Category Archives: Entertainment

Music/Concerts

‘U’ – Album review

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By: Maple Graham

Version 1.0.0

On March 20th, underscores (a.k.a. April Harper Grey) released her third studio album: ‘U’. It’s a short, 9-track, 34 minute album; it never overstays its welcome and is far from uneventful. The focus of the album is the prospect of catching feelings for someone and getting into a relationship with them. Throughout the course of the album, April (who is April herself, presumably presented in a realistic, yet fictionalized manner; all of the things brought up here could’ve happened, but there’s no evidence that this world is non-fictional) and her love interest begin to drift apart, and ultimately, the other person ends up leaving for someone else. This leaves April alone once more—treasuring their former relationship, stating “I’ll wish you well forever, no, this ain’t what I had imagined / That’s just how it happened” during “Wish U Well,” the finale of the album. It’s a playful yet melancholic album; it does what it strives to do without any extra fat around the edges.

The album leans heavily into underscores’ electronic influences, much more than her previous works of ‘Fishmonger’ and ‘Wallsocket’, but still keeps acoustic elements around for a satisfying blend of the two. ‘U’ is also less lyrically dense than ‘Wallsocket’, leading some fans to dislike it as most of the songs can be understood without understanding the references that come with the lyrics. The average person could understand a song like “The Peace” from ‘U’, that being a song about “trying to keep the peace” with someone else despite the relationship being detrimental to both parties—compare that to “Uncanny long arms” from ‘Wallsocket’: a song about a character named Mara getting an epiphany after dying and getting resuscitated during her arm reduction surgery, then cancelling it even though doing so would continue to fuel her obsession with another character present in the album. And no, in that latter example, none of that is explicitly mentioned in the song—instead being prior knowledge you get through a “government” website for the fake town of Wallsocket, Michigan that April set up before the release of the album. Taking all that into account, it’s apparent why a handful of fans felt disappointed at the lack of a story ‘U’ had, but the majority liked the collection of music that didn’t try to be anything more.

The rest of the article will now be my opinions and rough descriptions of the songs within the album—if it interests you at all, I suggest listening to the album yourself instead of letting me spoil the surprises through my review.

“Tell Me (U Want It)” is a solid opening to the album (as well as the third and final single of the album), and it certainly is a lasting first impression. While not revealing ‘U’’s true intensity quite yet, it still fuses a mix of dubstep–esque sounds with an acoustic guitar wonderfully, creating an addicting chorus—then subverting all expectations at the end by stripping away the instrumental sounds, leaving only raw vocals with whistling, synthesized chirping, and a simple kick pattern to compliment it. The lyrics themselves illustrate April’s skepticism towards others, only trusting people if they’re really trying to form a relationship with her, and not just people who want to use her for her status or fame, or judge her for who she is. The song cycles through past people and their flaws: “Livi thinks that I’m in over my head / Dropping old interests, changin’ my hair / Amanda says that I’m not on the right track / ‘You’ll hate looking back,’ I told her, ‘I’m well aware’” being a couple examples from the lyrics. I personally enjoyed this track—giving it a 83/100.

“Music” was the first single released within ‘U,’ and the second song of the album. Losing no momentum attained within the first song, it doubles down on the synthesizers, creating a maximalist hyperpop soundscape that’s hard to get out of your head. This song is about April meeting someone new, and becoming interested in them, with “And I don’t know what to do / Never gelled this well with someone / I just want to catch up to you / And I don’t know where it comes from” being admitted during the second pre-chorus, showing the growing feelings she has, and the foreboding presence of an obsession. This song blew me away from a production standpoint when it first released last summer, and it continues to hold up as one of the best songs on the album, giving this song an 88/100 from me.

Being the longest song within the album, “Hollywood Forever” is a bit of a doozy. Despite its 6-minute runtime, it’s fleshed out well and has frequent switch-ups that aren’t too intrusive. It also progresses and builds on itself, which becomes a recurring theme with the songs that aren’t singles on the project—the only deviation from this is “Bodyfeeling.” It follows April as she can afford “everyday indulgence” through her newfound virality, which is something she didn’t grow up with. During the chorus, the other person tries to reason with her by repeating “And you say, I’m so, I’m so Hollywood? / Well, aren’t we all so, all so Hollywood? / And you think I’m so, I’m so Hollywood? / You gotta let go,” the same argument over and over, that she’s no worse than anyone else. Later in the song; about halfway, April beckons her love interest, saying “Don’t you wanna / Don’t you wanna / Don’t you wanna become famous with me” to get them to adapt to her lifestyle and status. I would give this song an 84/100; it’s ingenious but ultimately a bit long for my tastes.

