Jujutsu Kaisen 3x04 Reaction

I get why some people would want more time with the Maki and Mai stuff instead of it moving so fast but regardless I still like how it was done because this show moves fast and there is no time to chill.

How you said the pacing of the episode didn’t allow you to cry, I think it’s supposed to be like that because thats the world of JJK sadly. Just like when Yuji lost Nanami and Nobora, he barely had time to grieve because he had to defeat Mahito. It’s sad but thats the world our people live in 😭

I’m truly an idiot. I thought this hadn’t dropped all weekend 😅

remember they say in the episode that the current Zenin clan only exists due to the whim of Toji. So epic that he could've done exactly what Maki did at any point.

Gege said JJK was supposed to be a horror manga...

This episode is incredible, best out of season 3 imo. Maki Vs Naoya is chefs kiss 👌

It feels like a deliberate choice for the pacing to be as fast as it is cauase ever since Hidden inventory the show has been criticising the systems in place; Hidden inventory shows the lack of care for the students, Shibuya shows how the "higher ups" and clans are not prepared to act when it matters, and we get to experience it through the character's whom don't have time for mourning and processing. Yuki, Suguru and Satorou all "failed" to improve the system of sorcerers and now the character's won't even have time to try. The Zenin clan also highlights how oppressive systems affects different people through, Maki, Mai, their Mom and Toji. Mai and the Mom giving in to the system cause they don't really have the strength to stand up, Toji essentially being stronger than the clan but still giving into the system instead of fgihting it and Maki wanting to stand up against it, first through the system to create a place for Mai but after her death just destroying the system. Ever since the Hidden Inventory arc the commodification of sorcerer's has been very central and Mai's sacrifice is the biggest commodification possible, dying to make Maki stronger. The "higher ups" are probably just happy that there is more strength, as long as they can control it of course. This episode seems like a crossroad for Maki's character, she starts off as a character who only values individual strength, but with her care for Mai, Yuta appreciating her for her strength in character and her friendship with Nobara, she kind of became warmer. Mai's sacrifice also makes it as if Maki's strength is also Mai's which makes it less individual. I feel like I've been commenting about power structures ever since season two but this might be the last time. This episode really highlights the power structure of the Zenin clan; the clan is has clear hierarchy's off of strength where one would imagine Maki and Toji to be placed in the Hei but they were both bullied and ostracized. The Zenin clan's power structure doesn't just value strength they value strength from cursed energy which Maki and Toji don't fit into. What makes the clans strong is partly the hereditary techniques but also the guarantee of cursed energy in very generation, but if they accept heavenly restrictions they have to accept other sources of strength/power, despite Toji possibly being the strongest sorcerer alive during The Hidden Inventory arc. Everyone who knew of Toji must have known they didn't stand a chance against Maki but they were fighting for their belief in cursed energy being the ultimate strength. However, Naoya whom previously admitted to not really understanding "clan politics" isn't fighting for their power structure, he's fighting for admiration for Toji and to justify the misogynistic view he's given into.

On the criticism against the pacing and emotional beats. Maki didn't get to experience them either, JJK is a story told as it happens. If the characters can't mourn we can't, it happened with Nanami aswell

a lot of people have theorized that Mai and Momo were actually lovers and not just friends, and if one day you re-watch the show you will see that it makes perfect sense ! In season one, Mai even says that she never told Maki about her first love, without saying who that was, and we have never really seen her close to someone else so yeah thats canon to me.

The guitar that plays in the background when kid Naoya sees Toji is heavenly, it’s one of my favorite parts of the episode.

Maki is my favorite character, so this episode also confused me. It doesn't feel as big as it should have been. This is one of the reason I loved animes like Naruto, sometimes give people the time to digest the heaviness of the moment. JJK doesn't do that, so we are left with social-media-like episodes: watch and skip to the next, no time to process.

The way I interpreted the pacing of this episode— us as the audience not being able to sit with the grief of losing Mai—mirrors how Maki would have actually felt in this episode. Sure, I would’ve loved to have been able to cry over Mai more, but Maki would’ve wanted to as well and she wasn’t able to due to having to fight off the curses and the people of the clan that were after her. Perfect preparation is definitely my fave JJK episode and I love how you two have come to love the twins and their beautiful story as well!

I disagree. I LOVE that something so tragic is one episode. It makes the sacrifice feel so much more meaningful in a way. Mai made the sacrifice that allows Maki to continue on without any guardrails holding her back. No time for human emotion, the mission continues first and foremost.

