ckeeling - 2015-03-06 09:28:04

This is the good one.

STORY:
Lots of action, and it has that old anime feeling.

CHARACTERS:
Jonathan is ok i guess, but when Joseph shows up then its awesome.

ANIMATION:
Top notch. Especially the openings.

mschuster - 2014-11-23 03:36:52

This show was good. And really good also.

dooley.cortney - 2014-10-11 19:35:00

Summary: Beginning its tale in 19th century England, young aristocrat Jonathan Joestar finds himself locked in bitter rivalry with Dio Brando, a low-born boy who Jonathan's father took under his wing after the death of Dio's father. Discontent with his station in life, Dio's fathomless lust to reign over all eventually leads him to seek the supernatural powers of an ancient Aztec stone mask in the Joestar's possession—an artifact that will forever change the destiny of Dio and Jonathan for generations to come. Fifty years later, in 1938 New York City, Jonathan's grandson Joseph Joestar must take up his grandfather's mission and master the abilities necessary to destroy the stone mask and its immensely powerful creators who threaten humanity's very existence, the Pillar Men.

Story: The story is overall very simple. But, I feel if you were hoping for a good story you may want to look elsewhere. The story is overall very predicable. Like most shonens the main character goes through training to power up and beat the bad guys. This formula is mostly rinse and repeat. But, what JoJo's Bizarre Adventure does well is the action. This show is pact with it. Every episode or so has a fight or two. And I feel that is where this show really shines. 

Animation: The animation for this show is different. Not that its bad but, for some people it could take some getting used to. The animation is very vibrant and  the characters are drawn in away that makes them really stick out. For me it was jarring at first but after 3 or  4 episodes I got used to it. It is a very well animated show overall. It really shines during the fight scenes which are the highlights of the series.

Sound: The intro to both parts of this series are really good.  The music like the series is very intense and action oriented. Its just gives off this vib of being made for fighting. Not only in the intro but in the show it self the music intensifies all of the fights making them sound as good as they look. 

Characters: If there is one thing I would like to say about the characters its this. This show's characters were a breath of fresh air from the typical teenage shonen characters. I feel this show diverged away from many of the usual tropes that are often in teenage shonen anime. Mainly the winny lead character who eventually becomes a bad ass. In this show JoJo already starts out as being pretty cool. Outside of that the characters were ok none of them were exceptionally interesting but they were fun to watch if nothing else. 

Enjoyment: While the character's and story weren't the best. I can say that the action really made up for the rest of the faults i had with the series. If nothing else this show is very entertaining and fun to watch. 

claire.lowe - 2014-09-13 22:23:19

Just perfect. Hirohiko Araki did one of the best manga. I can't wait to see the other part.

dsimonis - 2014-03-03 05:29:49

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012): A Lukah Review

We all know the stereotypes of the Shounen genre, correct? Young men as protagonists, ridiculous powers, training periods, a seemingly endless supply of antagonists who are evil for the sake of being evil, and most importantly: A lot of screaming. When I first heard about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and learned that it contains All of the aforementioned stereotypes, I kept an open mind and decided to get into it, what I found was an experience not like any other.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012) is an anime adaptation of Hirohiko Araki's manga of the same name, and is animated by David Productions. What is interesting, however, is the fact that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012) adapts the first two parts of the manga, which debuted all the way back in 1986, and is widely popular in Japan, making over 80 million dollars in Japan alone and is one of the bestselling manga of all time. The anime series was created to help commemorate the manga's 25th anniversary, directed by Naokatsu Tsuda and Kenichi Suzuki.

**Spoilers to the first few episodes to set up the story**

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure details the lives of the men of the Joestar family. Jonathan Joestar (Also known as JoJo) lives a lovely and posh life in Victorian England, until his life takes a turn for the worse when Dio Brando, son of a corrupt man who Jonathan's father owes a deep debt for "saving his life," comes and lives in the Joestar manor after his father "dies of sickness." While living there as an adopted member of the family, Dio does many things directed against Jonathan's wishes when nobody is looking: Abusing Jonathan's loved dog, gaining the approval of his father, and outperforming Jonathan at basically everything and anything, resulting in Jonathan living in misery. Example:

Throughout this time Jonathan discovers that a stone mask that was on the wall of his house reacts to blood, and is fascinated by it. After a few years Dio finds out, and with his scheming and experimentation with it, discovers it can turn people into vampires. Being the power-hungry-arsehole he is, Dio proceeds to slowly poison Jonathan's father, eventually killing him, and uses the mask to become a vampire lord and attempt to take over the world. Now Jonathan Joestar must avenge his father and protect justice and good and set forth on a quest to stop Dio and his undead army.

