Life is hard, it is; and lately, anime series have shown us that dark shonen inevitably flourishes, as proof we have Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man and Jigokuraku, and which, in addition, could only expand, without realizing it, we are at an emerging and inflexible point in the tradition of manganime, however, it does not seem to be an indication of a golden age, but quite the opposite. Are you a fan of Gege Akutami’s work? Is everything okay at home? Below I tell you why you should rethink the margin of dark shonen.
Shonen was born with the following premise: a hero, a difficult path, a commitment and a voracious energy, in addition to an inhospitable context that only invites the protagonist to overcome everything.
Osamu Tezuka —considered one of the fathers of manganime— It proposed the hybridity of bodies with the spirit of the protagonist, who believes in effort rather than talent per se. Shonen emerged for compelling reasons for the nation. After the fall of Japan in World War II, a nation preceded by battle after battle—the Russo-Japanese and the Sino-Japanese—found its population mired in misery.
The Land of the Rising Sun was a nation battered by the blood of the conflict, and after the multiple reprisals that followed the defeat of its Berlin-Rome-Tokyo axis, the country had to make an extra effort to advance, despite the serious limitations. It achieved its objectives, but not without certain traumas in its own population. Today, Japan is known as an unrivaled power, and although, in principle, Manga and anime are special for many artistic reasons. We must not forget that they emerged strategically and helped sustain certain ideals that were beneficial when implemented in Japanese society to develop and maintain its current “success.”
Now, classic shonen is an issue that emerged decades ago, but dark shonen (of the most recognized triad, Jujutsu Kaisen is part) is a very different one and also, it must be differentiated from dark fantasy.
Dark shonen responds to contemporary concerns; and it is quite worrying.
Why should you care if you are the biggest Jujutsu Kaisen fan?
About dark shonen and their social implications: the case of Jujutsu Kaisen
Dark shonen is steeped in the absurdity of life (Chainsaw Man), of the cyclical tragedy almost by destiny (Jujutsu Kaisen), of the disillusionment of the postulates of beauty (Jigokuraku), but above all —in each of the aforementioned installments—: of the fall of belief in political-social systems, and of course, in what they sustain: our nations, our context, our life.
In this way, manga and anime cease to be a simple entertainment content and is also far from being limited to being a national-popular issue, because, just like Literature, the deliveries are guided by “general” human feelings – thinking that the spectra of sensitivity are the same in broad terms.
For its part, manganime is an audiovisual narrative that exemplifies, projects and expresses fictionalized issues of societies and this is much more interesting when it comes to pointing to the post-pandemic dark shonen, of which, Jujutsu Kaisen is part of.
Ultimately, in the stories we find loneliness, grief, the battle against the present, worry and weariness about the future, we also face the absurd, how complicated romance has become, pointing to its healthiness, in addition we have the absolute disillusionment of the political-social systems that govern our nations, this tinged with anger against the representatives of the political parties.
There is also the exploitative world of work and the impossibility of entering it, in a more or less satisfactory manner, All this is interwoven in a confrontation with a capitalism that devours through the screens: money and technology and that imposes a model to follow, a normality of success that is absolutely impossible to achieve, all of this, as a general overview of the world, opens the door to dark shonen (in this case, Jujutsu Kaisen).
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Jujustu Kaisen as THE dark shonen: why should you care about being the biggest fan of MAPPA studio’s anime?
Jujutsu Kaisen It is the work of Gege Akutami that began to be published in March 2018, for its part, Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto has been in serialization since December 2018, on the other hand, Jigokuraku was published from January 2018 to January 2021.
Yes ok, Chainsaw Man It’s not over and, although in view of the end of the first part, we could expect certain things, also due to the more charismatic one-shot deliveries of its author, we could expect others, however, no matter how it truly ends, at this moment, Jujutsu Kaisen It is the darkest of this type of shonen, if we look at the animation and the emotional breakdowns that the protagonists resolve in overwhelming silences.
And it is that, In principle, one of the theories of end of Jujutsu Kaisenwas that Gege Akutami could end up turning its protagonist into a cursethis thinking that Yuji Itadori, would have already witnessed the grotesque murder of almost all of his loved ones. There is no hope, the world is bleak and no matter how hard you try, revenge, pain, terror, will destroy you, the title seemed to say, it took things to the limit.
Evil is even older than goodness and love, so logically it will always be more experienced and will manage to overcome the systems that try to end it. —their agents, then: demons and curses in the case of this fiction—, is a bleak conclusion. However, with the most powerful sorcerer dead and Itadori’s best friend absolutely depressed and wishing to end his own life, the outlook is far from positive.
We are not sure what kind of ending Gege Akutami will prepare for Jujutsu Kaisen And it is not that the fact that the story ends in a fantastical and positive way changes anything in the world as such, however, let us remember that stories help us to savor the world in order to understand a little of it, allowing us to choose the attitude we want to take while we exist in it.
It’s not like a positive message or ending is going to change anything. All the things that the capitalist system sustains and generates to stay afloat are terrible, however, the fact that such a popular story is just as realistic as the world, could it indicate that we have completely lost hope?
Make sure to answer this for me in the comments. Have you lost hope? What do you expect from the world? Does it change anything that Nobara is back with Megumi? Will it be satisfying to have Gojo back? Absolutely, yes! However, how do you deal with the real pain that life itself brings you as the days go by? That’s something you should ask yourself when Gege Akutami finishes resolving his dark journey.
This is why I think we are in trouble if we are the number one fans of Jujutsu Kaisen, Particularly with how things are turning out. In the end, I must say, I love Toge Inumaki’s cursed speech technique, among a host of other things, however, Itadori struggled brutally to find a glimmer of light, a kinder side to life. Will we be able to see it too? How do you think it will end? Jujutsu KaisenWhat do you think the ending means? I’ll read your comments.
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