Queen Maki has entered the chat

Adding to the last bit of the discussion, yeah, this author is not afraid of taking extreme and bold decissions about his characters and storylines, and I really respect that. I also respect the fact that the anime is either afraid of that, and the director has the green light to go fully on his vision. This episode specially has really interesting and unique choices about the pacing, the colors and the imagery. Some choices are really cool, and some other payoff in a weird way that i don't enterily happy about, but i understand the reasons behind that. This is why i think this season is one of the most unique seasons of anime in recent years, and i love to see your reactions. (PD: Sorry if my english is not that fluid, this is the first comment that i wrote whitout translator).

This episode was perfect except for the music I really wish it had been more depressing anyways still peak.

I originally thought this section could be stretched for a movie but at the same time I do respect the consistency of Gege always keeping a fast pace. JJK has been "no time for mourning " since Junpei 💔

lm ngl, the music choice wasnt the greatest

If remember correctly they (often) locked Toji in that room too, that‘s where he got the scar on his face from for example

I agree and it’s really as simple as the music choices, which they screwed up in Season 2 after Sukuna annihilated Shibuya. I think the direction of Season 2 and this one are very good, but they made some strange blunders with music choices. Reading the manga I just got anger and resentment from Maki’s character when this happened, and even in the episode I feel it but the music choice makes it seem like she’s having a blast right after this heart wrenching moment. It is what it is, just because the animation is good doesn’t mean the overall directing is always perfect.

There definitely is some thing wrong with Gege, but whatever it is makes me love the way he writes.

Maki I will love you forever

I would really like to see them reacting to the lyrics of the ending song...

With the pacing thing I felt similar when I first watched the episode but now I can enjoy it for what it is. I think an advantage of the manga is chapters typically end when the character dies and you have a week of dealing with that whereas with the anime it just keeps going which I suppose puts you in the shoes of the characters as they have to keep pushing forward but it’s a taste thing at the end of the day. This plot is one of the parts of reading I remember the most simply because it made me cry at like 2 am. I’m an only child but twins are so fascinating to me, the idea of having someone who has experienced life at the same time as you and you’re so interconnected since the start of your existence is beautiful. People are messy and complicated so Maki and Mai diverging and having different views of the world is natural but we see how they both care about each other. It’s tragic and it’s beautiful. The shot of them curled up in that room then them being in the womb in the same position is one of my favourite of the whole manga/show it’s such a visceral way of showing how they started life together and now they are at the end of their journey together. The Toji and Maki parallels are so good in this but I understand why people dislike it. Toji was a warning to the Zenin clan to change because he became ‘the sorcerer killer’ due to the abuse they put him through. Maki not being thrown in that curse pit as a child is probably only because of their fear of what they made Toji into so as soon as she leaves it her becoming their reckoning is poetic imo.

FINALLY THE BEST EPISODE !!

So Mai gave Maki a reed. There's an old folk tale about Goose that when they migrate to long distance they keep a reed in their mouth so they can eat and plant it on the island for to eat on the way back people call those goose Perfectly prepared goose. That's why you see goose flying in the episode aswell. When they can't make it to the destination and are about to die they leave the reed behind. If you see so many reeds on a remote island you can get the idea of how many goose didn't make it. Cherry on top is That folk tale is called "Perfect Preparation" hence the title of the episode. I hope i explained well english is not my language.

Maki <3

In the official manga panel, when Maki was talking to Megumi, the sentence best translated from Japanese (according to Japanese people) tо something like “and you’re Satoru’s treasure that he carefully raised” or something similar 🥹

Honestly I loved this Episode, but I really disliked the music choices. Felt significantly heavier in the manga to me and I felt like total whiplash hearing the music in the show. Aside from that it was a great episode

You're not wrong to have wanted multiple episodes for this. JJK usually adapts about 2-3 chapters for an episode. This episode was 5 chapters

I haven’t seen many people talk about the Japanese title of this episode, but I honestly think some of the visual choices hit a lot harder once you know the cultural reference behind it. The Japanese title is 「葦を啣む」, the literal translation is something like “holding a reed in one’s beak.” It comes from the traditional Japanese saying 「葦を啣む雁」 — the “goose holding a reed in its beak.” According to the story, when geese migrate across the sea and get exhausted, they carry reeds in their beaks and drop them onto the water so they have something to land on and rest. And if you look at the beach scene, the thing Mai leaves behind for Maki at the very end is literally a small bundle of reeds. To me, the reed here represents what Mai gives Maki at the cost of her own life: a flawless cursed tool made specifically for her sister. And the geese represent Maki, carrying that “reed” — Mai’s keepsake — as she fully awakens and heads toward what feels like her inevitable fate of destroying the Zenin clan. That’s also why we get several close-up shots of geese flying across the sky. And if you pay attention, two of the geese actually break away from the rest of the formation. That feels like a pretty obvious visual metaphor for Mai and Maki separating themselves from the Zenin clan. I just think there’s something incredibly beautiful about the whole visual concept here. It has this very specifically Japanese kind of tragic aesthetic to it — quiet, restrained, but absolutely devastating once you understand what all the imagery is pointing to.