**End Spoilers**

Due to it being extremely dated and one of the first shounen in existence, one would think the biggest flaw of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure would be how stereotypical it is. However, instead of deviating and making changes to prevent this from happening, David Productions decided to make a risky move and DIVE HEADLONG INTO IT. This leads to many aspects about JoJo seeming hilariously cheesy, and this is where JoJo's Bizarre Adventure gets all of it's charm. From the ridiculous world to the completely stereotypical characters to the insane supernatural power known as Hamon (Translated to Ripple... Seriously), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has a charm not found in anything else. Even with how stereotypical it is, it is fairly difficult to see what will happen later down the line, making it satisfyingly unpredictable as well. Each enemy has a new trick up his sleeve, always changing up the pace, which always breathes (See what I did there?) new life into the show. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure also surprisingly has the ability to deliver a variety of emotions, from hilarity from the stereotypical lines and events, hype from the epic battles, and even sorrow when people inevitably die when they're killed. JoJo's story is a ridiculously enjoyable one that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

In a Nutshell:

+ Takes what would be a stereotypical story and turns it into something unique by jumping headlong into the stereotypical...ness

+ Somewhat unpredictable

+Emotional and engrossly entertaining

Overall: 4.5/5- Amazing

If I had to describe the art style of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in one word it would be "colorful." In a way similar to Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, JoJo tend to have a lot of color on the screen at the same time. Being ridiculously stylized, it has an art style quite like no other, as find a way to go where other animation studios have not, which is something I really must applaud David Productions for being able to accomplish. The animation quality itself is good enough to carry JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and is great, but there isn't anything particularly outstanding about it that will make you go "whoa man, this is a beautifully animated fight scene" outside of the amount of colors it will collectively shove in your face.

In a Nutshell:

+ Fabulously unique art style

+ Great animation, but leave something to be desired

Overall: 4/5- Great

Fun Fact: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has a lot of music references, and the soundtrack compliments this perfectly. Not only does it have the amazing song "Roundabout" by Yes as it's ending theme, but many characters are named after bands or songs.

Like this guy. He's named after AC/DC.

Anyways, JoJo's OST is widely diverse, changing from orchestral pieces to rock to even dubstep. After listening to the soundtrack, I have to point out that Part 1, which originally had music that didn't really stand out to me, has a bunch of amazing orchestral pieces that are just a treat to listen to.

Part 2 is where the amazing pieces lie, however, as it has many memorable pieces that are just epic and amazing, getting you pumped and ready to do anything.

D-D-D-D-DROP THE BASS

In a Nutshell:

+ Diverse OST

+ Amazing and under appreciated orchestral pieces

+ Battle Tendency has some AMAZING music

Overall: 4.5/5- Amazing

JoJo has a surprisingly large cast of members split across both of it's parts. From the Protagonists, Jonathan and Joseph Joestar, to the Vampire Lord Dio Brando, to mentor figures like Zeppeli and Lisa Lisa, the cast is very large and very diverse.

Part 1: Phantom Blood

Jonathan is a stereotypical shounen hero, and there isn't much to like about him. The characters who carry Phantom Blood are Dio and Robert Edward O. Speedwagon. Dio is a complete badass, and while stereotypical, does things in such an entertainingly evil and devious way that you can't NOT love him, even with everything he stands against. Speedwagon is a close comrade of Jonathan, and tends to commentate what is going on during battles, usually achieved by screaming. Speedwagon is so over the top that many of the things he screams or things he says will make you unable to do anything except grin like a complete fool while enjoying every second of it.

In a Nutshell:

- Boring Protagonist

+ AMAZING Antagonist

+Good Side Characters

Overall: 3.5/5- Good

Part 2: Battle Tendency

Battle Tendency brings to the table a combination of characters you can't help but love. Joseph Joestar, the new protagonist this time around, and is quite frankly on of the most badass main characters in anime, let alone in the shounen genre. Honestly, he makes Kamina from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann seem like a wimp. Joseph is always in somebody's face, and while quick to anger always makes sure he has one (or many) backup plans to ensure he has the advantage. He also has the gifted ability to tell what his foes are thinking based off their personality and attitude, so much so that it can get to the extent that he knows exactly they'll say next.

