Jojo's bizarre adventure

It's more of a curiosity for a Jojo fan and not a must watch

But beign honest it could be worse.

When you watch this series, you will be confused. The anime picks up in the middle of a long-running manga series in Japan. And while the introduction gives you an idea of the background for the story, you are more or less left in the dark as to who the people are, their purpose, the struggle, etc. Each introduction is different and adds more to the background of the series as each show progresses.

But do not let this discourage you. The story telling is pretty well told. The characters get a little over the top at times, but maintain a level of realism that works, and if anything, they add a sense of humor to an otherwise bloody crusade that the main characters are pursuing.

Brought to you by the same creators of "Fist of the North Star," "Jojo's" features a unique assortment of characters (including a dog) with super powers. The powers, without spoiling the show, are alter egos of the characters, metaphysical extensions of the person using them which can be manifested to do battle for the character. These alter egos are represented of tarot cards, as well.

So the background are men on a crusade to locate and destroy an evil being with the same powers as them. The humor comes from some of the confrontations of these super powerful men, in a good way, and after the second episode, you will come to greatly enjoy the series and wish for more.

The two OVA series are quite controversial not only for the alleged Qur'an appearance but also for its lack of faithfulness to the manga. For what it was, I think it did its job pretty well, and the superb animation, sound design and music (Marco d'Ambrosio deserves more credit honestly) makes up for it.

The optimal version to watch would be the original Japanese, and if you can find it (don't remember if it was completed and/or released publicly) the fanmade colour and quality restoration attempt.

Overall, it's pretty good. It has quite a few flaws, namely the lack of faith to the manga (different Stand colourations, character designs, plot elements moved around, removed and added) and the English Dub which is not always amazing, but if you can look past that and try to watch it for what it is, and don't try to compare it to the anime series, you'll probably enjoy it, especially if you enjoy old anime and OVAs or if you like JJBA and want to find something new to watch.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is a series I hold dear to my heart. I read the manga as a kid and loved the series since. When I was little, I heard about a OVA (original video animation) adapting the 3rd part of the manga, Stardust Crusaders, my favorite part. After watching the Davids Productions show, I wanted to see how good the older show was. I watched it, and I thought it was nothing special. But as I grow older, I start to appreciate this OVA more. It is so artistic and well done OVA that I actually find myself watching It constantly. I absolutely love this OVA, and I think you will too.

This 6 part OVA of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure takes place during the 3rd generation of the ongoing manga of the same name. The manga which started back in 1987 and is still going to over 70 issues (after 63 issues, Araki Hirohiko started the numbering at 1 again...) and is in its 6th generation of characters. This particular arc of the story jumps right in the heart of everything so some people may be confused as to what is going on. It can be viewed as a stand alone piece with the viewer filling in the pieces as we go along or for deeper understand, reading of the manga is necessary. I saw the anime first and was so intrigued by its originality that I started reading the manga to understand everything better.

This generation of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure follows the story of Jotarou Kujo and his grandfather Joseph Joestar along with their companions they met along the way. All of them are "Stand Users" which to normal people would be considered telekinetic powers, but take the shape of something humanoid to some degree. If I say more, I might ruin the surprises... Jotarou and company are after a Vampire (something you dont know unless you read the manga) named Dio who is also a Stand User and battle his legion of Stand Users in often bizarre but original battles (hence Jojo's Bizarre Adventure). Dio is a 100 year old Vampire who a century ago, Joseph's grandfather Jonathan defeated and thought was dead during a decisive battle (1st Generation of the manga).

During that 100 years, Dio's head took over Jonathan body and was resurrected when his coffin was salvaged by grave robbers. Now the bloodline of the Joestars must once again confront Dio for an intense showdown of various and bizarre sorts! Not recommended for the faint of heart, but for someone who wants a good action flick with lots of depth. Need to be a thinker for this one. Theres something for both anime and non-anime fans.

Outstanding directing by Hiroyuki Kitokubo (Goldenboy, Blood: The Last Vampire, "Tale of Two Robots" from Robot Carnival) and sound directing by Tom Myers at Skywalker Sound. This is the only Japanese anime to be recorded at Skywalker Sound (You know, Lucusfilms!) which should also tell you about the quality of this anime.

The series was so popular that currently a new 7 part OVA is in production as a prequel to these six episodes. While this 6 part series covers the second half of the 3rd generation, the new prequel covers the first half of the 3rd generation.

My rating 10 out of 10.