Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure- Stone Ocean anime, is it good or bad?

“Stone Ocean” has finally gotten its anime released after fans have been waiting for years! “Stone Ocean” is the sixth part of “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”, which is packed with action just like all the other parts. First, here’s a little background before my review. The anime for “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” started airing on Oct. 6th 2012 (Phantom Blood). Phantom Blood revolves around Jonathan Joestar and his adoptive brother, Dio Brando. Jonathan’s mother, who passed away in a carriage accident, passes down a stone mask that can turn people into vampires. When Dio ends up putting on the mask, Jonathan ends up being the only one that can stop his reign of terror. This part is where most people drop the show, as the pacing can be very slow on this part but, Phantom Blood is genuinely so important for the rest of the show, because it always comes back around to this part, with Dio and the Joestars. “Stone Ocean” is the first part in Jojo’s to have a female main character; Jolyne Kujo. The manga for “Stone Ocean” was released on Jan. 1st 2000 – 22 years ago!- and the anime released its first batch on Dec. 1st 2021. The second most recent batch of episodes was released on Sep 1st 2022. On the morning of Friday Oct. 7th, 2022, Warner Bros announced that the third and final batch will be released on Dec. 1st 2022.

In the anime, a young woman named Jolyne Kujo is sent to prison after being framed for murder by her ex-boyfriend, and is sent to Green Dolphin Street Prison in Florida. On the way there she meets another one of the main characters, Ermes Costello (sometimes referred to as Hermes). Jolyne is then given a pendant by her father, Jotaro Kujo, who was also the main character of an earlier season. Jolyne has never had a good relationship with her father because he was never there for her, but eventually this relationship gets better throughout the show as Jolyne understands why her father was always gone. Jolyne gets poked by this pendant and is then given a Stand. Established in earlier seasons,Stands are a manifestation of a person’s “life energy” and “fighting spirit”, basically almost like a second version of them. People with a stand are referred to as “Stand users”. Joylene’s Stand, which she names “Stone Free,” can basically unravel in strings and clumps to reach far away and grab things, but it unravels Jolynes body as she does it. Stone Free may not sound strong but her Stand is one of the strongest in the show. The name “Stone Free” is actually after a Jimi Hendrix song.

 Foo Fighters is then introduced along with Annasui, Weather Report, and Emporio. Annasui is such a strange but loveable character, he has such a cool design. Jolyne and Annasui’s relationship is very odd, Annasui wants to marry Jolyne even though they just met in prison and is always trying to flirt with her which can be a little funny sometimes. Weather Report is probably my favorite character, he has such an interesting Stand that can control weather, it sounds boring but it actually is very interesting. Jolyne and Weather Report’s relationship is very sweet, Weather Report just wants to protect Jolyne so it almost seems like a father-daughter relationship. Foo Fighters is a very unique character too, they are actually made out of plankton and are human and a Stand at the same time, and they canonically have no gender. 

David Production did an amazing job at animating this part, the animation is absolutely beautiful, everything is so smooth and well drawn. I love how Jojo’s has such a unique artstyle; I have never seen anything like it in any other anime. Especially the intro, I love when they add something new to the intro almost every episode. During the middle of the season there is a scene added to the intro where she hugs Jotaro, which I think is just such a nice addition, and shows how much better their relationship is now. David Production has always done a good job at animating Jojo’s but this, I believe, is the best animated part. The CGI overall can sometimes look a little odd, especially in fights, but it really isn’t noticeable. Even the small details in the animation are amazing, the weather animation, environment, even the music in the anime is astonishing. The singer for the intro is Ichigo from Kisida Kyodan & The Akebosi Rockets.

 I love the inclusion of more female lead characters; in the past seasons, it was kind of more male characters, which of course is not a bad thing, but it is just so nice to see more female leads. I think Jolyne, and Ermes are a great inclusion to the show; even the female villains are amazing, especially Miuccia Miuller (or Miu Miu/Mew Mew). Miuccia’s Stand, Jail House Lock also has such a great design, which is named after Jail Houserock by Elvis. I love the way Jail House Lock adds  to Miuccia’s character because of how eerie it is. Gwess is another female villain who has a Stand named, Goo Goo Dolls, after the famous American rock band. The band references in the show is just such a great addition, some other band Stand names are, Kiss (Ermes), Limp Bizkit (Sports Maxx), Marilyn Manson (Miraschon), Bohemian Rhapsody (Ungalo), C-Moon (Pucci), and many more references. 

Honestly I really recommend Jojo’s to everyone, especially if you love action and lots of fighting. But if you are going to start the show, start with Phantom Blood. Jojo’s has changed my life, in a good way of course, that may sound corny but it is one of the best shows I have ever watched, the community is full of such nice people and I have made so many connections with other people because of this show. I am looking forward to seeing the new episodes and all the battles animated. I hope once you have read this you give Jojo’s a chance, you can check it out on Netflix it has parts 1-6 on it (as of now)! Thanks for reading!