Jujutsu Sorcerers Desperately Need PTO
On August 3, 2023, the popular anime Jujutsu Kaisen finished its 5 episode run of the Hidden Inventory/Premature Death arc, the shortest in the series. This arc delves into the backstory of anime’s newest “white-haired it-boy mentor” Satoru Gojo at age 17 as he experiences the greatest setback in his life to date: failing to safely deliver a teenager to a high school. While this arc gives us important insight into Gojo and how he became the legend and father figure we know him as today, it also parallels the fall of his best friend and my personal fave Suguru Geto, who begins the arc as a dutiful member of Jujutsu society and ends up as an insane cult leader. In fact, the events of this arc, specifically the breakdown in the relationship between Gojo and Geto, serve as the direct catalyst for every single plot point in the whole story. Which is pretty remarkable considering the arc is only 5, 22 minute episodes long. While the themes of failure, lost friendship, and ego are fun to watch explored in Gege Akutami’s brilliant story, there is another theme of this arc that I wanna delve into. One that is currently affecting the lives of probably all of you reading this right now: work. Specifically, how a draining and demanding workplace in which little respect or breaks are offered will break even the most diligent employees and lead to horrifying outcomes. Walk with me.
Geto starts Hidden Inventory off as a dedicated sorcerer and notably calmer best friend to the bombastic and brash Gojo. Acknowledged as the strongest alongside Gojo, he is a firm believer in the principles of Jujutsu society and is happy to uphold them. In episode one, he and Gojo are tasked with bringing teenaged Riko Amanai to Lord Tengen so that she can merge with him and become his new vessel (listen, if I explain anymore than this, you will be reading a book instead of a blog post). Aware that merging with Lord Tengen will effectively be the end of her existence, the two allow her to live out her final days as a normal teenage girl, taking her to the aquarium and allowing her to spend some time at the beach. The pair, along with Amanai’s caretaker Misato, manage to make it all the way to Jujutsu High when they are attacked by resident deadbeat daddy and skilled non-sorcerer Toji Fushiguro. In the ensuing struggle, both Amanai and her caretaker are killed, with Amanai’s on-screen slaying being especially brutal. Though Toji is later properly dealt with, the loss of Amanai leaves an indelible mark on Geto which is made worse by Jujutsu society.
First, Jujutsu society is built on the premise that the strong must protect the weak in that the curses that humans unknowingly create need to be exorcised by the strong, jujutsu sorcerers. While this is all well and good, they are given no breaks. They are slaying curses nonstop no PTO, no sick leave, no nothing which leaves no room for mental health and self care. Reminds me of my time at a well-known second hand bookstore you all may know. Rhymes with snookmolders. For Geto however, this means that he is given no time or resources to process what has just occurred be it the failure or the senseless killing. Instead, he is made to continue to exorcise curses day in and day out and it begins to weigh on him. Eventually, he begins questioning if society should even function like this and falls into a deep depression. Next, the school loves sending sorcerers out by themselves for some insane reason. Most of his missions after Amanai are alone so he doesn’t even have his bestie there to talk about anything with which would’ve probably gone a long way. Lastly and probably the most important flaw in the system, there is no accountability for the people who are consistently messing up. Which in this case, is literally humanity. They aren’t told about curses, they aren’t taught how to control their worst instincts, and they especially aren’t punished for any of the curse related atrocities they commit. A situation highlighting this lack of accountability ultimately breaks Geto, fracturing his psyche which leads him to commit his own atrocities. This effectively ends his relationship with Gojo and cements his place as an enemy of Jujutsu society. It is not lost on me and many watchers that a nice vacation, some counseling, and maybe even a forced retirement could’ve put a stop to all of it.
For a lot of young people like Geto, crippling dissatisfaction with their work is an unfortunate reality. According to a March 2023 Pew Research Survey ,only 44% of adult U.S. workers under 30 would describe their work as “Enjoyable” and almost a third say that their work can be described as “Stressful”. To me these numbers indicate that a lot of young people are drowning at work and need help and resources, which for many may prove difficult to acquire. In the case of one fictional character, it lead to a complete mental breakdown, the founding of a new cult, and mass suffering but it doesn’t have to for us real people. The U.S. needs an intervention for its brutal work culture and not to sound alarmist, we could see real disasters play out if we do nothing about it. If not, the kind of societal upheaval we end up seeing in Jujutsu Kaisen may be an indicator if the future. In the meantime, I seriously urge you to watch Jujutsu Kaisen as now is the perfect time with the highly anticipated Shibuya arc around the corner. I promise you won’t be disappointed . Definitely a little sad but not disappointed.