Shouta Goshozono is one of the most exciting new voices in Japanese anime right now. His direction of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 and other recent anime proves that Gosso cinema is here to stay. Get to know the promising director right here!
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Shouta Goshozono: From Key Animation to Chainsaw Man
Shouta Goshozono is a relatively new director, but his work is already making waves in the anime world.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 surprised everyone when it was announced that Goshozono would be its new director.
But those who had kept up with the 30-year-old creator knew they could expect great things!
Goshozono's relatively limited body of work until then had already left a lasting impression on shounen anime fans who will often exclaim "Gosso cinema!" in online discussions when his projects come up.
Goshozono began his career with the key animation of certain episodes for titles such as Black Clover, Mob Psycho 100, and Sword Art Online.
He then directed selected episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 and Ranking of Kings with great success.
One of his most recent and most impressive works is the direction of Chainsaw Man Episode 8.
This is the episode where things go very wrong for the Public Safety squad, with major characters dying or facing otherwise impossible and chaotic situations.
Gosso manages to give brutal scenes a grotesquely beautiful quality without romanticizing them, keeping them active and fresh while highlighting their tragedy.
These are great qualities for a dark trio shounen director and an amazing first flavor of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2.
Gosso's Full Filmography
Shouta Goshozono is a relatively new voice in anime direction. As we mentioned previously, his work focused on key animation before moving on to directing select episodes, and finally, a whole anime show.
Key Animation
- Black Clover (Episodes 13, 35, and 63)
- Chainsaw Man (opening and Episode 8)
- Crayon Shin-chan Bakusui! Yumemi World Dai Totsugeki
- Eromanga Sensei (Episode 1)
- Eromanga Sensei (Episodes 2 and 11)
- Fafner EXODUS (several episodes)
- Fate/Apocrypha (Episode 23)
- Fate/Grand Order -Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia (several episodes)
- Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 (Episodes 1, 5, 8, and 17)
- Mob Psycho 100 II (Episode 4)
- Ranking of Kings (Episodes 7 and 21)
- The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments (Episodes 13, 19, and 23)
- Sword Art Online: Alicization (Episode 9)
Direction
- Chainsaw Man (Episode 8)
- Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 (Episodes 8 and 17)
- Ranking of Kings (Episodes 7 and 21)
Directing Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 is the first project in which Goshozono is the main director. He's done a stellar job so far, which suggests a great career in Japanese animation.
He took over from Seong-Hu Park, a South Korean animator and director who reportedly left to work on other projects with a new studio.
Gosso Cinema Characteristics: How Did Jujutsu Kaisen Change?
While it's too early to define "Gosso cinema" and its characteristics, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 is an interesting case study that provides insights into Goshozono's style and shows why he's such an exciting director.
Firstly, the director opted for a less detailed art style that is brighter and ventures toward a watercolor aesthetic. This is a marked difference from the much more detailed first season.
The new style might not be for everyone, but it looks good, feels fluid, and leaves less room for errors.
While detailed styles are easy to admire, it takes skill to create beautiful animation with less!
Moreover, Goshozono chose to add a few scenes that weren't in the manga but did so in a way that serves rather than hinders Gege Akutami's story.
He also often focuses on small details that make all the difference. Compared to the character's representation until that point, Gosso also paints Suguru Geto in a more sympathetic light.
Geto is still a villain, and Season 2's first five episodes explain how this came to be.
But while Geto is undeniably evil, Gosso's direction makes us delve deeply into the villain's psyche, unavoidably understanding him.
This is a great characteristic for a dark trio anime and we can't wait to see how Gosso is going to handle the Shibuya Incident arc.
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