REVIEW: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Recap Show is Perfect Entry Point

Before Yuji Itadori (Junya Enoki) ate a cursed finger and came to Jujutsu Tech, his teacher Satoru Gojo (Yûichi Nakamura) attended the school with his best friend Suguro Geto (Takahiro Sakurai). One day they were given a critical assignment that would set them on different paths that would put the dear friends on a collision course that would see them on opposite sides of a battle years later. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Recap Episode collects the narrative highlights of this journey for both them and those who came to be caught up in the conflict.

The front half of this recap episode walks the familiar path that viewers recently went on through the last five episodes of season two. The episode manages to encapsulate the “Hidden Inventory” arc well, as it follows Gojo and Geto’s mission to bring Riko Amanai (Anna Nagase) to Tengen, as well as the tragic repercussions of their mission. The episode manages to not just cover what one would think of as the core story beats but also manages to find time to highlight important character moments as well.

Most notable is the argument between Gojo and Geto on a basketball court concerning the importance of the weak and whether or not they needed to be protected. This moment, easily forgotten on first viewing, takes on far greater importance when one knows where the two will end up standing once the dust settles on the story.

While most of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Recap delivers the most important elements of the story in a surprisingly clear way, there is one moment that I feel isn’t handled with the best clarity. This is Geto’s chance meeting with Yuki Tsukomo (Noriko Hidaka). In the recap, we see Yuki explain how she strives to prevent curses rather than just endlessly fight them and how that sparks the idea in Geto’s mind that if they killed all the non-jujutsu sorcerers there wouldn’t be any curses.

The Season 2 recap ends with Yuki saying, “That’s a good idea”, seemingly indicating her approval and further solidifying Geto’s idea. This loses a significant amount of context as in the original scene Yuki follows up with a comment about how even she isn’t insane enough to try that. This feels like an indication that the idea isn’t actually good, just that it would be effective in reaching the end result. Losing this context feels like a misrepresentation of Yuki and the moment as a whole.

From here, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Recap Episode covers the key events of Jujutsu Kaisen 0. While it frames the events of the film with a heavier emphasis on Geto and Gojo than on the story it tells about Yuta Okkotsu (Megumi Ogata), it nonetheless does a great job of covering all the key moments of Yuta’s story as he struggles with his enduring grief.

Throughout the episode’s highlight reel of moments, there is an endless accompaniment of the best visual moments from both parts of the Jujutsu Kaisen story accompanying the truncated narrative. From the most touching narrative beats to the wildest moments of combat, MAPPA showcases some of their best work as the viewer enjoys this brief refresher on the recent elements of the franchise’s story.

So while diehard fans may not currently need to check out Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Recap Episode, as much of what it covers was released in the last month and a half, those looking to catch up will find a concise and functional encapsulation of what has been going on recently before the series returns in a couple of weeks onAugust 31, 2023.