Joseph aside, there's Caesar Zeppeli, JoJo's Rival, Lisa Lisa, the aforementioned mentor, the Nazi Major Rudol von Stronheim, among others. Every character has his or her own quirks and aspect that are really enjoyable, and improve on characters from Part 1 in almost every aspect.

In a Nutshell:

+AWESOME Protagonist

+Good Antagonists

+Even Better Side Characters

Overall: 5/5- Flawless

Part 1 & 2 Combined Total: 4.25/5- Amazing

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure takes many things that would make it extremely stereotypical and combines them in a way that creates a complete and unique experience unlike no other. From it's wacky universe and amazing characters to it's ridiculously stylized animation and diverse soundtrack, there's things in JoJo that will appeal to everyone. I happily give JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012) a 4.50/5, a rating that it wholeheartedly deserves. Unfortunately, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is unlicensed outside of Japan, so you'll have to find an alternative to legal streaming in order to watch JoJo. I do hope that it will be licensed in the future, as it's an amazing series and I'd love to see it get spread internationally.

rogahn.melody - 2014-01-19 08:02:12

JJBA is... Bizarre. It's just too perfectly titled. That being said no number can describe it accurately. The writing is cheesy, ass-pulls are common-place, there's no logic or subtlety, and I loved it.

Everything is so over the top and ridiculous that instead of being bad it comes back around and transforms into a kick-ass dragon brandishing a machine gun. If you want a fun shonen that isn't about filler or pretend angst then there's no need to keep reading, go watch it.

The show is colorful which is a good thing, it matches the tone. The art style incorporates thick lines and is reminiscent of the gorgeous manga. JJBA isn't particularly smooth though and sometimes backgrounds look flat behind characters. The blu-ray version of JJBA is enhanced with some redrawn portions and new special effects that look great.

The voice actors are just ridiculous which would normally be bad but it works beautifully here. Both opening themes are excellent and the end theme grew on me like a weed. The score is hit and miss because of some ill-fitting dubstep and hip-hop tracks but other than the tracks I found abrasive Jojo's ost is damn good.

Objectively, characters don't develop at all or if they do they just instantly turn from bad to good or vice versa. Objectively, characters sporadic emotional states could only be relatable to a manic depressive who experiences fits of rage (there's no middle ground). Subjectively, characters are lovable, easy to route for, and endearing or in the case of villains either admirable or easy to despise.

The pacing is way too fast. Missing an episode could mean missing a death and a change of setting. This rapid pace also causes the world to seem empty and small by having so many aspects only briefly touched on.

JJBA takes place over a huge span of time and I give it big props for doing this well. Time skips are well defined and cast reshuffles after these time skips keep any one over-the-top personality from becoming grating. This aspect of Jojo keeps things fresh (which is almost unheard of in a shonen). Other than that it's standard fare. A new bad guy shows up and our hero must step up to the plate.

How many breads have I eaten in my life?... how about 9/10.

It's a real hoot.

The TV version of JJBA is heavily censored and doesn't look as good as the touched up blu-ray edition which (at this time) is streamable from Crunchyroll.

I can easily see people being turned off by how insane JJBA is but for the rest of us this show is just good fun. It's a big slap in the face to all those teen-heavy shonens that get cut up for Breaking Benjamin and Lincoln Park AMVs. The next season of Jojo is easily my most anticipated show of the Spring so if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go practice my ORA.

greenfelder.rosamond - 2014-01-01 13:32:44

In the 80's and 90's,shonen anime were starting to sprout up like a seedling in the soil,having become the eye of the century and give inspiration and enjoyment to the masses.Anime like Fist of the North Star,Saint Seiya,Rurouni Kenshin,Yu Yu Hakusho,Dragon Ball spread like wild fire across the world and it is still popular,if you show it to them i.e and revered to be the 'greatest in all of anime',until the big 3 came.One of these is Jojo's Bizarre Adventure,an anime,that didn't spread that much but has a story interesting enough to knock some sense into the anime world that is contaminated with the 'moe' syndrome

Synopsis : It takes place in 19th century London. Jonathan Joestar,our kind-hearted,noble and wealthy protagonist thought that his life was going to be fine,until Dio Brando,an intelligent,arrogant and not kind-hearted boy enters his life after his father,who saved Jonathan's father from a carriage accident and was carrying a stone mask,died.Jonathan's life was not feeling so good,from romantic realtionships to studies and then fought with Dio. After 7 years,Jonathan discovered that Dio was planning to kill his father and cover his death and call it an illness.When Dio was caught red-handed,he wears the stone mask and turns into a vampire (not the one from the Twilight movies,but someone who is a badass and absorbs the living hell of a human and can make anyone into a vampire by touching them).Now,Jonathan must defeat Dio before he kills more innocent lives.It then continues to 20th century America,having the cunning and funny Joseph Joestar fighting the Pillar Men who want to become immortal and rule the world.

