JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: STONE OCEAN – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural

Studio: David Production

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.

After going on an adventure on a Galaxy, far, far away, with Star Wars Visions, I decided to go back to Earth to a very bizarre adventure… Well. Not really. But right now I want to write about a very funny experience that I got the last weekend, and I was about to watch the other three episodes of Spy X Family, as well as Shikimori-san, but before I realise, I was hooked on Netflix watching a really sweet anime, so I was thinking to Stand firm and watch everything to avoid another Standoff.

Yeah. That last part didn’t make too much sense.

Anyway… I adore JoJo.

Huh… I was talking about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

I remember that it was 2012, my final year of Deakin, and then, shortly before graduation, I was introduced to this series called JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, about a young British man, called Jonathan Joestar, whose father adopted Dio Brando, and despite being given hips of love, Dio attempted to usurp Jonathan’s place as the head of the Joestar family and his love, Erina Pendleton; luckily Jonathan stops Dio, who turns into a vampire with a mythical object, called Stone Mask, that turns Dio into a vampire. Now, Jonathan must gather new allies and stop Dio with the help of the technique of Ripple. (波紋)

Thanks for that, Wikipedia.

All the first series got a fantastic soundtrack, including a sweet opening and the famous 1972 song, «Roundabout» by the progressive band «Yes», as ending.

By the way, this first series is called Phantom Blood, and its continuation features Erina and Jonathan’s grandson, Joseph in the 1930s, with the name of Battle Tendency. After the sweet success of the first series, David Production spawned three more anime based on the subsequent arcs of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Stardust Crusaders, Diamond is Unbreakable and Golden Wind.

And the iconic…. ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!!

My point is that, as of 2022, ten years after the release of Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency, I watch on Netflix the sixth series of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Stone Ocean. And, to be honest, I waited months for watching it completely. And… it was the same essence of its predecessor, yet, it manages to feel fresh.

And, since I am here, I must ask for a question:

Are you guys ok? feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now, let’s get into a Stand… with JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Stone Ocean.

PREMISE

Set ten years after Golden Wind, and twelve years after Diamond is Unbreakable, Stone Ocean follows the daughter of Jotaro Kujo, Jolyne, who is sentenced to 15 years after being involved in a car accident and being framed of murder, she is sent to the Green Dolphin Street Prison. Once there, she is given a special power, called Stand, for a pendant, gift from her father. Afterwards, Jolyne is suddenly visited by Jotaro, who she barely know, who reveals her that it was a disciple of dio Brando who framed her of the murder, just where another disciple of Dio, Johngalli A. attacks them. In the battle, another Stand called Pale Snake steals both the memory disc from Jotaro, as well as his Stand Disc, Star Platinum.

Now Jolyne is determined to find the real culprit, as well as recovering the two stolen discs. Where she gathers some great allies, another inmate, called Ermes Costello, who receives a Stand from the pendant, F.F, or Foo Fighters, a water-based sentient Stand, Emporio, a young boy who was raised in Green Dolphin, and Weather Report, a Stand user with no memories of his past.

Just like the previous series of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Stone Ocean was in charge of David Production. But I must confess a secret – I thought that all the franchise was animated by MAPPA Studio.

I hope I wasn’t the only one.

Anyway. Stone Ocean has great voice seiyuu, including Fairouz Ai (One-Punch Man) as Jolyne, Mutsume Tamura (Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!!) as Ermes, and Mariya Ise (The Promised Neverland) as F.F., and of course, Daisuke Ono as Jotaro.

All the episodes of Stone Ocean were released in December 1, 2021 on Netflix. And the soundtrack, just like in Phantom Blood, is fantastic, including Distant Dreamers, from British singer Duffy.

STORY

There is one word that can describe Stone Ocean – Big!!! Everything is big in the sixth series of JoJo’s the animation is big, the action scenes are big, the backgrounds are big, and the character development are big as well.

From the beginning, we are prepared with the great colour palette for something that was going to be as entertaining as Stardust Crusaders. And form me, even though I have watched Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency and Stardust Crusaders, I am still amazed of how awesome the battle scenes are in Stone Ocean. All the time there is that factor of surprise and creativity that engages you into the battle. Just like its predecessors, Stone Ocean puts a lot of tension and unpredictability in all the actions scenes, from the moment Jolyne arrives to Green Dolphin, until her first encounter with Gwess. Personally my favourite moment is when Ermes and Jolyne fight F.F.

And the body the later adopts.

She is indeed one of my favourite characters.

