Jujutsu Kaisen: Thorny Road at Dawn

呪術廻戦 [Jujutsu Kaisen] (Novel) #2

by Ballad Kitaguni

A talent scout who approaches Kugisaki on a street corner turns out to be a Cursed Speech user with an ulterior motive. When Inumaki comes to her rescue, things don’t quite turn out as he planned… Then Mechamaru goes on a solo mission, Gojo and friends take a night off, and more chilling and charming adventures ensue in these five short stories set in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Genres: Manga, Light Novel, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Young Adult, Novels

138 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 4, 2020

About the author

Ballad Kitaguni 北國ばらっど (Kitaguni Baraddo), is a Japanese light novels writer.

Reviews

[アレクシア · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got thrown off by some of the reviews of here, but I’m so glad that I pulled through since it was totally worth it, in my opinion. The “complaint” that made me question the book the most was that it seemed too OOC.
But after reading all five short stories, I have come to the conclusion that we just don’t know that much about the characters. The manga doesn’t divulge almost any information about the characters’ relationships and day-by-day life.
This is a nice way to learn about that kind of stuff. From Inumaki being a really considerate person, Gojo drinking nonalcoholic cocktails and eating chicken nuggets and Fushiguro enjoying ice coffee to Kugisaki really worrying about Itadori as well as Gojo taking care of Ijichi from afar.
You get a peak into their real personalities and their true way of being regarding their loved ones. It’s an easy book to read, besides being short too. So nothing a big fan of Jujutsu Kaisen couldn’t handle!

[jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

such a silly read!! some parts felt a bit out of character to me, but the unique character interactions and bonus scenes were enjoyable.

[DeathReye · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Im not saying it's terrible, it's just an extremely forgettable read. HOWEVER, there were 2 stories that I thought actually portrayed the characters.

Most of the time, the characters seem very ooc except for the Ultimate Mechamaru story and the last story with Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara.

[Wendy Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gojo is a man child CONFIRMED

[Bonnie Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well 5 stars because it's Jujutsu Kaisen, but the writing style... oh man... I've read better smut on Tumblr...
Great stories that should have been included in the manga. Learning those heartwarming facts about the characters from a light novel is what makes the main story plain to many readers. The characters do undergo development and growth, and they do have 'the other side' to their personalities. Gojo actually caring about people around him; the main trio being there for each other and trying to understand what the others feel; the Kyoto kids having some spotlight that kind of flashes out their resolutions... all that should be in the main story.

[nihaarika · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels great to have this collection of stories to distract from the pure angst of the jujutsu kaisen manga; honestly, just give me like ten other volumes of the JJK characters going about their lives. I'd devour them immediately.

[lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

itafushi karaoke duet canon 😭😭😭

[baisik · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE seeing more insight from side characters of the main JJK series. I hope there is another volume in the future!!!

[henryhoorray · Rating 5 out of 5]

the last chapter? i was almost crying ngl, i had fckn chills. loved it, would read again

[m.・゜゜・・゜゜・． · Rating 4 out of 5]

kokichi and miwa truthers rise. also the last chapter was so heartfelt literally was like a slap

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

●Jujutsu Kaisen: Thorny Road at Dawn by Gege Akutami and Ballad Kitaguni●

This second book of JJK short stories was just as entertaining as the first. With five more stories following some of the characters from the franchise I found it amusing and heartwarming at times. I liked that we got to see more of the Kyto students and even got a story about them. It's still set during season one, and though simple, is still enjoyable and easy to read. The characters felt right this time around, and I liked the theme of friendship, especially between Itadori, Kugisaki and Fushiguro.

●Nobara and Toge 4/5 🌟
●Even if I'm Not Here 4/5 🌟
●Asakusabashi Elegy 2/5 🌟
●Advancing in the Face of Fear 3/5 🌟
●At the End of the Sidewalk 4/5 🌟

[Jelena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Otprilike ono što sam očekivala, ali premalo Megumija.

Megumi voli ledenu kavu - a man of taste 🖤 I to im daje dodatnu zvjezdicu, inače je stvarno nebitno.

[ameliabro · Rating 4 out of 5]

More chill jjk fun! I really enjoyed these for light reading after work and little insights into all the characters

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Murió y revivió sin que nosotros hiciéramos nada..."

Aww como me duele esa frase 🤧
Amé demasiado la historia de Nobara con Toge y el final con el trío de Jjk, que bonitos es cuando están esos tres juntos 🫰

[Emily Mellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow 5/5 for the last story

[Kaitlynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was this book as heartwarming as the last one felt to me? No. No it was not. Why? Because I picked a bad time to read it with the Shibuya ARC of the anime starting and everything happening with #JJK236.... (which, please don't Google unless you are ready for spoilers. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!)

I LIKED getting to see more about a lot of the characters. it was so interesting to me. But at the same time, being caught up with the manga, it's also kind of made me sad. For various reasons that I will not go into because of spoilers and whatnot.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

ahhh the nobara, inumaki story, and the ijichi, gojo, shoko story, and the trio story!!!! so good!!!

