DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ActionJoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Ougon no Kaze
MANGA ActionJoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean
ONA ActionJoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stone Ocean Part 2

REVIEWS

• 

  racer59

  90/100
  Despite Netflix's poor release schedule, Stone Ocean still lives up to the adaptation that is expected

  Before I start, it's worth mentioning this review will contain spoilers so read at your own risk

  ---

  I was originally planning on waiting for the end of Stone Ocean to release so I could make a review but now seeing it be split into different segments on the site, I thought now would be a good time to share my thoughts on this cour. I did read the manga prior to the anime so my thoughts may be different than some people but regardless my views are pretty consistent with both. There is a lot I want to cover so I will try to summarize everything to the best of my ability.

  ---

  Story

  Like every part of Jojo, Hirohiko Araki throws us in a quite bizarre direction. This time we are following the daughter of Jotaro Kujo, Jolyne Cujoh, as she gets thrown into prison for being framed for a DUI murder. She then gets sent a broken piece of a stand arrow by her father and then the events of Stone Ocean start to take place. Something that I will mention here is that this story still follows the "villain of the week" format that some love and some despise for respectable reasons. Although this way of storytelling doesn't take long to get old, Araki presents plenty of unique encounters in this part to make it refreshing and also engaging. Moving onward, this part has the best hook compared to all the parts that have come prior with that being Jotaro's death.

  
  When I first read the story and experienced it again in the anime, I was completely astonished to see one of the most beloved characters in the series get killed off at the beginning of the story and right in front of his daughter. That entire scuffle leads right into one of Stone Ocean's main plots which is Jolyne's journey to save her father. Definitely one of the strongest starts to any Jojo part and I think the anime adapted perfectly. Something else I appreciate is that they introduce the main antagonist early on instead of halfway through the story like some of the other parts do. It's a nice change of pace that Araki should've done more often.

  

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  Characters

  Most of the characters and what they showed in the 12 episodes were solid at best. The clear standout of the cast is Jolyne herself showing why she deserves to be the main character which sometimes that line can be blurred in other parts. Jolyne's personality and desire to escape gives a lot of life to this part. The main side characters are Ermes who was the first prisoner Jolyne met and Foo Fighters (F.F.) who is a colony of plankton and basically a Stand (this is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure after all). When I first read the manga, I didn't really enjoy either of these characters but on my watch of the anime they both warmed up to me a little with their unique personalities. Still nothing special for me, however.

  
  The other important side characters are Emporio who is quick to be allied with Jolyne, Weather Report, an ally of Emporio with a lack of memory, and Anasui who is also an ally of Emporio and will be more present later in the story. To me, the cast of the main characters is good but it still doesn't compare to the groups that were presented in parts 3-5 for me. Enrico Pucci is the main antagonist of the part and he is a priest who is a loyal follower/friend of DIO. Not much to say other than that he has had a very intriguing start to his character so far. One of the few characters in Jojo who has interested me the second they appeared.

  

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  Visuals/Animation

  The graphical side of Stone Ocean was pretty consistent with some dips here and there. Overall, it is very similar to other parts which is a good thing. In my eyes, David Production seemed to go for an art style that could be placed right between DIU and GW because similarities of each can be seen throughout every scene. If I had to choose, it's definitely closer to part 5. The animation definitely was weird here and there. As I stated already the animation was mostly consistent with other parts but the ugly use of CGI and inconsistent drawing at some parts would make it difficult to make an argument saying that it's an upgrade. Bad moments with CGI are Lang Rangler's movement and the random use of it with Whitesnake during times is a turn-off. I typically don't have an issue with CGI, but if it doesn't fit with the scene and the background then I have a problem with it. Maybe Netflix rushing David Production could be a reason behind this? However, I'm still not disappointed with the quality we were given because I still find it good.

  

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  Soundtrack

  Not much to mention here other than Yugo Kanno absolutely kills it once again. My standout themes so far are Jolyne and Weather Report's themes. I guess I'll mention here that I think the opening is also a bop but not as good as some of the other openings.

