Jujutsu Kaisen 2x14 "Fluctuations" - reaction & review
Added 2023-10-27 12:09:44 +0000 UTCHey everyone! I'm back with Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, episode 14! OMG!!!!! What an ep!!! We finally get to see the elder Zen'in guy in action, and I gotta say, what a technique! This was one tough tako though, it's crazy to think that it took so many people to really fend it off. Nanami and Maki were amazing as well, and Fushiguro just busting in at the last second with a plan and everything....so awesome! And OMG, as if we didn't need one more thing, are you freaking kidding me about Toji lol!!!!!!!! Dang it, we all knew that was gonna be a problem at some point, but dang.
Great ep! Can't wait for more! Enjoy! ~ MH
Google Drive Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17SY5kEnlZMWkTzAjTv62maCx_i2W2GzO/view?usp=sharing
Comments
Yes, this arc was exhausting!! It was just nonstop! They definitely come up with some clever powers and how to show them off! I think that's one of the funnest things about the show! Glad you enjoyed the reaction!
Melissa Moore
2024-01-29 21:49:23 +0000 UTCI love this episode so, so much. Don’t be embarrassed too much about when you have crazy theories I enjoy hearing them a lot. Also yeah in this arc it’s just one thing after another. I love Mei’s fight against the smallpox curse once again because of the great strategic aspect of this show and getting to see her thought process. I like how she was testing things out while formulating a plan. I like the reveal of her brothers simple domain. I love her ultimate attack it’s cool & awesome especially with the freeze frame animation of the crow literally gutting the curse. It’s a clever way to use her power but forcing her birds to kill themselves is morally messed up but this show has established that not all sorcerers are paragons of morality especially with the job they have. It makes it more interesting that even the sorcerers who want to do the most good as well as the curses they fight use powers from negative emotions which can lead to hard choices but can also lead to interesting parallels between the 2 since curses can have positive & negative emotions like Dagon’s anger but also clear caring when it comes to his feelings about Hanami’s death. Also the artwork of what would happen if the curse was able to use its technique to kill with smallpox was beautifully horrifying/haunting. And it’s exciting to learn more about Brain which is what I will call him into we get a name for them because I want to understand them more as a villain. And yes it seems like he is a sorcerer from far in the past and I believe Gojo said that was when sorcerer society was at its strongest although we have seen that sorcerers and curses are becoming more powerful again recently. It makes a lot of sense that the baby Dagon would be born/evolve with the extreme negative emotions created by the death of someone close to you. And damn I love his design being very Cthulhu inspired even the name Dagon I am almost 100% sure is the name of an eldritch being from the very same mythos. I love old man Zenin's power a lot it’s such a cool & creative power for a manga author to create & I imagine it must be surreal for the animators to translate it into animation in a good way. Also what an interesting way to do high-speed movement. And it looks amazing. It’s extremely powerful as well since only someone who knows animation as well as he does could conceptualize movement at such high speeds & I like the limitations with how they make sense. Also Dagon angrier and angrier as Naobito goes off with his opinions about animation is funny. Dagon wanting his fellow curses and himself to be called by their names reflect the personhood many of the intelligent curses want to be acknowledged to have wanting to be treated and live as people which I have always found interesting about the enemies in this show it’s just that their desires are incompatible with human society. I feel bad for Maki feeling shame for almost getting killed since even if she deals with it well and won’t let it control her it brings back self-esteem issues from when she still lived with her family she must still have. 2 grade ones not being able to handle this this is bad news & I think it shows that the strength of sorcerers has been stagnating in some ways. I agree many things like people or abilities being the best besides Gojo is amusing to say the least LOL. Some people might not like the increased color saturation in Dagon’s domain but I do because for me it’s like the animation is something while this place is beautiful there is also an unnatural element to it as well. Also this is 100% where all the villains were always hanging out in season one & the name of the domain is almost certainly from Cthulhu mythos as well. I think everyone who has seen HXH thought of the Killua/swordfish battle when we saw how the power in the domain worked I think some inspiration is clear here. It was interesting to see what is a I assume to be stronger version of a simple domain that the major clans use. I love how characters both good and bad are not afraid to fight dirty or team up when necessary. I love the ocean is the origin of life line because it makes sense that