Furthermore, Stone Ocean takes its time to develop the different Stands of the story, exploiting their presence in a colourful, incredible animation that really adopts the passion of Hirohiko Araki in his art, and despite Stardust Crusaders is one of the best stories in this sense, Stone Ocean manages to maintain the spark of JoJo’s intact.

Also, the setting of a state prison gives a lot of identity to the story.

Believe me. Stone Ocean will always surprise you.

But, sometimes, I do not know exactly where some of the designs come from. What is the author thinking in some of them?

But that’s one of the elements that you can always enjoy from Stone Ocean.

Finally, one great gift for the fans, or sweet fanservice, is the appearance of Jotaro.

If you enjoyed the last series of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, you will definitely enjoy Stone Ocean.

And the characters are cool, with incredible designs, and all of them, even the minor characters are memorable. In fact, I remember the antagonists and all of the prison guards as much as our protagonist.

Like I said, F.F. is one of my favourite characters, but I also love Ermes Costello.

Trust me. You can choose your favourite.

CONCLUSION

This is a great, fun entry of the franchise we all love. And even though you are not a great fan, you will definitely have fun with it, either for curiosity or for fan loyalty. But in whichever case, this is an anime you can’t miss, especially if you have Netflix.

So do like Jolyne – sacrifice escaping to the outside world and watch JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – Stone Ocean.

And thanks for those who read my previous review of Star Wars: Visions, Irina. Hope you have enjoyed it.

Now. I am going back to space. Jotaro… Can I get some help?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! GALAXY!!! HERE I COME!!!!!

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – JUJUTSU KAISEN – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Jujutsu Kaisen

Studio: MAPPA

Genre: Fantasy, Shounen, Dark Fantasy

Herllo my friends. Welcome to another entry in my blog.

Well… This is it!!! The great moment! The one in which I finally have enough time to binge some episodes of the Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Awards, that anime that I feel it is the equivalent of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, in 2019. And I got this feeling… the feeling that the award was well-deserved.

Let’s take some time to talk about…

Yeah. When I saw the Crunchyroll Anime Awards of this year, I got the feeling that Jujutsu Kaisen will get the award, despite having great competitors as Beastars and Keep Your Hands of Eizouken!!, and… I hoped to be wrong, because I loved these two series so much. Anyway. Now I have done the homework and I am finally ready to talk about My Own Impressions of the Anime of the Year 2021. And I think I have a lot to say, so please… wish me good luck. I really hope that this entry is good enough.

Having said that, let me first ask the typical questions:

Are you guys Ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now… on to Jujutsu Kaisen.

PREMISE

Based on the manga written and illustrated by Gege Akutami, Jujutsu Kaisen takes place in a world where supernatural beings live among us, and some of these are born from an energy that comes from our negative emotions, called Cursed Energy, and they are named Curses, whose sole purpose is to create a lot of harm and wreak as much havoc as possible. In order to fight these beings, we have the Jujutsu Sorcerers, capable of controlling the Cursed Energy with very powerful techniques.

One teenager, called Itadori Yuji, receives a mysterious talisman, a rotten finger, whose amazing amount of Cursed Energy attracts many curses. Afterwards, Yuji is confronted by one of these sorcerers, Megumi Fushiguro, and tells about the nature of the Curses. In order to fight them, Yuji swallows the finger and becomes the host of Ryumen Sukuna, one of the most powerful curses in the world. And despite his lack of magical powers, Yuji can effectively control Sukuna, so he joins the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School, under the tutelage of Satoru Gojo, in order to kill Sukuna once and for all.

Jujutsu Kaisen started publishing in March 2018, and as of April 1st, 2021, it has published fifteen volumes, becoming one of the best-selling mangas in 2020s, with over 40 million copies. And, aside from winning the Anime of the Year award the Crunchyroll, Jujutsu Kaisen also received the Best Antagonist award for Ryomen Sukuna, and the Best Ending (LOST IN PARADISE, performed by ALI, who also performed «Wild Side» from Beastars.

Indeed, Jujutsu Kaisen was the surprise of 2020.

STORY

Ok. Now… Where to start to Jujutsu Kaisen?

I think these four words can describe my experience with Jujutsu Kaisen… Better than I thought. Everything got me hooked from the beginning. The characters, the story, the dialogues, the animation, the plot, and the fight scenes. From episode one, there is something that made me think that this anime is perfect. I mean… everything. But I don’t think I have enough words for the great excitement I felt; but I got convinced by how the series starts building its world, and involves the characters on it on the most natural way possible without forgetting the shounen elements that it’s making it so popular among animegoers.

