Akutami needs to learn from his mistake, and Jujutsu Kaisen fans can't defend him any longer

Jujutsu Kaisen mangaka, Gege Akutami faced heavy criticism from various communities for his alleged poor story writing and lack of experience in planning. Fans who have defended Gege before are seemingly no longer defending that this is his first manga.

He faced a lot of backlash for different aspects of the manga. Although Jujutsu Kaisen was a successful anime series, Gege was heavily criticized and even reportedly received death threats for his manga. This article will take a look at why Gege faced the backlash and how he responded to it.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer

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What went wrong with the Jujutsu Kaisen manga?

The final chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen was released on September 30, 2024, and fans had mixed reactions to it. While many remained loyal to Gege and stood up for him, others seemingly criticized everything about the manga. From poor storyline to dropping the standard of art, here are some key elements that acted as contributing factors:

1) Downgrade in artwork

As the manga series approached its end, fans saw an allegedly drastic downgrade in Akutami's artwork. They claimed that it looked less detailed and rough. Akutami switched to using thicker lines in the end, resulting in the release of what looked like incomplete chapters or even just some sketches.

One flaw was seen in chapter 262, in the fight between Sukuna and Yuta which was just concluded in 7 pages. Fans felt they were robbed of what could have been a beautiful set of illustrations to mark the climax.

2) Character deaths

The poor choice of character deaths by Jujutsu Kaisen Mangaka Akutami was deemed unnecessary by fans. The death of certain fan-favorite characters had a huge backlash on Gege. Some of this was so severe that it affected Gege's mental health.

3) Poor storyline

Akutami, according to fans, did a poor job by under-developing certain characters, having an irregular storyline, and questionable choices in the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. A particular chapter 261 was brought into the limelight for certain choices made. Giving a teaser of Gojo's return only to show it was Yuta, who switched bodies using Kenjaku's technique.

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What Gege had to say in his defense

Gege published a two-page letter at the end of the last volume of his manga. The letter briefly explains the manga series' downfall near the end.

"The product "Jujutsu Kaisen" was p*ssed out for six and a half years, nearly seven years if you include the serialization of the special issues, and what I learnt was, 'I am really an idiot....'," he wrote.

This letter seemed more like a symbolization of Gege venting out his frustration using words like "p*ssed" in his afterword. This also gives a hint about Gege's supposed lack of concentration and deteriorating mental health as he claimed he "had become absentminded.

"The reason I did not talk much between the volumes was because I had become absentminded," the mangaka wrote.

The exertion from constant criticism towards Akutima seems to have gotten to him. Some fans believe that they went too far with criticism, to the extent that it was no longer constructive, rather just bashing the mangaka on his choices. However, in his final lines, Akutami concludes by saying that he wanted to "overcome" his problems after that.

"I will take lessons of these 7 years to heart, and I want to overcome my problems after this."

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To Conclude

Yuji, Megumi and Nobara from Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via VIZ Media)

For someone like Akutami, who has expressed interest in creating more manga down the line, fans think it is imperative to learn from the missteps made during the creation of Jujutsu Kaisen. As onlookers of his work, fans have every right to offer their views and criticism as to what could be improved in his work.

However, criticizing should be respectful and amicable, especially for someone who is working every week under a schedule to produce something to enjoy. It's fair enough to say that Akatumi has taken a mental setback from all the criticism that may have contributed to many abruptions in the manga.

Fans are hopeful that Akutami will return to manga creation soon. Fans can look forward to the mangaka learning from his mistakes and implementing them in any upcoming work he has planned.

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