a curse based on the fear of the ocean would be so powerful when it’s such an ancient & potent fear since the ocean is terrifying. I love Nanami’s rough voice from here until the end of the episode even if I feel bad for voice actor because while we have seen him serious I know we haven’t heard him this serious or desperate before when he’s trying to protect Maki & get out of this alive. The attack of all the giant carnivorous fish is brutal especially seeing the characters not even having a chance to react. It’s rough seeing Maki have to be faced with weakness & helplessness especially with Dragon not even paying much attention to her after how hard she has sought blood, sweat and tears to be strong but I definitely get the feeling that this is set up for really great stuff even more than we have already gotten for her character in the future. And what a moment when she comes up with a creatively rude name for Dagon. I love Megumi breaking into the domain with his own. It’s not only amazing payoff for his great moment at the end of season one when he manifested his domain but he also saved all of them. Not only did he bring a weapon strong enough to use against Dagon but also stopped the guarantees hits of the domain they are in by having his own domain fight against Dagon’s (talked about in season one so it’s nice to see that in action) which is how the others were able to survive and fight again. I love Nanami’s look with the ripped suit & no glasses it’s bad ass although I’m sure his fangirls and boys were going crazy over this look for different reasons LOL. I love how beastial Naobito gets in battle I agree that I might not like him but can’t help rooting for him here although knowing this show there is nuance to his character probably. I love Fushiguro showing off his intelligence with his plan to escape and win but also that he will no longer sacrifice his life even if he does risk it. I love the implicit trust people have in Nanami like at the end of this episode. But of course Toji the wildcard & pure chaos factor he is decides to join the party most likely for fun. I love all the dynamics/interactions this could bring up because of how complicated the relationship between father and son is, how Maki is like the next generation version of him and how Naobito perpetuated the whole if you have no cursed energy you are worthless which made Toii who he is. Also I think you didn’t recognize him because he actually looks happy LOL & as someone pointed out to me is his body actually is younger as well. Even in the past his smiles looked bitter. I think he might have gotten a new lease on life after his experience with Gojo. As you said it’s just one thing after another in this arc. Although I think he’s going to be messing things up for the heroes & villains because of who Toji LOL. So much happened in this episode it's crazy. I can’t wait to see your reaction to the next episode later it was insane. Awesome reaction & thoughts and keep up the great work. :-) <3
Supermonaman
2023-11-03 14:45:50 +0000 UTCI agree, it would probably be a bit better for a binge watch!! It's super complex alright! Honestly I feel like Attack on Titan has its complexities and Slime was really detailed, but this might be the most extreme case for sure! Was it Smallpox?? I can't remember either lol. But yeah, hard pass! Exactly, she just needed Ui Ui to distract while she took care of business. Oh yeah I can see the Qrow similarities, but like if Qrow was old and had way less redeeming qualities :P Hahahahaah I mean at the very least, the animation dept probably had a ball with the concept! Yup, not a death, just a boss entrance opportunity! Yeah, maybe Maki got ahead of herself there, but I can't blame her for being sick of the bs with the Zen'in clan either! Thanks for clarifying about that! OMG, this is the last thing we needed right? Ugh, I really hope we can still escape but something tells me it's not likely. HAHAHAHA I should totally play that! What a great song to play as the world burns around us right? Oooohhh I like the way you think, all eps should somehow lead me to sushi!!! Good luck lol, and omg the manga readers are for sure having a good laugh!!!
Melissa Moore
2023-10-28 15:33:49 +0000 UTCHi Spadeas! :) I'm so glad I caught that! I can't wait to know who it is! Oh that's true, we've got lots of Zen'in all together don't we!! OHHHHH you're right, that was Toji's!!! I forgot!!! OMG like all I can hear now is Dio lol!!! Can't wait but I'm also so scared!!!!
Melissa Moore
2023-10-28 15:29:26 +0000 UTCOMG Manny, thank you SO MUCH for this!!! I legit felt so bad thinking I was the only one who wasn't quite sure! I don't remember Toji ever looking that carefree and the shirt threw me off too haha. You really just made my day! But yeah, now we have to worry about him too! Ohhhh really?!?! You know I was wondering that about the beach, I didn't remember the octopus though! I do remember the rest of them talking - I need to go back and watch that scene now, thanks!! So no wonder he was attached to the others, he's known them for a while. What an awesome team up right! That's the thing, like you can't deny that the technique is cool at least lol. Nanami and Maki were both amazing!!! SO much going on fr!!!!
