REVIEW
“I’ve always believed love manifests the most distorted curses.”
It is a little bit weird to start the manga with a prequel. Despite the volume being 0, this book actually does not precede the first volumes. I am unaware of their publication; however, I do know that this book came later than the others.
Anyway, I don’t think that it’s a bad idea to begin with this volume. One reason is because it gave introductions to the characters and the magical system of the series’ world. The second would be because it felt like such a natural progression that you wouldn’t get overwhelmed by the information — despite quite a number being thrown at you in one novel — and it wasn’t, at all, underwhelming even though it was such a short one volume history.
I am impressed Gege Akutami. How he managed to really flesh out his characters and draw out emotions from them as if they were a real, living being. The relationships between the characters was absolutely impressive as well. They compliment each other well and despite the circumstances of difference, they blended together by understanding one another in a deeply emotional level.
Before deciding to start the manga series, I have actually already watched all the available anime episodes. With that in mind, I did have a good grasp on the story, who the characters are, and how the world works. That being said, I would like to reiterate how this book can still work as your first read from the series instead of volume 1; however, I do suggest reading this volume later on once you’ve read volumes 1 to 9 since (according to a little Reddit research) that is where the arc divulges. [See Reddit post here.]
Anyway, this was an impressive beginning to my Jujutsu Kaisen reading journey and I believe that it definitely add a level of enthusiasm for me to pursue reading the series. Especially getting to know Okkotsu Yuta. He’s such a small potato with an enormous power yet I still want to protect him.
