JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 4: Diamond wa Kudakenai

The JoJo series had been my favorite anime to watch (I don't read any manga), and this arc was a huge letdown after 3 solid, enjoyable, and often amazing arcs. The Stardust Crusader OVA from long ago got me hooked, and I was really looking forward to seeing Diamond is Unbreakable after finishing the TV series version of Stardust Crusaders.

I understand this TV series stays pretty true to the manga, but I feel that the writer Hirohiko Araki simply ran out of ideas after the EPIC Stardust Crusader arc and made this filler arc (for the money) about nothing significant, creating characters that were hard to appreciate because they were whiny, talkative, immature, stupid, and simply lucky, in some sense, when defeating these super random unmemorable opponents with vaguely-defined abilities. I understand the characters are supposed to be young and immature, but I got tired of constantly seeing the characters suddenly act immature over and over in the middle of life-and-death situations.

I really enjoyed the JoJo series as a whole because of amazing powers and the characters having to be clever and creative in order to win, but this arc barely tries. Or perhaps the characters are so unlikable I don't care if the main characters actually lost/died.

The series brings back the main characters from the past storylines, Joseph Joestar and Jotaro Kujo, but Joseph is completely useless in this series and the reasons change from him barely having any memory and barely able to walk to being able to walk and think but having to take care of a pointless baby. I assume the baby becomes a major character in a future arc, but it's super lame how they introduced the baby and how Jonathan was completely out of commission.

If you are a hardcore fan of the series like I am, watch it just to get it over with. If you are new to the series, I highly recommend checking out the first 3 arcs over this one.

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Morioh, an insignificant town that sits out in the sun for anyone to visit and the new home for the never-ending battle carried out by one family. Somewhere in this scrambled slice of suburbia, we're introduced to the latest member of the Joestar lineage, as we encroach on what would be one of many fights to come.

A new enemy Stand makes its entrance; veins protruding through swollen biceps; wrinkled brow plaster the expression of a robust figure; eyes fixated on the opposition; pompadour takes aim, a tangerine sky hanging above; onomatopoeias floods the screen—BAM! MENACING! RUMBLE!—with wall-to-wall color dancing around on the border of psychedelia and pop art. Head titled, shoulders rolled back, chest puffed out; an epic pose is struck. A feeble old geezer hunched over in the background, hands clasping his cheek, lets out a compulsory "Oh my Gawd!" in Engrish. A powerful aura exudes from the frame of the young Joestar. A muscle-bound, apparition clad in lavender emerges from within him, as he lets out a herculean roar: "CRAZY DIAMOND!!!"..., Gritted teeth, fist wound up, body arched back—fades to black..., trumpets blare, cue intro, welcome to Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable!

Since 2012, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has been spearheading a campaign to bring GAR and all things manly back to the limelight; introducing newcomers to an anime staple that's been underrepresented in the 2000s, while also shamelessly serving as a form of fanservice for veteran viewers who self-indulge in all things retro. For those people that miss the blockbuster era of beefy action heroes that were deep-rooted in the product of 80s Americana. With a dedicated following that only grows bigger year after year, Jojo's crusade for "manly ass men doing manly ass things" has proven to be a successful one. A fact that's made all the more surprising when accounting for the current cultural shift in anime that favors infectiously cute shows or those garishly showered in 2edgy4u content. Jojo stands firm, pressing forward to the beat of its own drum while giving sensitivity the middle finger as it flexes its biceps in the name of awesome.

But perhaps the strongest aspect of Jojo isn't this flippant disregard towards popular trends, but the way it goes about expressing itself within it.

There are a few cardinal rules that most writers try their best to abide by, one of which is maintaining some semblance of plausibility within the realm of the written work being presented. Whether the story in question is grounded in reality or contains plenty of fantastical elements, maintaining some level of plausible "cause and effect" is what helps the audience experience immersion. Even in a fictional universe that contains many otherworldly themes, there are still constants that are expected to be maintained. In the same way, the theoretical law in our universe remains consistent no matter the time or location; the same is also expected with works of fiction. Anything that doesn't uphold established in-world laws tends to be perceived as poorly constructed or just outright "bad writing." We may not always identify it up front, but somewhere in our subconscious, the "bullshit" meter is going off.

And yet, even with this unspoken rule in mind, there are some stories that purposefully leave common sense at the front door. They're shows that are propelled by nonsensical conclusions, improbable physics, and pure absurdity. But somehow, despite this, or perhaps because of it, they have been adored the world over. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is that kind of show. A show driven forward by madness, adrenaline, and a gratuitous amount of machismo. It embraces the "Bizarre" in its namesake to the utmost extent, doing whatever it pleases with total conviction and never looking back at the body count trailing behind it.

And like the hyperactive installments before it, Part 4 continues to keep the ball rolling, following the lineage of the Joestar family and all the inherent problems that come with the blood-line. This brings us to the next Joestar tasked with carrying on the legacy, the ever-fabulous Jousuke Higashikata; a man of few words, unless the words addressed to him are insults directed at his ultra sleek Greece Lightening hairdo. Unlike the hard-boiled demeanor of Joutarou, Jousuke actions are driven by hot-tempered impulses, choosing to punch first and ask questions later. He wears his heart on his sleeve, an attribute that would usually be perceived as weak in the testosterone-filled world of Jojo, except for the fact that Jousuke kicks all kinds of ass with his Stand, Crazy Diamond. A Stand that grants him the ability to restore any damage inflicted to something back to its original state or alter it to its base elements. Pairing that with his hair-trigger personality makes for a formidable combo, something that many enemy Stands find out the hard way.

As the aftermath surrounding Dio Brando begins to settle down, remnants of his misdeeds are still spreading when the Bow and Arrow—the weapon used to create Stands—ends up in the wrong hands. Because of this, Joutarou finds himself traveling to the town of Moriah where his illegitimate nephew Jousuke calls home. And as the Joestars team up to rid the town of Stand users hellbent on causing harm to the citizens, they find themselves encountering greater threats along the way.

With a narrative that solely exists to have as many physical encounters as possible, Part 4 manages the impossible task of circumventing the trappings of episodic content while using that exact structure to create bottle episodes filled with high-octane battles. Whether it's pounding the snot out of an enemy Stand or simply going to a restaurant to eat, Part 4 is continuously pressing down on the gas peddle. For those that don't like stagnation, this sequel is a Godsend.

There's no calm moment of clarity to reflect on the situation at hand, all that's left on display is brittle logical leaps followed up by gonzo wall-texts flying in with a flurry of saturated color. It's vivid, it's spastic, it's a mural hacked up on PCP. And while this commitment to never slowing down may seem like a detriment for any other show, for Jojo—a show that's as straightforward as the content being displayed—there couldn't have been a better marriage of purposeful storytelling.

Jojo's brilliance is in its simplicity. It isn't a show that's out to have an intricate story-line filled with multifaceted themes, nor does it try to craft layered personalities that appear 3-dimensional. Jojo personifies the mindset of a neanderthal, where problems are solved with fists and beating enemies into submission. Loyalty is proven with actions and not half-baked words. And motivations that's as explicit as the expository dialogue being used to express them. The only thought process being taken is assuring that they properly utilize their Stand abilities to defeat their enemy with optimal results. These muscle-bound brutes painted up like Easter eggs leave no room for interpretation, what you see is what you get.

This isn't to say there's no thought placed into Jojo's production. The show is littered with inventive encounters that overlap Stand abilities to create a chess game of wits, seeing both sides constantly fighting for the upper hand over one another. Matches that eventually dissolve into pissing contests to see who would cave in first. Each Stand ability is accounted for, creating interesting back and forths between the combatants. And with there being countless possible Stand abilities that could manifest in someone, the end result is no two fights being the same. The battlefield is forever morphing, with something as simple as the changes in partnership or location altering the very course of a how a match can turn out.

It's this very ingenuity that demonstrates that behind the burly men clashing fists, there's still a thought process keeping the madness together. This also includes the more straightforward parts of Jojo's production, such as the naming of the characters and the reasoning for its brightly-colored world.

If you've made it all the way to Part 4, then this should come as no surprise to you that Hirohiko Araki, the creator of the Jojo manga, has consciously decided to name characters after musicians and songs, mostly from western pop culture. It's an inconsequential bit of trivia that doesn't do much for the long-haul but despite that, adds to the overall appeal of his work. And with French post-impressionist artist Paul Gauguin being cited as an influential person in his approach to color theory, there's always a sense that Jojo was much more than just a whim being held up by simple admiration for a particular era. If you've ever felt like the colors used was oddly at home despite the constant clash of sassy meet gusto, that's because of this conscious effort on Araki's part to blend the two. This well-cultured sensibility is what gives Jojo such a distinct personality from its counterparts. It's an entity birthed outside of typical circular influence, having a unique appeal while winning the admiration of a broader market in the process.

