Stone Ocean was definitely a very pleasant surprise followed by a huge disappointment...
Some more than others, but all 5 previous parts of Jojo had (among many others) the same big problem: Things just happen, often even contradicting the anime's own rules, all followed by one or more characters in the background shouting as hard as they can without stopping in detail about what is happening.
And it was surprising how Stone Ocean was by far the part that distanced itself the most from this in its first 24 eps. Many of the stands are more direct and solid and therefore many of Jojo's characteristic twists don't sound forced as usual, for example look at how simple Jolyne's ability is and works identically throughout the entire series, she is just learning new uses with each fight, now compare this with Giorno who in each episode does something completely new, forgets previous things and often breaks his own rules.
Unlike, for example, part 3, where most of the "fights" were limited to the enemy stand using an unavoidable power and the heroes just having to deal with the enemy's own game and using stupid logical leaps to win, in Stone Ocean they really were fights where the cards are on the table and the heroes' abilities are as important as the enemy's, it is really a clash between two or more stand users.
A big difference is that this season takes place mostly within a prison wich operation is very well explained and even its mapping is shown, and this scenario is extremely important for the story, it gives advantages and disadvantages to the characters inside and outside the fights, which only adds more layers and possibilities to the story (The final episodes of the first cour are exciting and tense specially because of the whole enviroment). Given the appropriate proportions, it even reminded me of the battles in HxH where everything counts, the fighters, their powers, their psychology, the scenario, all the variables.
Everything was wonderful until the final third began...
Bizarrely, literally everything I mentioned turns upside down. The setting doesn't matter anymore, the stands are too open and one-sided, so the script completely loses its resistance, going down a nonsense and forced path like the old Jojo I know. (For those who have already seen it, look at what THAT GUY has become, both the character and specially the stand...)
To be fair, despite its own merits, one thing that helped the first two thirds be so good was that this story is one of those that pushes things to the end, so the first two cours, instead of already developing and concluding things, push everything to make sense and close at the end.
This in no way gives any justification for the third course, as ideally everything should be good and as it was going it had everything to be, but it just makes the point that if the final stretch wasn't so bad, maybe what came before wasn't so good.
Because everything was pushed to the end, expectations for this ending were higher, and there was still a lot to happen and somehow miraculously everything was closed, but nothing was satisfactory and it makes it even worse to see how much time is wasted with events futile and bad like Bohemian Rhapsody and Versus.
As far as the audiovisual is concerned, I can only add that the music and sounds are competent but not
exceptional or memorable, and the visuals themselves are excellent, but (especially in the first episodes) they consist of static frames and when there is animation it is very hard, from memory. It's the worst of the 6 parts in that sense.
This journey began as a pleasant surprise that unfortunately ended with a bitter taste but that still doesn't erase what it did.
If it started as by far the best i've seen in Jojo, it closed as perhaps still being the best part to date.
After part 5 I definitely wasn't excited with Jojo, so much so that I only went to see the sixth part now. But now I can't deny that I'm curious and even hopeful about the upcoming part 7.
So yeah, even as i particulary is more in the "dislike guys" side of Jojo i still would recommend the whole anime to anyone, its just too important for the industry to be ignored, even if you dislike even more than me its pretty great for study all the bad and good things you can do in a story, and of course this work, with all its immense flaws, touched and still touches thousands of people even after more than 30 years, perhaps you will be one of them. You might not even like all the parts, but maybe at least one will be to your liking, part 6 is especially one of the most divisive among everyone, and now its my favorite, that's why I say, no, don't skip any part. (Even the bomb that is part 5, which I don't know how on earth anyone is capable of liking, but it's even a favorite for some haha)
