Summary:

While they're training for the exchange event, Kugisaki and Fushiguro come face to face with Kyoto's Jujutsu Tech second years - Zen'in Mai and Toudou - who challenge them to a fight. (HBO Max Summary)

(Kyoto School Students) Source

Categories & Grades:

1. Opening Scene - Dub Score: 0.5, Sub Score: 0.75
2. Plot & Characters - Dub Score: 0.5, Sub Score: 0.5
3. Dialogue - Dub Score: 0.5, Sub Score: 0.5
4. Animation - Dub Score: 0.5, Sub Score: 0.5
5. Sound Effects - Dub Score: 0.5, Sub Score: 1
6. Music - Dub Score: 0.5, Sub Score: 1
7. Action & Humor - Dub Score: 0.5, Sub Score: 0.5
8. Voice Acting - Dub Score: 0.75, Sub Score: 0.5
9. Likability - Dub Score: 0.75, Sub Score: 0.5
10. Wow Factor - Dub Score: 0.5, Sub Score: 0.5

Final Category Grades

Dub Score/Grade: 5.5/ F
Subbed Score/Grade: 6.25/D-
Average Final Score/ Grade: 5.85/ F+

(Kugisaki & Fushiguro near vending machines) Source

(Toudou, Lover of Tall Women with Big Gorgeous Asses, and Mai Zenin, Maki's basic twin sister.) Source

Opening Scene:

Episode eight's Boredom opens with Kugisaki complaining while ordering soda from vending machines with Fugisaki, before Tokyo second years--Zenin, Panda, and Inumaki--discuss the arrival of the principal and second years from their sister school in Kyoto for the Exchange Event. We get a freeze-frame of the Kyoto Principal, a higher up who Gojou dislikes, and then the third years--Aoi Toudou and Mai Zenin--show up to harass Kugisaki and Fushiguro about Itadori's recent "death" angering them when she calls Itadori a half-curse monster who didn't deserve a chance to play at being a jujutsu sorcerer. Neither come off as evil, just a big strong dope and a female foil to either Kugisaki or Maki Zenin. It's a standard meet and greet between new rivals until Toudou announces he'll judge Fushiguro on one thing and one thing only--his taste in women--before announcing he prefers "tall women with a big gorgeous ass." It was an obvious stab at humor during a tense scene which didn't really land but I'm genuinely curious how Fushiguro answers and wonder if the taste-in-women gimmick will become a cumulative ongoing joke. Overall, it didn't feel like too much of an info-dump scene and felt normal until Toudou--who could be annoying or amazing in the future. The second year Tokyo student Okkotsu is mentioned again, he's one of three Gojou claims could be on par with him someday along with Itadori and some other third year student. I prefer the Japanese subbed for the opener as it came off as less ridiculous.

Plot & Characters:

Episode eight's Boredom focuses mostly on the buildup to the Exchange Event between the Kyoto and Tokyo Jujutsu Schools, their respective staff and students, and what looks like the schemes of the mysteriously human-looking curse spirit Mahito who Itadori and some unknown blonde man will investigate. In comparison to last episode, Boredom is a bit of a bore compared to Assault but by itself feels like it did the job of introducing new characters and ending on a bit of intrigue.

• The Kyoto School's principal and head of the conservative higher-up is Gakuganji, a bald old man with a long goatee, a walking staff, and earrings on his ears and nose.
  
  (Kyoto School's Principal Gakuganji) Source

• Gojou alters the Tokyo School principal Masamichi's schedule so he can have a brief chat with Gakuganji and let him know he knows the old man had first years--Itadori, Fushiguro, and Kugisaki--sent on that special-grade mission, while also hinting that his long-established jujutsu world is in for a rude awakening as forces they've strived to contain have finally broke their leash.
  
  (Gojou's impromptu with Kyoto School's principal Gakuganji.

• We meet third year Kyoto students, Aoi Toudou and Mai Zenin. Mai comes off as the generic evil twin doppleganger of her sister Maki, while Toudou is overflowing with personality.
  
  (Toudou's face while describing his taste in women) Source

• Toudou attacks Fushiguro for having boring taste in women--girls with good character.
  
  Source

• At first Fushiguro notes that Toudou doesn't use cursed techniques but Toudour corrects him, revealing he relies entirely on his inhuman physical prowess but only uses curse techniques on special-grade curse spirits to "keep things interesting." This referral to a past event that hasn't bee elaborated or illustrated did make me more curious about the overall expanse of the jujutsu world. I am curious about other cultures and countries' equivalent of jujutsu sorcerers.

• Tokyo second years Panda and Inumaki stop the fight but it looks they persuade Toudou to stop instead of overpowering him. I really wanted to see Fushiguro go all out since this is the second time he was stopped from using his "full power." Also, I'm awaiting an explanation for the walking talking Panda character--called Panda.

• Mai reveals she can't see curse spirits without her glasses and that even though her cursed energy is weak, her twin sister Maki has zero curse energy. This sounds like a serious handicap in a world where curse energy is used to do all sorts of wondrous feats. Just like Kugisaki, I found myself already rooting for Maki and hoping nothing ever happens to her glasses.

• The episode ends with three deformed corpses at a movie theater, Mahito meeting an unknown boy who can see cursed spirits, and Itadori and a blonde man in a suit arriving at the movie theater.

Dialogue:

Most of the dialogue was a just an expansion upon bits of previously mentioned info. I enjoyed the verbal sparring between Kugisaki and Mai--the former describing the other of being much uglier than her twin sister Maki and then accusing her of big pores due to poor sleep, coupled with Mai hinting that Kugisaki could never pull off her summer dress with those skinny legs of hers. Another interesting conversation occurred between Gojou and Gakuganji, where Gojou basically told the old man that his era was coming to an end and that their world would soon be drastically shifting. Our first introduction to a Jujutsu Tech School in episode two made the institution seem empty and abandoned so it's good to have a face to the higher-ups who apparently run the jujutsu sorcerer system. No other dialogue remained with me after.

Animation:

The fight between Fushiguro and Toudou wasn't bad but after witnessing the absolute spectacle of Gojou versus Jougo, it paled in comparison. But the passing shadow effect of Maki and Kugisaki walking beneath the trees felt like a nice touch.

Sound Effects:

As per usual, the sound effects were clearer and louder in Japanese subbed versus English dub.

Music:

The music during the Fushiguro-Toudou fight felt appropriate and yet wasn't outstanding but did feel clearer and louder in Japanese subbed.

Action & Humor:

Toudou shoving Fushiguro through the wooden foundation felt a bit much but the idea jujutsu sorcerer's bodies are superhumanly tough is growing on me. I liked the point-of-view of Fushiguro getting punched in the face by Toudou. The exchange of verbal barbs between Kugisaki and Mai was amusing.

Voice Acting:

I preferred the opening scene in Japanese but the rest of the cast felt better in English.

Likability:

The episode was okay.

Wow Factor:

• Gakuganji's blue/green-haired girl bodyguard who likes Gojou felt like a light-hearted note to the episode.
• Whatever Mahito did to those three guys in the movie theater.
• Who's the blonde guy with Itadori?