The movie " Jujutsu Kaisen : Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu ", a compilation of the second season of the TV anime "Jujutsu Kaisen", based on the popular manga by Gege Akutami serialized in "Weekly Jujutsu Kaisen " ( Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu), will be released on May 30th. "Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu and Satoru Gojo Suguru Geto , during their time at Jujutsu Technical College. We asked Takahiro Sakurai , who plays Suguru Geto , about his thoughts on " Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu" and the appeal of Suguru Geto.
◇ The taste of the cursed spirit that Geto felt: “That’s really disgusting.”
"Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu" begins with Gojo and Geto being tasked with the task of "protecting" and "eliminating" Riko Amano, a girl whose fate is to become a Star Plasma and assimilate with Tengen, the key to the Jujutsu Riko Amanai who possesses the formula for immortality. After a battle with Jinji Toji, who is plotting to assassinate Riko, the "worst case scenario" occurs, bringing about a major change for Gojo and Geto.
Regarding the youthful spring of Gojo, Geto and the others depicted in "Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu," Sakurai said, "It was very sad and painful, and I couldn't help but feel sad when I saw them, but it was still an important time."
"If we focus on Geto, he has always been lonely, and there is his own reality. The words 'Curse magic is there to protect non-sorcerers', which he repeatedly says to Gojo, are almost like something he is telling himself. As a sorcerer, he is in a sense a chosen person, but the technique itself is something that can be called a gift or a curse, as it allows him to absorb cursed spirits into himself. There is a description of the taste of the cursed spirits that Geto has turned into balls and swallowed them ('it's like swallowing a rag that has been used to clean up vomit'). It's really disgusting. I think tastes can have quite an effect on people. It's not everything, but if you pick up on each of these things one by one, I think you can understand why he is feeling so miserable."
He feels that for Geto, Gojo was like "a place to grab hold of."
"I would say they were on equal terms. I think having someone with whom they could have a lively back-and-forth exchange was a big factor. Also, when 'We are the strongest' turned into ' Satoru Gojo is the strongest', it just snowballed into a series of unpleasant events. We knew what was going to happen next, so in the end, it didn't work out for Suguru Geto. Being in that situation as a teenager can be quite intense. I think ' Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu' is an incredible drama."
◇ "I don't want to deny his life" Takahiro Sakurai talks about the appeal of Suguru Geto
As a result, Geto becomes the worst curse user , but Sakurai says, "I don't think he went to the dark side. He just changed his path. His thoughts and values have changed. He used to say, 'Sorcery exists to protect non-sorcerers,' but when he saw sorcerers being treated like monsters and oppressed on one mission, he decided to completely throw that off."
Sakurai has played various versions of "Geto Suguru Geto " in the first season of the TV anime, " Jujutsu Kaisen 0 ," and the second season. In an interview for " Jujutsu Kaisen 0," she said, "If I were to portray Geto again in the future, it would be like I was cursed, so I think it would be more difficult." What are her thoughts on Geto now?
"In the end, it doesn't work out for him, so there is a certain sadness to that. He is a person who makes you feel sad, and when you look into what he is like, he is a pretty good person, kind, an honor student, well-behaved, and words like that come out a lot. But there is something sexier about him that goes beyond that. Both Gojo and Geto are good-looking guys, so it's like they have a kind of sex appeal that includes their looks. I feel a charm that is hard to put into words. I think they are cool. I really want to make him a 'good thing'. I don't want to deny his life. I want to support him as much as I can, I want to defend him, those feelings are activated."
In playing the role of Geto, he felt that by playing the roles of Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu in their technical college days, he was "finally able to support what I had done up until then."
"I did make some discoveries within myself, but rather than anything spectacular, they were more like small things that made me think, 'Ah...' and then passed right by, and I picked them up in detail. With ' Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu,' the story is intense, so I wanted to express it in a subtle, delicate way, and that's what I focused on. Now that it has come to a theatrical production, I feel like I have somehow been able to dispel the vague anxieties I had about expression up until now."
Sakurai-san's subtle and delicate portrayal of Suguru Geto during his high school days is something I want to experience thoroughly at the theater.