But let's not mistake all this appraisal of Jojo as the show being a flawless creation, it does suffer from its fair share of issues. For one, because of its straightforward approach, there's never any questions posed at the actions being taken. And as such, this is an anime that only works because of the universe pre-established before it. Had we not seen the impossible happen time and time again, Jojo would have never worked. Its absurdity disallows genuine immersion in the circumstances taking place. You're entertained but never for a second buy into the ridiculousness of it all. It's a show where you laugh at the nonsense and take enjoyment out of how committed it is to seeing it through, despite the apparent shortcomings of said actions making close to little sense. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is always entertaining but never something to be held up as proper literature. It's the show's greatest strength but sadly its greatest weakness as well.

This issue also means that all of the characters are usually dwindled down to becoming internet memes or lovable caricatures. No one is looking onto Jojo for enriched characterization. All that's expected out of it is hyperactive personalities with cool abilities trading blow for blow in an environment that allow these occurrences to go on undisturbed. This is usually the trade-off for dumb-fun entertainment. Finding a balance between the absurd and tightly written is a rarity that escapes Jojo. But what it still has is an unshakable commitment to do everything at 110%, so even when you question the logic of a scenario, it doesn't take long before you accept it for what it is to continue seeing the Joestars pummel enemies into submission.

And if this fact can be accepted for what it is, then Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable should be nothing short of an entertaining ride for most fans of this bizarre adventure. With more epic poses, more stands, more cool ass character designs, and too much awesome shit to know what to do with, Jojo Part 4 has been one hell of a ride. And with this being another successful adaptation by David Production, here's hoping it's an adventure with many more iterations to come.

-Sepia bathe the screen, title card cropped in an arrow: To Be Continued-

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David Production was hardly a household name in the otaku community a few years ago. However everything changed when the fire nation attacked...I mean when they released their JoJo's Bizarre Adventure adaptation in 2012! While the budget was pretty low, David Production blew the community away with their attention to detail and loyalty to the source material and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable is no exception to this.

JoJo Part 4 tells the story of Josuke Higashikata, Joesephs illegitimate son. In Josuke's home town Morioh someone used a magical bow and arrow to transform normal people into Stand users. This time we get to know a little bit more about the origin of the Stand abilities, which has something to do with these arrows. Of course, Josuke and his friends have to stop them.

Most of the time they just encounter random enemies, but later they try to find out the identity of a certain someone with an especially dangerous Stand who is living in Morioh, who is the main focus of the second half of this story arc. This person is commiting gruesome murders for several years, but was never caught, so it's up to JoJo and his pals to stop him.

The reason why this plot works so much better than Part 3's, is because it feels much more natural. In Stardust Crusader, the plot felt very video game-ish, but in Part 4 fighting Stand users is more of a daily routine and not part of a journey to save the world or something. Araki succesfully mixed Part 3's semi-episodic structure with some slice of life elements. Since they never leave their home town, there is also a lot of attention to the city Morioh itself, almost like the city is it's own character. I wouldn't go so far and call it "world building", but all these little things about Morioh + the recurring places definitely gives this arc it's own flavor and identity compared to the rest of JJBA.

Most enemies they fight turn into friends later on or are at least somewhat relevant for the plot later. This causes the team of allies to be very large, almost twice the size of Part 3's.However the last third of the show has very simmiliar issues as Stardust Crusaders (TOO obvious monster of the week) and some episodes are obviously more exiting than others, but in the end Part 4 feels much more tightly written than it's predecessor.

The characters are great in Diamond is unbreakable! Almost all of them are interesting and their interactions are super entertaining. Of the 4 JoJos that are introduced at this point, Part 4's main character Josuke is probably the most interestig. He is introduced as a polite delinquent, but he gets series when it comes to his hair: when someones insults it, the person get's his ass kicked! This is pretty much Josuke's thing. Joseph had his predicting thing, Jotaro his "yare yare daze" and Josuke has his hair thing.There is even a little flashback about why he is so sensitive about his hair in the first place. He doesn't use it as much as Joseph and Jotaro though and his tick is pretty much dropped later on and his flashback never received any further explanation, but it was still a nice touch.

The main villain of Part 4, Yoshikage Kira, is also great. He is not as "EPIC" as Dio, but he is very memorable in his own way. Unlike Dio, who was more of a cartoon villain (wants to take over the world etc) Kira just wants to commit murders without being disturbed by other people. He doesn't want world domination or anything like that, just a quite and peaceful life. Unlike Dio or Kars, Kira feels like a person who could actually exist in real life, which makes him legimately scary. The final battle against him was a little messy and the way he died was pretty anticlimatic, but I guess that made sense in this context and steting, since Kira is a more of a realistic villain. The fight was still exiting nontheless and the way they used their Stands was pretty creative.

As you would expect from JoJo, the fights are awesome. The Stands are much more creative than in the previous story arc and they are used in very creative ways. You can really tell how much Araki improved the fighting mechanic in this arc. This is probably the most bizarre aspect of Part 4: melting bodies together, turning people into books or trapping people in a time loop; these are just a few examples for the crazy abilities. There were even new types of Stands introduced: automatic Stands and Stands that evolve into a more powerful form over time.

Sadly DiU is much less "GAR" and manly that the previous parts. The characters are also not nearly as buff anymore. This was around the time when the mangaka started to change up his art style. David Production chose to make the whole arc look more like the second half the DiU manga, insteadt of having this (admittedly awkward) transition from bulky to skinny.

Similar to the earlier seasons of JoJo, the animation looks very low budget at times. However David Production makes up for that with an unique artstyle, great use of color and lots of crazy effects. In the end it's very nice looking anime, despite some derpy faces and low quality character models here and there (they'll be probably fixing these things until the Bluy Ray release anyway).

The soundtrack however was a bit less memorable than in previous parts, but I guess that's a matter of preference. I like how they remixed Jotaro's theme from Part 3 and the way they mixed up the opening theme in the last couple episodes was really creative.

In conclusion, Part 4 has all the bizarre action, manly tears and likeable characters that would you would expect from this series and it even improves quite a bit on some of the flaws in Stardust Crusaders. How do I say this...? It's a bit crude, but...hehe...I got a boner!



Final rating:
Characters: 9/10
Story: 7/10
General production value: 7,5/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 9/10

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To anime and manga fans, Jojo is a classic that many may have heard of. Even if you’re not familiar with the franchise, you’ll bound to hear something related to Jojo somewhere whether it’d be a joke, meme, or reference. Diamond is Unbreakable chronicles the fourth expansion of the franchise and it’s among one of the most celebrated. As a personal favorite, Diamond is Unbreakable sets up for an adventure that is far more than bizarre.

As the four story arc in the Jojo franchise, Diamond is Unbreakable unites a lot of similar themes from the previous series. These would include the unorthodox style of the adventures, the colorful character cast, the creative Stands that characters uses, and most importantly, its bizarre yet infectious humor. The first few episodes reintroduces a character we should already be familiar with, Jotaro Kujo. He travels to the town of Morioh and encounters a young man named Josuke Higashikata, the latest in line of the Jojo family tree. As a youthful man sporting an unusual hairstyle, Josuke is your typical teenager with a kind heart. Even his Stand (Crazy Diamond) represents his personality as it’s able to heal and repair injuries. So in essence, don’t be surprised if you see him helping out some stranger out of kindness. In many ways, he is similar to Jotaro despite their age gap. Furthermore, Josuke is a guy that I think most of us can relate to. He likes to hang out with friends at school while always eager to make more, is often curious about unusual events, and is incredibly protective of his family and friends. For most part, I think Josuke is a character that many of us will like quickly.

But of course, Josuke isn’t just the main star of the show. His friends Koichi and Okuyasu also gets involved in the strange bizarre occurrences as their lives changes forever. They discover the existence of Stands as the show sets up for the many storytelling about them and their users. In some ways, the show is similar to the previous installment. However, one of the main difference is that the show takes place mostly in Morioh as opposed to a world journey. With that being said, the series does a decent job at crafting the town with its many features. These ranges from Josuke’s home, school, and the places he enjoy visiting. Then, there’s also other places that strange occurrences happen thanks to one of Dio’s lackeys and his supernatural Bow and Arrow. The storytelling of Diamond is Unbreakable follows many arcs that each feature a different antagonist, their Stand, and the problem they cause. It has a pseudo slice of life feel as most of these arcs are nonlinear in terms of plot. However, these arcs are important to develop the character cast. A prominent example would be Koichi as his Stand (Echoes) undergoes an evolution of change. It presents his development as a character from a timid kid to a courageous hero during his various confrontation with other Stand users. Okuyasu is also an example as a character that originally started out as an enemy of Josuke but changes into his best friend as the story progressed. Representing a more delinquent’s side of the character cast, Okuyasu’s personality changes as he takes devious risks to protect his friends and understanding them. Finally, I think a special mention should be given to Rohan Kishibe, a manga artist who serves more as a foil to Josuke. With his talent and abilities (including his Stand), he casts a narcissistic vibe with stubbornness. In essence, he’s the type of that guy that is hard to make friends with and throughout the show, we can see his growing rivalry with Josuke.

