Jujutsu Kaisen is a mega-popular shonen action series that may be considered part of the new "big three". Even after just one season, the anime has done a fine job exploring the dark world of curses and sorcery, including its politics. Not everyone is on the same team when it comes to fighting curses.
The story explores the clash of tradition vs modernism and determinism vs free will, with the wily Gojo Satoru clashing with the Tokyo school's conservative elders and Zenin Maki going on a quest to defy her traditionalist family and prove all the skeptics wrong. In so doing, Maki has become the new Sohma Kyo, a major character in the shojo series Fruits Basket.
How JJK's Maki And Fruits Basket's Kyo Defy Tradition And Fate
Zenin Maki's character arc in Season 1 and the new Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie is a reflection of internal struggle in the world of sorcerers. All sorcerers share the same duty to protect humanity from monstrous curses, but sometimes their worst enemy is another sorcerer while the conflict is often based on tradition vs modernism -- such as with the Zenin family. Like the Tokyo and Kyoto school elders, these tradition-bound leaders observe strict and even oppressive rules without exception, and Maki and her sister Mai suffered for it.
In the Zenin clan's eyes, Maki was born a failure due to not having cursed energy, and girls have it rough enough in the sorcery world already. Maki's own family was her biggest problem, so she broke away from them to fight curses her own way and prove her worth by any means necessary. Tradition dictates that she is worthless, but Maki isn't the type to bend to societal pressure or follow the rules just because they exist.
Similarly, in the story of Fruits Basket, the ancient zodiac curse binds the "god" of the zodiac with twelve Sohmas who embody the animals' spirits. The Sohma family is deeply old-fashioned and conservative in all things, to the point of isolating itself from modern Japan as a relic of the past. All cursed Sohma members are put under intense pressure to obey the family head Akito and do everything for her sake -- and it's even worse for the zodiac's reject, the housecat.
As the housecat's bearer, tradition dictates that Kyo is a rotten creature that must be confined and scorned so the other spirits can feel better about themselves. Kyo knew what fate awaited him as he grew up, and at first he lacked the courage to resist it. Then he met the kind Honda Tohru and resolved to create his own future, refusing to let the Sohmas cage him the way they did the previous housecat bearer. This means Kyo must fight the curse and the mighty Akito herself, a terrifying prospect. But Kyo has everything at stake and plenty to gain, so he won't dare back down.
The Commentary Of Jujutsu Kaisen And Fruits Basket
On one level, Maki and Kyo's personal arcs -- and their clashes with tradition -- give them a chance to grow by overcoming external challenges. Both characters started with practically nothing and must find the resolve to fight and work hard to gain everything they have, from Kyo's happiness to Maki's success as a sorcerer despite the prejudice against her.
Both Jujutsu Kaisen and Fruits Basket are also making pointed commentary about the issues of stubborn traditionalism and the harmful effects of being blindly loyal to family without any thought of how harmful it can be. In cultures around the world, families are vitally important for many reasons, but sometimes, a person might accept mistreatment or abuse from within one because tradition dictates that family always knows what's best for its members. But this won't always be the case, either in works of fiction or real life.
By presenting these dysfunctional families and their abusive internal politics, Jujutsu Kaisen and Fruits Basket criticize both the dangers of blind traditionalism and of accepting or internalizing abuse from family members based on the belief that family knows best. Ideally, parents, grandparents and the like are a person's ultimate allies and protectors, but sometimes they're not -- and people like Maki and Kyo must recognize that and find the resolve to defy their families to defend themselves from abuse.
It may not be easy turning on family like that, but sometimes it is for the best. At the same time, these anime warn viewers of what happens when rigid, old-fashioned ideas are allowed to persist into the modern era despite rapid changes in society. Traditions can provide stability, but they can also age badly and hold people back from their potential. Fictional and real people alike must recognize when it's time to put old traditions to rest and move on for the sake of all.
