It’s official: Jujutsu Kaisen is getting an anime adaptation. Gege Akutami’s dark fantasy manga has come a long way since its March 2018 debut in Weekly Shonen Jump, but what does the announcement mean for the legendary magazine? Furthermore, what can we expect from the adaptation given the recent slate of Jump adaptations?

Jujutsu Kaisen anime: The basics

Firstly, let’s cover the basics of the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen anime. Issue no. 52 of Weekly Shonen Jump broke the news this week when it launched on Monday, carrying a color illustration of Jujutsu Kaisen on its cover as well as the words “TV anime announcement.”

This information was nevertheless leaked ahead of time by a Japanese blogger known as  “ryokutya2089,” after which leaked images of issue no. 52 of Weekly Shonen Jump quickly made their way onto social media. Shueisha sat tight and didn’t confirm any of this until today, however, when the official website and Twitter account were unveiled.

These leaks even included the contents of a special Jujutsu Kaisen anime information page inside the issue itself, which confirmed some of the upcoming anime’s cast - Junya Enoki as protagonist Yuji Itadori, Yuuma Uchida as Nobara Kugisaki, and Asami Seto as Megumi Fushigoro. All solid picks, may I add.

While the rest of the voice actors for Jujutsu Kaisen’s expansive cast have yet to be announced (most notably the super cool Gojo-sensei) along with the studio set to tackle the anime adaptation, we can expect more information at this year’s Jump Festa 2020, which will run from December 21 to 22 at Makuhari Messe.

Meaning and expectation

But even amongst this lack of information, the importance of this Jujutsu Kaisen TV anime for Weekly Shonen Jump cannot be understated. The legendary magazine is struggling in more ways than one, and the type of success that could be generated by a successful anime adaptation along the lines of Kimetsu no Yaiba would surely be much appreciated.

Yet even within Weekly Shonen Jump’s currently thinning line-up, an anime announcement has cemented Jujutsu Kaisen’s place as a pillar of the legendary magazine. Just over a year after its debut and it’s already received an anime - that’s an honor that few series receives, including Dr. STONE and even Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Clearly, there’s some keen interest from outside sources in quickly turning Gege Akutami’s dark fantasy series into a multimedia franchise, starting with a Jujutsu Kaisen anime. That’s no surprise given that many have traced a firm line of similarity between Akutami's series and Bleach in terms of themes and aesthetics. It also proved itself to have a solid fanbase with its wildly successful crowdfunding campaign which launched earlier this year, along with very solid volume sales that have recently surpassed 2 million.

Let’s hope that whoever is gunning for the lucrative anime adaptation opportunity has something special up their sleeve because recent Jump adaptations have been something special. Whether it’s the faithful but effective The Promised Neverland by CloverWorks or the truly impressive visual work by Studio ufotable on Kimetsu no Yaiba, fans are no longer simply happy with the bare minimum - hence why reception to Dr. STONE’s anime adaptation by TMS Entertainment has turned sour in recent months.

If we’re throwing names out there, then I’d like to suggest Studio MAPPA for the job. They’ve proven themselves more than suitable for dark shonen stories with this year’s fantastic Dororo, although they do have more than enough projects to keep them busy for the next year or so. Studio Madhouse might also be a good choice, but the recent debacle over One Punch Man 2 has me unsure whether or not they’d be totally reliable.

In terms of directors, I’d like for the Jujutsu Kaisen anime to act as a launching pad for an up-and-coming director in the same way that it has launched the career of Gege Akutami himself. Yuzuru Tachikawa of Mob Psycho 100 fame might’ve been a good shout a couple of years ago, but he’s more than established name nowadays. If you have any suggestions, don’t hesitate to let me know.

We’ll be getting more information on the Jujutsu Kaisen TV anime, including studio name, release date and more cast announcements at this year’s Jump Festa. Don’t miss it!