[Mandy Szewczuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Choppy translation, but the stories were fun as a slightly deeper look into the jujutsu world.

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this light novel, the stories felt so refreshing because it paints the characters in such a human light, as opposed to what we’re used to in the series where they’re strong fighters. Especially with how the series has been going in the manga (and anime at this point) these light hearted moments really do feel great to read and enjoy.

My favorite was definitely the last story with the main trio hanging out together, but I honestly found a bit of charm in each story. I do hope we get another!

[Lexy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this more than the other light novel! Parts of this were really fun. Poor Ijichi! He really needs a break!

[Christine Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

An anthology of shorts (the equivalent of 4 Kona imo because that's how short these were). Honestly they added a little bit to the side characters stories but not much! I wouldn't waste time reading this unless you're gung-ho about the side side charas

[Leeann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cool read. I love seeing more Toge and Nobra learning more about each other. I also love how we read about the other Jujutsu from the other school.

[Megan Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading these little short stories. They provide such interesting insight on a lot of the characters and little excerpts after the goodwill event. I thought the writing for this one was a bit better than the last short story book, but I enjoyed all of them. Would’ve loved to read about Gojo more but that’s okay.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anmerkung: Das Buch ist irgendwie nicht richtig im System von Goodreads, als ich die ISBN eingegeben hatte, wurde ich hierher weiter geleitet.

Content Warnings:
Für "Nobara und Toge": Kidnapping; Mind Control; Nobaras Fluchtechnik (Nadeln; Voodoo); Body Horror/Mutilation (explodierende Zunge)
Für "Auch wenn ich nicht hier bin": Abgerissene Gliedmaßen (Mechamaru); Giftgas; Explosions; chronic illness and being disabled (Kokichi/Mechamaru)
Für "Mais stiller Tanz": Abgerissene Gliedmaßen; Self-Harm (Exhaustion)

Hier treffen eigentlich alle Punkte wie beim vorherigen Band zu und es handelt sich wieder um ene Kurzgeschichtensammlung.

Vielleicht habe ich mich ein wenig an den Schreibstil gewöhnt, aber ich fand ihn nicht so flach wie im 1. Band; meine Kritik bleibt aber weiterhin bestehen dass es in Dialogen manchmal schwer ist zu folgen wer gerade spricht und dass sie nicht viel zur Handlung beitragen.

Ich fands ziemlich gut, dass hier auch wieder Aufträge vorgekommen sind und es nicht nur "Die Gang macht einen Spaziergang".

[Ivy~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like its predecessor, this book offered no contributions to my schema, but I really don't care. I had a wonderful time and enjoyed reading all the fun little stories, and that's that.

In particular, I really liked the story about Mechamaru. Not only did it expand upon his character a bit more, but it was quite interesting, and maybe a little bit sad.

I actually now in general feel much sadder about what happens to all of these characters in the main series. But at the same time, this was a nice balm.

[Maria Drago · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so cute, actually!! Well, the last story with the main trio. I lowkey didn't give a damn about Mai/Momo/Miwa's story or Mechamaru's, but the Nobara and Inumaki one is fun and so is the Gojo and Ijichi one. I just love seeing my babies doing their slice of life nonsense <3
(Also, I think I nailed my characterization of Megumi lol)
I will say, though, the translation makes the text feel very dry. It's not a particularly fun read.

[Nyalisa ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LIKED IT ITS BITTERSWEET I like how the author went indept about some of the characters like Mai and it changed my opinion about the characters slightly. (Also i have my eyes on Mai and Yuu, i hope they show up in the anime 👀)

[Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

there were some noticeable translation errors but overall there were some fun stories to fuel my raging jjk obsession

[dayra · Rating 5 out of 5]

que bonitos estoy tan triste los extraño tanto.....

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the light novels. I wish there were more because I adore these characters so much.

It’s hard to say which of the short stories was my fave but it would have to be between Ijichi’s story or the one with Itadori’s trio.

For Ijichi’s, I loved reading more about Gojo and Shoko and their respective personalities. I love Gojo’s obsession with sweets and how light hearted he is. I also liked how more of Shoko’s personality shone through as well. I enjoyed how each were concerned about Ijichi and how Gojo encouraged him to take the day off.

The story with Itadori’s trio was nice and angsty for someone like me that enjoys the characters and knows what’s in store for them. I think it’s sweet how Megumi and Nobara were glad to have him back after thinking he was dead and it was nice to read about their fun together in the arcade.

I also enjoyed Mai’s story, it pairs well with her character and shows why she is the way she is and her resentment for Maki. Mechamaru’s story was also interesting.

Overall it was really enjoyable and it was nice to read more about the characters and what they were up to after the exchange event. Again I wish there were more light novels or slice of life episodes (when I want filler for once we don’t have it :p) but I guess that’s where fanfic comes in.

Would recommend and I plan on buying both light novels and rereading.

Edit: Apparently some reviews think the characters are written out of character but I didn’t find that to be the case. It has been my experience that a lot of the JJK fandom has a fundamental misunderstanding of the characters and a literacy issue.