JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken (TV)

The year is 1868; English nobleman George Joestar and his son Jonathan become indebted to Dario Brando after being rescued from a carriage incident. What the Joestars don't realize, however, is that Dario had no intention of helping them; he believed they were dead and was trying to ransack their belongings. After Dario's death 12 years later, George—hoping to repay his debt—adopts his son, Dio.

While he publicly fawns over his new father, Dio secretly plans to steal the Joestar fortune. His first step is to create a divide between George and Jonathan. By constantly outdoing his foster brother, Dio firmly makes his place in the Joestar family. But when Dio pushes Jonathan too far, Jonathan defeats him in a brawl.

Years later, the two appear to be close friends to the outside world. But trouble brews again when George falls ill, as Jonathan suspects that Dio is somehow behind the incident—and it appears he has more tricks up his sleeve.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Joestar, Joseph Main

Sugita, Tomokazu Japanese

Brando, Dio Main

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Speedwagon, Robert E. O. Main

Ueda, Youji Japanese

Joestar, Jonathan Main

Okitsu, Kazuyuki Japanese

Zeppeli, Caesar Anthonio Main

Satou, Takuya Japanese

Lisa Lisa Main

Tanaka, Atsuko Japanese

Zeppeli, Will A. Main

Shioya, Yoku Japanese

von Stroheim, Rudol Supporting

Imaruoka, Atsushi Japanese

Kars Supporting

Inoue, Kazuhiko Japanese

Wamuu Supporting

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Oomori, Hiroyuki Producer

Kajita, Kouji Producer

Fukuda, Jun Producer

Mori, Ryousuke Producer

Reviews

Sep 30, 2025

Indalamarius

Recommended

As someone who’s been watching anime for years, I can say confidently: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012) is one of those titles that you think you understand from screenshots and memes… until you actually sit down and watch it. And then it clicks.

That said - it’s far from perfect. Especially in its early stages.

Story - 7/10

This adaptation covers the first two arcs: Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency. And let’s not sugarcoat it — Phantom Blood is the weaker half.

The setup is basic: noble Jonathan Joestar vs his adopted evil brother Dio, set in Victorian England. It plays like a classic shounen origin story - admirable in ... its sincerity, but pretty dated and predictable. Jonathan is almost too virtuous to be compelling, and while Dio absolutely delivers, the story drags in places and feels overly stiff.

But then Part 2 hits - and suddenly JoJo becomes alive.
Battle Tendency takes everything Phantom Blood hinted at and dials it up: smarter fights, better pacing, more locations, and most importantly - Joseph Joestar, a protagonist who actually thinks on his feet and has a personality.

The tonal shift from gothic horror to globe-trotting pulp adventure was jarring at first, but it works. The Pillar Men are imposing villains, the stakes feel real, and Joseph’s mix of humor, cunning, and charisma kept me hooked to the very end.

Art - 8/10

It’s stylized as hell — and that’s exactly the point.

David Production didn’t try to modernize or tone down Araki’s art style, and I respect that. The heavy outlines, color-shifting palettes, and sudden freeze-frames recreate the manga’s energy perfectly. Yeah, the animation can be stiff in places, and the early episodes look a bit low-budget at times, but the sheer style carries it hard.

Sound - 9/10

If you don’t get chills when “Sono Chi no Sadame” kicks in, I don’t know what to tell you.

The OST is one of JoJo’s biggest weapons — dramatic orchestral pieces, tribal drums, and jazzy battle music blend with iconic voice performances to elevate even the cheesiest moments. Joseph’s "Nigyrundayooo" and Dio’s "MUDA MUDA MUDA" are permanently etched into anime history.

And then there’s Roundabout by Yes as the ending theme. An English prog rock track from the ‘70s? Sounds ridiculous — until you see it in action. It fits. Somehow.

Characters - 8/10

Jonathan is… fine. He’s pure, he's noble. But he’s also the most one-dimensional Joestar in the entire series. A good introduction, but not much else.

Dio, on the other hand, steals the entire first arc with ease. From his very first “WRYYYY,” he cements himself as one of anime’s most flamboyant and entertaining villains.

But the real magic starts with Joseph Joestar. He’s clever, loud, unpredictable, and always thinking. Watching him bluff, cheat, and outwit ancient muscle gods is honestly more satisfying than most modern fight anime. He’s got brains and brawn — a rare combo in shounen protagonists.

The supporting cast - Speedwagon, Caesar, Lisa Lisa - is strong, even if not all of them get equal development.

Enjoyment - 9/10

Despite its rocky start, JoJo (2012) is one of the most fun anime experiences I’ve had in a long time.
There’s something really satisfying about watching a show that fully commits to its identity. JoJo doesn’t care if it’s “too much.” That’s the point.

Final Thoughts:

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012) isn’t perfect - and honestly, it doesn’t need to be. It’s the raw, pulsing start of a generational saga, bursting with creativity, style, and passion. Part 1 lays the groundwork (even if it’s clunky), and Part 2 delivers on nearly every front.

