Highlights
- Episode 41 of Jujutsu Kaisen is divisive due to its unfinished production, but the Blu-ray version fixes many issues and enhances the narrative.
- The Blu-ray version of the episode adds 80 seconds of crucial animation, smoothing out the flow and creating a more coherent and engaging fight.
- Despite its challenges, “Thunderclap, Part 2” is now a much-improved episode, deserving praise and recognition as one of the best of the season.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 41, “Thunderclap, Part 2,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Episode 41 of Jujutsu Kaisen, is divisive, to say the least; some love it while others loathe it, be it through the lens of the art itself or the circumstances of its creation. Regardless of one’s take, the home video release would make certain how this episode will be remembered, and having seen it, it’s safe to assume that posterity will only be generous toward it.
Originally aired on November 16, 2023, Jujutsu Kaisen #41 begins with the aftermath of “Thunderclap, Part 1,” which sees Sukuna having taken control of Itadori’s body and Megumi on the brink of death. To assure victory at the cost of his life, Megumi calls forth the Divine General Mahoraga, prompting Sukuna to intervene, not content to let Megumi die before his plans for the boy have been met.
What Was Wrong With the Episode?
There are a lot of people who like this episode, and it’s not a mystery as to why. The first ten minutes are genuinely gorgeous and build such haunting tension, serving as the payoff to something viewers may have not even noticed before. Since the start of Season 1, Megumi has frequently been very close to summoning Mahoraga, only to be stopped or decide against it. When the audience finally comes face to face with the wildcard that’s been up his sleeve, it’s terrifying.
Unfortunately, the episode was simply unfinished. Its production was a nightmare, the scope of which has only become clearer in the months since, as more animators involved with it have come forward to share their horror stories. But the drama wasn’t primarily relegated to behind-the-scenes drama as it is with any conversation about MAPPA’s working conditions – this episode wore such scars on its face for all to see.
A Spectacular Mixed Bag
The animation quality was inconsistent, and sure, there are many series where the artwork might go “off-model” to allow an artist to experiment, but often, it wasn’t a matter of choice, but limitations. A far greater issue was the lack of flow between cuts, which could create a lot of confusion with little in the way of downtime to absorb what was happening. One could be forgiven for not knowing what was going on for the bulk of the fight.
Make no mistake, it’s cool that audiences these days are willing to rally behind more abstract, rough, and “weird” animation in mainstream shows that in years past might have been mocked. Some moments genuinely inspire awe, but they are just that – moments; moments with too many pieces missing before or after to tie them all together neatly. Now the Blu-ray might not iron out all the rough edges, but it adds something the original was desperately lacking: a sense of narrative.
The Blu-ray Version Is Better Than You Could Imagine
Action is never the absence of a story and good fight scenes can far more often be argued to be stories in themselves than they can conscionably be described as breaks in a narrative. The biggest problem with Sukuna vs Mahoraga was that the essential mechanics defining the parameters of the fight and informing its ebb and flow were frequently nebulous. It never feels like there’s a turning point in one combatant’s favor until the narrator spells it out at the end.
Sukuna’s delighted realization that Mahoraga can see his technique – ergo, the slashes eviscerating the surrounding area – is the first clue giving him an edge. But nothing is really done with this information to enhance the fight. What comes after is mostly a chaotic buildup of increasingly disjointed cuts before Sukuna unleashes his Domain Expansion.
Consider the moments directly following Sukuna realizing this in the TV version, as seen above. Mahoraga closes in. Sukuna responds with a flurry of slices. Mahoraga is cut into pieces. Sukuna knocks one of his severed arms away. Suddenly, Mahoraga is being kicked awayby Sukuna… while fully intact? There’s no other explanation – it’s a first-person POV shot from Mahoraga’s perspective and both of his arms are visible. Something is missing, and it’s something big.
The Missing 80 Seconds
What was just described in the last paragraph takes place between the two frames pictured above. It’s roughly 11 seconds of screen time, but NOT in the Blu-ray version. It might be hard to believe, but there is about 1 minute and 20 seconds between those same two frames, featuring mostly new animation that wasn’t in the TV version. Without an ounce of hyperbole, these 80 seconds fix this episode.
For starters, it flows much smoother. There’s a better sense of location. Mahoraga’s cut-up body continues to fly toward Sukuna before regenerating fully right in front of him. They come face-to-face while their bodies are still being propelled through the air. It’s such a ludicrous image, but the framing and artwork sell it completely as if they were squaring up on solid ground. Then the real fun begins when Sukuna decides to use what he has just learned to his advantage.
The Fight Feels Like An Actual Story Now
Recall that one of the big complaints about the fight was the lack of any pause. Chaos can be effective, but a good rhythm in a fight demands moments to stop and breathe, and that’s exactly what the Blu-ray version allows for. Mahoraga has the upper hand until Sukuna decides to play a trick. He pulls a feint and tricks Mahoraga into blocking one of his slices. Then, he lays into him with a swipe of his other arm.
It creates a new layer of tension while also allowing these pauses in which the two of them stop dead in their tracks to find an opening to attack. This version gives the fight an actual arc in which the combatants are learning and adjusting their strategies, whereas the TV version hardly conveyed any strategy at all, at least not one easily discerned through the fog of carnage.
Closing the Book on “Thunderclap”
Compared to the biggest changes such as the one discussed above, there are far too many smaller changes than what can be discussed in a single article. Even some of the smaller ones, by comparison, see entire cuts altered, like this shot of Mahoraga below, where the TV version (pictured right) made him look weirdly gigantic compared to the train he was throwing. Or, the shot right after, where the gradient of the city changes halfway through the shot in the original.
The changes are numerous, but the point is that, after all this time, it can be comfortably said that Episode 41 is good and more deserving of praise from its proponents than ever before. It’s still not a masterpiece and speaking personally, Episode 40 might still surpass it, but it is a very good episode and one of the best of the season.
In the state it is in now, “Thunderclap, Part 2” is an episode that will make a lot of people happy. For others, it might just make them angrier, thinking about what could have been had more time been allotted to the incredible artists that made it possible. Such is the duality of appraising Jujutsu Kaisen. What is certain is that Crunchyroll missed out big time when they didn’t put this version in theaters like they did in Japan. It would have been incredible on the big screen.
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