To get the full enjoyment out of Diamond is Unbreakable, it’s best to watch the previous series and get familiar with the Jojo universe. Part four introduces many new characters, some recurring while others are part of the ‘monster of the week’ structure. Noticeable characters such as Yukako, Mikitaka, etc will be more memorable while other may not be. Unfortunately for fans of Joseph Joestar, you’ll probably be disappointed by his role for part 4 as his presence and significance is reduced to be only involved in minor story arcs. However, have no fear as part 4 also introduces one of most interesting antagonists in the entire Jojo franchise, Yoshikage Kira. As a serial killer and hand fetishist with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, you’ll recognize that his role transform the story into a darker thriller. His appearance in the show adds a unique flavor that creates an aura of psychology. It’s a contrast to the bizarre humor of the series, something that has existed since the beginning of part 4. By balancing the humor and darker elements, Diamond is Unbreakable brings out the best of its storytelling with its characters.

As a manga reader, I am generally satisfied with the faithfulness of the adaptation. Only a few arcs are rushed while most of the story flows consistent with the source. I’m also impressed by how the adaptation captured the expressions of the facial reactions as it’s not always easy. Kudos to David Production for making a good promise to deliver the best it can be. In the meantime, fans will also probably notice a change in the art style of this season. The backgrounds has a much radiant style with multilayer colors. Moriah town also deceptively look simple yet many complex events develop as the story unfolds. Most impressively are the character and Stand designs. Each character looks unique ranging from Josuke’s infamous hairstyle to Kira’s trademark Killer Queen Stand.

The evolution of Jojo’s soundtrack still retains its depth and presence with its theme songs. “Crazy Bizarre Town” represents exactly how bizarre the show can be while the ED theme surprisingly has a more melancholic tone. However, what impresses me most is the overall directing of the soundtrack with its battle scenarios. Iwanami Yoshikazu’s talents are recognized easily as he is able to work around between balancing the slice of life moments and the intense fight scenes. Furthermore, character voice mannerism is credible to their characters. Kira’s voice tone is perhaps the most memorable for his egocentric personality and sadism while others like Koichi will be recognized for their courage and loyalty.

So what should fans look forward to most from Diamond is Unbreakable in the end? To be honest, it’s very simple. A show like this will be best enjoyed as a bizarre entertainment with what it presents. It’s essentially a series that takes creativity to extraordinary levels. Every story arc delivers some sort of unusual conflict to bring the bizarreness true to its form. The fights are crafted with creativity that rather than relying on strategy can be enjoyed with sheer entertainment value. And that really is what Jojo is about. It’s bizarre entertainment at its finest.

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JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 4: Diamond wa Kudakenai, the 4th part of Hirohiko Araki's iconic manga series. After the most iconic manga series of all-time, stardust crusaders, what can you do? Well, you make the greatest bit of media to even scrape the heavens.

[story-10/10]
Jojo part 4 takes us to the sleepy town of Morioh Japan, we follow part 3's protagonist Jotaro Kujo, Jotaro is looking for Josuke Higashikata, son of Joseph Joestar, of course Jotaro is here to talk about splitting the cash when Joseph dies, and also here on official business about a murder and the stand arrows, Jotaro meets Josuke and thus our journey starts.

Now to be fair part 4 starts slow, really slow, the first 15 so episodes are dedicated to exploring Morioh and expanding the cast of characters while building up to the main event with episode 17, Rohan Kishibe's Adventure and the introduction to Kira Yoshikage and Sugimoto Reimi, everything after episode 17 is what I consider the greatest piece of television, I absolutely love this part of the story and especially the Bites The Dust arc, JoJo part 4 has the hands down best story of any Jojo part.

[Art-7-10]
Why a seven? Well in the manga, Araki's art is flawless and is some of the greatest in the series to date, part 4 also marks a shift in Araki's manly art style of parts 1-3 to the more effeminate designs of part 5 and onwards, However, part 4's anime has some of the sloppiest animation and many character don't stay on model, this can be seen in the infamous Shinobu Kawajiri and Kosaku (Kira Yoshikage) Kawajiri scene, also Kira's model is often times off, there are also many issues with the animation, but this is made up for in the anime with the amazing still character shots that look absolutely beautiful, although there are many flaws they can be overlooked, also sometimes the animation has moments of sakuga, albeit the animation can also be very janky.

[sound-8/10]
The Ost is AMAZING. The best JoJo Ost to date, it has some of my favourite sound tracks, such as the incredible theme of Kira Yoshikage, which blended with the visuals is thematically fitting for kira and also a greatly composed piece, The openings are incredible, "Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town", "Chase" and "Great Days" are some of the best anime openings to date, there packed with subtle foreshadowing, metaphors and references, the ending "I want you" by savage garden, classic Australian pop/rock band and one of my favourite songs of all time. The VA work was incredible, the Voices of Jotaro Kujo (Daisuke Ona) and Josuke Higahsikata (Yuuki Ona) were phenomenal, of course I loved the voices of Kira (Morikawa Toshiyuki) and Kishibe Rohan (Takahiro Sakurai) as well as others.

[Characters-10/10]
easily my favourite in the entire series, seeing fresh faces such as Josuke, Okuyasu and Koichi was nice while also adding onto our veteran cast such as Jotaro and Joseph, seeing Josephs transition from street smart punk, to battle hardened veteran and eventually to loving caring grandfather and father, its bittersweet seeing his progression as a character, Jotaro turns from a brash and rude teenager, to a mentor and father figure. The new characters are great Josuke is the love child to Joseph and Tomoko, he's brash, quick witted, but passionate and kind hearted, he is one of the best Jojo's in the series, Second best JoBro Okuyasu Nijimura, is fun, loveable and dumb as shit, like Josuke, he acts more on Passion then Witt, and its also fun seeing him solve problems using brawn over intellect, of course the rest of the supporting cast is great, characters such as Rohan Kishibe, Koichi Hirose and especially Kira Yoshikage, Kira's desire to live his peaceful life is a breathe of fresh air compared to the world changing ideologies of Dio and Kars, Kira wants to live life doing what he loves as he pleases, his ideology of "why be first when you could be second?" is so contradictory to humans and is so interesting to me, everything about him is normal, until you count in the fact that he's a vicious serial killer who kills women for there hands using his stand "KILLER QUEEN", and during his time as Kosuku, I even sympathised with him, as Araki humanises him. Characters were fantastic.

[Stand Powers-10/10]
part 4 has some great stands "Killer Queen Bites The Dust" made one of the greatest arcs in Shonen anime history, 'Crazy Diamonds" is simple yet brilliant, I could list all of the phenomenal stands from this part (Echoes, Enigma, The hand, Star Platinum, Heavens Door etc), but if there's one thing unique about the stands of part 4, its the shift from tarot cards to the new way of naming stands, iconic 80's rock bands, albums and songs. Some of the best stands and some fo the most creative ideas in JoJo.

[Enjoyment-10/10]
Part 4 is fun as fuck! It's funny, action packed and most of all, engaging, I was never bored once, it keeps on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

[overall-10/10]
an essential viewing for any JoJo fan and a great introduction for new comers, it has mainstream ideas that anyone can enjoy while having enough to provide high end anime enthusiasts or Elitists with enough to dig their teeth into.

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I'd like to preface this review by saying I totally understand why you might enjoy this show. Don't just look at this review, see its rating then click off. This review is a thorough dissection of Araki's Manga and DP's adaption of DiU. It's more of a fun than deep experience but I'm going to explain why DiU's critical flaws make the show very VERY difficult for me to enjoy.

Story: 5/10

The story starts off insanely strong with a shot of a severed hand being in someone we don't knows home. The story is about a serial killer using his Stand to hide himself and kill. That's an awesome premise. Too bad its hardly a factor of the story and it's mostly just the cast stumbling upon enemies that are just trying to use their stand to regenerate their body and petty theft. It loses so much focus. YUKAKO HAS A DEVELOPMENT ARC AND THEN HAS LITERALLY NO IMPACT OR TIME IN THE STORY AFTERWARD. IT WAS PROBABLY THERE JUST TO SHOW AYA TSUJI EXISTED.
Now onto why these fights and arcs have no impact on the story and why its downright purposeless...

I will accept the fights could be entertaining but the fights of this part are just not as well executed or choreographed as those from other parts. There are some exceptions like Highway Star but Araki even recycles ideas for stands and the environments are very strained as its mostly taking place in a house or on a street. Also these fights have minimal stakes due to Crazy Diamond being able to perfectly regenerate people. AND these brawls just have really forgettable, uninteresting enemy abilities. It puts these at even more discredit because these fights DON'T feel connected to the plot. Unlike parts like 1, 3, 5, and 7 where the enemies are either other members of the mafia that want something the heroes have, opponent racers pursuing the same goals, assassins hired by the enemy, minions, etc. The enemies in DiU are mostly just randoms. Plus the characters associated with the fight and some of the unique ideas usually carry the bland and boring execution on its back.

Art: 6/10

The art looks great and on model at times as does the animation but the key word is sometimes. Its animation can be fluid. The character designs are honestly great even for the minor villains. Although the characters can look great but even with the very simplified facial designs and vibrant colors the show still has big aesthetic problems. There is constantly bad frames. This is likely because the seasonal split that SDC had wasn't there. So they didn't have time to break or get back budget. The constant outsourcing made the main villains stand reveal a literal laughing stock. So much so I still see it getting meme-d on social media. The animation and art in DiU can be vibrant and fluid but it also gets unattractive and stiff. So much so you start to wish there was a seasonal gap.

