REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ Episode 34 — “Pandemonium”

With Satoru Gojo (Yûichi Nakamura) defeated and about to be sealed away, the balance of power looks to be shifting in the world. But there may yet be a window in which his allies can rescue Gojo before his sealed prison is whisked away. With the help of the recently deceased  Mechamaru (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Trigun Stampede), Yuji Itadori (Junya Enoki) and Mei Mei (Kotono Mitsuishi, Neon Genesis: Evangelion) learn of the situation and begin to act in order to recover their fallen comrade in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 10.

The biggest accomplishment this episode manages to achieve is how well it maintains the urgency of the moment, despite the fact that it is ultimately an episode comprised of setup and explanation. Very little happens during Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 10, as most critical characters are only now discovering what has transpired within Shibuya Station. Nevertheless, some interesting finds are made, not the least of which are by Gojo himself, just before he is sealed away.

While participating in one last verbal sparring match with the curse that currently possesses Geto’s body, Gojo calls out to his old friend to fight the possession and help him. Even as the curse begins to scoff at this act, Geto’s right arm begins to move and grabs its own throat in an attempt to strangle itself. Given that Geto’s mind had been completely removed by the possessing curse, it seemed unlikely that anything of Geto would remain within. This clear showing of free will contradicts this, creating a huge variable in the curses’ plan if the former sorcerer can find a way to enforce more of his will upon his body.

While Gojo performs his last acts of defiance towards his captors, Itadori and Mei are alerted to the unfolding situation by a Mechamaru drone that was set up previously so that, in the event of his death, it could warn them of what has happened. After some tense explanations of why the duo should listen to his instructions, the pair split up, with Itadori off to inform the others of the unfolding situation while Mei stays behind to hold off a pair of approaching cursed spirits.

It is Itadori’s mad rush to warn the others and get in touch with Kento Nanami (Kenjirô Tsuda, To Your Eternity) so he can enlist the sorcerer’s aid in enacting a plan that shines the brightest in this episode. The urgency with which Itadori moves in his mad dash is delivered magnificently by MAPPA. The gravity of the moment plays out beautifully in the way the show presents him blasting past opponents, defeating them with clinical precision so he can continue on his trek.

Once he reaches the top of a nearby building, Itadori begins calling out to everyone what has happened to Gojo, as well as summoning Nanami to his location. The way MAPPA works the camera, the high-flying pans around Itadori as he cries out his news, as well as how the series shows the reaction to said news is excellent. The scope of the moment, despite only involving a small handful of people, feels tremendous in scale, largely thanks to the superb camera work.

While the Itadori, Nanami, and Memchamru make their plans, we return to the curses, awaiting the finalization of Gojo’s imprisonment to learn what their agenda holds next. While Geto must stand guard and wait to be able to remove Gojo’s prison from the area, the rest decide to make a game out of hunting down and killing Itadori.

With plans in place and new angles of attack conceived of, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 10 wraps up with both sides of the conflict setting out to make their next moves. If Gojo cannot be freed, it will change the course of history. But how can the sorcerers face the coming storm so recently bereft of their most powerful ally?

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.