Story : The story is simple,kill the villain and the it's done or is it ? While the story is more simple and it is reminiscent of the 80's,it's as entertaining as hell.It doesn't have that feeling that it's going nowhere and doesn't have fillers .The flow of the story is fast but not too fast ,since under 26 episodes,you can't expect to finish a long story.While the first part of the anime was good,although it didn't have comedy,the second part of the anime was great.The comedy was more and the trash-talking and the back answering made the 2nd part enjoyable.The over arching storyline was good as it did not deviate from it's true purpose.Problem is anyone who enjoys modern shonen and slice of life think that it's a drag.It was from the 80's so yeah.The supernatural setting makes is interesting and it's worth your treat

Characters : The characters were actually likable. There is no moe or loli character that can spoil the entire mood of the anime(Seriously,what's up with the loli,moe shit.they dont make a story that good).The protagonists as well as the antagonists are really good.The antagonists do a fine job,not sparing anyone and even it includes Nazis,HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!.Joseph Joestar,the hero of the 2nd part is cunning,funny predicts what person is going to say what and doesn't give a damn and is also a big troller. Some of the characters are sometimes relevant to the plot,which is a problem and the fact that they overreact like it will be the end of it all,oh wait!.What makes JJBA unique is the poses the character makes when it's time for action.

Animation : One thing to say about the animation : MIND-BLOWN.The animation is spectacular. Talking about details,the look and feel of the characters were clear and amazing from the katakana sound effects used in the manga to be replicated on the anime as it was a characteristic of the JOJO series.The background wasn't breathtaking but it fits the tone of the anime for what JOJO is all about : bizarre adventures.The colour changes in the background as well as the characters during a scene where there is fear,for a short period of time made me impressed.

Sound : The soundtrack is separated for both arcs.Each arc has a different OST's but have good dubstep in them.The dubstep during the fight scenes really build the mood for a fight.The opening and endings,anyone would like it and it isn't boring at all.If you're a fan of 70's rock and roll and jazz,then you can enjoy it.What's good about the ending is that the song'Roundabout' was made by British rock band 'Yes',which is also the mangaka and writer of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure,Hirohiko Araki's favourite and they did it for what he prefers and likes.

People who are used to the new mainsteram shonen genre and slice of life,I'll say this : Just watch the anime.The story was 28 years old before it was made into this and it has characters who grew a backbone and fight with epicness.I agree it might be 'bizarre' and 'weird' for you but that's what it is about.

If you are a fan of 80's,90's type of stories in anime/a fan of the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure series/a new anime fan seeking new shonen/someone seeking anime to stop their boredom/fan of the supernatural,then this anime is for you.

noemie.haag - 2013-07-25 06:55:23

Now that 13 more episodes have been released... Revision time.Oh yeah and just skip to the Overall part if you've suddenly gotten the urge to blow a load instead of limping your sorry ass through this horrible review.Story.... 8/10I've gotta admit... Araki wasn't that great at storytelling till around the third part of JoJo's was published, while this adaptation only covers parts one and two. So as you would expect, the stories got it's flaws here and there, but it's still much more entertaining than most hot blooded Shounen series out there today... On top of that, both parts have pretty awesome endings.Art.... 9.5/10I'd definitely consider the art style of JoJo's to be one of it's strong points, in both Manga and Anime mediums. The palette David Productions uses is great, and the common use of background artwork is always a plus. Now that I've thought about it, my favorite aspect of JoJo's art style is it's amazing use of perspective which is for the most part, exhibited during the Ending song where various characters are displayed in rather diverse poses. The budgeting for the animation also seems to be rather high, as there are few inconsistencies in the more crucial points of the series.Sound.... 9/10Not much to say here apart from the fact that the song "Roundabout" by Yes is used for the Ending... If you're a fan of 70s music like myself than that should be enough for you to watch it. The Ost is also rather unusual for Anime, with the frequent dubstep whenever something intense happens. Character.... 10/10Well for the most part, the characters are pretty awesome, and most, if not all of them are named after American rock bands from around 60s and 70s.... Such as ACDC, Speedwagon, Santana, Cars, Dio, etc... They're all fairly unique as well considering the time the original source material was published. I mean the only decent inspiration from the hot blooded side of the shounen genre you could get at the time was Hokuto no Ken and maybe Dragon Ball. The similarities are quite obvious.Enjoyment.... 9/109/10 for me because I've seen it all before, but I've been waiting for this adaptation for 11 years now and it doesn't fail to amuse me, but then again.... I'm quite easy to amuse...Overall.... 10/10It's not like I feel bad for making you read this review!!!! even though I didn't... Well hopefully you skipped here anyway, but I'm not actually going to put any useful information here, apart from the fact that this is a series that you should probably check out, unless you're a super doucher... I'd give you and your family some surprise buttsecs if you hit that helpful button... :D

