As a Jujutsu Kaisen fan, I regret to bring you this review of its new themed café in KL

I know I’m not alone when I say that Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the best animes in recent history. And if you don’t think so, we can at least agree that it’s certainly been one of the most popular and hence impactful pieces of media in the past few years.

Malaysians seem to have a particular soft spot for the anime, especially after the Kuantan reference made during the you-know-what scene with Nanami Kento.

Given all these factors, it’s no surprise that ACO LAB, a new anime café in Pavilion Bukit Jalil, chose to collaborate with Jujutsu Kaisen as its first anime to feature. We were told the theme may change every few months going forward.

ACO LAB is a project by ACO MEDIA, an entertainment company that offers services relating to concerts, exhibitions, as well as film production and distribution.

We were invited for the launch of the Jujutsu Kaisen Experience, here was our experience at the anime café.

Pictures please

From now until July 27, the Jujutsu Kaisen experience will be held across from the ACO LAB café, featuring five photo zones for fans to snap pictures at.

Unfortunately, the first photo zone with the main four characters (Yuji, Gojo, Megumi, and Nobara) was hard to photograph, given that the stools they sit on emit light. So, if you have a phone camera that doesn’t capture light well, forget about it.

The next zone is just a collage wall of Yuji, which felt a little odd. Then, there’s a zone with standees of all the main villains. But instead of having their names printed on the wall behind, I would’ve preferred a more immersive backdrop—perhaps Jogo’s Coffin of the Iron Mountain domain?

The photo zone with Mahito is arguably the best designed. But as interesting as Mahito’s character is, we thought it would be way cooler if it were Sukuna’s Malevolent Shrine domain instead. Imagine how epic it would be to have a throne there that you can sit on!  

It was a shame to see that Tokyo Jujutsu High’s second-year students such as Maki, Yuta, Toge, and Panda weren’t there. Personally, I’d rather see them than the characters from the Kyoto school.

At most, it might take you just 15 minutes to go through the whole place, and that’s if you’re stopping to take a photo at every zone. There’s really not too much to experience here, which was a slight shame.

A fan’s paradise

Now, compared to the photo zones, this area is definitely a lot more engaging.

Touted as the largest souvenir shop for Jujutsu Kaisen in Malaysia, there’s really a lot to look at here.

Admittedly, some of the merch was a bit on the tackier side, but hey, they’re just serving the demand. I personally prefer the more premium and subtle-looking merch, such as these gorgeous metal keychains of different characters’ weapons.

And rest assured that all these merch are official and licensed.

Inside the souvenir shop, there’s also a photo booth in the corner. Here, you can change filters, with two fun options being Manga and Cartoon, and then select one of four frames at the end, correlating to the four main characters. At RM20 a pop, you can get a printed copy.

The food was… a flop

Sadly, we felt like the food fell way, way short of our expectations. We ended up ordering the Blindfolded Gourmet’s Choice (RM28.90), which was Gojo’s dish with a prawn sandwich and chips.

We also got Yuji’s Courageous Feast (RM25.90), a chicken spaghetti bolognese with grilled chicken chop.

The small amount of chips made the dish look quite sad, but the chips might’ve been the best part of the meal.

For the sandwich, the bread was too thick, and was even a little stale. I believe it would’ve been miles better if served toasted and warm.

The prawns tasted quite fishy, and the egg mayo sauce was too little to mask it. Meanwhile, the lettuce was only placed on one side.

The spaghetti dish was a little better. The sauce was a bit on the acidic side, but it wasn’t bad. It tasted ketchup-y, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but is pretty common in Japan, such as with its Napolitan dish.

Thankfully, the drinks were quite enjoyable. With chewy clear boba, our Blue Lychee and Yellow Yuzu Lemon were both quite refreshing, without being too sweet. But RM16.90 for each drink is a little exorbitant.

Since ACO LAB is a café after all, we do wish the food was better. We’re not asking for gourmet dishes, but for us Malaysian foodies, the culinary factor is something that can make or break the whole experience.

That said, we understand that the launch may have been stressful for the kitchen, as they stopped orders momentarily as well.

With that in mind, we hope that our gastronomical experience might’ve been a fluke, as it left much room for improvement.

Expanding their domain

As a fan of the anime, I was hoping for… more. More interactivity, more immersivity, more excitement.

Not that we’re expert event planners, but we had a couple of ideas:

1. Props: We think props like Nobara’s hammer, Sukuna’s finger, or even the school jacket would make the photobooth experience much more immersive.
2. Music and media: During the day, they were playing the soundtrack from JJK on repeat, but I believe putting some ambient music appropriate for each photo zone will make it more interactive. Adding some screens playing relevant clips and scenes that might play at every other corner might help with the overall atmosphere.  
3. Introduction to the source material: You might think that non-fans just shouldn’t visit, but I believe that isolates a lot of people who might be looking for a fun activity, or simply want to tag along with their friends. I’ve attended experiences with source material that I’m unfamiliar with, and appreciated whenever there were introductions whether that be through videos or through written text on the walls.

Of course, we understand that there may obstacles such as with licensing, approvals, and budget. But as a fan of the anime, I believe these little additions would make a huge difference in the overall experience.

With everything said and done, I do still think it’s a worthwhile experience for fans in particular, just maybe lower your expectations. Available for purchase on Ticket2u, the ticket prices are quite agreeable too:

So, don’t let our experience deter you from trying it out.

This is ACO LAB’s first time conducting such an event, and for a new café, we understand that there are many challenges and bumps along the way. We really hope to see ACO LAB improving down the road to give anime fans more immersive and unique experiences.

• Learn more about ACO LAB here.
• Read other lifestyle articles we’ve written here.