JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

Years after an ancient evil was salvaged from the depths of the sea, Joutarou Kuujou sits peacefully within a Japanese jail cell. He's committed no crime yet demands he not be released, believing he's been possessed by an evil spirit capable of harming those around him. Concerned for her son, Holly Kuujou asks her father, Joseph Joestar, to convince Joutarou to leave the prison. Joseph informs his grandson that the "evil spirit" is in fact something called a "Stand," the physical manifestation of one's fighting spirit which can adopt a variety of deadly forms. After a fiery brawl with Joseph's friend Mohammed Avdol, Joutarou is forced out of his cell and begins learning how to control the power of his Stand.

However, when a Stand awakens within Holly and threatens to consume her in 50 days, Joutarou, his grandfather, and their allies must seek out and destroy the immortal vampire responsible for her condition. They must travel halfway across the world to Cairo, Egypt and along the way, do battle with ferocious Stand users set on thwarting them. If Joutarou and his allies fail in their mission, humanity is destined for a grim fate.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stardust Crusaders, as well as its second season, is a full adaptation of the third part of the JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken manga series. The first season covers the first 69 chapters of the manga. As with the prior season, the opening theme animations were produced by the studio Kamikaze Douga (神風動画).

Episode Videos

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Adaptation:	JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders
Alternative version:	JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Adventure
Prequel:	JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken (TV)
Sequel:	JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders 2nd Season

Kugimiya, Rie
Japanese

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Staff

Mizusaki, Junpei

Producer

Tsuda, Naokatsu

Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard

Suzuki, Kenichi

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Iwanami, Yoshikazu

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

"STAND PROUD" by Jin Hashimoto (橋本仁) (eps 2-10, 12-24)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Stardust Crusaders" by Yugo Kanno (eps 2)
	2: "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles (eps 3-7, 9, 11-24)

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Reviews

Sep 6, 2014

PoppingPills

Recommended

I found myself stuck in the puddle of mediocrity that is 2014 summer season. Akame ga Kill, Tokyo Ghoul, Aldnoah.Zero and SAO II. I was slowly losing my faith in anime and on several occasions I thought that I should try to go outside my room and socialize with other Homo Sapiens. It was that bad.

Then...

Then I saw a pillar.

A pillar of hope.

A pillar of testosterone and manlyness.

...

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Sep 12, 2014

Stark700

Recommended

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures: Stardust Crusaders is more than just a classic adventure filled with bizarreness. Taking a journey into this show is an experience like no other when it comes to creativity. It’ll be like riding a roller coaster that will leave you with the impression of giddiness and “oh what the bloody hell”. But if you think that now, just wait until you find out what our heroes has to blaze through. It’s more than just hell as they become crusaders in this adventure to fulfill their destiny.

Continuing from where Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012) left off, Stardust Crusaders adapts Araki Hirohiko’s manga of the ... same name. The series takes place in the year of 1989 where we meet Jotaro Kujo, the grandson of Joseph Joestar. After discovering that he is possessed by a mysterious psychic force, Jotaro comes to realize that this manifestation is dubbed as “Stands”. The story gets more complex as Jotaro’s own mother, Holly develops a Stand of her own (due to family origins) that threatens her very own existence. Realizing that Dio Brando is responsible for such development, Jotaro starts the crusade to rid of his influence.

An important element to take notice from Stardust Crusaders is the introduction of Stands. The concept becomes a prominent device for progress as we witness how they function and adapt to present a credible story. Essentially, Araki experimented with the idea of these Stands as manifestations. The first Stand we see in the series, the Star Platinum, becomes a pivotal figure. What originally seemed like a mad idea becomes enveloped with creativity as witness the diversity of the Stands presented throughout the series. Characters who develop Stands utilize them for a variety of purposes. But what’s more important is that some of them even reflect a side of their persona. The show succeeds with this concept by connecting the idea of Stands with its characters and story to bring about a Jojo pantheon. It does seem like a gamble at first but the risk pays off. The show colorfully depicts Stands through their powers and inspirations that are thought provoking. No Stand looks alike and all of them possess a different power. It creates a thrilling atmosphere of eccentricity as it will make you curious. It will make you wonder and evoke a process to dissect what Araki does with his idea. And honestly, this idea is pure genius.

