JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders: A Display of Style
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Note: This review is for both parts of Jojo Part 3: Stardust Crusaders and will contain spoilers. Additionally, this is my first review, and I would love to receive feedback whether positive or negative.
Introduction
Jojo Part 3 is a continuation of Part 2 happening 50 years later where quickly some familiar faces appear from Part 1 and 2 such as Joseph, and Dio, who isn’t dead, (for the third time). The story soon introduces us to a new power system: stands. Stands are an awesome power because they are so unique and creative, and a massive improvement over the very bland power system of Hamon. Stands can give Araki the ability to be creative with character designs/poses and make fights extremely unique (this is shown in the second season of Part 3). Yet, while Stands are great they still have some flaws, such as in some cases, resolving battles involving Stands relies heavily on convenient or arbitrary rules introduced at the last minute (deus ex machina). Moreover, the regulations of stands are never clear with some rules being set early on only to be later bent or broken for the sake of the plot (an issue also present with Hamon). Therefore, even though Stands as a power system has flaws, it's clear that Stands is a much better power system than Hamon which is boring and arguably more flawed.
Plot
First Season
The season starts the first few episodes by introducing us to the main cast of protagonists and setting up the story. Afterward, the plot in Part 3 follows a pretty simple pattern, especially in the first season, with the pattern going as follows: travel to a location approaching Egypt; meet a random stand user, and defeat the stand user after learning its weakness. Those encounters are one or two episodes and you always know the protagonists will come on top without major harm. Altogether this is how the first season of part 3 was, and it gets old quickly as most encounters feel dragged out and unnecessary for the overall plot. The only notable encounter for me was with J. Geil/Hol' Horse. Experiencing the “death” of one of our protagonists Avdol (who isn’t dead, Araki does love the resurrection trope). Even though some fights were entertaining, most felt like filler and could’ve been cut down to give us a more concise and entertaining story (which on a side note was done in the OVA, yet the OVA doesn’t give us the same quality, especially in the voice acting).
Second Season
The second season of Jojo Part 3: Battle of Egypt followed a similar pattern to the one before. A new protagonist is introduced, Iggy is a Stand user who wields The Fool (a stand able to control sand), with Iggy’s most notable trait being: that he loves coffee-flavored gum. Moreover, even though the plot still follows a similar formula to season one there are a few main differences that bump it up a level. Firstly, the “rule of cool” is a massive contributor this season, even more so than every other part of Jojo with Villains like Dio and his “Za Warudo” stand. Secondly and arguably most importantly, the stands in this season are much superior in uniqueness and the implications of each one. In season one, stands usually relied on pure strength to be defeated. For example, Jotaro's stand overpowers the High Priestess. Yet, in season 2 the stands are more creative, and usually, the protagonist has to win through a different method than just overpowering their way to victory. For example, early on we have Oingo and Boingo which while their stands are not very powerful. It was an enjoyable and funny encounter to watch because we got to see the story the stands tell us and see how the Crusaders overcame it without even knowing. Arguably the best example of this is the D’arby brothers. Starting with D’arby the gambler; it was a blast seeing all the gambles D’arby made, and it was funny how Jotaro could scare him off. This was an amazing example of a fight not just won with pure physical strength, but with Jotaro psychologically scarring off his opponent causing him to fold, saving the day. In this encounter, while the protagonist still came out on top without any major harm it was very entertaining to watch, and a unique battle. Continuing with D’arby the player, who played video games starting with Kakyoin playing “F-Mega” a racing game, and then playing “Oh! That's A Baseball!” Which is of course a baseball game. The encounter was entertaining to watch. Additionally, there aren’t many shows that can switch between badass dudes beating each other up, to badass dudes playing a racing, and baseball game flawlessly like that (which is a great example of why stands are an incredible power system).
The fight with Vanilla Ice was the first time in the series when things got serious. Vanilla Ice is like a little toned-down Dio. Yet, he is still crazy, and his fight was very impactful to the overall series with the death of Iggy, and Abdul (who is dead this time). The death of Avdol didn’t have a massive emotional impact and was more of a surprise as you are still wondering what just happened. However, the same thing cannot be said for Iggy, Iggy’s death was very sad as he takes the hits from Vanilla Ice, and sacrifices himself to save Polnareff. Finally, Polnareff shows us why he is a part of Stardust Crusaders with the most impressive performance seen from him in all series. Now for the fight, everyone was waiting for: The Crusaders vs Dio. Some things were confusing about this fight, Joseph and Kakyoin could use their stands to swing around. Why would they never use it for the entire series until now? However, this fight was still great and entertaining. Firstly, Kakyoin had a great death and a sacrifice to reveal Dio's stand. Additionally, the fight was very hype and the music choice was great.
