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

Name: Despite Netflix's poor release schedule, Stone Ocean still lives up to the adaptation that is expected
Item: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: STONE OCEAN
Rating: 90
Author: racer59

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.

___ # 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.

___ # 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.

___ # 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. ___ # 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...