“The Peace” is the shortest song on ‘U’, entirely made up of underscores’ vocals. I really liked the production on this one, and it’s a shame this song is a bit of an outlier from the other songs on this album. The lyricism depicts April’s crumbling relationship with another person, both falling into old habits like addiction with the other as they “just wanna keep the peace,” and they do so by smoking and spending time together. As stated before, underscores’ vocal harmonies are phenomenal, and I give this a solid 90/100 for both sound and creativity.

“Innuendo (I Get U)” crescendos into easily the best coda of the album—seconded only by “Lovefield.” It was my favorite upon my first listen to ‘U’, and although I’ve grown on the project as a whole, this is still a really fun listen. The lyrics are less than dazzling, that being April believes that the relationship she has is only for sexual pleasure, saying “It’s just like I already know / Well, you don’t gotta say another word / ‘Cause I already know your type of girl / You don’t gotta talk to me / I know what you want from me / It’s finally time for me to get a turn”: she lets the situation escalate before finding out that “[she’s] really not [their] type of girl.” I’d rate this an 85/100 for how carefully crafted this feels, the production is bedazzling and it’s truly something special.

The coda of “Lovefield,” as stated before, is unrivaled on ‘U.’ This is, as April calls it, a “heart to heart” with the person she likes. It’s an interlude of sorts, dropping the playful and affectionately brash attitude and being real for a moment: she’s beginning to lose the grip she once had on that other person, explaining that “Every time I hang with you (You) / We don’t know what we’re supposed to do / God, is this forever, ever? / I’d just forget it, but I can’t, I can’t / You’re just outsidе the Lovefield,” highlighting how it’s beginning to feel like she can’t hold a relationship anymore. She also says “Hand on my shoulder, I recoiled / Is the Lovefield really getting smaller? / I don’t wanna be untouchable anymore” during the bridge of the song, showing her mental vulnerability to any relationship she has, and how she feels herself becoming “untouchable” to the people around her. This song is an 86/100 for me; it’s not the best on the album, but it’s still memorable.

Falling back into energetic electro-pop, “Do It” immediately takes the unguarded atmosphere and shatters it. Being the second single released along with its own accompanying choreography, it’s a change to ‘U’ that isn’t really expected. It feels disingenuous in a way—everything she said during “Lovefield” comes across as a lie, which also sets up the last two songs of the album. Future connections aside, this song is about trying to find a relationship again, with the verses consisting mostly of questions: “What are your prospects? / Do you make your own cash? […] If I left for three months / And I turned my phone off / Would you wait here for me? […] What is my net worth? / How does my song go?” being examples of said questions. April also touches on the detail of “I’m married to the music, the music, baby” at the bridge of the song—she feels like she can’t ever have a meaningful relationship with someone when music is in her life. I rate this an 89/100, this song is one of my favorites and gets stuck in my head often.

“Bodyfeeling” is a minimalist, catchy experience depicting April experiencing negative feelings towards her love interest, noticing “I get a body feeling I never tell you about / I get a body feeling, the one I keep shutting down / I get a body feeling, but I’ll ignore my body for you, for you”—yet pushing them to continue a relationship with them. It has a much less extravagant production, but is still masterfully done—instead of her composition wizardry shining here, it is instead her own vocals. I give this an 80/100 for its rememberability, yet also docking points since its instrumental is slightly lackluster compared to the rest of this project.

The finale of ‘U’ doesn’t disappoint; “Wish U Well” is a song about April breaking ties with the relationship, and either person going their separate ways. April ends up encountering this person by chance in public, seeing her former love interest with another person, and she sees herself in that other person, saying “You’re walking to the corner store, you’re interlocking arms / She looks just like me / In a way, it’s beautiful.” She additionally wishes him well, harboring no hard feelings to him. It’s a slightly melancholic finish, but I don’t think this album could have a better end. Even though it has its strengths, it’s still nothing unpredictable, so I give this a modest 78/100. Don’t be fooled though, this is still a very good song—the entire album is definitely worth a listen if you’re into electronic music.