Like the previous series, Stardust Crusaders also follows the adventure of Jojo and his experiences. Joining him includes Joseph Joestar from its prequel as well as new characters. What’s important about these new characters is that they all have their own Stand. But even more so is the way they develop over as the story progresses. Nothing is really complex about their persona and is fairly straightforward. Perhaps it could be even colored bizarre such as some of the habits of our main characters such as Kakyoin or Polnareff. The show also offer a fair chance for each of the main characters to get their spotlight. This is justified by some of the reasons why these characters join Jotaro on his journey. For instance, Polnareff brings himself along in order to deliver vengeance against a man that took the life of his dear sister. The show intertwines sub-plots during the journey to provide a closure to various story driven plots.

Like its main character cast, the antagonists of the series offer a complex mixture. It’s like a theatrical showdown every time as our heroes deal with threats throughout their journey. They meet antagonists with diverse personalities, some with definite purpose while others treats our crusaders like a game. I think it’s safe to say that the hunters become the hunted. Furthermore, the man pulling the strings behind the scenes (Dio) is often portrayed as a mastermind. And as a man of complex nature, the show crafts its story carefully as Dio’s arsenal of militias goes to work at the most strangest of places. The antagonists’ Stands are also named after tarot cards with some incredible powers to really push the limits of our heroes. Their unique nature and complexity of their powers bring about Araki’s creativity. His ideas comes to crucial play here as each Stand find their niche in this adventure. It expands more than just inventiveness though as some of the Stands also provoke laughter and emotions. For what it’s worth, the Stands and antagonists are like a pair of column that holds the story in place. They not only test the wits of the crusaders where they must think outside the box to prevail but also stimulate emotions. As the story progresses, we find out more about the true nature of some of the main characters as well.

Starring protagonist Jotaro remains the most prominent cast member of the crusaders. Even to this date, he is perhaps the most well-known Jojo from the franchise. On the surface, he may be seen as a cold figure with an indifferent outlook on life while displaying his delinquent-like personality. Yet deep down, he truly does care about his friends and family. This is clearly shown throughout the journey with his words and action with characters such as Ann. Similarly, other main characters show their selfless nature. While some shows it differently than others, it’s evident that they truly care about their comrades. It becomes a highlight reel once you stay with the focus involving the main characters because of their personalities. Each of them may come from different backgrounds but their union together as crusaders is like a brotherhood. It has the feelings, bonding, and is amazing to realize that a journey can bring some strangers together in full circle.

With its adventurous mood, the show also explores a variety of territories featuring all sorts of terrain. The show covers a decent amount of ground in the first half as they journey towards Egypt to stop Dio. Throughout this journey, the wonders of the adventure can be felt with what characters discover involving different cultures. And despite its supernatural conventions, the show also has bits of realism and can even be relatable when it comes to culture. It can be easily indulged to fulfill elements of creativity through Araki’s concepts. Although the story itself sometimes may feel like a “Monster of the Week” formula with limited development, it’s also important realize the experiment that the author is bringing into his work. In retrospect though, the series isn’t very well written when it comes to explaining certain points. The series has many plot holes that perhaps will never be explained and is left to the imaginative minds of the viewers. While this may seem like a backstabber at first, the show instead cleverly delivers its dynamics and entertaining factors. With or without the bizarreness, Jojo SC’s plot isn’t one that strives to achieve logic. It aims to achieve its purpose to deliver bizarreness. This might come as a mixed bag for some people as the oddball humor could get out of control. The ‘monster of the week’ formulation might not also be suitable for some viewers through its context.

The artwork of Jojo SC is formidable when it comes to visual presentation. Character designs reflects the classic style of the franchise while retaining its purpose. Every Stand in the show looks different with emphasis on their design and the bizarreness. The fights are also well coordinated that explodes onto the screen with energy. To add to the flavor are humorous gimmicks and dialogues coming from the heart of our characters. And similar to the previous season, trademark phrases such as ‘ORA ORA ORA’ are timed fabulously to grab a viewer’s attention. As discussed before, the show’s settings have a variety of backgrounds and each of them convey it well when it comes to delivery. Ranging from mountainous terrain, to foggy ghost towns, or even aboard an aircraft, the show achieves its adventurous tone. David Production surely deserves some praise for their superior animation quality here.

