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EP. REVIEW: Jujutsu Kaisen


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ThatMoonGuy



Joined: 13 Oct 2017
Posts: 364
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:37 am Reply with quote
Agent355 wrote:

I’m of two minds about the trope; On the one hand I think stories might be less predictable and could better promote a message that an individual’s efforts should be more important than who their parents/family/clan were if more stories avoided or deconstructed the trope; on the other, that family reveal hooked me on Star Wars as a kid and I still have a soft spot for them.


It's funny that when The Last Jedi was released some people got REALLY upset spoiler[because Rey was no one, she didn't come from any big family]. There sure are some expectations that important people in fictional stories can't come from nowhere and when they do people might feel... cheated somehow. It's an interesting fact but it's also kiiinda problematic as it all ultimately all boils down to something that could be easily construed as eugenics. In JJK's case this is specially odd to see given that the series really shows dislike towards this kind of 'bloodline obsession' (Fushiguro at least expressed so) yet Gojo, Fushiguro spoiler[Yuuta ] and (spoilers from recent chapters of the manga) spoiler[Yuuji] all have relevant heritages.
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LastPage 3



Joined: 13 Jun 2010
Posts: 190
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:57 am Reply with quote
Media tend to use the special family trope because it's an easy and understandable way to explain why exactly a character is powerful and important, especially if they're young and new to their society.

JJK is interesting in that it actually gets into why this can be a toxic mindset. Because of the way jujutsu works (only a small subset of people are born with the ability to use cursed energy, a smaller subset of those are born with techniques, an even smaller subset of those are useful techniques, said useful techniques tend to concentrate in long and storied clans), you get a highly stratified society that's controlled by a bunch of old men who actively fight change and there's very little avenue to create change.

That's where characters like Gojo come in. He's the strongest sorcerer alive, a guy of impeccable pedigree. It wouldn't be impossible for him to just take over the jujutsu world or even wipe out the higher ups, but he realizes that wouldn't actually change anything. So he devotes his efforts to saving and mentoring people like Yuji, Yuta and Megumi, young people who would normally either be subsumed or eliminated by the system, but instead giving them an opportunity to change it.
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:10 am Reply with quote
ThatMoonGuy wrote:
Agent355 wrote:

I’m of two minds about the trope; On the one hand I think stories might be less predictable and could better promote a message that an individual’s efforts should be more important than who their parents/family/clan were if more stories avoided or deconstructed the trope; on the other, that family reveal hooked me on Star Wars as a kid and I still have a soft spot for them.


It's funny that when The Last Jedi was released some people got REALLY upset spoiler[because Rey was no one, she didn't come from any big family]. There sure are some expectations that important people in fictional stories can't come from nowhere and when they do people might feel... cheated somehow. It's an interesting fact but it's also kiiinda problematic as it all ultimately all boils down to something that could be easily construed as eugenics. In JJK's case this is specially odd to see given that the series really shows dislike towards this kind of 'bloodline obsession' (Fushiguro at least expressed so) yet Gojo, Fushiguro spoiler[Yuuta ] and (spoilers from recent chapters of the manga) spoiler[Yuuji] all have relevant heritages.

Totally agree that heritage/bloodline obsessions have some nasty eugenics implications underneath the surface, and it doesn’t have to be intentional to be problematic. On the other hand, Star Wars. *Sigh* Was anyone surprised that in The Rise of Skywalker spoiler[Rey was revealed to be Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter? Because of course she couldn’t have descended from “nobody”, it’s Star Wars. Rolling Eyes ]
On those recent JJK manga revelations: spoiler[ Yuuji was confirmed as having an important Jujutsu Sorcerer heritage? I KNEW IT! Very Happy Can you specify what chapter this is revealed in? I want to confirm my prediction! Thanks!]
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ThatMoonGuy



Joined: 13 Oct 2017
Posts: 364
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:50 am Reply with quote
Agent355 wrote:
On those recent JJK manga revelations: spoiler[ Yuuji was confirmed as having an important Jujutsu Sorcerer heritage? I KNEW IT! Very Happy Can you specify what chapter this is revealed in? I want to confirm my prediction! Thanks!]


spoiler[It was on chapter 143 or 142, IIRC. It was revealead that his mother was... welll Noritoshi Kamo who had implanted his brain into a woman's body and then birthed Yuuji]
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:01 pm Reply with quote
That’s it; I finally gave in and renewed my Viz Shonen Jump app subscription! Been meaning to do it eventually and catching up on the whole Jujutsu Kaisen manga was a very compelling reason! (Not that $1.99/month is hard to swing. Thanks for the bargain, Viz!)

LastPage 3 wrote:
Media tend to use the special family trope because it's an easy and understandable way to explain why exactly a character is powerful and important, especially if they're young and new to their society.

JJK is interesting in that it actually gets into why this can be a toxic mindset. Because of the way jujutsu works (only a small subset of people are born with the ability to use cursed energy, a smaller subset of those are born with techniques, an even smaller subset of those are useful techniques, said useful techniques tend to concentrate in long and storied clans), you get a highly stratified society that's controlled by a bunch of old men who actively fight change and there's very little avenue to create change.

That's where characters like Gojo come in. He's the strongest sorcerer alive, a guy of impeccable pedigree. It wouldn't be impossible for him to just take over the jujutsu world or even wipe out the higher ups, but he realizes that wouldn't actually change anything. So he devotes his efforts to saving and mentoring people like Yuji, Yuta and Megumi, young people who would normally either be subsumed or eliminated by the system, but instead giving them an opportunity to change it.

I totally get what they’re going for with Gojo; I just think it would be more impactful and thematically consistent if he focused his undermining the Old Clans by recruiting Muggle Borns, so to speak.
(Actually, Harry Potter is a good example of a fantasy story playing with and, to some extent, deconstructing “Special Bloodlines” and “Chosen One” tropes. More series about people with powers should have “Muggle Born” equivalents).
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