REVIEW: ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ Episode 47 — “Shibuya Incident – Gate, Closed”

With a moment of calm descending on the battlefield,  Kamo Noritoshi (Satoshi Hino, Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut) exchanges words with Yuki Tsukomo (Noriko Hidaka) as he unleashes the next step in his plan, which will change Japan forever in  Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 23, “Shibuya Incident – Gate Closed.”

The penultimate episode of this season’s run brings much talking and information as Japan reels from the recent crisis in Shibuya. With Noritoshi unleashing an unprecedented number of courses upon the area, it looks like the situation is doomed to get worse before it has a chance of getting better.

With little exception, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 23 is an endless stream of information as what is happening and how people will respond to the crisis are explored. While everything delivered is important for the viewer to understand, as it sets the groundwork for the future, it can feel like a slough at times. As news reports and reactions from government officials merge into one continuous stream, the viewer is left feeling detached from the moment as they wonder what is happening with the characters they care about. The minimalistic visual presentation furthers the sense of detachment from much of this episode. Long shots of government officials sitting around conference tables and civilians learning about the unfolding situation from their TVs do little to pull the viewer in.

The biggest moment for fans in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 23 is likely to be the reappearance of Yuta Okkotsu (Megumi Ogata), last seen in Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Seen saving a young girl from one of the countless curses unleashed by Noritoshi, Yuta returns in the only exciting moment the episode delivers. But it seems that his presence in the show may be one of antagonism, as it is shown that he has been recruited to hunt down Yuji Itadoi (Junya Enoki) as his death sentence has been reinstated. This setup for the series’ future has a lot of promise, as both Yuji and Yuta have been well-liked by fans, and seeing them fight will bring a lot of mixed feelings for the audience to grapple with.

Along with Yuji’s death sentence being reinstated, the episode also sees orders concerning some other key characters sent out. The biggest of these is that Satoru Gojo is not to be released from his prison. Given how critical the character has been in holding back the danger of curses, and how much his power would seem all the more important now, this declaration is bizarre on the face of it. One can infer political motives for the move, given that Gojo always happily butted heads with those who run Jujutsu society, given his unique powers. The presence of such political motivations in the immediate aftermath of such a calamitous event does not bode well for the future.

The final element that Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 23 teases is an upcoming confrontation between Tsukomo and Tengen. The moment that Tsukomo declares a meeting with the oft-talked-about cornerstone of Jujutsu is needed is one of the more compelling of the episode. The prospect of actually seeing the character who has stood so prominently in the shadows of the plot up till now is exciting. Combined with how little we know about Tsukomo, the sheer level of mystery surrounding such an occurrence creates a compelling concept in and of itself.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 23 has some struggles with its near-relentless bombardment of information. Still, it feels like a necessary evil to get the viewer’s understanding of the aftermath of the recent confrontation up to speed. While it may suffer in the moment, it feels like what it sets up will more than makeup for the momentary hiccup in the proceedings.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.