JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 2: Sentou Chouryuu
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 2: Battle Tendency

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JoJo part 2 is one hell of a ride. Whether you take this part seriously or not, there’s no denying that this is very fun to sit through. The craziness as well as how it fiddles with exploration in the best ways possible is what makes this part unique. Not only that but it further extends the variety of the franchise’s writing since part 1. While part 1 is a good introduction to the franchise and is far better than what people give credit for, part 2 is on a different level with how it extends the charms part 1 has.

What is Battle Tendency? It’s ... the part that comes after Phantom Blood. Since the death of Jonathan Joestar and the supposed “defeat” of Dio Brando, Erina is now a Joestar and took good care of Lisa Lisa and George Joestar II, both of which eventually took good care of Joseph Joestar until George died which eventually led to Lisa Lisa leaving the family while Erina takes care of Joseph. Speedwagon now owns a company and his goal is to explore the Pillar Men, the inventors of the stone masks. Joseph is kind of left unaware until he faces his first opponent which makes him discover the Pillar Men the same way as the Speedwagon Foundation. This part, again, is more substantial compared to part 1 because whereas part 1 portrays the stone mask as a cursed and mysterious decoration, part 2 finally shows us the answer about how the stone masks are made.

That’s not the only thing that makes part 2 special, though, it also works more on worldbuilding. Going from New York to Mexico to Italy, all while finding clues and battling unique foes in each location adds more to the franchise’s adventure aspect. We get to see how Joseph likes to fool around and still does but also needs to progress from place to place to solve each problem alongside his sidekicks. It gives the progression more life with how it presents how we go and execute each scenario from point A to point B. Even if it’s a battle Shounen, it excels at mystery-solving. Notice how Joseph has Hamon arguably not as potent as Jonathan’s yet is more substantial at fighting with finding more strategy. Not just utilizing Hamon uniquely but also finding the available resources to make up for a lack of strong punch. While some tactics can be off-putting, and I will get to that, it makes for great fight scenes, both in style and in substance.

Another thing the series does a good job at is how it still further extends the Joestar bloodline. How it portrays the bloodline is actually tragic. George II was a great soldier who fought in a war and was married to Lisa Lisa. Both of them were a loving husband and a loving wife respectively to each other, despite Lisa Lisa training hard to master Hamon. Eventually, however, George II was slaughtered by the last zombie made by Dio and Lisa Lisa had no choice but to risk and kill that zombie which temporarily turned her into a wanted person. She was forced to abandon Joseph so as to not give him a weird reputation. Can you imagine how tragic it is? Lisa Lisa wants to be a loving mother yet faces so many consequences that she needs to leave her son to have him protected. Again, there are some problems that I’ll get into but nonetheless, this portrayal is beautiful.

The same probably cannot be said for the Zeppeli bloodline, however. It’s nice that there’s more extension to it, especially with a good backstory, but it felt rather underutilized and we only get to see some substantial moments of it. It’s understandable that the Zeppeli bloodline needs to end right here but give us more of it. There’s no way it was intentionally treated as some sort of plot device for something. It’s kind of disrespectful.

Now, the characters. Starting with Joseph, the second JoJo, and a professional trickster, Caesar, the bubble-making avenger, and Lisa Lisa, the mentor and mother of Joseph. Joseph is a very good character. Not only he is fun to watch, but he’s also a genius when it comes to finding a strategy. He isn’t your typical protagonist who relies solely on powers. He finds other ways in order to win a fight. His chemistry with any character, especially Caesar, also makes him substantial. Just one problem, however. Some of his tricks are absurd and can considered to be asspull. Some examples include the grenade trick and countering Kars in the final fight. Now of course, JoJo is a series that isn’t taken seriously but even for that standard, those tricks can be too ridiculous for their own good. Nonetheless, Joseph is still pretty great.

Caesar, he’s alright. His chemistry with Joseph is the best part about his character but other than that, he’s lacking. He does show his history with his family and how he sets his things but neither of those aren’t explored fully. He also can be a little hypocritical for the wrong reasons. Lisa Lisa is a disappointing character. It’s nice that she has a dark history with the Joestar bloodline with how many consequences she faces and how she contributes as a main mentor but in the later parts of the story, she almost becomes a damsel in distress. She showed little with what she’s capable of which is sad.

The side characters are probably the best part of the cast as they showed more character than the main sidekicks, especially Stroheim, despite his history and troublesome actions. But the Pillar Men are the weakest parts of the cast. Satana is there, even though he introduced us to the concept of the Pillar Men. Wamuu is an exception, though, as he’s an honorable warrior who fights fair and square. While he doesn’t have that much characterization, he’s still a good villain. Esidisi is just annoying. He’s way too expressive with his emotions and doesn’t do much at all. Kars is pretty okay. He has a great backstory but he doesn’t hold the same charm as Dio. Half of the time, he’s almost a Gary Stu. Kars seeks more power and he doesn’t have any unique features for that.

Now, the last main part I want to talk about is the finale of Battle Tendency. It’s relatively weak. Sure, seeing Kars turn into the ultimate lifeform looks hella awesome but that’s more of a spectacular display than an actual part of a story. The plane fight, while great on paper, is nothing too much to talk about. It makes sense that Joseph has to run away from Kars but there aren’t many special contrasts for the two of them to clash with each other besides finding a way to hit a mark nicely. It gets worse when they launch themselves from a volcano, though. How in the world did Joseph manage to brute force Kars out of the Earth? Even for this series’ standards, it doesn’t make any sense, unless you consider the Red Stone as a hyperreactive and unstabled source of energy.