Sound: 7/10

The music is catchy and fits the situation but it feels like a drop from SDC. Also Savage Garden all the way through instead of something as calming and beautiful as Last Train Home was a huge mistake. Last Train Home surpasses it in every way. You just get this tranquil feel of the Crusaders comradery. As you see them casually moving around Egypt together. It paints a very peaceful picture in your head. With I Want You, you have a very out of place song with very out of place direction. The Josuke in the end credits singing is so spontaneous and out of place. Its not remotely edited well is really forced in. (I'm not gonna criticize I Want You as a song because I am not into music criticism so that's why I more criticized its sloppy direction and what it does for the anime as opposed to dissecting the lyrics of a song from a 90's Boyband)

Character: 6/10

Here's where we get to DiU's biggest problem as well as it's best part.
I'll start by putting it simply Rohan, Koichi, and Kira are the best characters of this arc. Their characterization, development, and their focus almost always makes the episode great. I could do an essay on why Rohan is such an amazing character BUT simply put he is an excellent, greatly developed, incredibly layered and interesting character. Also the fights on the aforementioned tend to have impact on their character more so than ANYONE else in the show. Araki also does a very poor job at doing mass characterization AND making characters likable. Unfortunately you see a lot of Josuke and Okuyasu. Now I know A LOT of people like these characters. But hear me out. I do not hate these characters but they have very BIG problems as basically the leads of the part.
1) They have confused character motivation
2) They are stagnant and their development arcs doesn't effect them as characters
3) They are less interesting than characters that could've got more spot light

Okuyasu:
His brother dying is one of his main drives into the plot. That and his attachment to Josuke leading him in conflict by association. But Okuyasu wants revenge even though he accepts his brother is a bad person. They do not flesh out the fact Okuyasu wanted to avenge someone he knew was wicked. It doesn't dive into his psyche or feelings of justice or ideals. Just simple revenge motivation. It's insanely shallow and doesn't do ANYTHING fresh or unique. Now maybe I would forgive this if Okuyasu just didn't feel so bare. He meets his brothers killer, the person he wanted to commit revenge on. Then he loses. Then he meets him again. Can't beat him and then Josuke beats him. So Okuyasu gets no resolution with his brothers killer AT ALL. He doesn't confront him in the hospital. He doesn't kill him. They have no excuse because Kakyoin and Polnareff just is so much more satisfactory in terms of ending Pol's revenge arc. Kakyoin even helps him on what to say so he can feel fully satisfied when murdering the man who killed and raped his sister. And after this arc that goes literally nowhere Okuyasu doesn't get any more development for the rest of the show. Which honestly makes him just a one dimensional comic relief. He's entertaining but his character goes nowhere, is shallow, and has a really lame arc that doesn't effect him.

Josuke:
Josuke is nowhere near as bad of a case as Okuyasu. Josuke just gets less development and less consistent development than side characters like Yukako. And often forgets everything about his development where he wanted to become a force of justice. He commits fraud, tries to scam Rohan out of a ton of money, bullies and manipulates a 12 year old for money, and it wouldn't be such a problem if his greed didn't undermine his one development arc. You CAN NOT make his ONE development arc motivate him to become a force of good to protect the town and then have him not FEEL LIKE protecting the town he was so motivated to save. Especially when he literally wants to go against the law he wanted to uphold earlier in the show. It creates some interesting and funny conflicts but just really hurts his character. He doesn't get development outside of that arc and the arc REALLY doesn't affect his character. Like I can't do a page long analysis of their character because its just contrary traits and shallow personalities. Which is a huge problem as they are the big main characters of the show and suck away characters like Koichi and Rohans time.

Now one problem about a really good character; Kira is they try to introduce this part of his personality where he's falling for Shinobu but they bring it up once, don't expand on it, and it just feels forced in and Araki probably just forgot to capitalize on it.

Back to one horrid aspect about Araki's mass characterization... you can't make a psychotic outcast like Hazamada likable when in the same arc you're trying to make him likable in you make Rohan read off that he tried to rape a girl and then chickened out.

Overall DiU has some of the best characters in the franchise but also some of the weakest. And Araki despite making a great villain has a very hard time at naturally tying characters to the plot AND handling mass characterization well.

Enjoyment: 5/10

I enjoyed it sometimes. It could be fun. It could look pretty. Its story could hook me in. And it genuinely has AMAZING characters. But for all the fun that I had, I was too distracted with problems to enjoy myself. For all the beauty there's ugliness. For all the times the story had me, the payouts and dicking around on side stuff lost me. For every good character's time in the spotlight there's a significant amount of time spent on a much weaker, shallow character. Every time DiU does something great or good it does some thing to balance out its positively with very damning problems.

Overall: 5/10

This is a perfect score for DiU. I feel like its truly great characters save it from a 4/10. It's also pretty damn weird and pretty damn funny. But the animation and art problems. And the shallow leads. And the poor mass characterization. And the much weaker soundtrack compared to other parts sits it in a very rough place in terms of JoJo parts and other seasonal anime at the time. Definitely not a bad show, I can see why a lot of people would find enjoyment in it. But its lack of focus on its best characters, its lack of focus on its originally incredible story, sits it in a purgatory. Stuck between giving it audience something to love and shooting itself in the foot for 39 whole episodes.

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JoJo's part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable/Diamond is not Crash will either be your favorite Part for a while, or your least favorite. As you can tell already, it's my favorite and I'm currently on the mid point of SO (which is also pretty good). Before DIU my favorite Part was Battle Tendency, and while Stardust Crusaders was okay it didn't live up to BT before the final arcs in my opinion.

STORY:
The story takes place directly after Part 3: Stardust Crusaders. Jotaro Kujoh, protagonist of Part 3, has planned a visit to Morioh, a small town in Japan, to find the bastard child of Joseph Joestar, his grandfather, Josuke Higashikata; a product of a one night stand Joseph had in his 60s with Tomoe Hiashikata. Joseph never knew about Josuke's existence, and left Josuke fatherless. This also means that Jotaro is Josuke's nephew. However, this isn't the only reason Jotaro decides to pay a visit to Morioh; Joseph used his Hermit Purple and located the source of evil in Morioh. They are also looking for the stand arrows that DIO gave to Enyaba. These arrows will either manifest a stand when injected into someone or they will kill them quite painfully. Josuke soon discovers that his home town, Morioh, is a quiet town with something or someone dangerous lurking inside of it.


CHARACTERS:
Josuke Higashikata: The protagonist of DIU, and also the only Part Josuke appears in. Josuke is very much an inflection point of the previous protagonists. He's a mostly well-mannered kid who wants to do good (Johnathan), thinks strategically and occasionally goofy (Joseph), and when he's insulted or put up against the wall, he shows badass tendencies (Jotaro). He's a good JoJo, but certainly not the best (So far for me that's Joseph).

Okuyasu Nijimura: Okuyasu is universally loved as one of the best characters of Part 4 (next to Kira and Rohan). He's actually introduced as an enemy stand user. He follows Josuke after losing his brother, Keijo Nijimura, in the first few episodes of Part 4. After losing his brother, Okuyasu is really similar to a detached and abandoned puppy, so he meets up with Josuke. The two become best friends and they have great chemistry. He has potentially one of the most deadly stands in the entire series, but he's too stupid to utilize it properly: His stand The Hand has the ability to delete space, meaning that Okuyasu has the potential to use the stand to wipe away entire people.

Koichi Hirose: Koichi is a beta male and more often feels like the protagonist, instead of Josuke. Koichi embodies to me a good portion of the things wrong with Part 4. For one he lets himself get pushed around a lot at the start and then falls for the yandere.

Yukako Yamishi: I don't like Yukako, but there is one saving grace to her character: that being she is THE original Yandere. Meaning all these crap fest Anime that have Yandere chicks in them originated from her.

Rohan Kishibe: In my opinion the 2nd best character in DIU, and one of my (and Araki's) favorites in the entire series. Rohan is a social recluse, known for being a fairly popular manga author for writing pink dark boy. He is initially one of the enemy stand users that Josuke and crew go up against, before being be-friended by Koichi. Rohan's inclusion also introduces us to the major conflict of DIU: that being the murderer who's been lurking in Morioh for around 17 years and still hasn't been caught. His journey in DIU is about trusting other people and being open to human interactions. Unfortunately, Rohan isn't introduced until mid-DIU, as in episodes 14-15. His stand, Heaven's Door, is one of the most practical stands in the entire series and Rohan could use it for world domination, but he chooses not to. That should describe the kind of character Rohan is.

Jotaro Kujoh: Jotaro is Jotaro. He's still a badass, but he's much more tolerant than the Jotaro of Part 3, which reflects on his maturity. Around the time that has passed between Part 3 and 4, Jotaro is now a terrible husband (following in his father's footsteps) and a marine biologist. He has some great moments in Part 4 (when they encounter the main villain), but the focus isn't on him. Also: HE LOST TO A RAT. It's funny shit like that reminds me why I love JoJos.

