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Episode Notes
Jujutsu Kaisen was primed for a massive comeback when it returned for its third season earlier this January, and now that its first four episodes have aired, it's clear that Gege Akutami's beloved franchise has set a new bar for the shonen anime genre. Maki Zenin has pushed JJK into bloody new territory, putting the entire anime world on notice in the process.
Reader Version
In this podcast episode, the host Reese discusses the recent third season of the anime Jujutsu Kaisen, highlighting how it pays homage to Quentin Tarantino’s film Kill Bill through one of the bloodiest and most intense episodes of the decade. Reese draws parallels between Maki Zenin’s brutal fight against her own clan and the iconic battle scene in Kill Bill Vol. 1, where the Bride takes on the Crazy 88s. This comparison sets the tone for appreciating the episode’s cinematic quality and the raw emotion behind Maki’s rampage.
Reese praises the episode titled “Perfect Preparation” as one of the best in anime history, noting how it elevates Jujutsu Kaisen beyond other popular series like Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man. The episode focuses tightly on Maki Zenin, a fan favorite character whose story arc is condensed into a single, highly cinematic installment. The animation studio MAPPA is credited for delivering a visually stunning and emotionally charged sequence that captures Maki’s loss, rage, and determination as she dismantles the Zenin clan. The host expresses admiration for how Maki’s character is written, emphasizing that her strength and courage feel earned rather than a sudden power boost.
Reese values female characters who are motivational and realistic, and sees Maki as a prime example of this approach. The episode’s mood, music, and action all contribute to a tribute to the greatest swordsman in Jujutsu Kaisen’s modern era, with clear nods to Toji Zenin’s legacy. Reese also reflects on the broader implications of the Zenin clan’s near annihilation, noting that it brings a new level of realism to the portrayal of the great sorcerer clans. The episode references many key clan members and highlights the power struggles within the Jujutsu world.
However, Reese voices some disappointment that other clans, like the Gojo and Kamo clans, have not been explored as deeply, and worries about the potential loss of important cursed techniques and history as the clans dwindle. Despite these concerns, Reese appreciates the rich lore of Jujutsu Kaisen and the cyclical nature of sorcerer knowledge passing through generations. The host believes that while some techniques may be lost temporarily, new sorcerers will eventually rediscover them, keeping the world’s mystical traditions alive. This reflection underscores the depth and complexity of the series’ world building.
Overall, Reese sees the episode as a sign that Jujutsu Kaisen is pushing the boundaries of what shonen anime can achieve, both in storytelling and production quality. Since its debut in 2020, the franchise has carried forward the spirit of classic shonen anime while redefining the genre’s potential. Reese calls for more anime studios to match MAPPA’s level of excellence, encouraging a broader elevation of the medium rather than reliance on a single powerhouse studio. In conclusion, the episode “Perfect Preparation” stands out as a landmark moment for Jujutsu Kaisen and shonen anime in general.
Through its homage to Kill Bill, its focused character work, and its cinematic execution, it sets a new standard for action anime and leaves fans eager for what the series will deliver next.
Automatic Transcript
Excuse me, I was saying, as it's your boy Reese, welcome back again to another episode on the podcast. Today we're talking about Jujutsu Kaisen, which pays respect to Kill Bill with the bloodiest anime episode of the 2020s. Now if you don't know what Kill Bill is, okay, go watch Kill Bill. It's literally about a woman who basically lost her baby and she was married to some guy who betrayed her and she just wanted to kill Bill. Okay, so she had to go around killing a lot of people. And there was a scene in the movie where she goes and fights like a load of people, which was basically the same thing as Maki within the Zenin Clan. Now, Kill Bill was also one of those old movies that you had to go back and watch.
And you have to kind of like find your footing into it because, you know, it's not something the new gen of kids would watch. But it is a Quentin Tarantino movie, so I'm sure for a fact he's already would have grabbed your attention once you start getting into like the first 10, 5 minutes into it. Alright, let's get into this. Jujutsu Kaisen was primed for a massive comeback when it returned for its third season earlier this January. And now that its first four episodes have aired, it's clear that Gege Akutami's beloved franchise has set a new bar for the shonen anime genre. Maki Zenin has pushed JJK into bloody new territory, putting the entire anime world on notice in the process.
To avoid burying the lead, Jujutsu Kaisen just dropped one of the best episodes of all time in the form of season 3, episode 4. From beginning to end, titled Perfect Preparation. It's as good as action anime gets, and even compared to blockbuster cinematic hits like Demon Slayer, Infinity Castle, or Chainsaw Man, the Rize arc. JJK's most recent outing looks incredibly good. Maki Zenin is a fan favorite character who has been around since Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which takes place roughly a year before Yuji Itadori's story begins. That said, even with her popularity and role within the story, there weren't many people who thought that MAPPA was capable of doing such justice to her rampage against the Zenin clan.
