A Film Directed by Shota Goshozono
OOF!! A movie like this is exactly what the anime industry should stop doing. 2025 has felt like the dawn of a new era in anime acceptance and critical acclaim, largely because films like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle performed so well both commercially and culturally. Dropping a lazily assembled compilation film like Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution into theaters at a moment when everything seemed to be trending upward feels like it deflates the sails a bit.
For those unfamiliar, Japan has long had a practice of taking chunks of long-running television series and stitching them together into compilation films, usually as a way to generate extra revenue and help new audiences “catch up” without committing to dozens of episodes. That practice made sense in an era when home media was expensive and access was limited, but in a world where massive digital streaming libraries are readily available, these compilation films come across as hollow, soulless cash grabs.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution is framed around the fallout of the Shibuya Incident, (Note: something that was realized in 18 episodes in the TV series) a coordinated curse attack that devastates Tokyo, results in massive civilian casualties, and leads to the sealing of Satoru Gojo. During Shibuya, Sukuna is unleashed through Yuji Itadori, causing widespread destruction and solidifying the jujutsu authorities’ view of Yuji as an unacceptable liability. In the aftermath, the higher-ups formally reinstate Yuji’s execution order, placing him at the center of a political and moral crisis as sorcerers grapple with their responsibility for the event.
I mentioned that this portion of the show was, according to My Anime List, 18 full episodes, which puts this whole thing into perspective – how are you going to boil that down to one hour? To be clear, there are good compilation films. Mobile Suit Gundam famously survived only because the original 1979–1980 television series, deemed a failure and canceled early, was re-edited into three theatrical films that became critical powerhouses and saved the franchise. Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution is not that kind of project. It squarely fits into the cynical cash-grab model: coherence be damned, people will watch it anyway.
I’ll be honest – like with many anime films based on long-running shōnen franchises, I am not fully caught up on Jujutsu Kaisen. That said, I’ve seen films tied to Slam Dunk, Haikyuu!!, One Piece, Dragon Ball, and others without full context, and they all worked as films. They told complete stories, functioned as standalone experiences, and often made me want to go back and watch what came before. Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution does none of that. It plays like a poorly edited YouTube video where someone splices random scenes together to dodge copyright detection. There is no real narrative thread, just disjointed snippets where dozens of characters appear and die with no explanation. From my vantage point, I was mostly baffled, and it’s hard to imagine even dedicated fans finding much satisfaction in it.
After that mess concludes, the film transitions into what is essentially the first couple of episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen season three, The Culling Game. This section is far better by default, simply because it is presented as intact television episodes rather than a narrative scramble, and it was easily the best part of the experience. My son and I do plan to eventually watch Jujutsu Kaisen properly, but if I were a random viewer walking in off the street, I cannot imagine this film getting me excited to do so. I heard audible murmurs throughout the theater, a few people left early, and one guy sitting next to me seemed genuinely thrilled, punching the air and reacting loudly. Hats off to you, man – the movie was for you, I guess.