Joseph Joestar: Joseph is at his most vulnerable in Part 4. He's in his 80s by now, and we've seen his best moments, now it's time to see his worst moments. I still love Joseph as a character, but this Joseph is not comparable to the previous Parts. He has dementia, completely forgot about Hamon, and can barely use his stand. He does have one of the best arcs in early DIU though, with him encountering an invisible baby (Part 4 is the most Bizarre JoJo part) while out with Josuke; he also shows that he is willing to sacrifice his life to save this child in order to show that he cares about being a parent to Josuke. It's very upsetting (in a good way) to see this hero be completely exempt from battle and grieve over being absent from Josuke's entire life. I like Part 4's Joseph, but this isn't his Golden Age or his Silver Fox period.


ANIMATION:
Diamond is Unbreakable gets a lot of hate for the change in art style, but this lines up with the manga. In the manga, Part 4 was simultaneously pioneering the old 80s Anime look the first 3 Parts had, while developing the art style that Araki would be known for now. So to make Part 4 has it's own unique art style not completely aligned with either the earlier Parts artstyle or the one that Part 5 picked up, is genius. I will admit though there are some glaring errors in this animation style in the censored version. I watched the Bluray/uncensored version and I recommend this one SIGNIFICANTLY over that one. It virtually fixes most of the problems with the animation. Unfortunately, major streaming services like Hulu and Cruchyroll have the censored version, so you're either going to have to buy this or pirate it.


DUB:
Now I would like to make something clear: English Dub is not bad in Anime sometimes. JoJos has consistently had good dub voice acting (I've watched each Part multiple times with dub and sub). The problem with the JoJos Dub is that the Japanese Sub is LEGENDARY for being so enjoyable. While I will admit the Dub has some great VAs (Billy Kametz as Josuke, DC Douglas as Kira, Jotaro as Matthew Mercer, Rohan as Vic Mignogna [Absolutely kills it], and even Zach Aguilar as Koichi Hirose). I'd recommend the Dub for anyone that watches most series in Dub, but the SUB is vastly superior: BITES ZA DUSTO.

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To many, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is unbreakable is an experience like none other, and if you're one of those many people like myself, I'm glad to know you feel as I do.

Now why is it that I feel that way? Well let me explain.

JoJo part 4 as I'll refer to it as, is the 4th installment in the JoJo series and the most unique one at it's time, unlike it's previous parts, Diamond is unbreakable decided to branch off into it's own unique story, while of course still following the JoJo timeline, it was in itself, something brand new.

A murder mystery case comes to life as Josuke Higashikita and his friends soon learns there's a serial killer going around their once peaceful and beloved city, Morioh.

Part 4 includes the best character development up to it's point out of any JoJo part, significantly boosting the enjoyment and story. Although a rather simple plot, Part 4 finds a way to blend murder mystery with slice of life, action and taking out the baddies all in a spectacular way that leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next.

The animation like expected is great, much more polished than previous parts and the art is probably my favorite in the series. Although some might disagree.

Really the meat and potatoes of Diamond is unbreakable is it's cast of amazing characters, bringing back previous crusaders, Jotaro and Joseph. Although Joseph is an old man and practically useless, it's still nice to see him return, however Jotaro is a much more fleshed out character than he used to be, and honestly I think they greatly improved upon him, as if I didn't love him enough already.
that isn't to forget the lovable idiot Okuyasu, and our brave hearted midget Koichi. Honestly you can't go wrong with the Part 4 cast and there's a character in it for everyone.

More importantly, the plot as I previously mentioned, might be simple, but this is JoJo and as we know JoJo is Bizarre, that's anything but simple. As the mystery begins to develop more and more, the plot itself somehow gets more complex, eventually leading to the ending which blew my mind. Of course I can't spoil it here but safe to say the finale arc left my jaw dropping.


In short: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is unbreakable is a show about a kind hearted main character and his friends on a determined adventure to figure out the evil lurking in their once peaceful city, and they will do anything to stop it with the help of their stands.

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You though Stardust Crusaders would be the last of the JoJo adaptations, but it was me, Diamond is Unbreakable! Jokes aside, the adaptation of the next part is finally over after a 39-episode run. David Production has proven to be a very loyal studio when it comes to adaptations. For the last couple of years, David Production have been working on adapting the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga series written by Araki Hirohiko into an anime format. After doing an adaptation for the first three JoJo parts, David Production has adapted the fourth Part of the series, Diamond wa Kudakenai also known as Diamond is Unbreakable or… Diamond is not Crash if that’s what you prefer. Though Diamond is Unbreakable isn’t quite popular in Japan as to let’s say the previous part, Stardust Crusaders, or the next one, Vento Aureo, it’s still well respected. However, in the west it is much more popular. Diamond is Unbreakable is my personal all-time favorite JoJo part… even more than Steel Ball Run. But does this adaptation manage to be perfect like the previous parts? Well in all honesty, this might just be the least loyal JoJo adaptation from David Production, yet it’s better than most adaptations of this generation. That says something…

~{Story}~
The premise in Diamond is Unbreakable is just as simplistic as the previous part. The story revolved around the town of Duwang, um, I mean Morioh and how after the presence of an arrow that can give people the ability to use Stands, Morioh is now filled with an ever-growing amount of Stand users (both enemies and allies) and it’s up to Josuke and his buddies to handle this issue. However, within the Stand users in Morioh hides a serial killer who targets women in the town (well their hands to be precise) and the allied Stand users must work together to stop this hidden serial killer and protect Morioh. First of all, unlike the previous and the upcoming JoJo parts, Diamond is Unbreakable takes place in one town and never leaves this setting. The characters don’t go on an adventure all around the world, nor do they take a month to get to Egypt. It’s just one town with one goal; to protect Morioh. Diamond is Unbreakable is known as the slice-of-life JoJo since its more about the characters fooling around while there’s Stand users to handle every week. Despite the fact that Diamond is Unbreakable is written in a smaller scale and that its initial premise is simplistic, there is no doubt that this part is the most interesting part story-wise, when compared to the previous parts. Even when compared to the future parts, it’s still better than all of them (though Steel Ball Run is on the same level). The first half of the series is simple fun, but once the main antagonist gets introduced, Diamond is Unbreakable ends up becoming an intense and somewhat unpredictable cat-and-mouse chase. Despite the fact that it’s not as large-scaled as Stardust Crusaders, its climax ends up being a satisfying fight that uses more strategy than brute strength. Diamond is Unbreakable proves that bigger is not always better.
Story: 10/10

~{Presentation}~
David Production has always managed to be the top of their game when it comes to loyal adaptations and they proved so with the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series. They manage to capture the style and essence the manga has. David Production is so loyal about the adaptation that they even write out the sound effects in the series. But not only are they loyal, but they’re also dedicated to the series. Whether animating the meme moments in proper quality, or changing up the OP to match the antagonist’s ability, these little things show how much David Production cares about this adaptation and how they’re not making this anime simply to cash off from the fame the manga has. Diamond is Unbreakable is adapted in full glory here, especially with David Production changing up their art style to what the manga series ends up being. Starting from the fourth part, Araki changed up his art style from the original gritty, gar, and manly art style with tank-style characters, to the new vivid, stylish, fancy, fashionable art-style with skinnier characters. Despite the art style change, it still feels like JoJo. You still have those epic sound-effect text, disproportional poses, epic one-liners, cool battle cries, and the weird alterations of color and lighting. However, due to the length of Diamond is Unbreakable being 11 episodes less than Stardust Crusaders, yet the manga being a volume longer, some tiny moments ended up being cut out. One or two lines from each episode would get cut out and some comic relief moments too, but they’re nothing bad enough to be noticeable. These cut outs are similar to Phantom Blood’s and Battle Tendency’s.
Presentation: 9.5/10

~{Character}~
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure never falls behind with their characters and Diamond is Unbreakable is no exception. As a matter of a fact, Diamond is Unbreakable has the best JoJo cast I have ever seen, with every character feeling likable and fun. Josuke is a fantastic protagonist with a fantastic personality. He’s my favorite JoJo, just right after Joseph. He’s the perfect mixture of Joseph’s lightheartedness and Jotaro’s chillness, while having Jonathan’s gentleman personality to him. With him having a running gag about how he can’t tolerate someone making fun of this hair, to him showing his dedication towards protecting Morioh, Josuke proved to be an all-rounder. Stardust Crusaders is completely gone as Jotaro is part of the main cast in Diamond is Unbreakable. He’s just as important in this arc as Joseph was in Stardust Crusaders. Throughout Part 3, Jotaro have more of a fixed personality and in some way, he was a bit bland, however Diamond is Unbreakable makes his character have more personality and feel more enjoyable. He still cool and relaxed, but he’s also wise and makes some jokes too. This might be due to him being a decade older than he was before, but either way he’s a lot more interesting. And then we have the JoBro of the part, Okuyasu, and he’s just as dumb as most other JoBro’s, but that’s what makes him fun. His unintentional humor makes the series feel more lighthearted and fun to watch. Every JoJo part always has that one little kid that plays some type of role. In Part 4, Koichi is one of the main characters of the series and he really grows on you. He originally starts as a kid that kind of ruins the fun by describing everything that goes on (I’m looking at you, Speedwagon… but you withdrew coolly). However, managed to be a lot more badass than he originally seemed, and he can be quite smart too. And then we have Rohan… Araki’s self-insert. A mangaka who also joins the gang later in the series and he easily is the most interesting character besides Josuke and the main antagonist of the series. But with all said and done, the character that truly steals the show and the one who ends up being the best and most complexly written JoJo antagonist ever, is Kira Yoshikage. Simply put, he’s weird yet normal, awkward yet cool, and a scumbag yet likable. From his hand fetishes to his will to stay in Morioh and continue his hobbies, Kira proves to be an absurd, yet believable character. With his appearance coming late in the series after many buildup, all of it gets payed off.
Character: 10/10