Overall Plot. The plot goes in a similar path to the first part of JOJO: a fundamentally good vs evil plot with the entire plot revolving around wanting to kill Dio. While it was for different reasons (saving Holly from a disease), and there were more obstacles on the way, it still has that basic plot as its base. The good vs evil plot is not necessarily bad in any way, but it does leave things to be desired. This is especially clear when combined with the repetitive formula of a new stand user, defeat new stand user, stand user didn’t add much to the plot, repeat. If this is your kind of thing that’s great, but while it was enjoyable (sometimes) many moments felt redundant especially early on. Finally, the ending. The ending was quite satisfying as the Crusaders who haven’t died all get to say their goodbyes and go on a separate path, and then it’s shown how Holly is now finally healthy, which is a good satisfying ending. Yet, it doesn’t have anything special going for it.
Characters
The characters in Jojo Part 3 are what truly sets it apart from Parts 1 and 2; in Part 1 most of the characters were pretty one note. Part 2 has a great main character, but a lacking side cast. What Araki did here with the character cast is the start of a trend that would continue to any later Jojo Part: a unique side cast. My only gripe is the fact that the Crusaders never really work together. While they are a group of five we usually see just one or two of them fighting at the same time which is sometimes disappointing or weird.
Protagonists
Jojo Part 3 is no longer a one-man show compared to its predecessors. Every character from Joseph, Avdol, Kakyoin, and Polnareff is incredibly unique, and each gets about equal screen time to the main protagonist Jotaro (or at the very least their moment to shine). Every one of them has their unique stand, and they all come into use at some point in the story. Moreover, the personalities of every character are very different. Firstly, Jotaro is stoic, and calm, and often comes across as aloof or detached. He is not one to show emotion, but he truly cares for his friends and family. Secondly, Joseph is witty, and clever, and often uses unconventional strategies in battle. Thirdly, Kakyoin is calm, analytical, and strategic, often being the one providing insight into the enemy stands to the group. Fourthly, Avdol is wise, and mature, and acts as a mentor to the group. Fifthly, Polnareff is charismatic, outgoing, and somewhat impulsive, often having a playful demeanor toward life. Finally, Iggy, he likes coffee-flavored gum. The only complaint is some of the characters were not built enough like Avdol for wanting to kill Dio, but without actually having a good reason why. However, even with those complaints, Working together, they form a dynamic team full of personalities and abilities. Each contributes to their goal of defeating Dio and saving Holly Kuujou (Jotaro’s mother)
Villains
The villains in Jojo Part 3 are anywhere from mediocre and forgettable to amazing. Many of the villains in the first season of part 3 were very boring. Villains like Captain Tennille with the Dark Blue Moon (a fish), Rubber Soul with the Yellow Temperance stand, and most other villains in season one made you go "Oh it's another stand user". However, there are some characters that while not necessary were quite enjoyable. For example, the Orangutan villain was a pretty funny stop. Finally, villains that were important or at the very least memorable: were characters like Dio, the main villain, and the final goal of the Crusaders. Dio—Charismatic and evil—is a memorable and great villain; which is why Araki uses him so often. Hol Horse is not very serious but a great comedic relief. Finally, the D’arby brothers are both great villains mostly because of the unique way they fight, and it was entertaining seeing Jotaro fight those two.
Animation/Cinematography
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders generally has a good animation quality. The anime adaptation by David Production is known for its vibrant colors, dynamic action sequences, and faithful adaptation of Hirohiko Araki's distinctive art style. Moreover, David's Production uses camera angles well to increase the impact of scenes, together with great attention to detail in character designs and the creative use of visual effects during Stand battles Jojo Part 3: Stardust Crusader can have some amazing sequences. Overall, while not the best animation work I have ever seen, Jojo Part 3: Stardust Crusaders animation is great and unique with amazing character design and cinematography.
Music
Jojo Part 3: Stardust Crusaders soundtrack may be the best soundtrack between the first three parts of Jojo. The opening themes of Part 3, such as "Stand Proud" by Jin Hashimoto and "Sono Chi no Kioku'' by JO☆STARS, are energetic and epic, setting the stage for the grand journey of the Stardust Crusaders. Additionally, this season was the introduction of the villain version of the openings. These songs are known for their catchy melodies and powerful vocals, perfectly capturing the spirit of the series. Moreover, the background music throughout Part 3 creates an atmosphere and enhances dramatic moments. This is especially seen with Jotaro's main theme and Kakyoin's Theme (Noble/Virtuous Pope) two incredible pieces of music that can enhance the atmosphere and moments of the show; Jotaro's theme is one of the best pieces of OST even outside of the Jojo universe. Overall, the music of Part 3 of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is a standout element that contributes significantly to the series' impact. It's dynamic, and memorable, and enhances the overall viewing experience. Every time the music came on it elevated the experience.
# Conclusion/Verdict
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Overall Jojo Part 3: Stardust Crusaders is a great show, but it does have some obvious flaws—the length of the series, and the lack of an actual plot are massive constraints—but at the end of the day, after finishing the show in its entirety most of the flaws will be forgotten. This show is very enjoyable to watch. The protagonists are all great, and the villains start off being mediocre, but quickly get better when the second season starts. Finally, while it’s not recommended to start here, it’s made clear that this is where Araki starts getting his formula together on how to write a better story, with the introduction of an ensemble cast of unique personalities, and most importantly: stands.
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