JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken

JoJo no kimyou na Bouken (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) is a unique adaptation, to say the least. This was one of the first official ways that this series was introduced to the western world. Even though there is a full adaptation of not only this part of the series but the two previous parts, as well as future parts, I think you should watch this.

This adaptation gives you a feeling that the new adaptation does not give you: Fear. Fights between our protagonists and the enemy stand users have this feeling of danger and dread to them. While the new show is overall more lighthearted and ... more focused on the action itself. There is nothing wrong with how the new show does it, and in fact, it is more in line with the original manga. But because of this, this adaptation is so unique, that I would recommend it to people who aren't even big fans of the series.

In a nutshell, it is a story about formidable looking guys fighting each other using some sort of "spirits" called "Stand". The anime is quite brutal, there's blood and on screen dismemberment. The anime has unique visual style which I haven't really seen often.

Detailed breakdown below:

Story:
The OVA starts at the middle of the story, without explanation. Apparently it is based on one of the manga arcs, and OVA doesn't really explain what happened before. This may result in a fairly confusing experience. The story is linear series of encounters/battles with protagonist going towards certain goal. The encounters are dramatic and bloody. Basically it feels like ... "anyone can die" anime, which is good. If anything it sorta reminded me of Clamp X and of that one scene from Battle Angel Alita. The anime gets more interesting towards the end, where it finally moves to more interesting locations. Another thing is that fights are very imaginative. Powers of enemy users can control strangest things, and the combat encounters are quite tense.

Art:
The colors are washed out, and a lot of the anime happens in the desert with not much to see. The style is, however, unique (with formidable looking characters), and closer to the end there are locations with much more details and more people in it. In those ares there's incredible amount of details to surrounding, bystanders, etc.

Sound:
Flat voice acting. Antagonist's voice doesn't match the character and fails to display pretty much any emotion. Jotaro is voiced well, but pretty much nobody else stands out. The anime paid, however, surprising amount of attention to foreign languages, which (to my ear, at least), sounded like they were spoken by native speakers.

Characters:
Since the whole thing is centered around fights, they do not really change over time (no time for that), and more like superhero characters. However, they do their job fairly well, so here's that.

Enjoyment:
It was interesting to see one of those older anime that depicts events without kid's gloves, where anyone can die, and no person on the screen is "safe" from something happening to them. This was refreshing. The story starting in the "middle" of actual story was a bit confusing, however.

Overall:
It is definitely worth checking out, but I would not say it is a "must see" anime. It is worth checking out for the art style, violent fights, which can be very imaginative.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is, in my opinion, the greatest manga I've had the pleasure of experiencing. However, this adaptation manages to butcher almost everything that makes it exceptional. If you're an Araki fan, consider this your free pass—you do not need to watch this. If you're not familiar with the series, prepare for a story in the middle of other stories, with so much left unexplained that it quickly devolves into an incomprehensible mess.

With that said, let’s delve into what Stardust Crusaders (the actual name of the part this anime tries to adapt) is about and the themes it explores. We’ll also discuss how the ... beginning might be misleading, how effectively it tackles its thematic elements, and how it compares to other parts of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and its anime adaptation.

So, what is this show about?

Each part of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure revolves around a central theme of humanity, often tied to karma—how actions shape fate, family, and community. While each part introduces unique themes, they all contribute to this broader framework. Stardust Crusaders concludes the first trilogy of the saga, focusing primarily on heroism.

Jonathan Joestar embodies the traditional hero, with a sense of honor and courage, albeit dated. Joseph Joestar builds on this by showing that true heroism involves deeper ideas, effort, and willpower, refining the hero’s spirit. Jotaro Kujo, the protagonist of Stardust Crusaders, takes it further, suggesting that patience and hope are the true essence of heroism. This initial trilogy explores what makes a hero through these evolving perspectives.

Unfortunately, none of this comes through in these six episodes. If you haven't read the manga, you'll likely be left wondering what the point of this adaptation even is.

First things later, let’s talk art direction.

The art strays from Araki’s original style, taking itself too seriously. While it does reintroduce some horror elements omitted in the 2015 adaptation, making for tense battles and a suspenseful tone, the pacing is erratic, and the voice acting lacks passion. The English dub is slightly better but still falls short.

Even though the horror is closer to the manga’s original atmosphere, it somehow still misses the mark. The body horror, in particular, is poorly handled. In the JJBA we know and love, body horror is detailed and intricately grotesque, transforming human figures into striking, surreal forms. Here, though the characters are put through violent scenes, the bleak atmosphere replaces the manga’s iconic grotesque detail with a more muted visual impact.

So, how does it start?

For reasons unknown, the adaptation kicks off with Iggy’s introduction, with no explanation for why they’re in Egypt or what a Stand even is. Then, we’re abruptly shown a mysterious blood cult, left without context or any real point beyond a weak nod to fans: “You’ll understand if you read the manga.” It doesn’t mislead, though—it’s unintelligible from the start and continues that way throughout.

I intend this to cover the 2000 addition to this adaptation, and it addresses at least the stand's point. However, it compensates with a lot more unexplained stuff.

What about the characters?

The characters, too, are surprisingly mishandled. These are phenomenal characters, but in this adaptation, over half of them feel purposeless. Avdol and Iggy could’ve been swapped out for a torch and a paraglider, and the plot would barely shift. Joseph’s presence feels almost token, as he contributes little beyond simply being there.

Polnareff and Kakyoin do retain some of their pivotal scenes from the manga, but they come off feeling strangely forced. The adaptation cuts out bonding moments between characters, leaving us to wonder why this Frenchman feels such attachment to a dog who, up until now, was only shown farting in his face.

What about the story itself?

While the adaptation does change some things from the manga, which I appreciate as a fresh perspective, the alterations are, however, random and poorly executed, adding nothing meaningful. Some cuts from the manga lead to scenes with no real impact on the story, and vice versa.

They don’t even address certain aspects that logically should’ve changed. For instance, if the characters have 50 days to confront 28 enemies, cutting down to eight enemies should reduce this timeline. Yet, the timeline remains unchanged.

Then, what did I think of it as a whole?

As a standalone work, this adaptation falls flat and adds little beyond some visually cool fight scenes. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone—neither to fans nor newcomers.

I often give up to 2 extra points for the deeper meanings, this work is getting those because it is still part of JJBA. Otherwise, I would give it a 2 (terrible).