Honestly, I haven’t felt this since Demon Slayer, because with every episode, you see that every bit of Jujutsu Kaisen is so carefully worked… is perfect. And you quickly understand the story, and once you know what the series is about, you can enjoy every segment of plot and character development, because once the story is solid and the characters are ready to live the journey, you are ready to enjoy everything that this world is about to offer… and to feel the surprises of your expectations masterfully far exceed. And of course… the charm of our protagonists.

Demon Slayer did this pretty well. Fate/Unlimited Works and Dr. Stone worked well because of this. And of course… Jujutsu Kaisen awakes this feeling of adventure and «expect the unexpected» that you always want; and, somehow, every episode manages to do it in this own way.

Also… MAPPA!!! You did it again!!! Well… What else can you except from the ones who did Dorohedoro? One of the other surprises of 2020.

Oh my!! I am having a lot of difficulties trying to be specific about other elements of the story, but there are so many wonderful things that I found that I need more than one entry for speaking about the story. Of course, I am not going to do that. I just started to watch Jujutsu Kaisen anyway, and I still have to see many episodes by myself. But for now, I am very happy that I finally did that because I now truly understand why this anime has become so popular. It has a very gritty plot, but it is adapted in a very broad way, any fan of anime can enjoy it.

And… the battles… What a joy!!!

Or…

I will stop here. Because I want to talk about the…

CHARACTERS

Now. I have really started to love the characters. Yuji is such an compelling protagonist; and like many characters like Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach and Izuku Midoriiya from My Hero Academia, he is driven by the wish to protect others; using his abilities and improving himself in every episode. But the best part… is that sweet spiked hair of his!! (Seriously, it’s like is a tradition on every Shounen story);

Megumi, despite reminding me Sasuke Uchiha, also has enough personality to make him memorable. Nobara, well… she is badass and cute at the same time.

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Seriously… I just added her in my waifu list.

Finally, I want to do a very special mention to… Maki.

I simply have grown to adore everything about her. Her design, her personality, her powers, she… is so awesome. Somehow, she manages to become a better character than I thought. And…

Mai… When I saw her on Episode 8, I thought… she is beautiful and dangerous; I am looking forward to see more of her.

And how can I forget about Gojo-sensei. But… Am I the only one who automatically remembers Kakashi Hatake when looking ato Gojo-sensei?

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So weird!

CONCLUSION

I really have a lot of fun with Jujutsu Kaisen, it is a really good anime that is worth binge. And I hope those who chose Beastars and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!! as Anime of the Year at Crunchyroll, can enjoy it as much as I did. I still believe that the latter are two of the best, but I am prepared for what is about to come from this little, amazing shonen series.

And that’s it.

I hope my entry really got the spirit of how many felt with Jujutsu Kaisen. And I hope that you enjoy my entry, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Have a great day. But before that…

Maki… I really love you!!!

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – INUYASHA – MY OWN REFLECTIONS – PART I

Inuyasha

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

Studio: Sunrise

Hello guys.

Welcome to another entry of my blog. I want to start by posting this image.

Why am I saying this? Because I want to start by doing something very special. Not just a normal anime reviews, but also a really beautiful gem that I have come to love and care with the path of time, or, in other words, I realise that it is more wonderful than you think. And since we are just days from the release of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, I consider appropriate to talk about this.

But first, I have a question for you;

Haven’t you seen a TV series, a movie, a cartoon, a song, that you are simply curious about, but then you see that, with the path of the years, has become something more valuable and loved, like a symbol of one of the greatest times of your life?

Sorry for the long question, but you get the idea.

Well… that is exactly what I feel about Inuyasha.

It all started in 2002. I was about to begin college, and then, when I saw Cartoon Network LA, I found a TV series, about a schoolgirl, called Kagome Higurashi, that travelled to Feudal Japan, and found a yokai, a feisty and hotheaded half-dog demon, by the name of Inuyasha, who was pinned in a tree, due to an attempt to steal a very powerful, yet cursed, gem, called the Pearl of Shikon (or Shikon Jewel). Kagome removes the seal and the arrows that hold Inuyasha, immediately forcing her to travel with Inuyasha; luckily for her, Inuyasha has a magical necklace that halts him every time Kagome says «Sit» or «Sit down».

The point is that I really got hooked by Inuyasha, especially because then I learned this fact:

«Inuyasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi.»

Do you which other cult franchise did Takahashi write?

Ranma 1/2

I really loved Ranma 1/2, but I honestly prefer Inuyasha, because the former can be mean-spirited sometimes, and it mostly mixes comedy and romance. But Inuyasha does more, at least from my perspective.

The point is that I started to watch Inuyasha, every single week, and I started to love it more and more, especially after knowing the rest of its wonderful cast, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Shippo, Sota, Koga.

