JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

Note; Review contains spoilers!

Ah, Golden Wind. The day i started watching Stardust Crusaders, i've always anticipated this part to be "the best" by the high ratings it got. Albeit a very bland protagonist, not much character bonding and some mediocre fights, i had a blast watching this anime. The visual presentation, the creativity in the new and amazing stands and finally, an ending that makes you come back for more; Golden Wind is certaintly an entertaining show with its wonderful highs, but its lows certainly hurt my enjoyment of the show.

Golden Wind sets itself in Naples, where we get introduced to our main protagonist, Giorno Giovanna. He is the son of Dio, the antagonist that has been relevant since the franchise's inception, which got me extremly excited, considering Dio's an overall badass vampire that his charisma and cruel ways of using people got me excited. Even if i didn't want Giorno to be the exact same, i atleast wanted him to stand out much more from the cast...but sadly he doesn't. His character gets put on the bench once Bruno Buccerati and his gang is introduced which appealed to me much more then Giorno. There was also a lack of connection with Giorno, even if his backstory was shown, it simply wasn't as compelling as Bruno's or any of the other characters. Even if it might seem like i really hate Giorno; i really don't. I find his stand extremly powerful and can be used to great lengths creatively, plus his last fight at the end really showcased how much of a badass he is. He is definetly the 2nd weakest Jojo protagonist, but i still like him even if i wanted a bit more out of him.

Speaking of characters, i'd like to talk about the cast in this new part which i honestly really love. Bruno's unwavering determance to fight against drug usage, La Squadra Esecuzioni's courage to go up against the boss for killing their friends, to Trish's resilience against her father stood out to me from the main casts. One problem i had with this part was the character bonding, compared to previous parts. The journey that the Crusaders went through forged their bond which made them even more special as a group. Not only that, even Morioh where most characters really never interacted with much, felt great when all of them stood up against Yoshikage Kira near the end which is a troupe i really loved...however, i didn't really get it here as much, which would be the cherry on the top of this show. Even if Giorno and Mista were good buddies, i wanted more from Passione, but ultimately it got shifted to La Squadra Esecuzioni instead, with their intent goal to kill the Boss feeling far more thought-out from them, even if they may failed. One more thing i also disliked was the fact that one of the big members, Fugo, awkwardly got left out, but i guess its due to his Stand being disgustingly OP that nobody wants near him? Talk about tough luck! Ofcourse, i still love the Passione members. Abacchio's sarcastic remarks are never boring, the anger from Fugo always makes me laugh and Mista's obsession with the number 4 is...cool. Ofcourse, Bruno is the star of the season, where he finally gives the cape to our protagonist, Giorno, and man did he not dissapoint.

No Jojo part is complete with its antagonist and here is where i feel like il completely shit on them, so hear me out. La Squadra Esecuzioni are excellent antagonists that fill the role of the story super well, even if many people may see them as a hinderance. However, i feel like it falls apart real quick once they are gone from the screen and we get to our real big bad guy, Diavolo. His overall premise is badass; a mysterious antagonist, hellbent on destroying his past with a backstory that is extremly ridicilous, but by usual Jojo fashion, comprehensible. However, we literally know nothing about the character that i simply feel he is one-dimensional. Take Kira Yoshikage for example. Even if we don't know how he got his hands on the arrow, we can see a side of him that typically shows how his character acts. Random urge to murder people, extremly smart, has a routine and mainly, seems like relatable. Diavolo however? All he wants to do is hide his past. This is one of the reasons why i really prefer Doppio over Diavolo, as his fractured state of mind is shown, that shows weakness in his character, and overall makes him likeable. Without that, he feels flat, an evil character for 0 reason. I think the part of the reason why this is a popular criticism is because he is after the amazing Kira Yoshikage, which makes sense.

Now, it may look like im completely shitting on the whole show and pointing out what i dislike and all, but i would be lying if i didnt say its my 2nd favorite animated Jojo part. The visual were top-notch, and i noticed the good old color shifts back in action. As usual, they look amazing! Characters looked great from what i watched and didn't really notice anything too off. I also like the stylization, going from absolute brutes in Part 3, a bit more slim and colorful Part 4, to a stylish and more creased look which fits the mood. Fights are amazing, even if some could be a bit better but nothing too horrible, like the airplane fight with Narancia. The music is always a banger by the great Yuugo Kanno, especially with the amazing theme that is Giorno's. God, its so fucking iconic now! Finally, the absolute amazing ending which boosted my rating up for this show immensly, it really showcased how creative Araki is with his powers, and i fucking love it. He certaintly never gets me bored with the crazy shit he can do, even better showcased in the new stands, like Mista's Sex Pistols and Bruno's Sticky Fingers. Nothing beats Golden Experience Requiem tho.

Verdict; The shows brilliant usage of its power system, insane fights, loveable characters that have insane stands and finally, an ending that further boosts my rating for the show, Golden Wind is truly a golden experience. It definetly has flaws that i can't overlook, but my enjoyment of the show definetly makes me like this more then hate it. Definetly worth the watch if you liked Part 4, and its an even better time if you're looking for a new franchise to dig your face in. I myself got into Jojo this year, and the ride from Part 5 and onward is truly extraordinary.