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  Other Personal Thoughts

  -A lot of the stands are good in this part but some of them feel so bland and I can't explain why
  -NETFLIX WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS
  -I appreciate the pacing is still consistent with the other anime parts. Jojo being very fast or going back to Stardust Crusaders pacing would be a crime.
  -I HATE NETFLIX
  -Perfect voice actor choices for all the characters
  -NETFLIX BETTER NOT RUIN PART 7
  -Episode 12 had a solid ending and it was good to leave us on that conclusive note rather than a cliffhanger.

  ---

  Final Thoughts

  For what we were given in this batch of episodes, I would say there is minimal to complain about. We witnessed an intriguing start to a well-developed story so far, met a new cast who is solid and will be even better in the future, and beautiful art and animation here and there. It does suck that this release schedule may be one of the worst in anime history but that doesn't take away the quality we were given at the start of this current bizarre adventure.

  Now if there is one last thing I must say, we are all getting closer to heaven...

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• 

  Chrismas95

  80/100
  Not too big on the jail setting and the middle slogs, but everything else is "First 3 Parts" Tier

  This review covers all three parts. And it’s actually fitting that MAL splits Stone Ocean/Part 6 into three parts because I actually had different feelings for each third of the anime:

  -The 1st third is good! It does a good job at being an interesting introduction to the premise of story. You could call the first six episodes the longest prologue in history — and that’s not even derogatory! The setting is certainly interesting, and Jolyne adapting to it was done well.

  -The 2nd third had me considering dropping it, honestly. I think the setting and formula had run its course by this point. Plot progressions also started feeling fewer and farther between. It became stale. Stone Ocean is very dense — every minute is packed to the brim with something — which is great most of the time. But that made it even worse once I started becoming fatigued around this point. I think this stretch lives or dies by how invested you are in JoJo’s fights, because it felt like it was exclusively one fight after the other with no real setting/circumstance variance.

  -The 3rd third was amazing! The formula drastically shifts and becomes a huge breath of fresh air! I think it’s the most I’ve enjoyed JoJo since the first three Parts. And of course, as the story starts reaching its climax, it puts a lot of attention on the main antagonist (a type of character that Araki has mastered right out of the gate). The ending was crazy good, too (even if I didn’t really care for how the final scene went down).

  Stone Ocean is by far the weirdest, silliest and dare I say bizarre-est JoJo has ever been. The character designs, their clothes, the Stand abilities, the strategies during fights — most of them are just unhinged in a very fun and funny way. And — maybe JoJo has always been like this — but Stone Ocean felt very much like “Araki’s Fun Facts: The Anime”. It’s like the guy just had a list of very specific facts he liked and formed the abilities/plot progression around them; it’s very funny. I can’t even be mad that this Part’s “arrow” is discs this time because it just fits with the “???” vibe Stone Ocean has (and at least it has more interesting use cases than the arrow but I digress).

  Unfortunately Part 6 suffers from the same “gory” problem that Part 5 did. There’s a ton of blood and body horror that makes it difficult to watch if you’re squeamish of course (and even if you’re not completely hardened against that kind of stuff like me). But my main problem with it is that characters always sustain a ton of damage. It’s hard to feel like any attack, no matter how intense, actually handicaps anyone when they’ve continued to stand and fight through everything. Or, almost everything, because the damage feels inconsistent. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jolyne got shot/struck in the same places across several different scenarios, but with different results based solely on how Araki wanted the fight/situation to go. Combine that with JoJo having a ton of surprise miracles and it’s hard to feel any tension or reason to try predicting anything during the fights.

  Character-wise, the cast is good! Unfortunately I felt like only Jolyne, the main antagonist, and FF really stood out in the same way my favorites from past Parts have. But the other main characters are still great and the enemy Stand users are very eccentric. The main antagonist steals the show I think (despite being a bit repetitive with their goal).

  I think I’d put Part 6 just below Part 5 thanks to Part 5 not really having a pacing problem and having an overall more interesting cast. It didn’t annoy me like Part 4 though, so I’d put it at a comfortable “5th place” in my JoJo rankings so far. At the end of the day Part 6 is More JoJo, so even at worst you know you’re in for an interesting time.