Overall, I give ‘U’ an 84/100. This was certainly an experience, and though it’s not as polarizing as something like Porter Robinson’s ‘SMILE! :D’ or Patricia Taxxon’s ‘Pix & Bit,’ it’s still a consistent album that feels the perfect length. If you’ve read this far, I highly encourage you to listen to the full album, and the rest of the underscores discography if you haven’t already!

Books/Art

An overview of authors from Saint Paul

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By: Karl Salkowski

(Image Credit Unsplash)

There are a number of very influential and well regarded authors who are affiliated with Saint Paul, Minnesota. Many of the stories they wrote were based on life growing up in Minnesota and the communities they were a part of. F. Scott Fitzgerald is probably the most famous author from the Saint Paul area, but there are many others including modern authors such as Kao Kaila Yang and William Kent Krueger.  

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on Summit Avenue in 1896, just a few miles away from Highland Park Senior High school. He is most well known for his novels about the “jazz age.” His most successful work ‘The Great Gatsby’ is still relevant in the modern era over a hundred years after its publication, and is still frequently taught in high schools across the United States. I personally would recommend ‘The Great Gatsby’, because I really enjoyed the way the story and characters’ relationships unfolded.

August Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, lived in Minnesota for over a decade. He has had a long association with the local Penumbra Theater Company located in Saint Paul. His most famous plays are ‘Fences’ and ‘The Piano Lesson’. He is known for writing about the African American experience growing up throughout the 20th century. Three of his plays have already been adapted into films.

Another famous writer, Garrison Keillor, spent much of his career living in Saint Paul, producing the MPR variety show ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ and several books. He is best known for making fun of the “Minnesotan Sensibility”, through his “News from Lake Wobegon,” where “all the children are above average.”

William Kent Krueger is a crime writer who lives in Saint Paul, famously known for having won back-to-back Anthony Awards for best novel. When the Saint Clair Broiler was still in operation, locals would often see him there writing. 

Kao Kaila Yang is one of the most influential contemporary writers in Saint Paul. She is a Hmong refugee and has often written about the refugee experience, and her own family’s story. She writes for all ages, everything from picture books to memoirs. Her most famous work is ‘The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir’, which has won several prestigious awards and is highly rated on both Goodreads and Amazon.

Movies/TV/Theaters

‘The Hunt (Jagten)’ Review

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By: Amir Salaad

WARNING: This review contains Major spoilers

‘The Hunt (Jagten)’ is a drama movie directed by Thomas Vinterberg and released in 2012. This movie is about a nice kindergarten assistant living in a small Danish village when his life is ruined by a false accusation. The rating of this movie is R because it has some sexual content, some violence and language.

Lucas is a lonely guy but has some respect in his community and he’s getting his life back together after a divorce and custody battle for his son Marcus. He works at a preschool in the village where the kids all love him, like Klara, who’s the daughter of his best friend, Theo. After Klara says something about Lucas touching her to the principal, Lucas gets called out for touching Klara. Even though there is no evidence against Lucas, and he’s denying it, the whole village goes against him.

When the film keeps going, the person watching can see Lucas’s life really fall apart. He gets banned from the grocery store, he gets assaulted, and gets shut out by his so called “family”. The tension in the film gets higher as ‘The Hunt’ goes from Lucas getting cut off from the whole village to him getting beat up. And all of this happens when the viewer knows that Lucas is really innocent. The closer it gets to the end the more you can see Lucas’s life go all the way down.

Mads Mikkelsen gives a good performance of Lucas. He shows a guy that’s slowly losing himself over the movie over a false rumor. He tries to stay strong but slowly starts to go insane.

Theo, Lucas’s friend, also has a weird feeling over the movie when he struggles with protecting his daughter Klara and believing that his friend didn’t touch his daughter.

My thoughts on the film is that it’s a great movie but that it also plays with your head. Because at the end of the movie, after everything calms down for Lucas and it’s proven that he didn’t touch Klara, he gets shot at at the end of the movie. What I think that means is that nothing will ever actually go back to normal for him. At least for Lucas.

I would give ‘The Hunt (Jagten)’ a 10/10. This movie is on Prime Video and other streaming services.

