Another death? We're tired!
Jujutsu Kaisen spoilers ahead!
Summary:
- Losing favorite characters affects the viewing experience.
- Jujutsu Kaisen follows the "no one is immune" formula.
- Further development towards this direction will alienate viewers.
With each new episode, more characters die. There hasn't been a single episode without casualties lately. In manga, the situation is even worse — fans have stopped counting the number of dead characters. Of course, it's hard to lose your favorite heroes and it can affect your viewing experience. Especially since many of them are not fully revealed. A logical question arises: will this trend affect the popularity?
Hard to calculate
Jujutsu Kaisen has always been known for its bold plot decisions, but in the Shibuya Incident Arc, the stakes are even higher. There were deaths before, but in this arc, they became extremely numerous. There have been shocking events every episode since Gojo's imprisonment, and the last few episodes don't give you a break at all.
Jujutsu Kaisen is obviously sticking to the "no one is immune" formula, but at first it seemed like only the previous generation of sorcerers would be affected. Along with the old generation, the outdated system had to go, and the new sorcerers that Gojo was counting on would arrive. Nanami's death was certainly upsetting, but it could be justified. However, Nobara died in the last episode and this twist is hard to explain (Mechamaru too). This event can't have much impact on the story. If the purpose of this decision was to worsen Yuji's emotional state, then this move is unjustified. The viewer will hardly notice a strong change in the main character's mood after the shocking events that have already passed.
Indelible mark
It can be assumed that further developments in this direction will only alienate viewers. If the favorite characters become fewer and fewer with each new plot twist, the fans will have no one to worry about. Even now it may seem that there will be no happy ending, and for viewers familiar with manga it is almost obvious. Deaths, which were used to create a special atmosphere, quickly cease to work because the audience stops taking the events seriously.
However, there are those who believe that depressing endings are important because they add realism to the story. After all, the heroes are fighting strong enemies, not the typical weekly bosses. Many even believe that manga creator Gege Akutami is a very competent writer because he has the audacity to remove popular characters from the story.
Still, bad endings require a careful approach. Some shounen don't fit them at all. Jujutsu Kaisen seems to be such a case. This story is not that dark and has a relatively optimistic beginning. Those opposed to the dark ending can only hope that a series of bad events will be followed by a quick recovery.