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• 

  xJoju

  56/100
  A mildly entertaining interlude between epic Jojo parts!

  Side Note: I read that the anime was released in three large batches over a year, so, unfortunately, the release schedule messed up what could have been a lot of hype surrounding this part (and also picked up some new fans).

  Spoilers ahead!

  I have been a fan of Jojo since Part One, and I intermittently read the manga series, so suffice to say, I was hyped for the Stone Ocean adaptation when I first heard it was being released! In my opinion, this part is the weakest in the series, and my review will explain why. My review will focus on the characters and story rather than the art and animation. I will begin with what I enjoyed, then discuss what I didn’t enjoy, and conclude with my final thoughts.

  What I enjoyed

  The spiritual aspect of Stone Ocean was different and, coincidentally, interesting. The focus on the New Moon and the Kennedy Space Center as a setting for Pucci’s Stand ‘Made In Heaven’ to accelerate time was essentially a ritual. A ceremony that serves as the final stage of Dio’s plan to birth a new timeline where the Joestar family bloodline does not exist; however, Dio’s minions continue to live on. Pucci’s Stand and its evolution were a crucial part of Dio’s plan for humanity to ‘know their destiny’.

  The spiritual aspect of Dio’s personality is not one we’ve seen revealed up to this point. I liked the flashbacks to intimate moments between Pucci and Dio, where we get to learn more about each of them. And it’s perfectly timed to introduce Pucci and his Stand’s powers. What I loved was the clever use of ‘Heaven,’ and its meaning being applied in the story. Pucci is initially introduced as a pastor, and so, my initial thought was that “Heaven” was being used in a traditional religious sense. What Dio actually wants, though, is to achieve ultimate control over the world and knowledge of fate. This is Dio’s goal, which leads to his eventual conception of Heaven. He seeks to vanquish the Joestar family, and in a way, he succeeds by utilizing Pucci’s Stand power to control the universe’s cycle during an elaborate ritual. And this ritual, performed at the Kennedy Space Center, is a lot more complex than just Pucci’s Stand. I won’t go into specifics, but I’ll say that it lives up to Dio’s reputation! If you want to know more about Dio’s Heaven Plan, I recommend the video by Hamon Beat on YouTube.

  My favorite Stand from this part: Bohemian Rhapsody. It brings fictional characters to life and forces people into fairytale narratives. It might sound and look cute, but it’s actually quite chaotic and dangerous. Seeing Annasui’s perplexed reaction to these characters he is familiar with from childhood, and Weather Report’s utter disinterest in the situation, is hilarious to say the least. The fact that the two cannot agree on a plan of attack just adds to the chaos. In the end, the way that this Stand fight ends reminded me of an infamous pair you may remember from part 3.

  Speaking of Stands, if you’re coming straight from watching Part 5: Vento Aureo (Golden Wind), you may notice a resemblance between Secco and Jumpin' Jack Flash. Both in the character design (clothing) and the way they move (crawling on the ground). Donatello Versus’ backstory was a hilarious rip-off of the movie Holes; however, his Stand Underworld has a power that is made even more interesting due to his bitter worldview. In the backstory, as his bad luck increased, the serious tone became a mockery of itself, and I laughed so hard, ironically. Thanks, Araki.

  What I didn’t enjoy

  Unfortunately, there is more that I dislike than enjoy. I saw too many similarities with Part 5: Vento Aureo that made Stone Ocean feel a bit like a copycat. Watching the character development of Jolyne was my main motivator for continuing this part; it was also nice to see Annasui explored as a romantic partner, though Jolyne never explicitly agreed to this until the very end, which could be argued whether its actually 'canon' or not. Otherwise, I consider the anime to be a massive borefest of never-ending Stand-of-the-week freak fights. I didn’t feel that Jolyne was a strong enough character or memorable enough to stand on her own like the previous Jojos (ba-dum-tss! ^_~). I was really disappointed about this because she’s setting the stage for the female archetype of a Jojo, and I would have liked a stronger impression.

