JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders 2nd Season

When you're in the world of anime and manga, there are these popular and trending materials that are too long and big to take up and follow. No matter how hard you try to ignore these trends, they keep popping up, and it almost feels like it is impossible to stay up to date in the anime world without watching/reading them. At least for me, not staying up to date is like being dead in this world of anime.
JoJo was one of these trending things, and I tried real hard to ignore it, because getting myself in the JoJo world would only fatten up ... my backlog. However, then back in 2012, I heard JoJo manga (which is quite old) is getting animated, and thought this was a good chance for me to get myself into the series.
May be I was crazy or something, but I thought at that time, it would be better for me to finish the manga before I watch the anime. This doesn't mean you have to do the same thing and read the entire manga before watching the show! I mean, I loved the manga, but it's really your choice, because the anime has done an excellent job faithfully adapting the source material.
The entire JoJo show is 26+48 episodes. I know it is a daunting task to watch all that, but the show is a fun-ride that is fast and satisfying.
My point it that JoJo is quite an old franchise, which is still very popular in modern times, so if you want to stop wondering what all the JoJo hype is all about, this fun show is an excellent starting point. I recommend you start watching this now if you are interested, because sequels might come flying in soon in the future (meaning your backlog will only get greater....yuck)

So, if you are looking for:
Meticulously animated fun, swift, merciless, cathartic actions
Silly, over-the-top but clever thrills
Character interactions grotesquely fun
Ridiculously Faithful adaptation of the source material
Shows without silly unnecessary soap opera-esque romances and fillers
Manly Men full of manliness

and/or if you are just curious what all this JoJo is about...

This show is for you.
(so if you decide to watch this, be sure to start from Parts 1 and 2 from 2012~)

An action-packed adventure of fun, bizarreness, crazy gimmicks, and dangerous distinction. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders: Second Season (or Egypt Arc) provokes the question of what the audience wants to see next. The first half of the adaptation already showed plenty of Stands ranging from one that can attack via reflective surfaces, a parasitic being that can enter a victim’s brain, or even a Stand that can attack in dreams with Freddy Krueger style. The answer is simple really. It continuously deliver a source of imaginative and entertainment that almost anyone will find entrancing.

As a direct continuation of the first season, it’s imperative to watch ... it before venturing into the Egypt Arc. Otherwise, you’ll be wondering around like a goat in a desert. Propelled by the series’ vision to craft a dynamic adventure, we are introduced to new allies and enemies. Of course, the main cast returns as well including Jotaro, Joseph, Avdol, Kakyoin, and Polnareff. Joining them is a new ally in the form a dog named Iggy. Bringing in non-human characters into a series always presents a challenge but Iggy isn’t just an ordinary house common animal. He has a Stand and there’s even an episode that really brings out his abilities for the audience to see.

Because the first season has exhausted Dio’s resources and servants, we are introduced to new and more dangerous enemies for the crusaders. Adapting well with its Egyptian theme, these new enemies presents a challenge like never before. We have Big Bads that do all sort of otherworldly things that people can’t even begin to imagine. It really brings a focus to Jotaro and his friends as they struggle to survive. A good measure of the fights not just test them on a physical level either but mentally as well. The D’arby siblings are a good example of this as they rely on trickery and deception to get what they want by pitting their enemies in twisted mind games. Then, there’s also the creativity coming from the brainchild of the series, Hirohiko Araki. The characters he makes not just possess a diverse range of personalities but also has Stands that bring out their sheer tenderness. As daring as some of his ideas are, they work well when it comes to bringing a mixture of thrilling excitement, mystery, and humor.