Yes 100% agree with Milena wish it was 2 episodes

Don't worry it's been months and I'm still not over Mai dying :)

Maki ended patriarchy (literally)

I think my personal standout for the episode is actually their mother. The singular moment of her asking Maki to come back might legitimately be one of the singular most emotionally dense moments in the series. Just like Maki and Mai after her, she lives within a hyper conservative family wherein her life is entirely given over to the men in the family to the point she is reduced to trailing after Naoya in his introduction. By asking Maki to come back without knowing Maki knowing what awaits her, while the mom is perfectly aware of it really shows the kind of mindset and self hatred that being forced into such a can impose upon the self. I wouldve loved for their confrontation at the end to last one or two lines longer, though ultimately I dont know if their mom is owed that. The thematic that "A conservative world view will hinder the evolution of those who could save the world in a time of need." is my personal favorite beat through the series that *really*, gets highlighted with hakari and his partner.

I think JJK is really well suited for modern audiences, and that’s probably a big reason it’s become so global and mainstream. The characters are iconic, the abilities are flashy, and the story moves constantly. As someone who’s watched a ton of anime, I do think the pacing is fast, but I also think it fits the kind of story JJK is trying to tell. It’s meant to hook you and keep moving. Could it use a little more time to linger on certain moments? Definitely. But I think JJK knows exactly what it is and does that very well.

I agree with Milena’s take about pacing. The pacing since Hidden Inventory has felt way too fast imo. Makes me concerned with how the show is going to wrap up. Still loved the episode and there is plenty of good stuff coming in the rest of this season, imo.

Girls, I have the same criticism of this episode as you do. I feel like one of the biggest problems with anime these days is that they’re always trying to cram these already pretty long stories in the original manga into a 12- or 13-episode season — and now some animes don’t even get more than 10 episodes per season. So you end up with storylines that really need time to breathe and build up emotionally getting compressed like crazy. I guess that’s partly just the industry adapting to this super fast-paced, tiktok-brained era we’re living in.

About the two episode criticism, I see where it’s coming from but JJK has always done this maneuver. Our characters are emotionally ruined and then have to keep moving, we see the world continue on despite their pain or their emotions. It’s another part of the Buddhist themes in JJK that suffering is the underlying heartbeat of existing in this world and cannot be avoided, ignored, or fixated upon.

Shoutouts to Lola for guessing exactly how the "twins splitting powers" thing worked all the way back in season 1.

The music of this episode is one of my favs in anime, it just works so well

Beautifully tragic, still a tough revisit 😭 Maki will forever be my favorite from this story

TOJI 2.0 HAS ARRIVED

I have mixed feeling about the tone of this episode but my god it was majestic

Was kinda sad they chose the kill bill style over a more tragedic tone aswell ngl, felt definitely darker in the manga

why so many comments hidden? what heppened

What's up with the comments today?

The tragedy of Maki and Mai was being born as twin sisters in a Jujutsu world where they were viewed as a single entity rather than separate individuals. Maki possessed a Heavenly Restriction, meaning Mai’s existence limited her body, so there was no way for her to reach her true potential while they both coexisted. Mai died taking all the cursed energy with her and freeing Maki to attain a level of physical power comparable to Toji’s. It is impossible not to feel that Mai deserved better... but dying for her sister enabling her to reach her full potential and avenge them both, stands as one of the most beautiful deaths Gege has written. A relationship built on pain, injustice, hatred, and resentment, but most importantly: love and sacrifice. The plant Mai hands to Maki is a reed, referencing a Japanese legend about geese carrying reeds in preparation for their long migratory journey and it symbolized that Maki could move forward alone to defeat the clan

This episode is why I had to subscribe to get ahead of Youtube.

Is it crazy to say this notification gave me an adrenaline rush 😭

From the first reaction you posted, THIS was the episode I’ve been waiting for 🙌

I’m literally about to log off work for this. Insert Laptop off 💻 gif !!!

i….. am not ready to rewatch this episode

Milena last episode: “maybe now their relationship will be better” Me: “oh no…” 😭💔

FINALLY

I love all types of female characters, but it’s incredibly refreshing to see one who’s allowed to be just as cool as everyone else. A lot of anime have badass women, but when the biggest fights happen, they usually aren’t portrayed on the same level as the top male characters. Jujutsu Kaisen throws that idea out the window. Maki isn’t just “cool for a female character”—she’s one of the coolest characters in the entire series, period. That’s something I really appreciate.

I've been waiting for this episode since Season 1 Episode 1

Just in time for my meal

Godspeed to you two.🫡

🥲

ABSOLUTE [sad] CINEMA!

IM NOT READY😭😭😭😭

We used to pray for times like this

We are here. What an episode this was alsdjsalkd