It was recently my brothers’ birthday and as part of his birthday I took him to the movies to watch Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution ~ at his request. We always watch anime movies together, it is one of the few things we enjoy doing together. Today we headed off to Ster-Kinekor at Mall of Africa and we were left disappointed.
About Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution:
- Full Genre List: Dark Fantasy, Action, Supernatural
- Key Themes: Execution, sacrifice, moral compromise, survival, the brutality of the jujutsu world, the cost of power
- Type: Film (Compilation/Theatrical Release)
- Number of episodes: 1
- Duration: 88 minutes (1 hour 28 minutes)
- Age Restriction: R (Restricted)
- Release Date: 7 November 2025
- Animation Studio: MAPPA
- Director: Shota Goshozono
- Screenwriter: Hiroshi Seko
- English Dub: Available (screenings in both Japanese with English subtitles and English dub)
- Source: Manga by Gege Akutami
- Distributor: TOHO (Japan), GKIDS (North America)
- The movie is available in select theaters, check yours.
- Website
- Official Hashtags: #呪術廻戦 #呪術2期 #JujutsuKaisen #JJKExecution
The film is a compilation that recaps the Shibuya Incident arc from Season 2 whilst introducing the first two episodes of Season 3’s Culling Game arc, serving as a theatrical bridge between seasons.
A veil descends over Shibuya during Halloween, trapping civilians inside. Satoru Gojo confronts curse users and spirits scheming to seal him away. Yuji Itadori and other jujutsu sorcerers enter an unprecedented clash of curses known as the Shibuya Incident. Following this, ten colonies across Japan transform into dens of curses as part of a plan by Kenjaku. When the deadly Culling Game begins, Special Grade sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu is assigned to execute Yuji for his perceived crimes.
My Thoughts on Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution
Walking out of the cinema after Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, the overwhelming feeling was disappointment, we had sat through a movie that amounts to a glorified slideshow with a brand name slapped on it. The best part of the experience was the popcorn, which is damning praise for a franchise that has consistently delivered some of anime’s most electrifying storytelling.
A Compilation Film That Forgets How to Tell Stories
The fundamental problem with Execution is that it fails to function as either a proper recap or a meaningful continuation. The film crams the Shibuya Incident arc into what feels like a hurried AMV (anime music video) edit, stripping away the narrative connective tissue that made the arc devastating in its original form. For anyone unfamiliar with the series, this film offers no plot whatsoever—just a disjointed series of action beats without context or consequence.
Even for those who’ve followed the series, the structure is baffling. The recap portion feels hollow, cycling through major moments without the breathing room that allowed them to resonate. We’re subjected to repeated flashbacks throughout the already brief runtime, as if the editors couldn’t decide what material to include and simply threw in the same scenes multiple times.
Then, just when audiences might hope for substantial setup for season three, the film awkwardly tacks on snippets of the Culling Game arc. These sequences hop from point to point with no connective tissue, no character interactions to bridge the gaps, no sense of how we got from A to B. It’s rushed, half-hearted, and feels like an obligation rather than a creative choice. Also, the rules for the Culling Game are on screen for way too short a time.
What Could Have Been
The most frustrating aspect is that there was a clear path forward. Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, and One Piece have all successfully released condensed theatrical versions of their seasons; films that genuinely work as standalone cinema experiences whilst honouring the source material. These compilations understand how to restructure episodic content into a cohesive narrative arc with proper pacing and emotional build.
Execution attempts neither fish nor fowl. It’s not a proper condensed season two film, nor is it new material worth the ticket price; seriously we are lucky if we got twenty minutes of new content, or at least it feels that way.
Had the production team committed to a full Shibuya Incident compilation with thoughtful editing and narrative flow, they could have delivered something worthwhile. Instead, we get a half-hearted recap bolted to fragmentary glimpses of future content, a Frankenstein’s monster of a film that serves no one.
MAPPA’s Talents Wasted
MAPPA has earned its reputation through technical brilliance and creative risk-taking, but Execution squanders that goodwill spectacularly. Several sequences that might work in episodic format are stretched to absurd lengths here, padding out runtime rather than serving the story.
The extended shot of Yuji washing his hands is emblematic of the film’s problems. Yes, there’s symbolism at play, but without proper narrative context or pacing, it becomes tedious, visual time-wasting masquerading as depth. The same issue plagues the scene of Yuji walking down stairs whilst chatting with Choso. The red lighting and composition are gorgeous, but the looped animation of the descent itself becomes painfully obvious, creating awkward repetitions that break immersion. There were also times where those in the cinema (not just my brother and I) vocalised if the movie was stuttering or if it was faulty, also commenting on how there is no plot.
The experimental animation choices veer into self-indulgence. The lighting scene with the three brothers and the will reading uses such aggressive, swaying illumination that it borders on nauseating. As my brother aptly put it, “We were watching a meshed-up slideshow of ink art that therapists show you to check your mind state.” Artistic ambition without narrative purpose is just pretension.
Emotional Beats That Land With a Thud
The Shibuya Incident arc is brutally emotional in its original form, a relentless cascade of loss, sacrifice, and moral compromise. The compilation format guts all of that. Emotional moments arrive without build-up, without the character work that made them devastating. Key scenes that should shatter you instead float past, disconnected from any meaningful throughline.
It’s shocking that this came from MAPPA and the Jujutsu Kaisen team. The movie feels less like a carefully curated theatrical experience and more like a bad fan edit cobbled together to meet a release deadline.
Not Even for the Fans
As someone who’s followed both the manga and anime, this film offers nothing of value. It’s not a proper recap; those who need one would be better served rewatching the actual episodes. It’s not a meaningful continuation; the Culling Game setup is too fragmented to generate excitement. It’s not enhanced by the theatrical presentation, the visual experiments often work against the material rather than elevating it.
For newcomers, it’s incomprehensible. For fans, it’s insulting.
Favourite Character: Yuuta Okkotsu
Despite the film’s many failures, Yuuta’s presence in the Culling Game segments reminded me why I care about this series. His assignment to execute Yuji carries genuine dramatic weight, the conflict between duty and compassion, between following orders and protecting someone he might understand better than most. Even in the fragmentary glimpses we get, Yuuta’s quiet intensity and moral complexity shine through.
Favourite Moments:
The few genuine emotional beats came from the brotherly bonds. Choso telling his sibling remains that he will be back for them carried quiet devastation, a promise made to the dead that speaks to his unwavering loyalty. Equally touching was Yuji casually telling everyone that Choso can be considered his big brother, followed by the group’s collective decision to ignore how transparently happy Choso was at that acknowledgement. These small, human moments reminded me what Jujutsu Kaisen does well when it’s not drowning in its own pretensions.
Final Verdict
Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution feels like a cynical cash grab trading on franchise goodwill. It disrespects the source material, wastes MAPPA’s considerable talents on filler and indulgent animation experiments, and offers no compelling reason to exist beyond separating fans from their money. Skip it entirely. Your time and money are better spent on literally anything else, including rewatching the series proper, which reminds you why you cared about these characters in the first place.
The only execution here is of audience patience and trust in the franchise.
My Rating: 2/10
An incoherent mess that disrespects both its source material and its audience, offering only scattered moments of genuine emotion amidst lazy padding and baffling editorial choices.
Date watched & completed: 29 November 2025
All images used in this review are screenshots captured from the official Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution movie trailer. They are included solely for commentary, criticism, and review purposes.
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