Editorials/Student Voice, Tech/Games

Pros and cons of AI

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By: Janessa Castro Cruz

Photo by igovar igovar on Pexels.com

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that makes computers and machines to simulate human learning, creativity, thinking, and problem solving. They understand and respond to human language and learn from new information and experience. AI is able to make detailed recommendations and act independently, replacing the need for human intelligence. Over the years, AI’s popularity has risen and some believe that AI shouldn’t be used and should be banned, and others believe it’s a great tool and should be more available. There are lots of pros and cons of AI.

PROS: Some benefits of AI is that you can work faster, as it can generate outputs faster than the human brain and body can process information. You could work smarter when using it, and the machine can make mistakes but it’s more often in humans. There have been research studies that show AI-assisted reviewing is more accurate than basic human reviewing.

CONS: AI could create a lot of deep-fakes, causing fraud, theft, scams, and more. It’s possible that AI can create fake representations of real people and events. The tool is now in the workforce and has caused people to lose their jobs also causing mass unemployment. The school system is now disrupted; students rely on AI to do their work for them, cheat on tests, and more meaning they aren’t learning anything. It also consumes a lot of water, making it harmful to our earth. Data centers powering AI are predicted to consume over 426 billion liters of water annually by 2030

I don’t think AI should be used, especially in the school system and in jobs. If it’s affecting students’ education and doing the work for them then they aren’t learning anything. It’s also causing people to lose their jobs and they shouldn’t allow that to happen. I believe that AI should only be used to brainstorm ideas and help with research and reviewing.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life, Tech/Games

The shift in the digital

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By: Weston Halgunseth

Photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels.com

Introduction

A few months ago, in St. Paul, classrooms shifted from desks and whiteboards to beds and sleep. This change sparked a huge debate. While some students thrive in a digital space, others find themselves struggling with online learning. In my view, the overall effect of online learning on students is that it is mostly good but a lot of it gives a bit too much leeway.

The good of online learning

Online learning has some great benefits that help students feel better. You can sleep much more because you don’t have to wake up early to catch a bus or be in school on time. This helps you feel rested and gives you more energy to focus on your lessons, unlike what normally happens where you feel fatigued for the first 20-30 minutes of class. You usually have more time to finish your tasks so you don’t feel as much stress. You can learn at your own speed instead of trying to keep up with a fast teacher.

The bad side of online learning

Online learning has some good parts but it also has problems. It is hard to try your best when no one is watching you and it is easy to forget your assignments without the teachers reminding you. If you get stuck you have to wait for an email instead of getting help right away. It is also lonely because you don’t see your friends at lunch or in the halls making it so your social skill starts to go down. Because students feel alone and bored they don’t learn as well and their grades often go down. Even though computers are helpful, being in a real classroom is usually better for most people.

My own experience

Back in 2020, when COVID was a big thing, I was stuck at home for a year and in that time I experienced a lot of the things I talked about such as the lack of motivation, loneliness feeling, less stress, and grades dropping. In that year, I’ve noticed that my knowledge with most of the stuff I learned before the online classes was really rusty and foggy and it took me a bit to catch up to where I should be in math, science, etc. Like in math, when I got back, I was struggling bad and didn’t get a hang of it until I started getting help after school from friends.

I also noticed that online learning made it hard to keep my friends. A lot of my friends I had in 5th grade I lost when I came back because I hadn’t talked to them for a year or so, and overall online learning wasn’t the best experience for me. It ruined my ability to socialize, my knowledge went down and a lot more.

The verdict

The shift to online learning is a double edged sword. On the positive side the ability to sleep in and the freedom of more time to submit assignments greatly reduces my and many others stress allowing students to learn subjects at a pace that actually works for them.

However, these benefits are often ruined by the lack of motivation and hands-on help. Without socializing, students feel alone and lonely which can lead to a grade drop and people getting less educated because they aren’t truly engaged. Ultimately, while the flexibility is great online learning only works if we can find a way to bring back the social and strictness sides of a physical classroom.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Review on ‘American Psycho’

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By: Abreham Debele

‘American Psycho’ is a psychological thriller movie directed by Mary Hardin and released in 2000. This movie is based on a novel written by Bret Easton Ellis in 1991. The film revolves around a wealthy man living in New York City who secretly lives a double life. Throughout the movie we see the main character struggle with his identity, obsession with status, and inability to form genuine emotional connections.

Patrick Bateman is a successful investment banker working on Wall Street in New York City. On the outside he seems to live a perfect life filled with wealth, expensive restaurants, and high social status. However, behind his polished image he hides his psychopathic and violent urges.

