that it causes him and Geto to be split up in the field. With Gojo able to handle most challenges on his own, it makes sense to split him off from Geto so they can get more done in a shorter amount of time. While this decision makes practical sense, it has a supremely negative impact on Geto.

Working on his own, Geto is soon worn down by the unending toil of fighting curses. Exorcising and absorbing curses is unpleasant in the extreme for him. Described in his own words as “tasting like eating a dirty rag used to clean up shit and puke,” the effort to face each new fight becomes increasingly difficult without his friend by his side. He soon begins to look far more harshly at those in the world who are not sorcerers, as it is they that cause curses to be born.

The pivotal moment in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 5 comes when Geto has a run-in with special-grade sorcerer Yuki Tsukomo (Noriko Hidaka). It is revealed that Tsukomo is at odds with the rest of the jujutsu community over a dispute concerning the methods sorcerers employ. While most see it as their duty to fight curses, Tsukomo feels this is not enough. Seeing this approach as akin to treating the symptoms of a disease rather than the cause, Tsukomo believes that they should focus on preventing curses from being created in the first place. She believes that training non-sorcerers in techniques to help them control the flow of cursed energies from their bodies would alleviate the birth of curses in the first place.

While Tsukomo’s goals and methods are admirable, the discussion sparks an unexpected idea in Geto’s mind. If non-sorcerers are the cause of curses, wouldn’t the fighting stop if there were no non-sorcerers in the world? This line of reasoning leads Geto to perform a horrible act of slaughter in his first step toward realizing his new goal.

The atrocity that Geto commits at the moment he snaps is handled with a skill that further increases my admiration for MAPPA. While one might expect a spectacle of curse summons and grisly kills, the studio understands that this moment is not meant to wow, but to sadden. The more reserved presentation is skillfully utilized to capture the emotion of the moment rather than showcase Geto’s power. While this deprives Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 5 of its only potential combat sequence, having an entry without it is well worth it for the emotional force the studio imparts in Geto’s fall.

The episode closes with a confrontation between Geto and Gojo as the latter tries to come to terms with what his friend has become. The moment would be hard-hitting under any circumstances, but it is even more so due to Gojo’s character. For the first time in Jujutsu Kaisen, we see Gojo looking truly powerless. His inability to sway or stop his friend creates a vulnerability in Gojo we haven’t seen before. This moment also adds a pang of sadness to Gojo’s perpetual smile, as one cannot help but wonder if he wears it to mask the hurt he carries from this loss.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 5 delivers an emotional tale that is crucial for the evolving story. Armed with our new understanding of Gojo and Geto, the episode closes with a return to the present, indicating that we will be seeing the fruits of the past begin to ripen as the series pushes forward from here.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 5 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll with new Jujutsu Kaisen episodes every Thursday.