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⬢⬡⬢| Steel Ball Run |⬢⬡⬢
I want to preface by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed what was given, I only wish that the release schedule was made transparent as it did effect my viewing experience and I think that setting expectations is important to enjoyment of a show. But more importantly this split release truncated what was supposed to be a serialized adaptation, not allowing it to shine to its full potential.
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⬢⬡| Overview |⬡⬢- Story: The start of a transcontinental horse race in the late 1800's within the alternate universe created in Stone Ocean. It was full of the classic Jojo's tension and action. (7/10)
- Characters: New faces with familiar names, mainly Gyro Zeppeli, and Johnny Joestar. They're both kinda jerks, but I liked every character, not just them, and thought they all added a unique element to the story. (7/10)
- Visuals: Very well animated in the expected Jojo's artstyle. I must point out that while I was dubious of CGI usage, it actually looks good and isn't easily noticeable. (8.5/10)
- Audio: SFX were good, I recognized a few from previous parts, the music was also good, but I felt that aside from a couple points, merely did its job but nothing more. (8/10)
- Bingeable/Hype: I was very excited to watch this, and was thoroughly engrossed the entire time. (9/10)
- Enjoyment: Nothing bad to say aside from the brevity which left a lot to be desired. Happy with what's there, just not how much of it. (8/10)
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⬢⬡| Plot |⬡⬢
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(7/10)
1890, the Steel Ball Run begins, a race across the United States of America. It follows a similar formula to previous Jojo's parts, with a main goal being pursued by the main character (Jojo), and their retinue. Although this story seems to focus equally on gyro Zeppeli and the mystery of his pair of spinning steel balls. I thought that the episode/anime did a wonderful job of establishing the premise and setting and immediately delivered with a high intensity first part of the race that introduced a myriad of characters. I initially wanted to describe this part as self-contained since there is setup, climax, and conclusion. Unfortunately, it clearly is meant to be the first episode of many with the intention of immediate follow up of a 2nd episode which never comes. This is the one and only crux of the anime, and it leaves the story incomplete, restricting its potential, like a half finished story.
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⬢⬡| Characters |⬡⬢
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(7/10)
We see some familiar names:
Gyro Zeppeli,
Urmd Avdul,
Diego Brando,
Johnny Joestar, but all new characters. I was curious to see how they compare to their namesakes and watch their relationships with one another, but unfortunately there is little opportunity for this. Most of the interaction we see is brief one-on-one conversations during the race, mostly the two MC's Gyro Zeppeli and Johnny Joestar, with some characters not interacting at all. Each character definitely has, well, character, and different personalities which you can see right off the bat. Side note: Johnny and Zeppeli both seem like jerks.
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⬢⬡| Visuals |⬡⬢
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(8.5/10)
Phenomenal. Great animation, design, the art direction is on point, I mean look at those gifs. The palette changes during intense moments and just use of color in general was really well done. Iconic character designs (I especially like Zeppeli's). I will admit, I was hesitant of the CGI usage, especially with the horses, but it's hardly noticeable, and honestly not a big deal when you do because it's extremely well done; it still feels like Jojo's and 2D style in general.
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⬢⬡| Audio |⬡⬢
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(8/10)
Pretty decent sound effects, I noticed a few I've heard before which isn't a complaint. I like the callbacks. The sound design throughout was good, but the music in my opinion, for the most part was nothing special. Good for sure, but nothing that screamed "Jojo's," nothing that stood out as exeptional aside from a couple moments. Again, not a bad thing at all, I'm not expecting the greatest symphony ever every 5 minutes, I just don't think there might've been much opportunity to show off.
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⬢⬡| Bingeability/Hype |⬡⬢
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(9/10)
I was very very excited to watch this, I have been watching Jojo's for a while and had just barely completed
Stone Ocean in time to catch up to the premiere. As far as my excitement and engagement while watching, I was glued to the screen. I don't think captivated is the right word, but I was solely focused on watching, and in fact rewatched (for a couple reasons) and was equally as engrossed, where usually I lose a bit of interest the second time around.
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⬢⬡| Enjoyment |⬡⬢
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(8/10)
I wasn't planning on writing anything about SBR, and definitely not so soon after it started airing, especially since if you're watching this, you've probably seen the previous 6 Jojo's parts and I'm figuring if I liked it this far, I'll probably also like it this time. Actually, it's
because I've been a fan up until now that I feel the need to speak up.
I started watching Jojo's with my friends a while ago, slowly but steadily making my way up to current seasons. But as SBR approached I started watching it on my own in order to catch up with the release to the point where I ended up binging the last half of Stone Ocean over a weekend. I also resubscribed to Netflix (for a few reasons, but this being one of them) and I feel like my loyalty as a fan has been betrayed. This was objectively one of, if not the, most anticipated anime seasons basically ever. It was hyped up for so long, episode 1 was released, life was good, and then... nothing? No updates, no apologies, radio silence up until 2 weeks after the first episode came out and all they have to say is "2nd stage comes out this fall." WHAT DO YOU MEAN PART 2?! All we were given was a single 45 minute episode and nothing else. Why should I believe that we really will get weekly releases this fall? Why would I want to support that in the first place when I've been dying of thirst and Netflix spits in my face and tells me to take a drink.
I want to say that I actually did enjoy the episode itself. I thought the animation was on par if not better than previous seasons, the Jojo "feel" was there, even the music was good. I was actually invested in the story, and, perhaps this is worst of all, I cared about watching it. Big mistake me! How could I have been so foolish as to actually anticipate watching more. I wasn't sure if I should voice my opinions on this, since it's not technically about the anime itself, but it kind of is. It does affect the anime and viewers like myself because expectations were set and then not met, and the final product feels unfinished, because it is.
Looking at this whole thing, I realize it's better late than never. I won't pretend to know why things went the way they did, and I'm sure many many people worked hard on providing the best experience they could, and at least the animation team acknowledged the fans, and have responded with a release schedule in the fall 2026 season (which is still half a year away by the way). But if that was the plan all along they should have lead with that! I think a little transparency would go a long way, and now I'm just concerned all the momentum leading up to the premiere of SBR has been lost. But who am I kidding, like I said, Jojo's has one of the most loyal fan bases out there. That being said there's no reason, actually there's more of a reason to, communicate with the audience.
I guess all I really want to say is that the quality is good, but everything else has been a nightmare. If they would've delayed release initially, I would have been upset, but ultimately understanding, however when I'm given a half finished product and no follow up I get a little bit upset. Don't half-ass something, because then you're just left with a single butt cheek and nobody wants that. Either no ass, or the whole cake.
