呪術廻戦 0 東京都立呪術高等専門学校

I was intrigued by this “prequel” and how it would play out storywise considering we have a different protagonist and circumstances.

Some may see Yuta as the precursor for Yuji, basically the mold for this one; yet I believe this is partially correct in many ways, but he becomes a character on his own with contrasting goals and personalities to Yuji. For instance, while Yuji aspires to find a way to “die a proper death” while remaining charismatic and positive in his journey, Yuta, on the other hand, aspires to “live his life to the fullest” while dealing with his own insecurities and overcoming both his literal and personal demons.

Keeping in mind this was supposed to be a one-shot, I can otherwise overlook how it jumped from different events towards a huge, full-on war between sorcerers that we hardly experience save for the climactic one. We also get the backgrounds of key characters in Jujutsu Kaisen as well as how their lives were affected by Yuta, but the final fight scene not only incredibly wraps up the entire volume, but also paves way for the events that we already familiar with. Not only that but it has, in my opinion, the second-best fight in the series (so far), coming close to Yuji's fight in Vol. 4. Both of these have several themes, motifs, and development in common, but the key point is how even in these fights, both protagonists are again beautifully juxtaposed, making Yuji's better for having more build-up as well as being a turning point in the character.

Nevertheless, it's a great volume that honestly deserves the praise. Hopefully, the author will use Yuta in the future because it's such a great character that'll be a waste to misuse him.