Highlights
- The production struggles with Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 have caused concern and frustration, with some claiming that episodes will remain unfinished from now on.
- "Thunderclap, Part 2" focuses on the incredibly powerful shikigami Makora, who has never been subjugated and can adapt to any cursed technique.
- Yuji's realization of the brutal killings he committed while possessed by the monster inside him leaves him broken and determined to make amends.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Episode 41, "Thunderclap, Part 2", now streaming on Prime Video.
The production struggles seemed to have reached a breaking point. A lot of different sources have expressed both concern and frustration about how MAPPA has handled the production of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. Some say that this episode came out unfinished, about 30% of the original vision they had, despite having superb animation and a truly great battle.
Following this same line, it got leaked that Jujutsu Kaisen 0 took just 3 months when a film production usually amounts to years. Others claim that after being denied a pause for the airing of season 2, every episode after 41 is not going to be even close to being finished. Regardless of what might actually be happening inside their offices, at this point, it is undeniable that the struggle is real, and far from new in this industry. Still, once again, it is time to go over this episode, and hopefully offer some light on the Jujutsu Kaisen anime discourse.
Makora Or Mahoraga
Thunderclap, Part 2 was entirely dedicated to the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General, known as Makora in Japanese, or Mahoraga in its original Sanskrit version, which might be the one used for a lot of translations of the manga. This insanely powerful shikigami is the only one from the 10 Shadows technique that has never been subjugated, and is also responsible for killing a user of the Six Eyes and Limitless techniques.
As Megumi colorfully explained, a user of the 10 shadows is only given two dogs to start, and has to defeat all the others to keep adding to the list of shikigami they can control. This subjugation process, however, can be activated at any time and even involve other people, but in the latter scenario, even if defeated, it won't be subjugated. While active, it won't cease until either the shikigami is defeated or the sorcerer dies. This was the use Makora had to kill someone like Satoru, and this is the use Megumi thought about when driven into a corner.
What makes Makora so strong is his ability to adapt to any cursed technique and counterattack. When the wheel on his head turns, the attack he received before won't work again. In addition, he has great regeneration abilities, strong cursed energy and positive energy attacks. According to Sukuna, the only way to defeat Makora is to destroy him with the first attack, so he can't adapt.
It might certainly seem like overreacting to pull that card against someone like Haruta. It's true that he was pretty close to death after fighting Toji and Haruta's attack, but yet it does feel like a bit of a forced turn of events to justify some of the things that happen later.
All-Out Battle And The Destruction Of MAPPA
With such incredible power, no wonder that even Sukuna struggled a little bit against Makora. Thanks to that, Jujutsu Kaisen delivered yet another epic battle, even if the animation wasn't as good as it could have been due to time restrains, especially considering ghosting is all over the place in this episode. Their fight got them to destroy numerous buildings, throw cars at each other and kill numerous bystanders.
A cool detail included in this episode is the destruction of the MAPPA production office, after they couldn't find the blueprints for the actual building in which a part of their fight happened. Another one that also appeared in the manga, was Sukuna mentioning Yamata no Orochi and saying he was similar to Makora. Although it is not known who he is in the Jujutsu Kaisen universe, in mythology he is an 8-headed, 8-year-tailed serpent, a monster often referenced in anime.
The end of their fight made Sukuna open his Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine. This unique domain doesn't have a barrier like usual, instead, it has a 200 m range of effectiveness in which everything inside it is hit with his attacks dismantle and cleave non-stop. He has the ability to modify this range, in this case to avoid hitting Megumi. But even that wasn't enough for Makora, who had adapted to every slicing attack, so he pulled his final attack again, and with an even more intense fire arrow, he destroyed Makora with one hit.
Yuji, The Murderer
The events of the last few episodes didn't shock anyone more than Yuji. He saw it all happening from his own body, acting as a passenger this time, while the monster residing inside him went on a brutal killing spree. Standing right in front of the void that once was Shibuya, he couldn't even move at first. His expression shows a Yuji broken, shocked, torn.
The heartbreaking performance by Junya Enoki didn't stop at just representing his pain. He managed to transmit in just a few seconds a number of feelings that some voice actors struggle to achieve in their entire careers. Yuji, as sweet as he is, has just become a mass murderer. But he knew what he signed up for, he remembered his goal, and everything poured out in an expression of disgust, anger, and frustration, all originating from something, or someone, he couldn't control.
But he can't just lay down and give up. Stopping now would make him more of a murderer. His guilt would carry on if he didn't do something about it, anything, help in any way he could and stop the suffering. Not his, his suffering will always be with him, from now until the very end.
Episode 42 Preview
Even if it was just for a few seconds, they made sure everyone watched Nanami, barely alive after being directly hit by Jogo a while ago. What might be a hopeful note for the anime-only fans, it's actually a preview of what's coming next. Nearly at the end of the Shibuya Incident, just a few foes remain. Uraume will keep doing everything to facilitate Sukuna's return. Kenjaku hasn't revealed his true plans just yet, but before any of that, it's time for probably the most hated character in the entire series.
Yuji will get back to the station, as one of the few remaining players in this incident. Who will he face? Well, Mahito has been looking for him, hasn't he?
