Something that annoys me is when action-based stories spend many pages, episodes, or volumes telling a bunch of different sides, parts, or experiences of a fight; it gets boring and I lose track, get bored, or both. Jujustsu Kaisen has gone there. It started a volume or two ago, and volumes 13, 14, and 15 continue the fighting for the same fight. Volume 15 at least contains a hint maybe actual plot or character might be impending. Really the only thing that makes these sequences bearable is the occasional use of the flashback or back story. We actually get a little bit about Nobara’s background, and the current time briefly shows us where two key people from her past are up to today.
The fight is basically the bad guys who want to kill humanity in favor of demons have made their moves around and in Shibuya Station (which I think is one of if not the largest transportation hubs in Tokyo). The heroes, students at sorcerer fighter high school and some teachers and professional sorcerers, must stop the demons and save as many people as possible. And one teacher, the powerful one, was sealed off by the demons who knew he’d be a problem, so we haven’t seen Gojo in a few volumes, which is kind of too bad since hi snark is sorely needed here.
Several characters “die” so far in the fight, but this is one of those stories where that might not be permanent. I’m guessing at least one of the professionals might actually be dead for real though, but who knows. Nobara, one of two female students in a group of 6 or 7, is facing off against what might be a match for her. And we get a look into her past when she made a new friend after someone new moving to her rural school, and the two of them make a slightly older friend who ends up leaving the area for unstated reasons; this whole episode is actually told from the friend’s perspective, which is not something I think I’ve seen before, plus, I like Nobara who’s kind of interesting mix of girly and kick butt.
The guys are off being violent and//or trying to out-smart opponents, or in Yuji’s case, trying to stop the rampage of the demon Sukuna with whom he shares a physical body (the body was his to start but he’s now hosting Sukuna except that maybe Sukuna is getting powerful enough to totally take control for a while. The point is that the poor human guy has to face what “he” might have done when all he’s ever wanted to do was fulfill his dead grandpa’s last wish for him, to help people. The only reason he’s remotely interesting right now is that he’s having to really deal with possible consequences of being the host of an increasingly power demon and he’s on the verge of taking down one of the main baddies when the top baddie shows up……. Will they engage or will said bad guy say something that might be useful/helpful? Who knows, and I kind don’t care too much. Just let Gojo out already so he can finish off the demons, and tell me if Nobara’s going to make it through.