As the first episode of Jujutsu Kaisen unfolded on screens across the country.
"Good morning."
A smooth, magnetic male voice echoed.
Lucas Miller, playing Yuji Itadori, woke up with a start. He looked around, finding himself in a dark room where every square inch of the walls was covered in ancient, flickering talismans.
Directly in front of him, a man with striking silver-white hair and a black blindfold sat casually in a chair, leaning forward with a smirk. "Which one are you right now?"
"You seem to be..." Lucas's character looked at the man with a dazed, puzzled expression.
Leo Vance, playing Gojo Satoru, introduced himself with effortless cool: "Gojo Satoru. I'm the lead instructor for the first-year class at the New York Academy of Jujutsu."
The audience watching at home was momentarily stunned.
Wait... who is this guy?And why is that smile so damn refreshing?Hey! Where's our 'King of Cringe'? Give us back the human oil slick!
"Jujutsu? Academy? What is this?" Lucas's body swayed as he realized he was bound to the chair by heavy, enchanted ropes.
Leo's Gojo leaned back, nonchalant and completely unbothered. "Now isn't the time to worry about others, Yuji. You've been sentenced to a secret execution."
As the line landed, the scene cut to black. The high-energy opening theme began.
"Echoes of memories, nowhere left to hide,Don't bury your head in the cracks of a dream and cry.I've learned how to face the light, so don't cast me aside...
Exorcise the dark, exorcise the dark,The falling curtain is our spark.Facing the shadows, we never lose heart..."
As the driving, rock-infused melody kicked in, viewers found themselves nodding along. The production value was through the roof.
UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.Multimedia Lab.
Over thirty elite acting students were gathered here. It was ostensibly a viewing party hosted by Lucas Miller to get "constructive feedback" from his classmates, but in reality, he just wanted to show off the insane project he'd been part of.
In the front row sat the rising stars of the program: Ava, Jordan, and Carter.
And then, there was Chloe Vance.
A sophomore with a high ponytail, porcelain skin, and a sharp, elegant demeanor, Chloe was the undisputed "it-girl" of the department. Despite being only nineteen, she was already hailed as the most beautiful student in the history of the film school.
Because she was extremely low-key and her family was fiercely private, very few people knew her secret: she was the youngest daughter of Sarah Vance, the CEO of Global Pictures.
"Chloe, I heard you have an older brother. Is he a model or something?" Ava asked, leaning in as they waited for the show to start.
Chloe's brow furrowed slightly at the mention of him. "He's... alright. Just average."
Ava didn't buy it. "Come on. You're this gorgeous; your brother has to be a total ten."
Ava knew Chloe had impossibly high standards. Over the last year, dozens of guys had tried to ask her out, only to be rejected with her signature, heartbreaking line: "Thank you, but I'm a lookist. You're just not my type."
If Chloe said her brother was "average," Ava assumed he must at least be a movie star.
Sensing her friend's disbelief, Chloe puffed out her cheeks, a hint of genuine resentment in her eyes. "I'm not lying! He's really just ordinary. Lazy, unproductive, and honestly, a bit of a mess!"
Chloe finished in one breath. She was still hurt. For three years, Leo hadn't replied to a single one of her texts. He hadn't come home for Christmas or even called on her birthday. They used to be so close, and she couldn't understand why he had cut her out. Her love had slowly curdled into a defensive, bitter spite.
"Time's up! Everyone quiet!" Lucas shouted from the front.
Even though Lucas was the star, he hadn't seen the final CGI-heavy cut, so he was leaning forward in his seat.
As the opening credits rolled, Lucas hoped for some praise. Instead, he heard the back row erupt in whispers about Gojo Satoru.
[He's so hot! Who is that? Wait... shut up, is that Leo Vance?!]
[No way. That's Leo? I thought the Hellraiser was mid-rehab or something!]
[Don't get excited, guys. It's just a good wig. He'll ruin it the moment he speaks.]
[Look at that blindfold. The director probably made him wear it because his 'eye acting' is so oily it would melt the lens!]
[The song is a banger, though. My grandma heard it and started headbanging.]
Lucas shook his head. The controversy surrounding Leo was still a mountain they had to climb. But he knew the moment Sukuna appeared, the narrative would change.
Unlike the noisy classroom, Chloe Vance sat in frozen silence. Her pupils contracted the moment Leo appeared on screen.
For two years, she had subconsciously avoided any news with the name "Leo Vance" in it. She'd only just realized her brother was the lead in this show. Hearing her classmates tease him, Lucas Miller finally couldn't help but defend his co-star.
"Guys, seriously. Leo's acting is on another level. Just watch."
"Lucas, did he pay you to say that?" someone joked from the back. "Or is he threatening to beat you up after class?"
"Just watch the damn show!" Lucas laughed.
On screen, the plot moved fast.
Yuji Itadori learned of his grandfather's death. "You should die surrounded by people," his grandfather's last wish, struck a somber chord with the audience.
Wait... wasn't this show tagged as "Healing"? Many viewers felt their hearts sink.
Then, the action kicked in. Steven Grant (Megumi) arrived at the school, but it was too late. The Occult Club had unsealed the Grade-S Cursed Object. A monstrous, one-eyed Curse Spirit manifested, trapping everyone in a nightmare.
"Fushiguro! Is there no other way? If I eat this thing, I get the power to fight it, right?!"
Facing the gaping maw of the monster, Lucas's Yuji Itadori tossed the withered, rot-blackened finger of Sukuna into the air and swallowed it whole.
In living rooms and dorms across the city, viewers held their breath. The "Hellraiser" might be a question mark, but the show... the show was undeniably gripping.