The art, just like part 1, has aged well. It gives more detail and expression to both the environment and the cast. Fashion choices are even better here.

Battle Tendency is just fun in a lot of ways. It’s crazy yet it’s enjoyable enough to not be annoying to watch… for the most part… Both the story and the worldbuilding are great and the characters are charming. But if we’re being honest, this part is far from a masterpiece. Even if it intentionally isn’t serious, there are some inconsistencies that tend to be a flip-off. Some characters are underdeveloped and some strategies could at least be elaborated a little more. But until then, if part 1 isn’t good enough then part 2 is a well-deserved step up.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures Part II: Battle Tendency – Spoiler Free – Recommended

TLDR
Story – 6/10 – 6 x 0.275 = 1,65
Art – 7/10 – 7,5 x 0.2 = 1,4
Characters – 8/10 – 8 x 0.225 = 1,8
Enjoyment – 6/10 – 6 x 0.3 = 1,8
Total: 6,65 -> 7

Story – 6/10
The story of the second instalment of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures is less well-developed than the first part. The sorry is less interesting, and although it is not confusing (the plot is straightforward), it doesn’t have the same allure or the charm of its predecessor. The story is, however, truly international – the story happens in multiple countries ... and continents, such as Mexico, Italy and Switzerland – ending up developing a storyline of the stone mask’s power of the race of immortal vampires that arose thereof. We also see a continuation of the Hamon fighting style, which reaches its apex (and also its saturation). Verily, we see multiple action scenes that not only add to the overall story but are a joy to read, thanks to Hirohiko Araki’s unique art style. There are also some very epic moments throughout the manga, especially in the second half. Plus, if you like the theme of the Second World War, there are also nazis!

Art – 7/10
The art is once more unique, following closely what Hirohiko Araki did in the first instalment of the series. The character design, although funky and sometimes over the top (both in a good sense), is technically well done and typical of JoJo’s. The fight scenes are very well executed and not confusing at all. The panels have a good fluency and rhythm to them, which helps the overall readability. The landscapes of the various sites they visit also have personality and are quite detailed. There are also some quite good panels.

Characters – 8/10
The characters, as in any JoJo, are charismatic and very well done. It is impossible not to think of Battle Tendency and not remember Speedwagon, Zeppeli, Lisa Lisa, and (of course) Joseph Joestar, the grandson of Jonathan Joestar – the protagonist of the first instalment. The villains are, however, more average, and definitely, no Dio Brando, being more common in their abilities and simple plot. Unfortunately, Joseph Joestar is not Jonathan Joestar. The characters are generally slightly worse than in Phantom Blood.

Enjoyment – 6/10
As with any JoJo, enjoyment isn't lacking whatsoever. It's a funny and thrilling story with some good and epic moments, as well as fight scenes that are worth reading, especially in the send half. The enjoyment isn't as high as in the first instalment of the series, but it is not bad. Again, although not as good as Phantom Blood, it still deserves a recommendation.

Part 1 was at 19th Centuary England, Part 2 was around late 30s just before world war II and it spaned from America to Italy. Part 1's Jonathan Joester, the 1st Jojo was a noble gentleman, Part 2's Joseph Joester The 2nd Jojo (the grand son of Jonathan) was a hot headed smart and talented kid who could use hamon special tecniques without training and he loved comics, it cought my eyes that he had Superman comics in his hands at a flight travel panel in plane. lol Jonathan and Joseph look visually exactly the same btw. I didn't like the Part 2 as much ... as the Part 1 cause Part 1 had a pure 100% evil villain called Dio and the end was sour... I like a villain who has no trace of goodness in him/her and i actually like bad ends over anything but a sour end was close so it has my symphaties. lol Part 2's naive parts bothered me more for some reason and villains were bigger, Santviento, Wamuu, Esidisi and The Master of them all Kars, the 4 Pilar Men, Pilar Men were god like beings, they all had their special powers so they were bigger than the first part's villain Dio who was just a Vampire, after all the next installment must be bigger, and some of the villains had honor at Part 2 so it wasn't as much as appealing to me like a pure evil villain Dio. The stone mask of the first part was connected to the Pilar Man btw.

Dio, Esidisi and Zeppeli character names sounds familiar to you too ? If you like Rock and Metal music, it must have. These names come from none other than the famous Metal Band Dio and AC DC (Esidisi) and Rock band Led Zeppelin (Zeppeli). Mangaka Hirohiko Araki is a Rock and Metal music lover just like his many readers including me.

Jojo part 1 and 2 was not for everyone for sure. If you can endure, look over some naive writting and if you especially have a taste for some naivety like half an hour falls from hights and the fights still go on while they are falling, the outragously naive ways that they survive from the falls... Joseph's way of wining the battles, Ceasar's Bubbles... those were impossible to buy into. Especially If you have a taste for naive parts like those, you will like Jojo part 1 and 2. I started to read Jojo cause people say it got really good with Part 3: The Stardust Crusaders so i read it for the promise of good future parts and i'm there now, i will see how good it's. Just waiting for Part 3 to be completed in its english publication so i can read it from start to finish without a long break.