Final Score: 8/10
Wobbly start, but once Joseph enters, it becomes legendary. And trust me - it only gets crazier from here.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 17, 2025

Excel44M

Mixed Feelings

My personal score of first season is 7/10. It wasn't bad, but it was boring. The first season consists of Part 1 and Part 2, introducing the Joestar family as the main characters: Jonathan and Joseph. I understand that the First Part—Phantom Blood— is meant to be a prologue, but the way it was presented felt too slow. There were also not many episodes in Part 1, only nine, mainly focusing on the introduction of Jonathan and Dio's rivalry and mask-vampire, which I found felt too long and slow for a prologue.

It got better Part 2, Battle Tendency, at least the pacing felt right, though ... it didn't completly fix the boredom I felt while watching. Joseph Joestar was also more interesting than Jonathan—his character had more comedy compared to his grandfather.

Some scenes also felt wrong to me. For example, when Kars took Aja Stone in Switzerland, I don't understand how the stone could glide that far—it didn't feel realistic. Another example is when Joseph could suddenly pilot a plane at the end, despite never having learned how to drive one.

I can't say it was bad, but I don't think this season represents what JoJo fans talk about the moment when you finally realize the series is great to follow. I hope so, since there are still many more parts ahead.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Apr 22, 2024

KulMan

Not Recommended

(TLDR at the end) Part 1: I first should clarify what i count as part 1. In season 1 of jojos, there are 2 stories told, that of Jonathan and Joseph. I dont consider this whole season as part 1. I consider part 1 when Jonathan was the lead, and part 2 is when Joseph was the lead..

Now that we got that clear, lets get into my thoughts about part 1: I really hate that power system Hamon. It was kinda fun and interesting at the beginning, but it got boring really fast.
Lets talk about the mc for a bit now... The main ... character, Jonathan is a very bland character. Horrible writting. Jonathan is one of those characters that is too perfect that is always in the right, which kinda ruins a characters writing. He is a gentlemen that respects women, he is a kind man, willing to forgive his best friend for every crime he has commited. I just wish he did something immoral/wrong so that we could get good character writing.

i'll talk about the villain now. Dio, one of the most iconic villains in all of anime. He is the reason why I didnt just drop the anime. This character is pure evil. He has recieved alot of kindness from others, but he never cared to repay it. In fact, he turned his back to the people that were horrible to him. I really love villains that are pure evil. They tend to be very well written. He is very consistent in his "Villainessness". There isnt a moment where a single kindness is shown from him. These types of characters are really rare. Usually, most pure evil villains in anime are inconsictent, but Dio is one of the exceptions.

You know, the dynamics between Jonathan and Dio had alot of potential, since you know, Dio is like the personification of evil, and Jonathan is the personification of good, and the contrast is amazing, but the dynamics were very poorly executed. I dont remember much about the anime, so i cant go into more detail about side characters and stuff. What i remember is Speedwagon tho. I believe he made his appearance in the first part. Speedwagon is such a good support character, and i absolutely love him. This might be a weird comparison but he is kinda like Alfred from "Batman". He is like the mentor and a useful person to all of the jojos. To sum up, the anime did a lot of right things, but the good is overshadowed by the horrendous power system and the mc, so thats why i didnt like it. Overall, this part is quite disappointing.

TLDR of part 1: Part 1 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure introduces Jonathan Joestar as the main character and Dio Brando as the iconic villain. While the dynamic between Jonathan and Dio has potential, it falls short due to Jonathan's bland characterization and the poorly executed power system of Hamon. Despite the introduction of memorable supporting characters like Speedwagon, the flaws in the main aspects of the story overshadow its strengths, making it bad overall.

(TLDR at the end.) Part 2: My favorite Joestar, Joseph Joestar! He is also one of my favorite characters. Joseph wasnt very well written, im gonna admit that, but at least he wasnt perfect like Jonathan from part 1. You know, this is like one of the characters that are so enjoyable that they make me forget about their writing, and that doesnt happen that often. Joseph is a really smart character, my favorite feature in any anime character. Joseph isnt affraid to fight dirty. In fact, that is his main thing in this part, fighting dirty. He is willing to risk his life to save others tho, which is commandable.

But you know, for me having an mc perfect like that could be really damaging for an anime. The mc can be soo good that you basically forget the side- cast. This is exactly what happened for me in part 2. Every single character was overshadowed by Josephs superiority in enjoyability. Also, we dont have Dio anymore as the main villain. Instead, we get Kars. I mean, kars is a fairly decent and underrated villain, but yeah, he is nothing compared to Dio. See, this is what im talking about. Kars is a good villain, but since we had Dio in part 1, im ofc going to be dissapointed when the villain is no where near as good as Dio. That is very subjective tho. Also, we still have Hamon in this part, and its even more unbearable in here, since the more it is used, the more tiring it gets. Overall, this part is rather lacking.

TLDR of part 2: Part 2 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure features Joseph Joestar as the main character, known for his wit and willingness to fight dirty. While Joseph is enjoyable, his overshadowing of the side characters and the lack of a compelling villain like Dio detract from the overall experience. The continued use of the Hamon power system also becomes more tiresome in this part, contributing to its overall disappointment.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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