Anime – JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken - Stardust Crusaders Season 2 [Battle In Egypt]

Anime Nov 22, 2019

Overview:

Immediately carrying off from the last episode, they are in Egypt. From here the overall journey is nearly complete to save Holly. A shift in the tone and execution of how everything was done happens and is a lot more serious than prior… still lots of jokes and comedy but the sense of tension is now prominent. There is a feeling that loss is imminent unlike before.

The Stand users that show up this round are all around more powerful and the struggles to overcome them are clearly shown from the first one that appeared. Questionably gay cowboy makes an appearance for another shot at the Jostars… but this time it’s more for the cooldown and pre-final battle. His reappearance was the lowest point of the show. By lowest point it is by no means bad, every episode for the second half was very well done. That ep was more of a cooldown one to flush your emotional state, prepping you for the imminent Jotaro and Dio fight.

The fight between Dio and Jotaro, even after it being memed to no end there is still a part that was unexpected. The entire fight had me on the edge of the seat you could say. It was intense up to the very last moments. Post-fight in the car helped break that mood and calm oneself down after the emotional ride they put us through the past six and a half eps. Make sure to have free time when nearing the end otherwise it will be regretful once that moment happens.

Visuals/Music:

Visuals are very distinct with everything being exaggerated or defined. CG when used is still easily visible but still matches with the way the show and doesn’t feel out of place.

Music and OST follows through from the first season of Stardust Crusaders. They were either holding back some tracks or using the best ones very sparsely. The placement of them really kept up the sense of tension when needed and helped to engross the viewer inside the ep until the end. Opening song was not as good as the first. As for the ending, it started out as a `what is this?` and by the end it was hard to skip it. The song captured the last portion of this seasons emotional state quite well.

Final Thoughts:

Coming off from the first season of Stardust, I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I ended up enjoying it. From the new stand users to Dio himself, all was done great. No expansion for personal Stand powers but the way they used them this time around kept them from feeling stale and repetitive. Most, if not all of the Stands shown got 2 eps and this helped greatly. The fights and situations the characters were put in were not rushed or forced to end quickly. Each fight felt varied and the way it was ended at times was a little unexpected. Sometimes it would seem like the fight was going to be straightforward but then they pull a twist on you to keep the viewer engaged.

It is starting to seem like a theme with JoJo where the second half of their stories are where they ramp up every aspect of it. Original JoJo with Jonathan’s arc was good but then Joseph’s arc took it up quite a few notches. Same goes for this with the first season of Stardust Crusaders being alright but then the second half being where everything took a turn for the best ramping up to new heights… sadly not physically with Joseph and his plane skills but he did get to drive and piolet a variety of vehicles across both seasons.

End spoiler quick discussion - After Dio was defeated and the blood transfusion was done to bring Joseph back, him not turning into a vampire is not a plot hole. The moment he was conscious again, Joseph used Hermit Purple and was more than likely with Hamon as it was shown he almost always used it while infusing Hamon with it. Or another way to clarify it is that he is latently using Hamon a small amount which is why he isn’t as decrepit as his wife, he lets himself age, yes, but doesn’t practice it to minimize the aging process to near null. It only takes a small amount of Hamon to cleanse the cells.

Characters (main) – 4/5
Characters (sub) – 3.5/5
Enjoyment – 5/5
Visuals – 4/5
Music – 4.5/5
Story – 3/5