JJK season 3, episode 4 doesn't just see the downfall of the Zenin clan, it absolutely relishes in their eradication. Taking clear cues from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill's film, and more specifically the Bride's fight with the Crazy 88s in Kill Bill Vol. 1. Perfect Preparation is Maki Zenin's loss and rage personified, which is why it pulls no punches as she wipes out the majority of her bloodline. Maki's rampage is bloody, it's moody, and above all, it's unbelievably badass. In my personal opinion, this is how you write female characters. I love characters that just show up in the series or movies or whatever I'm watching and they just hold things down. They know what to do and it isn't just so cliche.
I'm not against women taking a lead in anything, I just think when it comes down to taking a lead, make it more motivational led, make it more determined, make it more realistic. I'm not on the fan where for some reason she just gets a mad power boost, there has to be a sacrifice, there has to be a reason to why she's now enveloped so much courage and strength and determination in herself in executing what she needs to do and moving forward in her life. Like many of Tarantino's films, Maki's rampage is bloody, it's moody, and above all, it's unbelievably badass.
From the music pumping as the black sheep of the Zenin clan slices her way through her opponents to the Toji Zenin inspired parallels that happen throughout the sequence, not one second of the episode is wasted. Creating an incredible 28 minute tribute to the greatest swordsman of JJK's modern era. On that note, the decision to keep Maki Zenin's mini arc condensed in a single episode was a genius one on the part of MAPPA. The sequence unfolds more like a short film than a traditional episode of an anime season, creating an even more cinematic experience than the actual Jujutsu Kaisen execution.
The three great sorcerer clans were poised to play a major role in the culling game, so it's also nice to see the franchise contextualize their power struggle using Maki's conflict with the Zenin clan as a medium to do so. Pretty much every generation and notable member of the Zenin clan, Naobito, Toji, Jinichi, Naoya, Maki, Mai, and Megumi are mentioned in JJK season 3 episode 4, with even the Kamo and Gojo clans factoring into the debate around the Zenin clan's next head. Although nearly all the Zenin clan minus Maki and Megumi are dead by the end of the episode, their presence made the great sorcerer clan feel real for arguably the first time in the entire series.
I would like to say, even though JJK and Gege has his own writing and they've already released anime so I'm a bit too late on my opinion in this scene, I am kind of annoyed that they haven't really brought up anything to do with the Gojo clan and the members, all we know is Gojo, maybe his mother that we've seen back in a flashback if that was even his mother, and the Kamo clan except for the guy with the blood arts technique and I'm not talking about Chozo, no one's really shown up for the clan if that makes sense. The only one was the Zenin clan where you saw a different amount of characters and even then it's kind of sad that she just wiped everybody out, you know what I'm saying?
I wanted to at least have hopes that there are more clan members that survive and move on and the problem is that once you read the Jujutsu Kaisen modulo, it's kind of sad because it's almost like the world of Jujutsu is dying out, if that makes sense.
Obviously with the guy, the cursed spirit, I can't remember exactly the name for some reason, it just left my mind, but the cursed spirit residing in JJK in Japan, there will always be more Jujutsu sorcerers being made so on and so forth and only a specific amount of people will become sorcerers, but it's just like the Zenin clan have experience and the Kamo clan have experience and the Gojo clan has experience and for people to know more about Jujutsu, you need people who know about the history.
So if people are wiping out the history and those people are now dying in the present time, there's going to be new sorcerers that don't know nothing about what it means to be a sorcerer, how to get through other things or even certain cursed techniques that may be needed for the future, like reverse cursed technique. If all Jujutsu sorcerers are lost in time in terms of death and have been wiped out, certain techniques like reverse cursed technique healing is going to go and just disappear.
But obviously just like how there was history, there's always going to be history, meaning when I say that, just like how people learn about cursed techniques in terms of reverse cursed techniques, there will always be new people in the present who are known as geniuses in quotation marks that will also find out what reverse cursed technique is. So it's just a cycle really and I don't know, I really do enjoy JJK and the lore about it, it's just so fascinating to me. Moving forward, all things considered, JJK Season 3 Episode 4's scope was fairly limited as it exclusively focused on Maki's Zenin story as it related to the Zenin clan.
However, the way the sequence was executed by MAPPA was legitimately incredible and it's a sign that Jujutsu Kaisen is going to continue pushing the boundaries of shonen anime as it heads towards its final saga. Since JJK Season 1 burst onto the scene in 2020, the franchise has been one of the most popular shonen anime in the world and for many fans, it helped carry the spirit of iconic shonen anime like Bleach and Hunter x Hunter into the modern era. Still, Jujutsu Kaisen's most recent episode isn't just carrying the torch, it's redefining what is possible for seasonal shonen anime, not gonna lie, I fully agree with that.
The animation, the production, the story, the quality, they're just staying on job and they're going much more further in terms of improvement. Why can't other anime do that? Why can't anime productions do that? MAPPA isn't the only anime studio out there that people should be relying on, do you know what I'm saying? Let alone the only production company that people should be like, oh, I know a good anime series and it was made by only that or this, do you know what I'm saying? It should just be more and more and more and this is why when it comes down to anime, I'm posting stuff like this in the anime field, I