All right. I know what I will do.

I will start from the top, reviewing the story, the characters, and the premise for this first part; then on Part II, I will continue talking about my experiences about Inuyasha, and the impact that had in my life, because there is a lot to say about this wonderful gem.

But before I continue, I must ask you the question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy. Now, let’s go on the review.

PREMISE

Based on the manga written by Rumiko Takahashi, Inuyasha tells the story of Kagome Higurashi lives in the shrine of the family, with her mother, her grandfather, and her younger brother Sota. One day, while investigating a strange noise on the well of the shrine, Kagome gets dragged by a centipede demon into the feudal Japan; much to her surprise; and after releasing Inuyasha, he continues his journey to steal Shikon Jewel; but suddenly, Kagome shoots an arm against another demon who stole the jewel, shattering it in many pieces. Now both Kagome and Inuyasha must embark in an amazing journey to find all the pieces of Shikon, a journey that will comprise a season of 167 episodes, a sequel called Inuyasha: The Final Act, released between October 2009 and March 2010, and four movies.

Without mentioning amazing characters, but I will get to that later. As I mentioned earlier, all the franchise of Inuyasha combines action, adventure, romance, horror, and suspense, with a great roster of beasts, mythological beings and enemies, all paying a great tribute to this wonderful imagination of Japanese folklore, and the great talent of Rumiko Takahashi, who, from now on, I will call her Takahashi-sensei (My respects); and combining to give us one of the best anime of the 21st century.

And the music is in charge of Kaoru Wada, famous for composing music from amazing anime, such as Saint Seiya; the Lost Canvas, Samurai 7, and Ace Attorney among others.

Furthermore, how can you forget memorable songs, like «Change the World» or «My Will»? In fact, I think that the music of Inuyasha deeply influenced anime like Demon Slayer. Check this out.

This is the first frame of the first Ending «My Will»

And now…

The first frame from the ending of Demon Slayer

There is more vibes of Inuyasha inside Demon Slayer. I will go there later.

STORY

Now. Where to start here?

Overall, Inuyasha starts introducing Kagome and Inuyasha in a smooth and coherent fashion, who are they? What do they want? Which are the stakes? Where to go? Then, it introduces characters like Shippo, Miroku and Sango, giving them a «prologue» in which everyone has a reason, intimate reason, to go with Inuyasha and Kagome, developing an everlasting friendship, and some of the most poignant moments in anime (We are talking about Takahashi-sensei, she is an expert in romance.). Then, we are introduced to very engaging antagonists, like Sesshomaru and Naraku, who, personally, is one of the most diabolical and most complex villains in anime.

Then, every episode has its arc, and a genre that moves the story, sometimes romance, sometimes action, but overall, the driving force of the story is the relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha; but does not mean that Sango, Miroku and Shippo are less important. All of them has their own arc, and all are developed in such an organic and beautiful narrative, leading us to love the characters.

Of course, this does not mean there is not space for comedy, like in Ranma 1/2.

Shippo and Inuyasha are just Gold!!!

But by the end episode 15, you will see Inuyasha as a great story, perhaps not as a classic. To be honest, with almost 180 episodes and four movies, it is hard to choose some favourite episodes, but you don’t have to. This is another strength of the story. With Inuyasha, you can choose from romantic episodes, to action episodes. While Ranma 1/2, from my viewpoint, mostly divides between comedy and status quo, much like The Simpsons, Inuyasha is a more complex franchise.

And I am sure that, by the time Yashahime is released, the mythos will be expanded.

CHARACTERS

But what will be of Inuyasha without its characters? We got all the types: Inuyasha, the half-demon yokai that wants to become a full demon; Kagome, a normal schoolgirl from modern-day Japan that becomes the partner of Inuyasha; Shippo, the kitsune who seeks to avenge his father and becomes a small brother for Kagome; Miroku, our monk with a terrible curse that will destroy him; Sango, the demon slayer who seeks to avenge her family and saves her brother, Kohaku, and her companion Kirara.

And of course, some great antagonists, including Sesshomaru, Inuyasha half-brother, who then turns into something of anti-hero, and Naraku, a very diabolical being with a twisted backstory.

Speaking of Naraku, I think he influenced the main antagonist of Demon Slayer. I will show you.

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You see? Definitely Muzan Kibutsuji had a great influence from Naraku.

There are more characters, but I will talk about them in Part II.

CONCLUSION

Like I said, Inuyasha has a very special place in my heart, and I will be talking about this special jewel in the next days.

Stay tuned for Part II.