He becomes obsessed with superficial things such as business cards, physical appearance, and designer brands. As the movie progresses, we see him commit brutal acts of violence while trying to maintain a normal public image. His violent actions show his deep emptiness and detachment from reality.

Throughout the film Bateman carefully maintains his professional life while hiding his disturbing behavior. He spends his time with wealthy coworkers discussing status symbols and material possessions. While at the same time, he secretly stalks and murders victims whom he believes deserves punishment. As his violence impulsively grows stronger, it becomes more difficult for him to maintain control. The movie often blurs the line between reality and imagination, leaving the viewers questioning whether all the events happened or it was all in Bateman’s head.

In my opinion, ‘American Psycho’ is a show that illustrates that someone can appear completely normal on the outside while hiding serious psychological problems. I believe the movie does a great job showing us why an obsession with wealth, status, and appearance is unhealthy. What really interests me is how the film shows us Patrick’s emptiness and shallowness while also showing his coping mechanisms such as surrounding himself with coworkers, being obsessed with status, and his violent fantasies. My favorite part of the film is that it leaves it to the viewer’s interpretation whether the events are real or that it’s all in Bateman’s head.

You can watch ‘American Psycho’ on Netflix.

Travel/Food

Ranking niche fast food restaurants

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By: Brayden Marsh and Dahlia Man

Nashville Coop – 5.5/10

Ever wondered what the origins of the Nashville Coop seasoning was? It’s a blend of Southern, Jamaican, and Ethiopian flavors- how unique! Nashville Coop specializes in their chicken which is fresh, tender, and juicy. Aside from the chicken, the fries are always crisp and warm. As every other restaurant that is strongly rooted in chicken, the prices are similar ranging from $10-$16 for a single meal.

We personally found their meals to be appetizing, but nothing typically special. As you go higher on the spice scale, the chicken begins to lose flavor and commences a taste of a powder seasoning that doesn’t blend well with each other. The spice is present, but the flavor doesn’t hit the satisfaction. This is why we rated this restaurant a 5.5/10.

My Burger – 6/10

My Burger is a great local alternative to regular fast food burgers. They are less processed and we personally would rather go here than a McDonald’s or Wendy’s. Their prices aren’t anything special that sets them apart from a regular fast food restaurant, but we’ve also never been disappointed by a meal here, which can’t be said about most fast food chains. They also serve their fries and burger with their garlic or spicy mayo, which is a great addition to the food.

We give My Burger a 6/10 because it’s better than most fast food chains, but it isn’t anything super special that sets it apart from a regular burger.

Hook Fish & Chicken – 7/10

If you love lemon pepper seasoning, Hook Fish & Chicken is the place to go. Hook Fish & Chicken specializes in their signature seasoning coated in their freshly cooked meals. They have a wide variety of seafoods starting from cod dinners to oysters. As for their chicken, they have the classics of tenders, wings, and nuggets.

Although their prices may seem unreasonable, each meal comes in a large portion that could even be split for two. We rate this a 7/10 because they serve fresh foods with flavors that exceed our own tastebuds, but it is easy to become accustomed to. There are great options to get seafood and chicken, and Hook is a great place to start.

Dino’s Gyros – 7/10

Dino’s Gyros is a distinct fast food restaurant in comparison to our well known restaurants- they serve  unique ethnic foods originating from Greece; specializing in gyros. At Dino’s, you build your own gyro; a choice of protein, sauce, and toppings. On their menu, there is a wide selection of different meals you can choose from, such as soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, plates, bowls, and desserts. They serve fresh, high-quality, and flavorful Greek foods that peaks the interests of people who explore different ethnic foods.

We rate this restaurant a 7/10 because the food itself is very delicious and a step away from the usual fast food stereotype, however the portions could be improved for the price you pay, which is why we give it a 7/10.

Davanni’s Pizza and Hot Hoagies – 8/10

Davanni’s is a very versatile restaurant because they have so many different foods. They may be a little more expensive than most fast food, however the food makes up for it. They serve an assortment of delicious foods that most fast food chains wouldn’t be able to pull off.

We think Davanni’s is a great option because it’s almost like a dine-in, formal restaurant with the quality of the food they present. They also have very large portions just for a couple more dollars than other fast food, so you’re still getting your money’s worth. Davanni’s food is great, but it’s just slightly pricey which is why we think they deserve an 8/10.