Melissa Moore
2023-10-28 15:28:05 +0000 UTCOhhhhhhh you're so right hahaha, I didn't even think of that! I mean he looked like he was in a good mood so maybe he's just hoping for a nice beach episode??? :P
Melissa Moore
2023-10-28 15:25:16 +0000 UTC:DD its pretty funny how Dagoon guaranteed-hit attack work (almost) exactly how those fish couple in HxH when they threw fish darts on Killua xD also.. lets hope Toji just jump through the Portal to enjoy some ocean and sun and not.. doing bad things to our people :// :D
Dethrox
2023-10-28 14:27:23 +0000 UTCOh! I also thought it was Yuta. The huge smile through me off. I don’t remember Toji smiling, at least like that. Plus all I remember from Yuta was his white sweatshirt. It seemed more carefree than menacing. Okay now that I know that I really can’t wait for next week that’s elevated my stress!!! Now that octopus was actually seen in the first episodes when “Geto” and co were introduced. I didn’t notice till watching it again with you that he was there. When they’re in that beach scenery (I’m guessing that was his domain) he’s in the water. He had very small screen time and isn’t around the others that were lounging in beach chairs on the sand, and hasn’t said a single word till now. And I think when Mahito (Patchwork face) is explaining to Junpei about human fears creating curse spirits he mentions he knows some and the the images of them show up: The fear of nature (Hanami), volcanoes (Jogo) and the sea (Cthulhu). It’s very easy to miss. I’m not sure if someone’s mentioned this or taken notice of that. But he’s been there since the beginning. I thought that was a little wow moment. This was a cool team up and battle. The elder has a pretty sweet technique I can’t deny, Nanami was amazing and Maki staring and facing the big bad without hesitation. I love this. Too much is going on and I can’t wait!
Manny
2023-10-28 10:54:02 +0000 UTCWhile I do often get confused at what’s going on in this series due to the fact that everything the author does seems to come back when you’re least expecting it - I can appreciate the time, effort and detail put into the show. In all honesty, this particular series probably benefits more from binging than episodically viewing it, but that’s not an option. Which got me to thinking - you’ve been doing this sort of thing for five years or so now - I was wondering, do any other shows or anime come close to the level of complexity being used in JJK? I’d be curious if anything comes to mind for you. I don’t remember what the disease curse was specifically but I remember it wasn’t pleasant - and now you add this on top of it. Thanks, but I’m going to have to pass. So Mei Mei’s ultimate attack is to use a crow and it’s cursed energy… that’s also interesting that if something is willing to risk it’s life, the limit on its peak ability is removed. I wonder if this could be applied to Yuji, as keep in mind everything he’s doing matches up with that concept. What she did at the end was basically use Ui Ui as a decoy - she had him turn his on while she suppressed hers so that the curse would shift its focus and she could target it without it realizing her intentions. Naobito (the grandpa) kind of reminds me of a more vile version of Qrow, drunk, arrogant, and toying with his opponents. Also, I know this was initially written, but I wonder if his technique is the animation department doing a fifth wall break on how hard their job is. At this point, we all know how good MAPPA is at their job. XD “Nanami can’t die like thjs…” Nah, it was just another excuse for him to show off just how much of a boss he can be. What’s interesting is even on a life or death fight, Maki is STILL being undervalued - and she’s starting to get pretty ticked off about that, but at the same time - maybe you shouldn’t have let the curse notice you and used it to your advantage instead? You were asking what happened at the end - Fushiguro opened a hole in the domain barrier for everyone to escape. Of course, before anyone could take that step someone else came through the hole from the other side! Guess what, DADDY’S HOME! This might get awkward…. Can we jump through the hole and leave these two inside? The next time you start to list every problem currently going on in the background, may I suggest you play “Everything is Awesome!” From the Lego Movie as a background? Also, maybe JJK is telling you to go out for sushi this week! That’s how I’d interpret that episode! Excuse me while I go untangle my brain now… 😅 (Those manga readers are all laughing at us, you know!)
Tyler Stobbe
2023-10-28 02:04:58 +0000 UTCHi Hime :) You noted it yourself, but yes, Not Geto is from another era compared to Geto, Gojo and Mei Mei. I can't wait for you to discover his identity. The beach where our three sorcerers find themselves, the domain expansion, is where Mahito and the others found themselves in season 1. We even see them playing soccer with Jogo's head in one episode lol. In any case with this ending, we have Naobito, Maki, Megumi and Toji, four Zen'in gathered in the same place, it's quite a family reunion. About the weapon used by Maki, do you remember who used it before her? We learned that at the start of the season, it was Toji himself. Suffice to say that the next events promise to be interesting (and then hearing the voice of Toji aka Dio himself again, it's always a joy ^^).
Spadeas
2023-10-27 15:57:31 +0000 UTCSURPRISE!!! I filmed it yesterday for you guys ^_^ I'm filming Jojo today in full costume (!!!) so I wanted to get JJK done while still in my normal garb lol. Also I'm SO SORRY that my brain just 404 errored at the end there!!! Idk why that just didn't register with me at first lol. Like I could recognize the hair but the body and face looked thinner/younger??? I just have problems sometimes, sorry :/ Anyway GREAT EP!!! Enjoy!!!
Melissa Moore
2023-10-27 12:11:02 +0000 UTC