~{Art}~,
As mentioned before, David Production did an amazing job in adapting in Diamond is Unbreakable’s art style. In the previous parts, the series had a more darker look to it and the characters were the size of a football stadium, in Diamond is Unbreakable, the art is much more brighter and the characters don’t look like as if they bathe in steroids. Though the previous parts used that art style for its charm, Diamond is Unbreakable has its own charm, one that gets used in the future parts too. The previous parts used to alter its color palette at times to add a greater affect. Diamond is Unbreakable does that too, but it happens a lot more often. And this are sometimes colored in an unnatural way for style, such as the sky being purple or yellow at times. Despite the art having so many good qualities about it, its undeniable that the quality is pretty inconsistent. There’s some moments when character models were lack proper detailed or look deformed, especially if the characters are shown from a greater distance. However, the series makes up for it with its killer close-ups and some of them have a better quality than what was in the original manga, such as the close ups for the Stand, Killer Queen. Also, any issues with the art quality are being fixed with the Blu-ray and DVD release.
Art: 9/10

~{Animation}~
The animation quality is really good in Diamond is Unbreakable, however when compared to Stardust Crusaders, it is a bit lacking. The thing about Stardust Crusaders is that it originally started off with mind-boggling animations that seemed like as if David Production is a masochist and they enjoy putting too much detail into the tiniest things. However, as the series went on, the animation quality started becoming normal. Diamond is Unbreakable starts off from the normal quality of Stardust Crusaders, however, this quality remains the same throughout the series. There are some moments when the animation quality gets inconsistent and things aren’t as smooth as they should be, but Stardust Crusaders also suffered from the same issue. You won’t be able to expect anything legendary from Diamond is Unbreakable’s animations, but you won’t be disappointed either.
Animation: 8.5/10

~{Voice Acting}~
The recurring characters have the same seiyuu as they original had. Josuke’s seiyuu in the anime is different from the one that played him in the video games. And with these 39 episodes, it’s clear that Ono Yuuki is the perfect match for Josuke. He gets Josuke’s delinquent feel right, while making him a nice and kindhearted man. Also, he says “DORARARARA” the best. Ono Daisuke returns to voice act Jotaro, and he does just as good of a job as he did in Stardust Crusaders. He manages to make Jotaro feel a badass and you will never get enough of that “ORA, ORA, ORA”. Okuyasu’s seiyuu is the same as the one that was used in the games. Master of delinquent voice acting, Takagi Wataru does a great job in making his character sound like a complete idiot, while making him likable. Koichi’s seiyuu is also changed and the game’s seiyuu wasn’t used. Though I was kind of disappointed that Romi Park didn’t reprise her role, but Kaji Yuki does a great job as Koichi and he doesn’t disappoint. Though it’s a little weird since Kaji Yuki voice acted Johnny in the games, so I wonder who will voice act Johnny is Steel Ball Run gets an adaptation again. Kaji Yuki? And even Rohan’s seiyuu gets changed too. Though Kamiya Hiroshi might be the better seiyuu, Sakurai Takahiro proves to be the better match for Rohan. Kamiya made Rohan sound a little too rough when Rohan’s supposed to have more chill than that. Sakurai executes that perfectly. Also, Kira’s seiyuu has been changed too, for the better. Koyama Rikiya was great and all, but Morikawa Toshiyuki was completely sinister… as expected from Griffith’s old seiyuu. He delivers the lines perfectly, especially the creepy ones. Overall, all of the seiyuu changes in Diamond is Unbreakable is for the better.
Voice Acting: 10/10

~{Music}~
A JoJo part isn’t a JoJo part without great music, and I got to say, this has got to be the best music I’ve heard in a JoJo part. The series has three openings and one ending. The first OP “Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town” is a funky and fun opening that capture the slice-of-life charm of the series. It’s super catchy and the music for it has good beats. The second OP, “Chase”, isn’t something you would hear you would expect from JoJo since it has more of a shounen-y feel to it, but the song is really good and the vocals and music for it amazing. The final OP, “Great Days”, is easily the best one from Diamond is Unbreakable. It represents the theme of justice and hope the series used throughout, plus its really upbeat and fun to listen too. Just like the previous JoJo seasons, Diamond is Unbreakable’s ED is a western song from the last century. “I Want You” is a fantastic ED that feels really catchy and matches the slice-of-life tone of the series. Though it would’ve been nice if it had another ED (maybe something from Queen would’ve been nice, but the license would cost a fortune), but it’s fine the way it is. Kanno Yugo strikes gold with the OST of Diamond is Unbreakable. He did a great job with Stardust Crusaders and Ajin and with Diamond is Unbreakable, he showed the best of his work. The main theme of the Part is fantastic and is on par with Part 3’s theme. And the variation of the theme “Stand Activated” is really good too. The OST, “The Stardust Man Appears” is really cool to and it matched Jotaro very well. “Sudden Battle” is always perfectly used, “The Hand” is perfect for Okuyasu, “Irreversible Sadness” is used perfectly for the saddest death in the part, and “Courage” works well with Koichi. But the best OSTs are the ones that are used for Kira. Kira’s main theme, “Killer”, is perfectly composed to add that mysterious and uncomforting feel. “Second Bomb” and “Thrid Bomb” felt very intense when it was used in the series and “Another Face, Same Mind” is another great Kira track. Overall, all of the OST manages to elevate the enjoyment for this series and there’s no doubt that Diamond is Unbreakable has the best soundtrack of the year.
Music: 10/10

~{Enjoyment}~
Saying that I didn’t enjoy Diamond is Unbreakable is like saying Trump in not the U.S. president… it’s utterly false. Right after the latest season of Gintama ended, I needed something that could fill up that emptiness inside me. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure did that. Not only is Diamond is Unbreakable amazing, but it’s also the best part of the entire JoJo series. With so many hype moments with great voice acting and music used, it felt immensely satisfying. Even with some moments being cut out and some “quality” moments, David Production makes up for it with its stellar close-up art quality, and managing to represent the new tone and style of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series. David Production was the best thing that happened to JoJo and JoJo was one of the best thing that happened in the anime industry. Simply put, there’s no other anime like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Diamond is Unbreakable simply continues on that legacy. Plus, another gureto doze of amazing memes!
Enjoyment: 10/10

If you’ve watched the previous JoJo parts and liked them, I don’t need to recommend Diamond is Unbreakable to you because you’ve either already watched or you were just waiting for it to end. For those who found Stardust Crusaders to be a hit-or-miss or found Jotaro to be a bland protagonist, don’t worry, Diamond is Unbreakable is a much more consistent Part and Josuke is a great mix of the previous JoJo protagonists. With a much stronger story than the previous parts, and a new and stylish art style, Diamond is Unbreakable stands out more than the previous parts. And Part 4 easily has the best soundtrack of not just the entire JoJo series, but also the best of the year. The voice acting cast is perfect and it was a smart choice to change up some of them and use seiyuu who didn’t do those characters in the games. If you haven’t gotten into the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series yet, don’t worry, you have the holidays to catch up if you’re interested. With Diamond is Unbreakable, JoJo proves that it has its still creative with its ideas and still have a bright future ahead with David Production’s support.

+ Fantastic characters, including an entertaining protagonist and the best antagonist the JoJo series has ever seen.
+ The story in Part 4 is much more complex than usual with unexpected twists and turns and keeps the viewers captivated.
+ David Production does an excellent job in maintaining the manga’s style and representing the new JoJo art style.
+ Fantastic OPs and ED and the OST is the best of the JoJo series, and in particular, the Kira OSTs are brilliantly composed.
+ The new art style is stylish and vivid and the art looks exceptionally good at times, especially during the close ups.
- Production values are a bit inconsistent at times as some characters models far away can lack detailing, however, the BD/DVDs fix that.

Overall: 9.6/10

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Diamond is Unbreakable differs quite a bit from the other JoJo's Parts - instead of traveling all over the place it fixates on a small town called Morioh. However, this does not mean that we get any less action and story in this part!

JoJo's is known for it's wacky, bizarre and often unpredictable setting. And this part definitely outdid itself. The idea that the story takes place in a small town really contrasts itself from the previous parts. Instead of going through long adventures to defeat the big bad guy that wants to kill everyone, this part is a lot more laid back but still has his fair share of intense and emotional moments.

After watching more and more episodes you start to get attached to this town like singing along to the classic Morioh radio tune and knowing many of the characters. Because the part takes place in such a small area you get this feeling of familiarity with your surroundings. You notice landmarks or buildings from previous episodes or you get attached to the characters like they are your neighbor.