Indeed, the comedy for the series is like no other. From the artistic style of Boingo’s Tohth to Sethan’s power of age manipulation, there’s almost something in it for everyone to witness. Furthermore, the gimmicks of the show return in full with our main characters’ personalities. They may all have different personalities but their goal in hand is the same – to save Holly from death. As such, expect the mood of the story to get more and tenser as the journey takes them closer and closer into Dio’s palace. However, there will still be times when the story feels like a ‘monster of the week’ style. Certain characters also makes reappearances that gives them another chance to shine. For what’ worth, this second season behaves in a similar way with the first half in conjunction with their journey. Then, the latter half really picks up the pace as we get to the grand stage. Patience is a key to understand and enjoy the show as David Productions is willing to adapt the most important element of the story. To capture that style of Jojo is never easy but adapting with a steady pacing with weekly doses of adventure is something to take granted for. As such, I recommend watching this show in a weekly style rather than a whole marathon. It will leave you wanting for more as each episode brings something new to the table. And when the battle against Dio draws to its climax, you’ll realize that the patience was well worth waiting for.

The artwork of the second season along with its soundtrack remains generally the same but still retains the sense of exhilarating fun. Taking place in Egypt, we get more of the classic Egyptian-like atmosphere with more desert themes involved. As such, expect the soundtrack to reflect a bit of that culture. Opening theme songs are also clear with its choice by orchestrating the classic Jojo style that we should all be familiar with by this point. Surprisingly though, the ED theme songs has a more vibrant and melancholic tune. While seemingly off balance in some sense, I find it to be captivating as it creates a sense of serenity. Finally, there’s also the character voices that each reflect dynamically at how the characters behave. The villains’ textural motives also has a good amount of credible voice mannerisms to make the audience feel what their roles are. Then, there’s the artwork that continuously dedicates itself to capture what this journey been – crude, dangerous, and insane. However, that’s all in a good way. (minus some editing of the censors) David Productions’ visual standards impresses with their work by delivering stellar landscapes, well-made architectures, and a wealth of character designs to make the audiences awe. Similarly, expect the action to blow you out of the seats with its extensive prowess.

In a nutshell, the second season is what you will expect and get. And that would be thrilling action packed adventure of non-stop pandemonium. It’s a show that unites all sorts of strange gimmicks to deliver what the audience wants. Assuming that you like stunts, unpredictable characters, mind games, or dynamic comedy, then this season will be quite a looker. Now, this might not be a show for anyone though. There are at times problems when people feel like pacing becomes sour and certain parts from the original source omitted. Or there may be certain characters that get lesser screen time than others. However, the adventure never stop at its mark and packs its bag. Instead, it shows why the series is called Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. And that is freaking awesome.

The JoJo series is a very peculiar beast, one ridden with overly muscular super humans, flamboyantly stunning poses, and over-the-top battles that are sure to fill your battle shounen needs. All of these elements are turned up to 11 for Part 3, also known as Stardust Crusaders. While the first season of Stardust Crusaders helped get the ball rolling, the second season had me fully invested, excitedly awaiting my dose of weekly JoJo tomfoolery and badassery.

Admittedly, I've yet to read or watch Part 1 and 2 of JoJo(as of writing this review) [Update: Caught up through Part 4 of the anime - JoJo fever is ... in full effect]. I know that seems to throw my merit right out the door, but let me explain! Last year I was in the heat of my anime-watching routine, picking up almost every seasonal show, in an attempt to expand my knowledge of anime and stay up-to-date with current favorites. This of course, was not an easy task, as I quickly drowned in a sea of anime, unable to find enough reason in my wavering heart to drop the shows I only saw as 'okay'. Thus, I became entrapped in a vicious cycle of show-binging, simply to keep up with everything else. But there are always a few diamonds in the rough, and one exceptional outlier starred a highschool boy with the physique of an Olympic athlete and a hat that formed a union with his hair.

