Plot: A veil abruptly descends over the busy Shibuya area amid the bustling Halloween crowds, trapping countless civilians inside. Satoru Gojo, the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, steps into the chaos. But lying in wait are curse users and spirits scheming to seal him away. Yuji Itadori, accompanied by his classmates and other top-tier jujutsu sorcerers, enters the fray in an unprecedented clash of curses — the Shibuya Incident.
Review: During a year when the secret to owning the box office eludes some of Hollywood’s safest bets, a dark horse is riding high in the form of anime. In September, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle sent shockwaves through the industry by earning over $ 768 million worldwide, while Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc garnered $150 million from global audiences. Both films continue an ongoing saga, but also treat newcomers to stories and characters with which they can genuinely engage. Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, anime’s hat trick of 2025, does no such thing.
From what I could gather, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution tugs at ongoing threads from Season 2 while setting up Season 3, beginning with The Culling Game. The result is a violent compilation of scenes that dazzle the eye but leave little for uninitiated audiences to latch onto. As someone new to Jujutsu Kaisen, this movie was incomprehensible to me.
After what I assume is directors Shouta Goshozono and Yôsuke Takada putting a bloody bow on the final six episodes of The Shibuya Incident storyline, we find Yuji Itadori marked for execution by Jujutsu HQ. The spectacle that led to this thread, though confusing, is thrilling to watch. If I’m going to give Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution its flowers in any capacity, it’s in the movie’s ability to display eye-popping animation at almost every turn. I don’t think I took my first breath since the movie’s start until 37 minutes in. Only then was I able to pause the film, collect my frazzled thoughts, and prepare myself for the next chapter.
Am I at a disadvantage because I haven’t seen the Jujutsu Kaisen series? Absolutely. Does this make me less qualified to enjoy the film? Hell no. Still, when I watched Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, my lack of foreknowledge about the series didn’t keep me from enjoying the movie. In fact, I’m catching up on Demon Slayer now, prompted by my enjoyment of Infinity Castle. In the case of Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, I’m only mildly curious to double back, do my homework, and hope to meet Execution on its terms.
My chief complaint about the film stems from my almost complete lack of an emotional response to it. Save for two brief moments involving characters I recognize from the core series, I felt nothing. Because the movie moves so quickly, leaping in time and logic from one battle to another, I often found myself feeling disoriented with no time to process what I’d just seen. There was little to no time to digest anything, let alone feel sorrow for a fallen comrade or contemplate the magnitude of Yuji Itadori’s next task. Believe me when I tell you I tried.
I’ll give Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution this: it’s at times a visual feast. I enjoy the film’s dynamic camerawork, slick editing, and atmospheric sound design, with some action sequences feeling as kinetic and super-charged as the best parts of Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc. For someone like me who felt lost for the film’s duration, the visual presentation went a long way to keep me entertained. Jujutsu Kaisen‘s style is well-suited to the type of anime it is, and every frame gets executed with confidence and purpose. Execution wants you to feel the impact of its fists and taste the copper of blood on your tongue from its relentless displays of violence.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution feels like a movie made for fans, and that’s 100% alright. For all my hemming and hawing, the latter part of the movie, The Culling Game setup, feels like the start of something I could maybe sink my teeth into. Like anything else, I want to understand the groundswell around Jujutsu Kaisen. I was hoping Execution would be my ticket in, but it looks like I’ve reached the back of the line and have to do my homework like everyone else if I want to appreciate the film to its fullest. Such is the curse of an anime fan with not enough time on their hands.