The character design, as expected of Araki, is amazing as always. Especially the main antagonist is probably my favourite of all time. It's the first time that the villain isn't that "big bad guy" with some big goal in mind - no - it's just another guy that could maybe be your co-worker, your neighbor or your old classmate. Even though throughout the series it seems quite cheerful and happy there is always that feeling in the back of your head that something isn't right in this town, some sort of unease.

The stands in this part are also more creative than ever and are always very fun to watch. I've had problems in some parts of JoJo's where some stands where confusing, boring and didn't feel very polished. This part really didn't let me down.

Overall, this is probably the best part of all of JoJo's (I'm considering a tie with Part 7). I loved every second of it.

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There is much to love about Diamond is Unbreakable. The atmosphere of this part is a huge change from the dangerous adventurous and mysterious atmosphere the first three parts built up. Every Jojo preceding Josuke Higashikata was living on the edge, constantly having to fight enemies and grow stronger, meanwhile Josuke Higashikata is shown to live the life of a high school student, and fights enemies (and others) on the side. Part 4 is about more than defeating enemies, it's about making friends and allies too. This change can be very polarising, but it's very fitting.

Part 4 focuses on building the setting we are introduced to, Morioh town. It introduces us to all kinds of characters, good and bad, and they are all approached with a similar sense of wariness. Morioh town is thus shown as a normal town with normal people, who just happened to have powers that aren't so normal. Even the Morioh radio introduction to some episodes adds to part 4's atmosphere. It made the characters and their world all the more real, as it felt like I was living with them. Now while I thoroughly love the story-writing for this part, I would not say that it's outstanding, simply because the story isn't what made part 4 so good, it was the characters. 9/10

Onto the art, I missed the dramatic colour changes, but the new art style that somewhat differentiates high school students from adults is very welcome. It's also aesthetically pleasing. 9/10

The music fit the story and characters like a glove. Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town, Chase, and Breakdown all feel like the musical representations of Morioh town and it's residents. The music grows up with the characters of the show. Breakdown sounds like the matured version of Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town, where characters all know each other and share a common love and appreciation for Morioh town (and yes, that includes the main villain, he loves Morioh in his own way). 10/10

The characters are all equally lovable and aggravating. While Josuke Higashikata is the de jure protagonist, the entire town of Morioh are the de facto protagonists. I just love that. Building all characters, to have their own lives and interests makes them all the more relatable. This made parting with them at the end of Diamond is Unbreakable incredibly difficult. I wouldn't mind another part of JJBA set in Morioh. 10/10

Enjoyment 10/10 no further explanation needed.
Overall: 10/10

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I firmly believe that this is the best part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure that currently has an anime adaptation. The characters are the most fleshed-out they've ever been, the main villain is one of the best in the series, the music is phenomenal, the humor is top-notch, there are just so many great elements combined together in creating the most enjoyable experience JoJo's experience that I've ever witnessed.

I want to talk a bit about how Diamond Is Unbreakable subverted my expectations. Given what I knew about Part 4 (the fact that it is set around high school students, the main conflict is more of a murder mystery than a "save the world" deal, and the openings aren't incredibly ominous the way that End of the World was), I expected this to be a much more laid-back installment in the franchise. As it turns out, I was totally wrong. At times, Diamond Is Unbreakable feels like a series of horror movies. So many episodes are incredibly effective in creating tension, some even making me cover my mouth in pure shock.

While it took me around a month to finish Stardust Crusaders, I was done with Diamond Is Unbreakable after four days. Not because I just wanted to knock it out, but because Part 4 is immensely gripping, maybe even more so than Battle Tendency. It's certainly the most interesting part of the series, with unique Stand powers, character dynamics and fun moments that definitely helped me understand why this part is beloved by many. I've now seen parts 1 through 5 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and in my opinion, this one is in a league of its own. 10/10.

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(If you're 11 and haven't experienced JoJo, skip to the safe space for my 'spoiler free' interview)

1999
"Let the joy of love give you cancer"-Araki

There's a reason why DiU sits near the top of almost any JoJo fans ranking.

Because its an absolutely and positively inspired piece of work.



Let's get the obvious criticism out of the way first. While the voice acting is grade A, this show puts the ugh in ugly, (I.E Quality Queen). But some episodes (I.E Bug Eaten) are stellar looking, with strong color pallets and character design. It's just quite obvious the budget from part 2 isn't there, which, while a shame, isn't deal breaking. At this point the Duwang scans have made me feel like Oliver Twist, I just want some more you know? I'll take what I can get from David Productions, as long as they deliver my beloved part 4, from Tony to Rock Paper Scissors to Ambulance, we're cool.

Which is what they did.

A common criticism leveled at part 4 is it's lack of focus. It doesn't start the "plot" and introduce the main villain until a third of the way through; but can you blame Araki for not knowing (at first) how to follow up a planned trilogy with a clear conclusion? While its unfortunate the first section of DiU isn't so smoothly connected to the rest of itself (Josuke time traveling, Araki how did you forget that), it is an undeniable fact that when Araki is provided breathing room to experiment, he gives his best work (See SBR).

Stands positively SHINE in part 4; gone are the "monster of the week" stands of part 3, which are replaced by a variety of stands that complement their given user. Echoes evolves alongside the growing Koichi, Heavens Door fits a mangaka such as Rohan like a glove, and The Hands overwhelming power is balanced only by the sheer stupidity of Okuyasu. Some stands have zero combat potential whatsoever (Cinderella, Pearl Jam) and exist solely to further the atmosphere of Morioh. While punch ghosts are fun, and Jotaro gets plenty of strong screen time, it's Araki's unbounded creativity that makes DiU so fun and unforgettable.


I'd be lying if I said the lack of Josephs mannerisms and catchphrases doesn't leave a bit of a hole in my funny bone. However, Araki does manage to preserve the magical humor of previous parts in DiU. If anything, JoJo has never been funnier. Jotaro's straight faced autism remains strangely both bad-ass and comedic, and Josuke's new personality mixes well with characters like Rohan and Okuyasu to create those bizarre situations we love. Then there's stands such as Stray Cat, Boy 2 Man, Earth Wind and Fire, and of course, Cheap Trick. Cheap Trick will leave you in a pool of piss on your hospital bed that you can't clean up because you're restrained and sedated. It's unfortunate that part 5 and 6 didn't take some notes.


If someone asked how Araki could possibly follow up DIO, then I imagine Kira as the proverbial slap in the face as his response. Whether or not you think he deserves a quiet life, the sheer presence Kira exerts on the show from the get-go is undeniable. Kira has personality, wit, motivation, luck (are those sirens?) and mother-fucking Killer Queen. A serial killer is a logical conclusion to the question of a villain in a setting such as small town Morioh, and Kira is as competent as his real life look alike. (R.I.P David Bowie)


JoJo op's are legendary, and for good reason. They're love letters; with hand-crafted songs tailored to fit certain parts of the story, bundled with little references for veterans to the series. As songs, CNBT and Chase are worthy successors, but as opening videos, they fall just short of Stand Proud or Sono Chi no Sodome. Still good op's, but the budget just doesn't seem to warrant a video I could call gre...

Then there's Great Days.
I've never seen or heard an opening embody a series so perfectly. And the rewind version features absolutely genius cuts and sound effects, making the DiO version of End of the World look like a linkin park amv.

And "1999 Bizarre Summer"? Holy shit that's a lyric?

I got a boner.


The only proof anyone should need to understand that David P is the studio worthy to adapt JoJo to the end, is Morioh Radio. It's a foreign element to the manga, but who would know? That high energy radio jingle only seeks to heighten the atmosphere of bizarre Morioh; and it speak volumes about the love and dedication the series is being shown by its creators.

Sasuga David.



(Kiddie friendly zone)

Me: How's the show, Josuke?

J: Great.

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Upon getting a feel for the premise of Part 4, I came into the story expecting not to enjoy it as much as the previous parts. Boy was I wrong. To me, Jojo's just keeps getting better with each season, and Part 4 is no exception.

One of the things that keeps Jojo's fresh is the slight shift in premise and genre that comes with each season

Part 1 started us off with a manly Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) style adventure mixed with horror, with references to more traditional supernatural things such as vampires and werewolves. Part 2 took that to the next level with the pillar men Indiana Jones style in an action-adventure, and pushed the hamon energy premise to its peak. Part 3 switched to the stand abilities, and made it into a road-trip/around the world in 30 days type story. And now part 4 became a mystery/crime drama.

I loved Part 3 (well the second half in particular) a lot, and also rated it 10, but if I were to name a weakness it was the fact that the story was a little disjoint. A lot of the enemies faced in Part 3 seemed pointless, almost as if they were put there just to extend the story. We all knew what the end goal was, and yet even though it felt like they should have arrived half way through, it took another 24 episodes. But it more than made up for it in good writing and excellent characters.

Part 4 doesn't have the same strength of characters Part 3 has. They're very good, but they're not great. But in every other field it shines with flying colours. The pacing, the art, the voice acting, and more were all spot on, in my opinion. Moreover, almost every episode advanced the story. I'm sure you could cut out around 3 or 4 episodes (roughly 10%) and it still would have been great. But it wasn't as drawn out as Part 3, where you could easily shave off 30-40% of the series and tell the story perfectly.