Naf Naf Grill – 8/10 

We think the reason Naf Naf Grill isn’t more popular is likely because most of the time it’s overshadowed by the other fast food restaurants nearby since most of their locations are in malls or shopping centers. However, for the same price as all of these other restaurants, you can get a delicious chicken shawarma wrap that’s put together to your liking. They have an assembly line style menu, so you get to choose exactly what you get and try a variety of options.

This restaurant is great if you want to try something new, however there isn’t anything particularly special about them that would put them above other chicken shawarma restaurants, which is why we give it an 8/10.

Punch Pizza – 10/10

Punch Pizza could be argued as one of the best fast food restaurants in the Twin Cities. Their menu ranges from a price of $10-$16, and for that price you get a freshly oven baked pizza made out of high quality ingredients. We’ve also never had a bad experience at Punch Pizza, and the pizzas always taste better than what you paid for them.

For the price they offer, you could go to any big fast food restaurant and only get a mystery meat burger that sat out for a week prior and fries drenched in oil that’s been sitting in the deep fryer for a month. The food quality and taste for the price at Punch Pizza is ridiculous, which is overall why we gave it a 10/10.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Why is ‘JJK’ anime trending

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By: Ro’Mel Bryant-Oliveraz

‘Jujitsu Kaisen’ is a popular anime that has been trending for a long time, recently at a peak with season 3 releasing, building up to an arc of the story that was arguably the best of the manga.

The base power is Cursed Energy which comes from negative emotions of people, and when high in an area it manifests as Curses, which are entities that threaten society. This is the very base of what ‘JJK’ is about. There are Sorcerers, who are trained humans that harness, control, and manipulate the same energy curses are made of, Cursed Energy, to battle them.

Though, it’s not that simple.

My favorite part is how complicated harnessing and controlling cursed energy as a human gets. All humans have innate techniques which is a unique ability engraved into someone’s brain at birth. It’s a way your brain automatically manipulates cursed energy to use it. There are infinite and endless ways, ranging from straightforward and weak, to straightforward and strong, to very very complicated, to anything in between.

A straightforward but extremely strong one is Satoru Gojo’s Limitless. It lets him manipulate space, that is the default way his brain manipulates CE. Straightforward. But he combines it with an ability to have molecular perception and precision of Cursed energy he was born with called the Six Eyes, allowing him to manipulate space not just basically in ways like having a permanent invisible force field to make him untouchable, but also launching an orb of space that pulls things together forcefully called Blue, and even reversing it to make an orb of space that violently repels things called Red. He even figured out how to combine Red and Blue making Purple, which is an imaginary mass that erases anything fundamentally from space.

Another innate technique is Suguru Getos. Instead of manipulating space his is Cursed spirit Manipulation. A type of technique that can allow you to manipulate cures. Specifically, his technique lets him absorb a curse that he defeated in battle by swallowing them. Once he swallows them and absorbs them he can store them in his body and summon them and use their abilities at will. This is very very powerful, turning the enemies into his own, completely under his control. The only downside is that he needs to first beat the curse in battle himself, then absorb them by swallowing them. He describes the process of absorbing a curse to be very very excruciatingly disgusting and painful psychologically. This eventually led him to a very bad depression until he turned evil. Even though he was one of the strongest and most loyal, his own ability on top of the harshness of life destroyed his mental health completely.

I could talk about the many many characters and their techniques also, everyone’s techniques are just as complicated as each others in completely different ways.

The true beauty of ‘JJk’ to me is the amount of characters and how central everyone is. There is no true main character because the story is about everyone and everything. One extra person being there, no matter how weak, would change the entire outcome. It bounces between eras, showing the current modern era like Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi handling school life chaos in Tokyo, then showing thousand long year plans in the making from ancient sorcerer myths like Sukuna, and Kenjaku. No one steals the spotlight permanently, every character development is through other characters.

‘JJK’ doesn’t hold back with the characters you’ve known from the start from dying. Characters turn evil, get cheated by the system, hated by their families for being different, and even complete noobs to Jujitsu but got pulled in and now have to compete with the best.

The diversity, with humor, tragedy, philosophy, character psychology, unpredictability, and complex themes and power system is why this anime is trending so much.

You can watch ‘JJK’ on Netflix and Crunchyroll