JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: RICHARDF EPCAR, KYLE HEBERT, DAISUKE HIRAKAWA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
The first two series, comprising the first three story arcs of this hugely enjoyable anime, have made their way to Blu-Ray. This may be a little bit sprawling for those who are only used to the more compact anime series currently making the rounds on Netflix, but anyone with a penchant for this type of entertainment will not be disappointed by this intergenerational epic.
We begin in the late 1800s with the “Phantom Blood” storyline, and are introduced to the Joestar family who aren’t in good shape. Their horse and carriage have crashed, leaving George Joestar struggling for life as his wife lays dead with a screaming baby in her arms. An old drunk called Dino Brando, along with his son Dio, are trying to loot the family, but George mistakes this for kindness and vows to take in the child after Dino succumbs to his alcoholism. Several years later and Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando are rivals, with Dio revealing himself as a sinister presence, only after the fortune of the family. As we then cut to the two boys as adults, we are introduced to the maguffin of the series; a stone mask with the power to turn people into vampires. This is ultimately Dio’s fate as he becomes the antagonist, while JoJo discovers that a light-based martial art called Hamon is the only way to beat him.
Even though this first part feels a little dated in terms of animation and structure, we really get a detailed rivalry between the two and you feel the unadulterated evil of Dio. The English dub is actually stronger than the original Japanese language track, as the characters use English slang and colloquialism. The strongest character of this part is Speedwagon, a thug who joins Jonathan’s adventure and becomes an exposition machine with great lines such as “This savagery is unbelievable!”
The second part, and strongest story of the disc, entitled “Battle Tendency,” sees Jonathan’s great grandson, Joseph, in 1938 New York, using Hamon to defeat the Pillar Men who also want the stone mask and a mysterious red jewel to conquer all. Joseph is a much more interesting character than his Grandad – cocky and silly, but a true hero through and through, represented in the way only an anime can. The animation is improved and the action is more exciting, with a large amount of detail being added to how and why an attack can work (again, if you are anime veteran, this won’t come as a surprise).
We jump one final time into the 1980s for the third part, entitled “Stardust Crusaders.” Our protagonist is now Jotaro, the Japanese grandson of Joseph and one hell of a teen delinquent, calling his mother a bitch on a regular basis. Dio has returned and must be defeated with the use of Hamon and a new ability called Stand.
Unfortunately, there are no extras on the disc but, with 72 episodes to contend with, you won’t have time to worry about that. Maybe a bit much for beginners, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure offers all the delights that anime fans thrive on. No other medium presents heroes and villains in such an illuminating light. If this resonates with you, this disc is essential viewing.