JoJo gave me quite the entertaining first impression. The art style and character designs were immediately reminiscent of Fist of the North Star, which was a refreshing difference from the copy-paste character designs I was getting from many other shows on-air. The story arc had been laid out plain and simple within the first few episodes, and while it was nothing exceptionally captivating, I knew already that JoJo was going to be about the journey, not the destination. Week after week, each battle became more and more preposterous, adding new levels of insanity to every consequent duel. JoJo had revealed to me its true nature - it was an outrageous satire of anime past, showcasing every lame catchphrase and ridiculous character tropes from the likes of Fist of the North Star coincidentally. While it was a satire, what made JoJo stand out was its ability to be a really freakin' well-made satire. Catchphrases were cheesy, but hilarious, fight scenes were ludicrous, but thrilling nonetheless. It didn't take long for me to jump on the JoJo train, and soon I couldn't survive the week without seeing their silly, well-toned faces.

Skip to the beginning of 2015. The year has begun anew, and soon to follow suit, another season of JoJo was about to begin. Jotaro and his fellow Stardust Crusaders, Avdol, Kakyoin, Polnareff, Joseph, and Iggy had finally made it to Egypt, the location of their decisive battle against the fabulously immortal vampire Dio. With the majority of the plot setup and character introductions behind us, all that lie ahead was non-stop Stand-on-Stand action. An issue of pacing can arise with a formula built around weekly showdowns (some special one’s made into 2-parters), but Stardust Crusaders handles this excellently with its colorful main cast and a plethora of unique enemies who stand in their way. The Crusaders themselves are one of the best groups I’ve seen in an action show for the past few seasons (I’m looking at you, Kirito and your harem brigade). Each one has distinct personalities and quirks that make their interactions with one another pure gold.

Jotaro retains the role of the tough-guy school delinquent, but he’s so physically and mentally calm and collected, that he doesn’t come off as an idiot, which is much appreciated for that type of character. His super-serious attitude can even be hilarious if given the right comedic timing. Joseph Joestar returns quite a bit older from his role in Battle Tendency, but his childish nature still shines through. Joseph is quite the card, responsible for some of the funniest moments in Stardust Crusaders; his infamous “OH MY GOD” engrish reactions are priceless. Muhammad Avdol is very serious and a bit of a caretaker to the rest of the irresponsible adventurers. He acts as a guide and cultural resource for the Joestars as they make their trek through the Middle East. Noriaki Kakyoin is a fellow student of Jotaro’s, and also one of the more serious characters, but he is also very genuine, showing signs of compassion several times throughout the journey. Jean Pierre Polnareff is the unsung hero of Stardust Crusaders, getting just about or maybe even more screen time than even the Joestars. Polnareff is your typical loud-mouth hero, who isn’t afraid to speak his mind and emote as much as he deems appropriate. But underneath his clumsy exterior is a very protective, and passionate warrior. Possibly the most complex of the bunch, his screen time is adequate in proportion to the amount of character development he needed. Lastly there’s Iggy, an abrasive dog, frequently acting on his own accord and staying relatively antisocial. While he is supposed to be with the Crusaders to aid their struggle, he seems to be more of an annoyance, especially to Polnareff, whom Iggy consistently enjoyed terrorizing. Iggy’s worth to the team comes out in small spurts at first, both consciously and unconsciously saving the group without them realizing it most of the time. This is a grade-A main cast, and Stardust Crusaders does each one justice by allotting specific episodic battle to each of them pretty equally, though I wouldn’t have complained if Kakyoin and Avdol got a little more time up front.

Even more entertaining than our heroes is the variety of enemies they face along the way. Perhaps the most enthralling part of JoJo is waiting to see what the next Stand user was going to throw at the Crusaders. There’s basically no limit to the concept of a Stand, so the amount of possible Stands and users is practically endless. We follow the Crusaders as they face a cursed sword who makes a master out of its wielder, wager their souls against a conniving high stakes gambler, and even duke it out with a Stand-using orangutan. If there is one thing JoJo creator Hirohiko Araki does exceptionally well, it is character creation. Every battle felt fresh and exciting. The fights themselves were also very distinct in how they played out. The Oingo Boingo twins clumsily stumbled through their failed Jotaro assassination attempt, which was one of the funniest episodes in the series. On the other hand, the crew’s battle with the High Priestess in the submarine was exhilarating and had me on the edge of my seat. And of course it’s hard to forget the illusionary obstacle created by the Sun Stand, which once figured out, was quickly and amusingly disposed of. While many of them were one-off characters, momentary obstacles only to be replaced in the following episode, a lot of the enemies were very well written and designed, and I found a lot of the charm in JoJo could be discovered through attachments created to these short-lived villains.