Similarly, soundtrack plays a strong role throughout the show. The OP song "STAND PROUD" by Jin Hashimoto envelops itself with a fast paced coordination with decorative montages of the main characters with hints of foreshadowing. On the other hand, the ED song "Walk Like an Egyptian" delivers its theme of Egypt to the core. OST is also impressive especially during climatic scenarios. Even when the mood seems to be calm, the OST creates a feeling of thrilling experience to show that our heroes are always in danger during their journey. Characters voices are impressive to say the least on most parts whether it’s Jotaro’s stoic mannerisms, Kakyoin’s outgoing personality, or Joseph’s wisdom. Oh and of course, don’t forget that ORA ORA ORA on the door to the way out.

An epic journey is perhaps what Jojo Stardust Crusaders should be essentially known for. But it expands more than that with the characters, gimmicks, and overall clever writing. While it’s not one of the smartest adventure tale with the history books, Jojo SC is a blockbuster with its exceptional creativity. I’m not just referring to the Stands or characters but also the humor it strives to deliver. It doesn’t go diehard mode with its comedy but instead scales the performance of the characters to bring them at their best during the journey. Perhaps the story plot holes can be a bit frustrating to deal with at times. However, mincing it down is silly when a show with this amount of bizarreness. If for some reason that you decide to go full Sherlock Holmes and try to find these plot holes, then the experience of this show would not suit you well. You’ll be missing out the entertainment as Stardust Crusaders elevates bizarreness in a fashionable way like never before.

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Sep 21, 2014

Lemmy7003

Recommended

Objectivley, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusader, the third arc of the Jojo saga, is not a perfect anime. Monster of the week format, unusual art, somewhat silly plot. These are not, however, bad points, to one who is willing to accept something like Jojo. However, just like with it's predecessor, Stardust Crusaders is one of the best anime of the year.

Part 3: Stardust Crusaders focuses on Jotaro Kujo, the grandson of Jospeth Joestar, the main character of Part 2: Battle Tendency. Part 3 introduced the concept of stands - kind of like a spirit that fights for you. It is soon discovered that the ... main villan from part 1 - Dio Brando, now styled himself DIO, has returned, causing the awakening of Jotaro and Josepth's stands. However, Jotaro's mother has had her own Stand awaken, but it is slowly killing her. Jotaro must go on a journey to defeat DIO, in 50 days, before his mother dies.
Overall, the plot of the first half of Stardust Crusaders isn't the most special thing in the world - there a few interesting twists, but the overall plot isn't incredible. It features a Monster of the Week format, which some would likely not enjoy, but I felt it worked fine with the JoJo formula.

Where the show really shines is it's characters, who are both badasses, idiots, and clowns at the same time. Jotaro and Jospeth are joined by Avdol, an Egyption Fortune Teller, Kakyoin, a student at Jotaro's school, and Polanareff, a Frenchman on his own mission. Each of the characters have at least one or two episodes dedicated to them, and each of them have their own moments to shine. In my own opinion, Jospeth is just as funny as his part 2 version, as he occasionally swears loudly in English - to hilarious effect. He easily is the funniest character. Of the newcomers, I enjoy Polenareff the most, probably.

What is also very special about this show are the crazy fights that take place every episode - they are all terrible people, but they are invariably all cheesy, funny, or over the top in each of their own special ways. They range from old men with a fast bug Stand, to strangely attractive men like Steely Dan (Dan of Steel in official subs). Personally, my stand out was the Wheel of Fortune fight, as it just amps up the hilarity to 11.

The visuals are very...unique. The show looks great, and the fights are animated well, but to a newcomer it might seem all a little insane, as occasionally the whole scene will just be inverted by palette swaps, turning characters green and clothing pink. The soundtrack is also pretty damn good, and this is taking into account the sound effects that are ever-present in the Jojo-Universe.

Overall, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders is an absolutely blast of an anime - it's not perfect, but with the sheer amount of enjoyment that can be taken from it, there is no need to pick apart it's short comings. Featuring a cast of insane characters, manly fights, and sheer crazy villains and Stands, this anime is sure to be loved by fans of the battle anime genre.

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JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

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Joestar, Joseph

Kuujou, Joutarou

Kakyouin, Noriaki

Polnareff, Jean-Pierre

Avdol, Mohammed

Brando, Dio

Horse, Hol

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JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

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