  I felt that some Stands were contrived to work only in the environment of Green Dolphin Prison; take Miu Miu’s Jailhouse Lock, for example. Its ability is to induce short-term memory loss, where the victim can only remember three new pieces of information. The victim still retains information from before the attack; however, they are now only able to remember three new memories, and when they learn a fourth memory, they will forget the first thing they’ve learned, going on and on forever in this time loop. What makes the Stand a challenge is trying to remember important information while at the same time finding Miu Miu to defeat her. The way to circumvent its power is to learn a bunch of facts at once, such as by looking at the reflection of bullet points in a mirror. Very silly. An ability like this is so ultra-specific that I feel it can only be useful at the moment it’s introduced in Jolyne’s story to thwart our main characters. How would someone even acquire this Stand? What does it say about them as a personality? How can the Stand access the minds of other people and differentiate what is truly new information? So many questions. I may be looking into it too much, but this ability and Miu Miu’s design really irked me. I appreciate Araki experimenting with new designs, but to call her Miu Miu and her getup is anything but high fashion is disappointing to say the least. I really miss the interesting backstories and personalities of the villains from Part 5.

  Other things that make no sense

  Since Emporio was such a hugely important element to the story, you’d think that his presence in Green Dolphin Prison would be less conspicuous. With his Stand, Burning Down the House, he can create “ghost rooms” where he is both invisible and relatively safe (until someone can enter the room). His Stand reminds me of Underworld a bit, where he can access the past, like the space of a room that was destroyed long ago in a fire. The glaring issue, however, is how am I meant to believe that not one person has noticed him living off of the inmates' rations and moving from hall to hall until he decides to show himself to Jolyne? His movement is probably more active once he decides to work with Jolyne, but I still find it hard to believe that no one has caught him even a single time, a little too convenient. I will say, though, that Emporio’s original stand is quite lonely. All he can do is fashion a ghost room stuck in the past with ghost food and one useless gun— its only use is for isolating people in one room, but only if the pursuer does not know anything about it beforehand.

  The addition of the incestual love triangle between Pucci, Weather Report, and their sister wasn’t necessary. I feel like we could have made Weather a sympathetic character without dipping into taboo topics. In fact, I think it had the reverse effect. The overuse of music from previous seasons was most obvious to me in part 6; there are too many instances to mention here. I noticed this, probably due to how uneventful everything else was.

  Back to Weather. I didn’t find his multiple suicide attempts too sad despite his tragic backstory. What ideal was he dying for? Fighting to be with his blood sister? He’s not my favorite character, to say the least. I also don’t understand the acquisition of his Stand ability and how it relates to his unique personality; heavy weather = heavy emotions? Unsure.

  Conclusion

  The brightest spot in the story, for me, would be Annasui and his adoration for Jolyne. In fact, I love the shoujo parts of the manga/anime. I appreciate that Jolyne never openly accepted Annasui’s feelings towards her, and Araki instead left it up to the audience’s imagination. It’s only in the new universe, after reality resets, that we see what they would be like as a couple. Annasui would be my favorite male character. His design reminds me of Diavolo enough that it makes him edgy but not a complete copycat.

  I should end with Jolyne. My main gripe is that she feels hollow as a character. In fact, I can’t recall one moment in the show that felt definitive for Jolyne as a character. Araki had a chance to let her femininity shine in her interactions with Annasui and as a mother/sister figure to Emporio. Nothing was memorable here; meanwhile, I couldn't help but compare it to the awesome moments from previous parts. The music in Part 6, particularly the ending, seemed melancholic to me. Jolyne herself isn’t necessarily an upbeat person, so it's not surprising that the overall tone of the show and her moments on screen would be more serious; however, I left the show feeling unsatisfied. It almost doesn’t feel related to the Jojoverse at all.

  I planned a nifty little wrap-up to end this review with, where I’d comment on the irony of a stranger saving the Joestar family bloodline and humanity at large. Looking back on the show, though, I’m left with the murky feelings of underwhelm and relief at finally being done with writing this review. I said at the beginning of my review that I find Stone Ocean to be the weakest in the series, and I stand by that. However, in a series that is as charming and well-written as Jojo, one single part that may not shine as brightly as the others still manages to gleam against its counterparts. Now-- back to watching parts 1 through 5!

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