You either love Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures, or you haven’t gotten around to understanding just why so many people celebrate this series. Netflix gives you a chance to enjoy the series’ 6th installment: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean. Every Jojo is a generation that fights against the forces of evil, Dio Brandno, and this is Jolyne’s introduction. Jolyne Cujoh is quickly framed and locked up in The Green Dolphin Street Prison. Somehow her father, Jotaro Kujo, is involved in something bigger than she can imagine. This is one of those seasons where it helps to watch the previous seasons, but it’s not necessary if you’re curious now. From the first episode, I was able to watch it with my stepmom, who seemed mesmerized by the bloody gore and grossness. If you’re already a fan of the series, you’ll love Jotaro Kujo’s comeback.
The series is far from over.
Without any spoilers, we can tell this season isn’t over yet. Jolyne must save her father and the world by defeating Dio. As a new Stand User, these episodes have served as her coming-of-age story in the Joestar legacy. She is joined by other stand users who join her with similar ambitions. Whether it’s for revenge or for the respect of Jolyne, there’s a colorful cast of characters.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is such a fun series because you can see the creator, Hirohiko Araki, progress as a writer with each season. Folks who like the first season might be a different audience from people who will like Stone Ocean. His art style evolved from overly muscular characters to bright popping, crop topped, mini skirts, androgynous characters. Everyone’s still ripped, but every character is also a fashion statement. You have to be open to the weirdness to enjoy the series, especially with some characters not so subtly called everyday items.
How many movie references can you spot in this season?
Each episode significantly pushes the story, even if some of the battles feel goofy or off track from the plot. I gotta give this season props on that. Old movie references like Memento and Fight Club are are given homage in battles, and it’s a fun spin to see how these ideas can be used in clever fight scenes. There are enough jokes and seriousness to reach a nice balance, especially with the action. It’s gory and gross, but what did you expect? People fight to kill, dominate, and the stand users always have innovative techniques.
Any issues I have with this anime would be minor. The episode reintroducing us from the first partial release felt a bit abrupt. It ends up working out, and most issues introduce critical characters throughout the show. I wish some of the introduced characters were featured more throughout the episodes. There were critical fights that they could have been a part of but didn’t, and the show only explained their off-screen presence with a few lines. This doesn’t apply to every side character, but I wanted to see a good amount of them again.
Watch this now or when the rest of the season comes out.
If you’ve been on the fence about watching Stone Ocean and you like a good amount of gore, strategic fighting, creative outfits, and gimmicks, this is for you. It’s up to you if you watch the earlier seasons for context. If you do, the delayed gratification could be fun. Whenever the next part of Stone Ocean comes out, I’ll be ready to watch it immediately.
