During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, like many others, I found myself with an abundance of time after work hours. This led me down a path to catch up on anime series I'd missed, and somehow, I landed on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. People had recommended it as "good" and "different from the usual anime." Well, they weren't wrong about it being different, but "good"? That's where things get complicated.
Let me be brutally honest: the first season of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is one of the worst anime experiences I've ever had. The artwork looks like a low-effort production from the '80s, the animation is subpar, and the story is, well, stupid. There's no other word for it. I nearly dropped it after two episodes, but two things kept me going: my principle of finishing what I start and the hilarious progressive rock references in character names that had me laughing out loud. These references were so absurd that they perfectly matched the show's ridiculous premise.
Then something magical happened.
The second season, while still maintaining its laughable nature, wasn't terrible. In fact, something clicked. The bizarreness that initially put me off became the very thing that drew me in. The character designs improved, particularly with Lisa Lisa, who I later realized influenced characters like Rose from Street Fighter. It was then that I understood: JoJo wasn't just another anime; it was a trailblazer that influenced much of the Japanese pop culture we see today.
By the third season, I was completely hooked. The show had transformed from merely bizarre to brilliantly entertaining. Its episodic nature, featuring different villains in each episode, created perfect television pacing. The anticipation of what bizarre situation would unfold next kept me glued to the screen. If JoJo had ended here, it would have secured its place as one of the best anime series ever made.
However, the following seasons – Diamond is Unbreakable (4th), Golden Wind (5th), and Stone Ocean (6th) – while not bad, felt like shadows of the series' peak. They had their moments of brilliance and maintained the bizarre nature of the show, but something was missing. That said, Golden Wind's opening theme, "Fighting Gold," is an absolute banger that I couldn't stop playing for months.
What makes JoJo's Bizarre Adventure special is how it embraces its absurdity. The title itself serves as a disclaimer: "Yes, this is going to be bizarre, and that's the point." The show straddles the line between stupid and brilliant, rarely achieving the latter but making the former incredibly entertaining. It's genius lies in its ability to suspend reality through sheer audacity, creating a world where the most ridiculous scenarios somehow make perfect sense.
Should you watch it? Yes, but with caveats. I strongly recommend watching through the third season, as it represents the series at its peak. While the later seasons are part of the continuous storyline and technically shouldn't be skipped, they don't quite reach the same heights. The journey from the terrible first season to the brilliant third season is worth it, especially with the outstanding soundtrack accompanying your viewing experience.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is exactly what it claims to be: bizarre. It's bad in a good way, good in a weird way, and ultimately an experience unlike anything else in anime. Just remember, if you start watching and think it's terrible, keep going – that's part of the journey, and the payoff is worth it.
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