Jujutsu kaisen vol 0 by gege akutami

Yuka Okkotsu wants nothing more than to be left alone, yet school bullies still single him out and suffer terrible consequences. Yuka has a Special Grade Cursed Spirit attached to him — the spirit of his childhood sweetheart, Rika — who will protect Yuka with lethal force. Jujutsu High teacher Gojo discovers Yuka and brings him into the fold of Jujutsu sorcerers, hoping Yuka can wield the cursed spirit to the advantage of the sorcerers, but also hopes Yuka can discover his true nature in this world of curses. Once at Jujutsu High, Yuka meets Toge Inumaki, Maki Zenin, and Panda, other first years who have varied reasons for wanting to become Jujutsu sorcerers.

---

Like many Western readers of this series, I have read volume zero out of order in the universe timeline, as this book wasn’t published in the US until 2 years after volume one. This serves as a bit of a prequel, but this is definitely a fine place for new readers to start the series. There is a lot of action in this volume, and readers don’t necessarily have to have an emotional attachment to any of the characters here in order to appreciate the story. In fact, this might give some much-needed context to the second year students in the main story (Toge, Maki, and Panda), who are very glossed over when they’re first introduced in later volumes. Yuka's story is also very engaging and a good introduction to some of the way cursed energy works with Jujutsu sorcerers without being as overwhelming as the explanations get to be in volumes one and two.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: January 5, 2021
ISBN:  9781974720149 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Demons, School Life, VIZ Media