JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable

Episodes 1-3

It's time once again for a JoJo to go on some assortment of bizarre adventure. This time around, the year is 1999 and the setting is the fictional town of Morioh, Japan. After his '80s romp across the world, we follow Stardust Crusaders's protagonist, Jotaro Kujo (now 28 years old and a successful marine biologist of all things), as he travels to this seemingly plain suburban town in search of somebody by the name of Higashikata. Of course, this somebody is none other than the teenage Josuke Higashikata, the illegitimate son of Joseph Joestar (meaning he's technically Jotaro's uncle, despite being younger) and a fellow Stand user in his own right. In Japanese, the “suke” part of his written name can be read as an extra “jo”, making him this season's titular JoJo.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has always been a strange (or should I say bizarre?) beast in the world of manga and anime. Its penchant for frequently changing genres and lead characters would be an interesting quirk all on its own, but the degree to which we're expected to take it seriously is also suspect. It's such a goofy series, and the line between what fans are enjoying sincerely or ironically tends to be very thin. Personally, I didn't really get JoJo's until Part Three (Stardust Crusaders) cemented itself with a monster-of-the-week format, and I could interpret it as a weirder and more violent Yu-Gi-Oh! that wasn't trying to sell us a trading card game.

That said, I always admired the intensity with which it committed to its tone. Absurdly muscular characters, melodrama out the ears, and western pop music references galore made it a show that was hard to pull my eyes away from. I'm in absolute love over the fact that there exists an anime that featured a song by Yes as its closing credits tune. Tuning in for the music at least once a season is a must, no matter what your tastes in anime are.

Now it's time for the fourth “part” of this series with Diamond is Unbreakable, as this anime reboot of the classic manga finally inches ahead of Stardust Crusaders and begins to adapt material never before seen in anime form. Everybody has their favorite JoJo era, and Part Four especially is not without its fans, so I'm excited to see what the hubbub is about when it comes to Josuke and friends.

Right off the bat, the most noticeable characteristic of Part Four is its art direction. The color palette has softened, featuring a lot of yellows, whites, and purplish blues. The backgrounds have a much more stylish (albeit two-dimensional) look that makes the town of Morioh feel like a place isolated from the rest of the world. JoJo's has only been falling further into its own sense of style, although this time around it's much sleeker and less loud in design.

We've only just begun to get acquainted with our new protagonist Josuke, and so far I don't feel too strongly about him one way or another. His schtick is that he can flip like a switch between being light-hearted and goofy, but then deadly serious. He also takes comments about his “awesome” (his word) pompadour very personally. So far, as of episode 3, Josuke still feels like he's sharing main character duties with Jotaro, so maybe we'll see him come into his own later on.

That said, this is classic JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. JoJo's has always been a series that projects a strong sense of attitude. Whether characters are being affectionate, proudly stoic, or even violently sadistic, they always manage to carry an element of sass to their posture. I'm going to remember Angelo biting off a bulldog's face just because he stepped in its excrement for a very long time. There's a confidence that this show possesses as it throws some of the most baffling (and sometimes disgusting) concepts at you. What makes it all the more fascinating is the feeling that there likely is a rhyme and reason to manga author Hirohiko Araki's intent.

The thing that sparks my interest the most about Diamond is Unbreakable is the more restricted setting. We're not traveling across the world from country to country anymore, but apparently sticking to the town of Morioh. The choice to keep things grounded in a location that the show's audience can immediately identify with speaks volumes for the vibe that Part Four is aiming at. Between Angelo the friendly neighborhood serial killer and the Nijimura brothers, there's a definite theme of evil coming from the inside and spreading its way outward. It almost seems to draw inspiration from horror stories, though the sky remains as colorful as ever, and the action hasn't strayed from the usual superpowers and flying fists.

My favorite of the three episodes so far has been the second, where Angelo uses his water-based Stand powers to trap Josuke and Jotaro inside of the Higashikata household as it rains. It's the kind of no-win situation that I love to see shounen heroes fight their way out of, and the heightened drama feels perfectly in tune with the JoJo experience I had become accustomed to in Part Three. Beyond that, the setting and the intrigue of a humble town harboring a growing evil are what tickle me the most about this new story. At least I know I'll be looking forward to that Savage Garden song at the end of each episode.

Rating: B

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.