Warning: The following contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 27, "Hidden Inventory 3", now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Jujutsu Kaisen did it again, but this time it was actually special. The level of attention to detail displayed on this episode is unheard of in the shonen market. Plenty of things made episode 27 stand out to the point of becoming a true masterpiece, a class of meticulously orchestrated pace, putting the pieces together in order to justice to one of the most shocking moments in all the Jujutsu Kaisen manga.
It was not just a great episode for the events that occurred or the shock value they carried. While that alone is a great start, the icing of the cake is the way they tell story. Mappa has always tried to be different with Jujutsu Kaisen, try new styles, and incorporate cinematic elements and uncommon cuts to give the series a feeling of uniqueness and innovation. This was on display all throughout Hidden Inventory 3.
Look Into The Eye
The whole episode was an explanation about exhausting Gojo' Six Eyes ability. That alone could be a justifiable reason as to why they used the iris reflection cut multiple times. Toji had led Satoru to use up his powers by sending weak yet insisting enemies forcing him to stay on high alert for a longer period fo time. As such what reflect in the eye first is the phone where Riko sees her beloved caretaker kidnapped.
This type of cut could be used as an introspection related event, as mirrors are often portrayed, but that changes depending on what it's shown. In this case, the iris reflects a phone that serves as a symbolic beginning of the end of Riko's life. This leads to revisiting her close relationship with Misato, takes them on a trip to Okinawa and ends up defining her ties with the real world, and thus, her hesitation to join Tengen. On a more immediate interpretation, it may as well represent the state of shock after seeing her tied-up picture and the thought of losing someone she loves.
Either way, this picture is tied to a change in the state of mind. However, in the same episode they presented a very different use of this same technique. In the scene of Toji's first encounter with Satoru Gojo, the gifted child, the same type of frame is shown with Gojo's eye, but this time, what can be seen is the reflection of Toji himself. As if they were always connected, this scene builds-up both of the character's psyches. An alienated Toji, ostracized from the clan he was born in, and the prodigy that was the first one that bothered to look back at him, but only because as someone with no cursed energy, undetectable to his mighty Six Eyes, he just feels like a rarity, an anomaly that catches the attention.
Toji appears in this frame as the shadow within the light of Gojo's eyes, a clash waiting to happen, a relationship between them dictated by the will of others, by the will of Tengen. Perhaps, he reflects in the eyes of the most powerful sorcerer to guide him, to serve as an important wake-up call for the chosen one that shall prevail against the darkness, and without Toji's intervention one that shall perish ahead of time.
Masterful Pacing
When so much happens on a 20-minute episode, managing the pacing, so it doesn't feel rushed, could be an almost impossible task. Withing the fine margins of this almost, Hidden Inventory 3 found room for trying out a few things. Early on it was the turn for an altered sense of time. A few flashbacks during the alley scene followed by a time jump to the four of them at the beach. After the opening, they went back to inserting flashbacks to aid their conversation about rescuing Misato, which had already happened.
There was something very refreshing about this first part of the episode. After building-up expectations with the kidnapped, ending the last episode with it, plus said alley scene with a lot of emotions ravaging, then completely destroys the tension with a cute playful scene at a glorious beach with bright colors and cool outfits. But truth was, everything that happened was just a distraction.
All paths were leading to one exact moment. Suddenly, a katana pierced through Gojo's chest, right when they were feeling the most comfortable, inside the Jujutsu High and its barriers, when he let down his guard. No more kayaking, no more easy mission accomplished now that the bounty is over, and they arrived their destination, because every single thing up until that moment was just Toji's writing. The rest of the episode gets tangled up between Gojo's defeat and Riko's calm walk to a destiny she refuses to accept. The contrast created by connecting the thrill of combat with the emotion fo choosing life over duty breaks up with a last impact.
Heartbreak
At the end of the day, the best review or the most accurate description of an episode relies on what it makes you feel. The third episode of Jujutsu Kaisen's Season 2 was capable of not only generating a wide range of feelings, but to play with them. Suguru's first person point of view put the finishing touches on a frenetic journey that went from stress to joy, to fear, to disbelief, to hope, to love, to devastation and anger. From his eyes the spectator observes Riko's last moments, right after she stopped crying, choosing to stay alive.
By the means of a crushing heartbreak they created a powerful bond with Suguru Geto, feeling what he felt, feeling what the villain of the future felt. After a moment of simply freezing on the presence of unbearable atrocity the only answer he could possibly give was anger, such powerful anger that he didn't scream, he didn't lose control, he just ensured himself to kill the man responsible, Toji Fushiguro. For a moment, anyone could picture Suguru's position, and anyone could understand what the future will bring him.