So to summarise my scores:

Story - 10. Well paced, easy to understand yet intriguing, well executed twists and turns, and satisfying ending.
Art - 9. There was the occasional part that seemed lazy, but most of it was masterfully and lovingly executed as usual, in the old fashioned style. The colours and special effects were very well done.
Sound - 9. Music, sound effects, voice acting - all very well done. This is one area where I think Part 3 deserved a solid 10, and I couldn't justify giving this the same score as Part 3.
Character - 8. This, in my opinion, is the part's weakness. Most of the main characters were great, but the chemistry between characters didn't match what was there with Part 3, or even Part 2. Although part of this is the nature of the genre chosen for this part.
Enjoyment - 10. Easily, unlike in Part 3, there wasn't a moment I was bored or feeling like the story was dragging on for too long.
Overall - 10. If I could give it a 9.5, I would, since it isn't perfect, but it's damn near close. Favourite Jojo's so far.

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"The summit is what drives us, but the climb itself is what matters. -Conrad Anker"

The above quote is just another generic quote, exemplifying that the journey matters more so than the destination. I hated that since the journey has reason solely due to the destination, so if the destination were not present or useless, that journey would be useless, waste, and a bunch of idiocricy by the travellers.

Why did I bring the above point up? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT BEFORE ARAKI SENSEI'S MASTERPIECE OF PART 4. If you are a true anime fan, you cannot deny that Stardust Crusaders [1st and 2nd season] is A WHOLE DAMN HEAVEN SCRAPING MASTERPIECE. I was sitting here after watching it just last year and imagining to myself, How will he take it from here? The end is soooo high, how will he continue?

And then, ARAKI SENSEI PROCEEDED TO TEAR APART THE HEAVENS AND MOVED FROM EGYPT TO MORIOH. Instead of taking on a whole a** world journey, he pinpointed his setting, ONE TOWN. Nothing else. This enabled him to create maybe one of his most detailed setting ever. Every location you see at first, you will see again and again and again, This makes you feel like you are a citizen yourself. It's absolutely captivating writing Araki has shot for here; he wants us not to feel like a journeyman as in Stardust crusaders with no home, but rather he gives us a home, Morioh. It's absolutely amazing.

But then, the start was pepper and spice, and no salt. Nothing, bland. IT WAS NOT JOJO. I broke, I fell, I denied in disgust, how could that Araki Sensei create this toooo shounen plot? ITS NOT JOJO. I fell, fell down from all the hope I had created after catching glimpses of the beautiful town he had created with its absolutely amazing characters.

But, I did not give up, I stuck through it, No matter how it was, weak, time, but the new characters, especially more women and EXEMPLARY STANDS; I could not help myself, and kept going. IT WAS WORTH IT, IT WAS BL**DY WORTH EVERY SECOND.
Araki slapped me in the face, HE TOLD ME, "THIS AINT JOJO, THIS IS NEW JOJO" this ain't just serious stoic bulk blokes moving around, these are humans with abilities who live in a town with normal lives, with a secret sie of them to handed.

YOU! YES, YOU!!!! HEAR ME OUT, if you haven't watched it yet, let me tell you. You are not treating yourself, go and watch this immediately, watch the whole Dam* JOJO series just for this part alone. It's worth it, you will pat your back one day.
I never give a 10 to any anime except those that put me in heaven, anD I can't count clouds, and, this anime is the only one to ever make me think so long for its score, yet it is a 9'er. BUT IT MADE ME THINK FOR LOOONG, CLOSEST IT GOT TO 10 WAS A 9.99999999. I hope this helps; just go and watch the show already; OKAY MASTA LETS KILL DA HO.BEEEEECCHHHH!!!!

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Holy shit, this was a masterpiece.

Jojo always sets and meets high expectations, but this season was something else. Everything about the show just pleases you, the art, characters, the fights.
This season is definitely the best Jojo season and I can't wait for the next one to come out.

To be honest, its first few episodes were so different from the previous seasons that I was kind of confused, the way the story started out and honestly you could argue that it was a bit slow. But when it reaches the main story, oh boy you are in for a treat.

As for the art and characters, its amazing. The art is even more crispy and vibrant than stardust crusaders and there are just so many colorful personalities that you can not get bored of it.

What I can say for sure is that, if you were a fan of jojo you will definitely give this a 10/10, but if you are a first timer watching a jojo series, you will be extremely confused and probably find it stupid/boring since they don't spend too much time explaining everything. But trust me on this one, this is definitely one of the best anime of the season
10/10

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I rarely write reviews about anime I've watched, but I felt that I have to write a review for this specific season.

Story:

I've watched Jojo part 1 and 2 but I can't say genuinely I've enjoyed them, to be frank, I've skipped some episodes because they were too boring or not very important for the progression of the story. HOWEVER, Jojo part 4 has exceeded my expectations. Each episode becomes more interesting than the one before it to the point that I couldn't start or end my day without watching 2 episodes or so of this masterpiece.

Art:

what I love most about this season is the art style. To be honest, I've never liked Jojo's previous art style ( sorry ) and only endured watching it because of the story. However, the art style for this season is beyond gorgeous, I mean just look at Jotaro !! How he was and how he became ! (/ ‿＼✿)


Characters:

The characters, Oh god the characters how much I love them! Each character in this anime is so unique and can see them developing each episode especially everyone's boy Koichi. Even the antagonist has something special about him that you want to learn more. Also never forget my lovely Rohan sensei who I thought would be just another minor character for him to be one of the major ones! ( I wish Tonio Trussardi does exist. I want to eat that healthy food of his orz.)

Overall:

I think this season of Jojo series would be the only one that I'll ever love and enjoy ~

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I absolutely adore part 5 of Jojo, I wish I could inject it on my veins. If it were a drug, I would be addicted beyond repair.

Part 5 begins with the protagonist, Giorno Giovanna (GioGio haha clever pun), walking through the streets of some Italian city. At first, this scene serves only to portray the degenerate state of Italy in relation with drugs and how they influence the youth. However, it also shows an important aspect of Giorno: his powerlessness and insatisfaction with the situation even if he himself is a criminal who aspires to be a Gangstar (another clever pun with the Joestar's name haha so funny). He soon meets Hirose Koichi (a character from the worst part of Jojo, part 4 GOD I HATE PART 4) and proceeds to scam him by steali

I will not proceed with this review, this is too boring.
Watch Part 5. 10/10

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[Spoilers]

Jojo's Bizarre adventure part 4 is when this series went from being an entertaining series with a few obvious flaws and a variety of memes to an excellent series that I would highly recommend. Part 4's art is a big complaint for a lot of people, but personally I found the smoother, more cartoonish art-style to be very pleasing for the eyes and enables some of the vibrant color palates stand out as well as the darker color palates for darker scenes, part 4 makes excellent use of color to set tone. The story is a fresh take on the concept of JJBA in which the story is much more grounded in the real world, the main villain is no longer a vampire that has haunted your bloodline but in fact a serial killer, this also ties into the other villains whose motivations are much more simple and not all connected to one main villain and this humanizes the conflicts and the villains' motivations. Part 4 is in some ways even more episodic that part 3 as everyone is not tied to the same villain but the villain, Yoshikage Kira, leaves a massive imprint on the story as soon as he arrives creating a great environment of tension and thrill. The unpredictabliity of events as the Kira exists in the neighborhood blending into plain site and then after being caught vanishes again makes it impossible to not watch the next episode. The story is a masterstroke in pacing. The characters are all eminently enjoyable with distinct dynamics with each-other that much more memorable than even the stardust crusaders from part 3. For example I can remember Okuyasu's jealousy of Koichi and Rohan's hatred of Josuke which are both motivated by previous events making the world and characters of part 4 feel real which is saying something in. a world of punching ghosts.

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I notice some reviewers writing that this season is filler. This is a foolish take as this season does NOT deserve the negative reviews some ADD riddled, battle anime shounen !@$# on this site would have you think. I find this line of thought especially strange when you can essentially link up every plot thread in DIU, which leads itself to rewarding the audience with the strongest narrative yet and firm world building within show's setting: the town of Morioh.

At the time of writing this, this is the best animated Jojo part yet. Unlike previous entries (which are fantastic), the main characters are more personalised (note: they will move you) than prior entries and even the recurring side characters hold significance as each episode feels essential to further the story. Compare that with part 3 (which I for the record, enjoyed) which is just random battle after battle without any major significance until lo and behold the final boss is faced at the end.

To paraphrase original author Araki, it was his intention to scale down the grandeur of the world in DIU due to manga storytelling usually resorting to hero meets villain, villain becomes strong, hero becomes stronger. Araki is not wrong in assessing this formulaic approach and I believe it is for that reason DIU sets this aside and instead presents us with a refreshing villain in Yoshikage Kira, who rather than continually becoming overpowered relies on intelligence and subs out the whole world domination shtick with a simple thirst for serial killing.

David Productions continues the amazing animation quality for the series and the soundtrack is as good as ever. Check it out!

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