Until then, a small tease for the future.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – The God of High School – Episode One – First Impressions

The God of High School

Genre: Action, fighting, martial arts

Studio: MAPPA

Hello my friends.

Happy July to everybody. Many things have happened since the last two weeks, especially because, unfortunately, the COVID-19 cases have forced a complete lockdown in Victoria. Furthermore, during that time, I have been working in my special project, the one that I have been doing for years. But now, I have a small pause to write about a special element that is helping me to be strong toward the pandemic.

That element is Crunchyroll.

And now, after so many days, I finally watch a new Crunchyroll Original. We all know which one I am talking about, but I will do the proper introduction.

Let me introduce you:

But before I start, I want to give a very special message to people from Melbourne and Victoria.

«It’s making me really sad that the COVID-19 cases resurged. And thinking that we are going to a complete lockdown, after a lot of hard word, is absolutely discouraging. But… Do not despair. Remember that we are in all of this together, and we were able to beat the virus once. We will do it again. I have faith, just remember… follow the instructions of the doctors, and always spread the words of the experts. Hygiene is first. At the end, we will get through this. So… always have hope.»

After that, let’s start talking about The God of High School.

PREMISE

Based on the manhwa written by Yongjie Park, and published by Webtoon, The God of High School tells the Jin Mo-Ri, a 17-year old high schooler, who is invited to the tournament of the same name, in which the most powerful fighters all over South Korea are invited in order to prove which is the strongest. The tournament itself does not restrict any martial arts or any weapons, so you can be using swords or spears as well. Furthermore, the organisers of the tournament have stated that they will grant the champions any kind of desire or wish.

Small trivia. This part of the premise reminds me of…

Sorry. I couldn’t help to notice that similarity.

Anyway, Jin also has a couple of very good fighters at his side, Han Dae-wi, who is one of the best karateka in South Korea, and Yu Mi-Ra, a young fighter who wields a wooden sword. All of them, are going to participate in this tournament that will, definitely, change their lives.

Aside from that, The God of High School is animated by MAPPA, who, as we already know, is famous for making wacky anime as Kakegurui, Zombieland Saga, and one of my personal favourites.

Dorohedoro

At this point, I am already starting to see MAPPA studios as an expert on very wacky animation, in which the expressions and the body proportions of the characters are much deformed than before, or if preferred, longer than usual, mostly for comical purposes, and other times, for «epic» purposes. You can see that in Zombieland Saga and Kakegurui. And definitely The God of High School has the same attributes.

STORY

At very first sight, The God of High School start like any typical high school anime we are all familiar with. We have this excitable protagonist, in this case, Jin, that realises he is very late for a very important event. When I first say the episode, I thought that event was high school. Hey. He was wearing his uniform after all. Then, he rushes with this bike to the event, that is where he meets out lovely Yu.

My apologies. I still watch it in Spanish

Yu, who has a very obvious «preference» for muscles. In his way, Jin meets a burglar, and goes after him. After a series of wacky events, Yu and Jin meet. And we have time for this lovely guy who broascasts live and raps.

On one hand, I appreciate that he is using a facemask

Then, Han, who just finishes his shift at work, goes and luckily catches the thief. Just in time, so all of the three arrived to the tournament.

For some reason, I had a lot of fun watching the logos of Crunchyroll and Webtoon behind. I know both companies sponsor The God of High School, but I still thinks is really cute we have a bit of cameos.

Anyway, The last event is one of the sweetest battle royales any Crunchyroll Original could ever present. And then…

After it, I got some really good moments. The God of High School really kept this balance between action and comedy, especially through its animation, courtesy of MAPPA studios. Really good start.

CHARACTERS

Dude… what’s up with your nose?

Finally, The God of High School really presented well its characters, from Jin to this wacky host with his Monty Burns-like. every single character has a very nice moment to offer. One thing that really bugged me was the pupils of Jin. Every time I looked at him at the eyes, I feel weird. Just look at him.

I hope it is only me. Because, with Princess Hibana, the shaped-pupils look great.

Anyway, the characters of The God of High School are really getting me excited, in the same way Tower of God did, as well as Leviathan. I said it once, and I will say it again… Korean talent has great stories and proposals for the fans.

I hope that Crunchyroll Originals keep coming for the months to come.

CONCLUSION

I know see that The God of High School has a lot of potential. And I can’t wait until next week to see the next episode, as long as the pupils of Jin don’t stare at it. Or else… they will take my soul. Until next week. I will sim;y go back with Princess Hibana.

Especially for the new episode of Fire Force, season 2.

I better be prepared.

Yes, my princess.