Debuting in theaters this weekend is the fan event called Jujutsu Kaisen: Extinction. I specifically use the term ‘fan event’ to signify that this does not by any means have the structure of a feature film. Unlike Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc or Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie- Infinity Castle, both of which debuted and broke box office records earlier this year, this is not a completely new story either. It reminds me of the Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye theatrical release that I reviewed earlier this year, but is Jujutsu Kaisen as successful as that was?

Jujutsu Kaisen: Extinction drops us right into the events of season 2’s Shibuya Incident for the first 40 minutes or so of the film, as the audience gets a truncated version of practically everything that happens from once the main group descends into the subway platform. It’s a harried crash course reminder that some will welcome since it’s been so long since season 2 happened, but others may find it unnecessary. However, all the major events, like Gojo’s (Yuichi Nakamura/Kaiji Tang) sealing, and the tragedies of Nanami (Kenjiro Tsuda/David Vincent) and Nobara (Asami Seto/Anne Yatco), through to the final confrontation with Geto (Takahiro Sakurai/Lex Lang) on top of the rubble that was once Shibuya, are covered.

In the aftermath, Gojo has been framed to be a collaborator with Geto, since he can’t be found, and Yuji Itadori’s (Junya Enoki/Adam McArthur) death sentence as the ‘vessel of Sukuna’ (Junichi Suwabe/Ray Chase) has once again been activated, leading to Yuji surviving in hiding. Another of Gojo’s prized pupils, Yuta Okkotsu (Megumi Ogata/Kayleigh McKee), has been sent out to enact the execution order. Yuta catches up with Yuji while he’s out patrolling the remains of Shibuya, attempting to thin out the remaining curses. However, there’s more to Yuta’s appearance, which leads Yuji to a welcome reunion with some old friends. And the revelation that the best place for his survival is to hide back at the Jujutsu Academy. There, Yuji finds out the rules of the ‘Culling Game’.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, as can be surmised by that overview, is half rehash/half new episodes from season 3, which debuts next month. It makes this event basically a must-see only for the impatient who can’t wait a month to see the new episodes. Though seeing the animation flow on a big screen would be nice too, the events of the first half are so harried and truncated that it’s very frustrating.

This is less an admonishment of the attempt than it is the fact that so much happened during the Shibuya Incident. The attempt to translate this into a film format is a failure of some sort from the onset. The universe of Jujutsu Kaisen is so layered that it doesn’t lend itself well to this type of rehash, unlike Dan Da Dan, which mainly focuses on 4-5 characters. This is one of the main reasons why the recap at the front of Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye works so much better than this does.

But as expected from Jujutsu Kaisen, the animation is top-notch as always. JJK (for short) remains one of anime’s biggest properties at the moment, so it’s no surprise to see that director Shouta Goshozono and the two-headed monster of Toho Animation and MAPPA have once again spared no expense. The new material here starts with an epic battle that leads directly into the start of the Culling Game arc. All the familiar voices are back as expected, and everything seems perfectly lined up for one of the arcs that manga fans have been waiting for from the anime.

But ultimately, as started prior, this is only for those who can’t wait. There’s really no need to rush out to the cinema, sadly, for this one unless you want the recap ahead of the new season next month. This isn’t a Jujutsu Kaisen movie, though it does serve as a reminder of why JJK is one of the most important properties in anime at the moment. But those who do venture out can expect top-notch animation, just not as much new content as they are likely hoping for.