Please, not so fast!
Summary:
- Many fans complain about the lack of emotional connection to the series.
- Usually shonen series are longer and need much time to build up.
- Viewers haven't spent enough time with the characters.
Shibuya Incident has long been considered the most important Jujutsu Kaisen arc (for some, even now). Fans waited impatiently for an adaptation, and they finally got it. Now it is being released, but the reviews are not so enthusiastic anymore. Fans criticize many elements: fast-paced storytelling, unrevealed characters, and an abundance of battles. Many are dissatisfied with the outcome and complain about the lack of emotional connection to the series. But if pacing is the problem, would more time before the Shibuya Incident Arc have changed things?
Just the beginning
In the first season, relatively few arcs were adapted (but that's still a lot for 24 episodes). Viewers only got to know the main characters and the principles of the Jujutsu Kaisen world. There were no big events like Shibuya, but rather battle episodes diluted with slice-of-life elements and no hard missions.
Many people may find it strange that one of the most important events of the anime takes place already in the second season. Usually shonen series are longer and take a lot of time to build up momentum. But that's not the case with Jujutsu Kaisen. Here, the story develops very fast. It seems like we just met Nobara and now she's gone. Everything that happens in Shibuya is irrevocable — there can be no status quo after all and this confrontation won't end easily. The stakes are so high that this season seems to set us up for the finale.
Better later
Fan frustration with the Shibuya Incident Arc makes us consider the reasons for the negative reviews. The obvious one is that the arc comes too early in the story. Viewers haven't spent enough time with the characters to say goodbye. It would probably be better to have additional episodes that show more of the characters' daily lives and give fans more opportunities to get attached to them.
Many people note that Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't have much of a school theme, even though the main characters are students. Overall, it would be better to see more interactions between Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi within the walls of the sorcerer's academy. This would not only improve the audience's connection to the characters, but also allow viewers to relax before the action-packed arc.
But there are those who believe that pauses before action are unimportant and distracting, making viewers forget plot details. The first season is enough: it has all the necessary elements of the establishment arc, which usually precedes the action arc. If the introduction of the characters and the world had continued, Jujutsu Kaisen would have become a typical shonen with weekly boss battles.