While I am fond of the macho-man aesthetic of the JoJo universe, it wasn’t the only artistic choice I was keen on observing. The palette swap during some intense fight scenes became a standard affair during the show. The psychedelic color schemes that embodied these moments were a great addition to atmosphere building, the pastel colors representing a state of confusion, letting the viewer know that something quite perplexing was at hand. The use of ‘unsound effects’ such as the words “menacing” drifting across the screen are a delightful nod to the manga, and has equal effectiveness in setting up the tone of upcoming showdowns. The show’s direction is on-point during battle sequences, as if each character were aware of their on-screen close-up, they assume theatrically stylish poses as they outwit their opponent. Dramatic pans to full character stitches are expectedly followed up with brief attack explanations or memorable one-liners, avoiding exhaustingly drawn-out details and replacing them with fast paced, concisely explained sequences. Not a moment feels wasted during the show’s combat, keeping my attention indefinitely, eyes glued to the screen the entire time.

One element of Stardust Crusaders that caught me completely off guard was the quality of the show’s OP’s and ED’s. All four songs are littered with hints about events that occur throughout the season, making their replay value astronomically high; each watch possibly revealing a detail you didn’t catch the previous time. The 3D rendered characters from the OP’s look as if they’ve jumped straight out of JoJo’s All Star Battle videogame; their designs are sleek, and animation is fluid. Both OP’s are successful at instilling hype for each forthcoming episode, especially the special versions of the OP that appear in the last few episodes. While the OP’s can effectively get the blood flowing, the ED’s take a surprisingly relaxed approach. The use of American bands for both songs was a perfect fit for the reference-centric JoJo universe, as Araki is fairly well-known for naming his characters after American musicians. The first song, “Walk Like an Egyptian” by The Bangles is a fairly obvious choice, but an excellent one nonetheless. The second ED choice was much more abstract, but all the more welcomed. “Last Train Home” by Pat Metheny Group is a sobering melody, a lone guitar howls as night falls and our heroes make their grand departure. While the song seems a bit unfit for the episodes that ended with sweat-inducing cliffhangers, it’s the perfect conclusion for some of the more heartfelt episodes, and flawlessly wraps up the season. With this perilous journey behind the Crusaders, “Last Train Home” embodies their peace of mind, leaving a final fleeting moment for reflection and remembrance of the trials they’ve overcome and the memories they’ve made together. (Fun fact: The ED “Last Train Home” introduced me to the wonderful jazz fusion of Pat Metheney, who I have since grown fond of, and I now own a vinyl of his first album, which has “Last Train Home” on it.)

Upon completing Stardust Crusaders, I originally gave it an 8, and began my reviewing process. But after further consideration, and as my review neared its end, I had several realizations which led me to bump my score up to a 9. I realize now that I had ZERO expectations going into JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Having no prior knowledge of its existence and setting no standards for what lie ahead, I was completely blown away by the end of Part 3. An anime I had picked up without a second thought had quickly become one of my favorite shows of the year. Even for the veteran JoJo fan’s Part 3 was handled with extreme care. David Productions really went all out; from the music, to animation, to voice acting, it’s obvious that everyone involved with the project took it to heart, and their collective effort gave us the spectacular escapade that is Stardust Crusaders.

And now, it’s about time I catch up on Part 1 and 2. ORA ORA ORA!!!