devonte.bernhard - 2013-07-05 02:33:24

After such a long run this series finally gets an anime and let me tell you it did not disappoint. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure depicts Parts I and II of the series (titled Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency respectfully) and follows the tragic events inflicted on the Joestar family by the selfishness and evil of a man by the name Dio Brando and the legacy he leaves behind.Part I's main character is Jonathan Joestar, a young English gentleman who strives to be good and just. One day a young boy named Dio Brando is adopted into the Joestar house due to a promise Jonathan's father made to Dio's father. Dio, seeking to become wealthy and powerful, decides to steal the Joestar family inheritance by any means necessary. Eventually Dio tampers with Jonathan's archaeological research, resulting in him stealing a stone mask that on immediate contact turns humans into superhuman vampiric creatures. Jonathan takes it in himself to vanquish Dio and save the world from total darkness.Part II's main character is Joseph Joestar, the grandson of Jonathan Joestar. He is a brash and arrogant American, but is very cunning and kindhearted. His story follows roughly the same as Jonathan's in which Joseph must vanquish the growing presence of the vampires. However, these vampires are searching for a way to exceed their powers to become gods.Needless to say the story hooked me. As complicated as it may seem it flows and sinks into the brain well. Although I have not read Part I and II of the manga yet from what I heard the anime does the manga justice. The pacing is very well done the anime does not seem rushed at all. The art is one of the most exquisite forms of art I have ever seen in an anime, especially with character design. Music has an incredible influence on this anime, particularly American classic rock. To add an unbiased side I can see people disliking this series. The dialogue can be quite ridiculous at times. Characters tend to narrate what is going on at the present moment, which adds to the "bizarreness" of this show. A couple of side/minor characters are unnecessary. However I don't believe one has to be bizarre in order to like this show. This anime is very likable: it is full of action and suspense, it has some of the best main characters I have seen in a long time, and does it's best at what's supposed to be. An adventure.

west.darrell - 2013-04-09 18:49:37

With this adaptation of David Production - who is behind a lot of great animes like Ben-To, Book of Bantorra, Inu x Boku and Level E-, I can now understand why there are so many fans of Jojo's in the world. 

Divided into two parts, this anime is covering the first two arcs of the manga, following the Joestar family. The story is kinda simple actually, as I can resume it in one sentence : "The story of a family fighting vampires". But you don't care about the story, what you will like (or hate) is the epic atmosphere of the show.

Using color schemes, weird backgrounds and by showing the sound effects on the screen, they are doing an awesome job, respecting the style of the original manga. I was impressed by their work but it's not perfect : the animation is lacking because of that, but it's nothing serious and if I would have to choose between great animation or those visuals, I would choose those visuals without a second doubt. 

With visuals like this, it would be a shame if the OST turn out to be boring, but I'm glad that it wasn't the case! Instead, we have two OST, one for each arc, and both are totally great and different, the musics for the second part being the best OST of 2012 (2013 ?). It's the first time that I have seen dubstep well used in animes and just for that, they need to be acclaimed. You should give it a try here.

Last part is the characters. I don't have much to say, just that the cast of Jojo's is one of my favorite of all time. They make me sad, laugh, angry, cheering, and are the only one who while eating noodles or doing daily task are THIS fabulous. Add to this a fabulous work by the seiyuus (mainly Sugita, who is behind Joseph), and you get a fabulous anime.