Winter 2020âs breakout hit Jujutsu Kaisen not only has stellar production values across its episodes -- it also features some of the best openings and ending credits of the year. The ending credits are particularly notable for their stylish hand-drawn animation, as well as a catchy and lively song that provides a much-needed counter-balance to the animeâs mostly dark tone. The ending song âLost in Paradiseâ is written and performed by the band ALI, who also performed the jazzy opening to Beastars. The main creative force behind ALI is its lead singer Leo Imamura, who in addition to being a Jujutsu Kaisen fan, is also a huge fan of the character Suguru Geto. He tweeted his fondness for Suguru just before the characterâs introduction in Episode 5 of the anime.If one reads the full lyrics of âLost in Paradise,â it isn't difficult to spot how it relates to Suguru, especially in the second rap verse of the song. Some of the lyrics can be roughly translated to:
âTime is still ticking, it is the only equality, wasting no more.
Before my plan is done, everything is not real.
The Illestâ is the title I bearâ¦â
Suguru Geto is known in the series as a Cursed user, a sorcerer who turned evil. He is also Gojo Satoruâs former classmate. Suguru is someone who does not believe in equality but has a very clear plan to create his version of an ideal world, no matter what it takes, so âthe illestâ in the lyrics can definitely refer to Suguru.
But Imamura did not just stop at one song, he wrote three additional ones just for Jujutsu Kaisen, which were released on November 25 along with âLost in Paradiseâ as an EP. All three songs are dedicated to specific characters from Jujutsu Kaisen. âMoonbeams Satelliteâ was written for Gojo Satoru; âDesperadoâ for Nobara Kugisaki and âFaithâ for Suguru Geto. As Imamura tweets, all the songs contain very specific references from the manga as well as past popular culture icons that informed the songs' respective musical styles. He made these various inspirations into collages and posted them to Twitter.
Gojoâs song "Moonbeams Satellite" is inspired by classic sci-fi films, the moon landing and aliens, most likely in relation to Gojoâs Domain Expansion âInfinite Void,â a space-like place wherein time has lost all meaning, and the senses are overloaded with information. The song has a cool and groovy vibe that is reminiscent of Michael Jacksonâs music. This style also goes well with the analogy of floating in space. It is also suitable for Gojoâs generally relaxed personality.
On the other hand, âDesperadoâ is an energetic and passionate samba song; the music of which fits well with Nobaraâs fiery personality, as well as her name, which literally means âwild rose.â The lyrics express a longing for freedom that is central to Nobaraâs character, in addition to the profound loneliness she felt during her days in the countryside.
Finally, Suguruâs song âFaithâ relates to the ideas of religion, as its title suggests. The song takes a more somber approach and uses big band jazz music. At times, it even sounds like a James Bond theme song. The lyrics are about Suguru's continued pursuit of his ultimate goal: remaking society in a way he sees fit. The connection between âFaithâ and âLost in Paradiseâ is also clear as both songs emphasize the idea of a never-ending fight.
Overall, Lost in Paradise EP is a fun musical take on Jujutsu Kaisen and its characters. The EPâs backbone is still contemporary hip hop, but it is mixed with other more retro music styles to match the artist's impressions of different characters. It is the kind of music that echoes Jujutsu Kaisenâs own post-modern sensibility -- blending traditional Japanese culture with modern, fast-paced shonen storytelling.