Jujutsu Kaisen, Volume 1

April 24, 2020

In this new series launch from Akutami (Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical School), Yuji Itadori is sucked into the world of curses when his friends inadvertently become the target of supernatural monsters hell-bent on retrieving a powerful relic that the students recently stumbled upon. When Yuji swallows the relic in order to keep it out of the hands of evil, he finds himself imbued with the spirit of an immensely powerful demon. This sets the scene for Yuji's upcoming adventures as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, in which he learns to control the diabolic energy within him to fulfill his grandfather's dying wish--that his talents be used to help others. This overwhelming theme of death and resisting the negative energy of curses is made palatable by moments of kindness, humor, and inspiration to live a life without regret. Yuji is unconventional in his problem-solving methods, often not thinking twice about leaping into action and using comical amounts of force to achieve simple tasks. Similarly, his curse-fighting companions are also unique, from the self-obsessed and capricious Nobara to the logical but still moody Megumi. This blend makes for a well-balanced, enjoyable story now in its seventh installment. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Tite Kubo's Bleach or Hitoshi Iwaake's Parasyte.--Anja Webb, Library Journal

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